This probably should have been my first post as this is the reason why I started this blog in the first place – to give you the tips and confidence to really experience New York. And my first piece of advice is don’t live by the list.
When most people plan their first trip to New York, they come armed with the list:
- Times Square
- The Statue of Liberty
- Empire State Building
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Central Park
Snap the pic, tick the box and move on to the next.
But here’s the thing – New York isn’t a city you just look at or photograph. It’s a city you feel. It’s a city you live in—even if just for a few days.
And to really experience it, you’ve got to be confident enough to go “off list” and discover the magic that’s in the wandering.
Some of the best moments you’ll have in NYC won’t be the ones you planned. It’ll be when you turn down a side street because you hear music echoing off the brownstones.
Or when you duck into a tiny café because your feet need a break and the smell of fresh bagels is too good to resist.
When you keep on wandering through Central Park without a map and end up on the other side of the city and have the best lobster bisque you’ve ever had when you got a snack to keep you going.
It’s in the moment you’re “lost” in the West Village, only to stumble upon the most charming bookshop you’ve ever seen, complete with a friendly cat and an owner who insists you must try the cannoli from the bakery down the block.
That’s the real New York.
When you let yourself wander, you open the door to spontaneous conversations—with bartenders, shop owners, waitresses and other travellers ready to tell you stories of the city you’ll never find in a guidebook.
Ask them where to eat. Where to go. What they love to do on a rainy day.
The unexpected moments are the ones you remember the most.
You might walk past a theatre and think: “Oh wow, that’s the show I’ve been dying to see.” You pop in and there’s a last-minute ticket waiting just for you—at half the price you expected.
You head downtown for a quick bite and end up spending hours at an art market in SoHo that wasn’t even on your radar.
That’s the beauty of New York. If you let it, it will surprise you.
Have your must-see list. But leave space—real space—for the spontaneous. For the unplanned. For wandering with no destination. Because that’s where the soul of the city lives and that’s where your memories will be made.
