Anyone coming to New York for the first time already knows it, because they have seen the city in hundreds of films. Even so, one thing is unexpected when you step out onto the street: the buildings are far taller than they look on screen, and the city is in constant motion. The visa process takes time, so the planning has to start early. Below I have written a five-day route and the budget.
Manhattan: the centre and the view
Times Square is lit day and night and should be seen once, after which you move away from it. Central Park is more than four kilometres long, with a lake, a zoo and a concert ground inside it, and takes half a day comfortably. Walking along Fifth Avenue, the Rockefeller Center, Saint Patrick’s cathedral and the Empire State Building line up on one axis.
There are three options for the view. The Empire State is the classic, Top of the Rock keeps the Empire State in the shot, and Edge and Summit give you a new experience with a glass floor. Choose one; all three show you the same city. Taking the tickets in advance gets you past the weekend queue.
The museums, the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn
The Metropolitan Museum is enormous — give it no less than three hours. The Museum of Modern Art holds Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”. The Museum of Natural History is the best one to go to with children.
The boat to the Statue of Liberty is ticketed, but the ferry to Staten Island is free and passes right by the statue — that is the budget option. Walking across Brooklyn Bridge takes forty minutes, and looking at Manhattan from the Brooklyn side is better, so start from Manhattan. The Dumbo district is at the foot of the bridge.
The subway and the internet in New York
The subway runs around the clock, which is rare in the world. You do not need to buy a separate card — you touch your contactless bank card or your phone to the barrier, and the system works out the weekly cap itself. At weekends some lines change, so check the app. There is no direct flight from Baku, and flight prices from Baku to New York differ seriously depending on the transit city.
From the airport to the centre, the subway and AirTrain combination is the cheapest option. Taking an eSIM for the United States is the simplest solution for maps and apps, because free internet is not continuous in the street.
Read more: A United States travel guide: which city to start from, transport, budget and the unwritten rules
Costs and tipping in New York
Know one rule in advance: the price on the label is not the final price. Tax is added at the till, and in a restaurant a tip of eighteen to twenty per cent is expected. That changes the budget seriously.
The hotel is the biggest expense here, with a three-star starting at 200–350 dollars. A hostel bed is 50–90 dollars, while staying in Queens or New Jersey brings the hotel price down a great deal and is twenty minutes from the centre by subway. Street food is 5–10 dollars and lunch in a restaurant 20–35. Official information is on the NYC Tourism site.
The season in New York
April–June and September–November are the best months, with 15–25 degrees. July and August are hot and humid. Winter is cold and windy, dropping below zero, but in December the city is covered in Christmas decoration and the ice rinks open. In autumn Central Park turns colour.
In closing
New York asks for five days, accommodation eats half the budget, and the rest is a matter of planning. Use your bank card as your subway card, choose one of the observation towers, and take the free ride on the Staten Island ferry. For a visa and a route, fill in the application form.
Note: the prices in this article are those at the time of publication and may change with the season.
