Last holiday season, my family, my husband two teenagers and I , went on the trip of a lifetime; New York City during the holidays. Not actually ON the holidays, but smack dab in the middle of Christmas and New Year’s. I have to say, it was glorious!  Being a southern California surfer girl, New York City is the polar opposite of my little world. Maybe I am in love with NYC because it is so different from my daily life.

If you like the energy (aka crowds), the city sounds (aka sirens and honking), and the metropolitan hustle and bustle, then I highly recommend New York at the holidays. But then again, I would recommend New York at any time of year.

There aren’t enough words to describe how amazing our trip was. Well, there are, but that would take forever and create the longest blog post in history, so I will break it up into manageable chunks and do a few posts on my NYC experience so as to not overwhelm or bore you.  I do want to give you my two cents though because if you are considering visiting the Big Apple, I have some honest practical tips that may help, especially if you’re from So.Cal.

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I am not a travel blogger in real life, only in my dreams, so what you’ll get here is simply my view based on personal experiences. Pretend you and I were meeting for coffee and I was giving you highlights of my trip.

These are some of my opinions about traveling to New York City. Not everyone will agree.

Children In New York City

If you have children under say 7 . . . you may want to go somewhere else, like Disneyworld. They will probably not enjoy it and the people around you won’t either. The streets and attractions are very crowded. I can’t imagine trying to maneuver a stroller or more importantly manage the worry about my little munchkin getting trampled or worse, lost! Plus, you want your kids to remember this trip and if they are too young, they may not.

Prices In New York City

New York City is expensive. VERY expensive. Just mentally prepare yourself for that. There are ways to do NYC on a budget ,but I am afraid I don’t have any helpful restaurant tips. The one thing I will say is don’t eat anywhere you can eat at home. I even gave up Starbucks for the trip . . . not an easy feat for me. The things that do make NYC easier on the pocketbook are that you can find free things to do, you just have to search for them. Also, you can walk pretty much anywhere, and if it’s too far to walk, public transportation is very reasonable. Taxis aren’t even that bad, but it can start to add up. As much as I adore NYC cabbies, and I do, Uber may be a better option if you have a ways to go, especially in congested areas since the fare is based on distance not time.

The Crowds in New York City

You have to mentally prepare yourself for the crowds during the holidays in NYC. There will be people, A LOT of people. I enjoy this to an extent, but even I have limits. We blew in and out of Times Square and Rockefeller Center because the crowds were just too much. At times I felt like I was in a herd of cattle. There are definitely parts of NYC that are more crowded than others, like the two mentioned above. Do your research and plan your days accordingly. It does help if you get up and out early. Seeing things at the beginning of the day makes a difference.

Now this is just my opinion but stay away from Times Square. Times Square feels like Vegas to me. Over stimulating. Grimy. Aggressive. I have no desire EVER to be in Times Square on NYE. If this is a bucket list item for you, I don’t know what to say. It sounds like an absolute nightmare to me, BUT you are not alone! Plenty of people agree with you and do it every year and survive. 🙂

Getting Help in New York City

The concierge at your hotel will be your new bff. Whether it’s recommendations for dinner or the best subway station to get you from point A to point B, you want to become buddies with him or her. They have a wealth of knowledge.

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Dinner reservations in New York City

Always make dinner reservations. Always. Even at 5pm on a Tuesday. New York is a busy place and to make your visiting experience seamless, reservations are a must. I am all for spontaneity.  We did pop into a few random places that looked interesting and we had great experiences. I am just saying, especially if you have kids, don’t wait ’till everyone is starving and ready to kill each other to start thinking about dinner. Don’t try to just squeeze in a bite somewhere if you want to make it to a play or show on time.

Weather in New York City

I am a native So. Cal. girl so I was pretty nervous about the weather. In Cali, if the temps drop below 68 and precipitation is expected, we go on Storm Of The Century alert. Luckily, when my family and I were in NYC, Mother Nature was gentle on us. When we arrived the temp hovered just below 50 . . . and only dropped to 35 . . . pretty manageable.

In the winter, “layers’ will be your mantra. It is hard to get used to freezing one moment and stepping into a store or restaurant and overheating the next. This is where a larger, hobo style purse comes in handy. You will want to be able to store your, and ultimately your children’s (because they will ask you to), extra layers. Just get accustomed to shoving your gloves, scarf and beanie into your purse right when you walk in. And as much as it is a pain in the neck, you’ll need to carry your coat while you shop. This may end up being a money saving strategy; it’s hard to be motivated to try stuff on when you’re carrying around 20 pounds of extra clothes.

