Everything YOU NEED to know before coming to NYC | 20 LOCAL TIPS 🗽

This video is a must-watch for first-time visitors! I share 20 things you need to know before visiting New York. We cover it all so stay tuned until the end. If you watch any video about NYC, let this be it!

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Who am I
00:55 - Watch out for scams
1:57 - Where to stay
2:38 - When to visit
3:43 - Safety
4:41 - Do this
6:41 - Skip this
8:26 - Go on a tour
8:53 - Subscribe
9:22 - What to budget
10:31 - Tipping
11:14 - Video and photo tip
12:36 - Budget tip
13:17 - What to wear
14:04 - Don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk
14:33 - NYer's aren't mean
15:10 - Explore outer boroughs
15:25 - Don't exchange your money
15:58 - Bathrooms
16:48 - How to get around
17:29 - Limited accessibility

LINKS MENTIONED IN VIDEO:

[martingreenberg]

An alternative to LIC is Williamsburg in Brooklyn. It is about four stoops from Union Square(14th at) in manhattan. It is a place where hipsters hang out.

Safety is important. NYC is no more dangerous than any other major city. Sarah has suggested to not be out after 10PM. Good advice. It also helps you get a good night’s sleep for tomorrow. If you are out and about remember there is safety in numbers. In Wall Street late at night (Why?). There is very little foot traffic in the area. Leave the area ASAP. Traveling on the subway late at night. Nobody on the platform? Hand out by the coin booth until you hear your train coming.

I love crossing the B bridge. My advice is take the train to Brooklyn and walk towards the city. When you finish the walk you’ll be by city hall. Lots of busses and trains to take you to your next destination. There are also things to do and see in downtown Manhattan. Not so if you walk toward Brooklyn.

I think a visit to Times Square at night is worthy of your time. I go back home to NY yearly And love taking pictures. There is so much light I take pictures without a flash or pushing the light sensitivity. Locals avoid Times Square. Then again you aren’t a local. Besides, most of the tourist sights are closed when TS is lite up. Sarah has warned you about the scamsters and they are here a plenty. Besides the lite up area it is entertaining, for me, to watch the scamstars try and work the street. It is part of the street entertainment. You decide.

Staten Island isn’t for site seeing. Generally it is a residential area. The only reason to visit Staten Island, in my opinion, is to get off the Staten Island ferry (FREE in both directions!) and catch a returning ferry back to downtown Manhattan. The view of lower Manhattan is worth the ~ one hour (including the wait to board the ferrys) total time. Tourists are hip to this trip and know to go to the starboard (right) side on the trip to Staten Island for the Statute of Liberty.

True about the Wall Street bull. What many people don’t know that since this is a bull his genitalia is on display. Many people rub his private area as his body has a patina but his private part is bright and shiny.

Everything in NYC is expensive. Some good news is the food doesn’t have to be. Stay away from chain restaurants as Sarah suggests. It is more expensive than the chain restaurants at home because of rents et al. Plus they strive to taste wherever you go. Go to neighborhood restaurants. There is a wide variety of cuisines to sample. The restaurant may be expensive compared to home but the food will be better and less expensive than the chain restaurants.

Storyblocks cinema. Good idea. Unless you are a professional photographer or videographer, these images will be better than any images you want to create. Take a small camera or use you cell camera for images of your family with the Brooklyn Bridge (or other tourist destinations) in the background. Sarah may suggest not going into tourist trap souvenir shops. Good idea. On the other hand, you can purchase great postcards at a reasonable price. Here is a fun thing. Negotiate the price. You can get the postcards for less than the published price sometimes. If it doesn’t work write this off as entertainment. I negotiated my the price of my Brooklyn baseball cap.

