After watching HIMYM and F.R.I.E.N.D.S, who wouldn’t be fascinated about NYC, right? As luck would have it, I got an opportunity to visit NYC this summer for 2 weeks. So, watch your step when you get up kids, ‘cause I’m about to drop some knowledge.

NYC the city which never sleeps, the city forever in flux contains so much to see and do, you can barely scratch the surface in your typical week or two visit. When I got a chance to visit NYC, I had lists of places to visit, things to do, restaurants to eat and bars to drink at! Here is the guide to create LEGEN…wait for it…DARY New York moments of your own.

Places to visit in NYC

New York City is a big place with a lot to do and this list barely scratches the surface.

Sunset at North Cove Yacht Harbor

If you also enjoy the sunset on the riverfront with a great view of the skyline, this is the place to be. Not being a tourist place, this place is always less crowded. You can sit, relax and enjoy the river and the view of the skyline in front of you with the WTC behind you.

Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk

Coney Island

With nearly 3 miles of sandy beaches, Coney Island’s sunny skies and rolling waves make for the perfect getaway. If being active at the beach is more your idea of fun than just catching some rays. It also offers fishing, beach volleyball, handball, and basketball as well as playgrounds and amusement rides.

Do check out the Thunderbolt ride near the beach. It costs around 10$ but will scare the shit out of you.

Rockefeller Center and Top Of The Rock

Rockefeller Center and Top of the rock

This is another happening place in NYC. You can see where they film The Today Show, eat, drink, and take the elevator to the “Top of the Rock” for a bird’s-eye view of the city (which I personally think is better than the Empire State Building, since from the top of here you can get that building in your picture too!).

Time Square

Love Hard Rock cafe? Broadway Fan? then you must visit Times square. It is probably the most famous square in the world. Regardless of what time you visit, this place will always be crowded with tourists. If you aren’t shopping or eating or seeing a show, there isn’t much to do in the area. When you visit Times Square in midtown Manhattan it’s easy to see why: tourists from all over the globe come to marvel at the neon billboards, see a famous musical, go shopping in the area and soak in the unique Times Square vibe.

Brooklyn Bridge

Access to the Brooklyn Bridge is 24 hours a day and it is beautiful at any time of the day, with the sunset being particularly nice! This way, You can take in the views of both Brooklyn and Manhattan while it is still day and then watch as all the sights come to life with electric wonder in the night. It is best to walk at night when downtown Manhattan is all lit up. Be warned, it can get very chilly up there on the bridge during nights.

High Line

High Line goes from 34th Street down to the Meatpacking District. Lined with gardens, public art, food stalls and greenery, this walk is one of the best things to do in the city on a nice day. If you are lucky enough as I was you may see something happening like Salsa, dancing on drums, etc. But try to choose a weekday to go here, this place can get crowded on weekends.

World Trade Center & 9/11 Memorial and Museum

World Trade Center

WTC observatory provides the bird’s eye view of NYC and there is also a lot of information about the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal is the city’s historic train station. It was going to be torn down in 1975 but was saved by Jacqueline Kennedy, who raised money for its preservation. Also, there’s an amazing eatery in the basement called the Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant. You can also find the Jacques Torres Chocolates shop here.

North Houstan South Houstan

NoHo-SoHo

If you want to capture, non-commercialised places in NYC, NoHo-SoHo is the place you surely wanna go. You will find a lot of street arts, architectural building, and history. I can guarantee that you will get your best clicks of NYC here.

Have you ever heard that NYC has the best food? Yeah! This is because of SoHo. You will find great restaurants, bars, and small cafes. Do visit CoCo and Cru in NoHo, they serve amazing coffee and beers too. This place connects to Meatpacking District, a street full of bars you really don’t want to miss. Take a walk from NoHo to SoHo to Meatpacking District to High Line. This can be the best plan for an evening.

Staten Island Ferry and Statue of Liberty

Who would want to miss the Statue of Liberty when in New York right? Well then, you can have a great view of this wonder during free ferry runs from NYC to Staten Island. You can also go to Liberty Island for a closer view, though the line for the ferry from Battery Park is very long.

Central Park

Perfect place to sit, relax, exercise, cycling and read. The park covers over 150 square blocks, hence there are a lot of places to wander around. This is the biggest park I have ever seen. If you are also a F.R.I.E.N.D.S fan like me, you probably don’t want to miss this.

