Plan Your Perfect New York Trip

This Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of travel writers and bloggers will be taking over New York City for the second annual Travel Blog Exchange Conference. Two days of learning, collaborating (and probably a fair bit of partying) are sure to ensue.

For me, it’s my fourth trip to New York City, though I’ve got to admit I’ve previously been a bad tourist. I’ve never been to MOMA, I’ve never seen the Statue of Liberty, and I’ve never seen a Broadway play. Instead, I’ve gone to art museums in Long Island City, I’ve had a lazy, boozy brunch that lasted all day in the East Village, and I’ve gone to the craziest BYOB Indian restaurant in the city (where every square inch of the place is inexplicably covered in Christmas lights). I always go to visit a friend, so instead of seeing the city I know from TV, movies and guidebooks, I see the city she knows. And I’m okay with that, for now.

One of the things I love about New York is that is really can be anything you want it to be. Want to have a super luxury trip, staying at the most opulent hotels, dining at the hottest restaurants and dancing at the hippest clubs? You can. But you can also stay in cheap hotels in New York City, eat the best food from street carts all over town, and drink in seedy little dive bars for cheap. You can see the city’s tourist highlights or center your trip around you interests in culture, food, music, and art. You can attend festivals in New York City that will entertain you for just a few bucks or you can shell out a week’s pay for the best seats in the house at a play or opera.

And the best part is, you can have a different experience every time you visit. Cheap flights to New York City are easy to find because the city is such a hub, so you can plan to visit multiple times. That’s why, while I do someday want to see all of the tourist sights in New York, for now I’m in now hurry. I know I’ll be back.

Photo by wallyg