As Sarah suggests, if you are in the city for about a week, get the MTA weekly pass for ~$33. The subway is definitely the fastest way to get around. Somethings to consider. The trains are three stories below ground. During rush hour let the locals out of the subway car 1st and climb the stairs. They do this all the time and can climb the stairs faster than you. When they have left you can climb the stairs at your own pace. There are very few handicapped accessible stations. For short trips try the bus. Yes it takes longer to get where you are going. In exchange for time you will be above ground and see the environment. Also the buses are handicap accessible.

Want to stop in the middle of the block to take a picture? Look behind you 1st. As Sarah suggests, locals can give you a dirty look or say something about your behavior. Like you, locals have places to go and people to see. This is merely a polite thing to do. Oh yes. Unofficially, Jay walking doesn’t exist. A break in the traffic? Cross against the light. I now live in Seattle and I still cross streets this way. I check the street traffic and make sure there aren’t any local cops around. I guarantee no NYPD officer will ticket you for Jay walking.

Good bathroom hack. An additional one is chain food chains have bathrooms for customers. Find the bathroom and wait on line until your time or go to a cashier for the passcode. Advanced hack. I’m a street photographer and walk the streets all day and into the night. If you are going to return to the area later in your trip make a record of the pass code and use the code again.

Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

[LukeRanieri]

I love how much stronger your NYC accent has become since your earlier videos! I study and teach a lot of foreign languages as well as English dialects, and the various accents in the Boroughs are some of my all-time favorites. It’s entirely natural for people’s accents to change during their lives, whether through osmosis or deliberately changing it. In any case, you’re an excellent communicator and I deeply appreciate all the helpful information.

[weliveyou]

I gotta add something to the “don’t stop in the middle of the sidewalk” : PLEASE walk at a normal pace 😭 Most people walk from point A to point B, and a crowd of slow tourists is an absolute nightmare

[anab.]

Sarah I love that you do your videos with Bella now! You are a role model for all moms out there who are always worried about career with kids.

[laceyr_]

Great video! I would say that sometimes you do need to have some extra cash on hand for tips, bodegas, buskers, ice cream/hot dogs in Central Park, street vendors etc. Some places only take cash. Also, about hotels - if you are planning to do sightseeing mostly in Manhattan, I would rather pony up the extra money to stay in Manhattan and be able to walk, explore and be closer to the sights I want to see on my time instead of staying somewhere in the outer boroughs just for the cheaper hotel ...you can have the best intentions about taking trains wherever you need to go during the day and at night, but if you happen to have a few late nights out, safety can be a concern and if you're not quite sure about taking the subway, you will be taking cabs/Lyfts/Ubers back to your hotel in the outer boroughs and that cost can add up (and take up time, too).

[Fernando-hphp]

SO NICE OF YOU TO SHARE THIS VIDEOS WITH YOUR DAUGHTER🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙏

[tiamarrow]

Honestly when it comes to safety and crime…..it’s more so common sense. If you’re walking in an area that seems very off putting, the people around you give off a weird vibe, and you actually see something bad happening, either leave that area quick or if you have to walk in that area to get to your destination…keep all of your belongings out of sight and extremely close to you, as well as just mind your business which is a superpower that most NYers seem to have. When it comes to weather and what to wear…..I’m sure it’s just the tri-state area that experiences this but specifically here in NY….the weather is bipolar and sometimes disrespectful.

[Corrans]

I really want to go to NYC now! And your videos feel current..love the awesome authentic recommendations. Your daughter is SO cute and a natural in front of the camera! Do a video on traveling NYC with kids.

[stanislavageorgieva-kabaiv]

I am at 6:22 and already you video made me feel like moving back to NYC after 10 years living in Northern California . I ❤ NY

[stephencain]

Sara, Just spent a few days in New York and was lucky enough to get to the Mets vs Yankees. It was a brilliant night and the New Yorkers we spoke to were great. Word of warning, me and my wife are in our 60’s and we were asked for identification when buying our drinks. We didn’t carry our passports as we didn’t want to take too much with us. Didn’t happen in the bars we went to but they were pretty strict in the stadium. We found a kind vendor who accepted my vaccine passport which had my dob on. May be worth a mention. Had a great time.