Things to do in NYC

NYC has a lot to offer. Then why spend all of your money on just views when there are so much things to do.

Skydiving in Long Island

Tandem Sky Diving at Long Island Sky Diving center

Afraid of Heights? Jump out of a Plane! If you love adventure sports and wants to create an experience, head to Long Island Sky Diving Center. You will be jumping from the height of 10,000 feet. Scary right? But why you must do it? Because some are in it for the rush, some want to push their limits, some are working on their bucket list. These are great reasons. But here’s an even better one, and any of the sports skydivers will tell you: skydiving changes lives. You will be happy when you complete your first dive. Those memories still cherish my mind. Also, You will get a bird’s eye view of beautiful and unique Fire Island towards the end of your freefall.

How to reach Skydiving center from NYC?

Train (cheapest): Take the train from Jamaica LIRR or Penn station to Mastic Shirley LIRR. You can walk up to the diving center from Mastic Shirley LIRR. You can book the ticket online from MTA app or website or get a ticket at the station or inside the train. If you are going to Jamaica by Subway, get down at Sutphin Blvd Archer Ave Subway station. From here, it is a 5 min walk to Jamaica LIRR.
Rent a car and drive: If skydiving is not your only reason to go to Long Island, rent a car and drive. There is not much of public transport and cabs or taxis are too expensive to explore Long Island.
Cabs: You can take Uber or Lyft to directly reach the diving center. This way is much more expensive but if you are going in a group, its cost is comparable to that of the train.

See a TV Show!

Are you an also American TV show fan? TV shows like Saturday Night Live, The View, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon offer free tickets to their tapings. See each show’s website for details and to make reservations. I got this idea very late and, well, reservations, they must be done in advance. Hence, I missed the chance to attend one. I still regret that!

Geocaching

Do treasures fantasize you? If yes, you should do geocaching in NYC. If you don’t know what geocaching is, it’s a game in which you can just participate using your smartphone using app or website. People create geocaches and maintain them across the world. You can go at the coordinates, solve the puzzle to find your “treasure”. You can pick something from the container and leave something in the same. It’s like using government satellites to find Tupperware in the woods. This is how NYC looks with all Geocaches!!

Geocache map

I found my first geocache in NYC and was totally addicted. Anyway, I go, I open geocache app, search if there is any cache nearby and head to find it.

Geocache: Fidelis Ad Mortem

Enjoy Geocaching!!!

Go to Rooftop bars

NYC Rooftop Bars

Why spend money on just a view? When you can have the same experience with a cocktail in your hand. NYC is famous for its rooftop bars. These are some great Rooftop Bars you should go:

Take a walking tour

Heart & Soul of Greenwich Village

As I told earlier, NYC has a lot to offer. But how? Because this place has it all, from so much history and culture and to so many nationalities represented here and it’s not really that surprising. New York seems to have a walking tour for everyone’s needs. I think walking tours are a wonderful way to see a city, get your backpacks, and learn about the best things about the place from a local expert.

New York City has many walking tour companies — from free tours to food tours to neighborhood tours to expensive private walking tours. I am fascinated about food so I went to Heart & Soul of Greenwich Village food tour by Foods of NY and believe me I found out the best food, NYC can offer. Literally, for about whole week after that, I was traveling daily 1 hour in the subway to Greenwich Village to eat my dinner.

Surfing at Rockaway Beach

Love to surf? Well, then Rockaway beach in Queens is the perfect getaway for you. No summer in NYC would be complete without a trip to one of New York’s best beaches. You can surf, lay on the beach, read a book and enjoy a sunbath.

See a Yankees/Rangers/Knicks game

Like to shout loud in the crowd or maybe some sports? Games are fun when you have friends to share the experience with. If you have a chance and the desire, don’t miss a sporting event. I think this is something you may want to do if you are a F.R.I.E.N.D.S fan.

Conclusion

New York City is just magical. You know that saying: ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN NEW YORK? Well, it’s true, including the good stories that made Humans of New York famous, people carrying around kittens on the subway, playing awesome electric guitar or dancing on the street. You never know, what you will find next. Just keep your eyes open and share your experiences in the comments.

Well, coming to an end, I know this is not an exhaustive list. There is so much to see, so much to do. But I am sure that this list can help you make an awesome lifetime memory and if it does, give me a whaaaat up?! or maybe a big high five. I am sure — you’ll fall in love with New York.