[tinypinata]

I visited mi-September 2022 and the weather was just absolutely perfect.

[MRP]

Sarah
When someone is taking the Subway. Go to the middle of the platform and look for a striped bar. That is where the conductor cab is or go to the front of the car. That is where the motorman is.
Weather I NYC varies. Hot and humid weather with severe thunderstorms to cold and snowy weather.
Tourist traps unfortunately are being spread to the Coney Island Boardwalk..
Do not give any thing to them.
I agree with you when it comes to restaurants.
I go to a bar restaurant in Sheepshead Bay. The service is great. Always people should 20% tip
Great video.

[scottman]

These are all great tips overall! I agree that hotels in Midtown are quite expensive. Thankfully I had points I could use so that my stay was significantly cheaper. When I was in NYC last September by myself, I rode the subway quite a lot, and I had no problems or concerns with regards to safety. I rode it only during the daytime however. Awesome video!

[infinite_vortex]

Tom D would be proud of that sick plug!
Bonus tip if I may add as a semi local (I'm a 15 min drive from NYC in NJ) : Sunday mornings are the BEST time to sight see. Seriously. Anything before 11 AM, the city still seems "asleep" and it's so much easier to get around..I go nearly every Sunday :)

[doodlebug]

In terms of saving money on accommodation, I cant emphasise how much cheaper staying in an AirBnB is. It's about 10% the nightly cost of a hotel. You can find them in Brooklyn, Upper Manhattan and New Jersey. Yes you have to commute, but it's like 10-30 minutes max by bus!! This leaves you with more money for fun spending in New York.

[Puffiscool]

Planning a trip to NYC in the Fall and have been binge watching your videos for the past few weeks. Thanks for this one!

[bri]

$6000 is the total amount my daughter and I spent for our trip to NYC in May 2022. (we stayed for 7 nights) This is our 3rd visit and we love it more and more each time thanks to Sarah's amazing videos with tips and tricks!

[silvercookies]

I love your videos, Sarah, my husband and I have been binging them as our trip to NYC approaches (we'll be arriving this Thursday) we will only have a few days to explore the city so it will be a little taster for him. This will be my 5th time visiting but the last time I was in NYC was in 2014 so I'm sure LOTS has changed since my last visit.

[heidikrummert]

I've been watching your videos quite a bit! I'll be there in December with my daughter. It's her favorite holiday hands down. So far I purchased tickets for The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular Show and a 4 hour Dyer Heights tour (Christmas day..kinda figured that would be a good day since some things may be closed and it'll give us a little break as we chill for a bit.) I found an Airbnb right by Times Square with all the action. I got it just in time too. All of my "hearted" pads skyrocketed considerably before the end of April. We have both been to NYC once but this trip is Christmas focused. I've been investigating like nuts and plan to utilize your video to get from LaGuardia to our Airbnb. There's only two other things I plan to purchase tickets for...ice skating and I think we're gonna go with The Edge. One World Observatory sounds great for all the obvious reasons but towering over all of NYC didn't seem as cool as kinda being eye to eye. I like the see through floor but the other seems intriguing as well. I want to book tickets for dusk. I almost bought tx last night but I held off so I could see what the distance is between our temporary NYC home and where the Dyer Heights tour ends. I'm thinking Christmas night may be the time to go after the tour which is scheduled to end at 8. Any thoughts on this? And any other suggestions that I should look into or book? Btw, my daughter will be 15 in June so she's at a great age to be adventurous with. Oh and we plan to definitely ride the Staten Island ferry. There's other good tour guides I've checked out but I feel most comfortable with your videos and one other lady...the dudes are ok but I'm sticking with the ladies! 💜

Thanks so much for your insightful, helpful videos. 💜🎄💜

[ambertu]

I'm visiting NY for the first time in a little over a week. Thank you for all these great tips!! And Bella is just too precious!