*Coat checks at restaurants are just fabulous! (My first experience with this in 46 years.)

On the same note, I don’t think Southern Californians have enough clothes in their closet to protect them from the cold weather back east. As I said, we got lucky with the weather during our visit, the last day was the coldest at 38 degrees. I tried to prepare everyone as best I could; outfitted them with heavy coats, beanies, scarves, gloves, wool socks, waterproof shoes and of course the layering plan. But, that last day was a little too much for our sun-kissed temperature gauges of So. Cal. And this was mild for NYC standards. Just know, if you go between December and February, you will probably be colder than you ever have been in your life.

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Tipping in New York City

You need to tip everyone. The usual; waiters and waitresses, taxi drivers, and housekeepers. It is also customary to tip bellmen, coat check people, tour guides, the concierge, door men, etc. Make sure you always have a stash of small bills on you.

Transportation in New York City

If you are from So. Cal. where public transportation is about as familiar as The Great Wall of China, and are not confident on subways and buses, never fear, once you get the hang of it-it’s a life saver. Don’t worry about looking like an idiot on the subway your first few times. You will and it’s ok . . . you’re not the first. There are people to help you if needed.

Now I’m not trying to get anyone injured here, but if you are a pedestrian, the crossing lights are just a suggestion. It takes a day or two to get comfortable walking against the red lights but you will.  Just follow the herd. This is how we started to be able to decipher the locals from the tourists. If there aren’t cars coming, no matter what color the little walking man on the sign is, locals walk.

Being a Tourist in New York City

Get used to hearing different languages. New York City is a true melting pot. You can pass 6 groups of people on the street and they will each be speaking a different language. Some of them tourists, some locals. Get accustomed to differences. Where I live, everyone pretty much looks the same. In New York City, you get to move about the earth with different cultures, religions, races, and languages. It is a beautiful thing!

Remember, New York City is full of tourists on a daily basis. So cut yourself some slack. You are not the only one who will look like a deer in the headlights on your first subway trip, stand aimlessly on a corner checking your smart phone to see if you’re going in the right direction, or to play referee between your children while standing in a long line to see an attraction. (I’m not just talking to those with younger kids, I actually had to do this with my 16 and 18 year olds … some things never change!)

The locals have to deal with people like us (tourists) on a daily basis. Can you imagine? I get so frustrated when tourists flood my home town streets in the summer. The NYC locals have to have an extreme amount of tolerance and understanding to repeat the same things to the same clueless people on the daily. They also must have incredible patience to try to walk to work and make it on time while navigating the sea of lost and confused visitors. Try to cut them some slack, too.

Smile . . . You’re in New York City

My last suggestion is be friendly to everyone. Smile and talk to people. I had heard that New Yorkers are gruff and the Southern California style of “Hi, how are you?” “Please and Thank You” and “Oh, excuse me” aren’t received well there. But, I found the contrary to be true. I smiled and chatted with everyone I met . . . tourists and locals alike. I chatted up the salesgirls in the stores, people in the elevator, folks we stood in line behind, the workers in The Shake Shack, the guy cleaning the streets in Times Square and my favorite . . . the cab drivers.  Our favorite question was to ask the cabbies if they were there on 9/11. Most were. It was spine tingling hearing their stories. One even had pictures he had taken on that day. He kept them neatly in a plastic bag in his glove compartment and was so proud to show them to us and share his story.

The point is, if you really want to get as much out of out of your NYC trip as possible, don’t merely check items off your list just to say you saw them. Really engage the city. Ask locals about their opinions and recommendations, especially for restaurants. Allow yourself to take it all in, absorb it, and experience all it has to offer. NYC is probably very different from where you live, so try to appreciate the uniqueness. Realize it’s going to be loud and crowded and chaotic at times, and love it for what it is. New York City is so much more than iconic neighborhoods and attractions, than stone and steel. It is a city alive with history and energy and people from all walks of life. It is so interesting to me to ask people how they got there, what they do, and if they’re happy.

Everyone in my family fell in love with NYC. But, we also really loved coming home. We were thankful to return to our small, slower paced beach town; the comfort and softness of Seal Beach. New York is an amazing place to visit but it’s great to come home.

I feel blessed to be able to travel to such a vibrant, energetic city and after my stay, be able to return home to my quiet, respite near the sea.

Salty Kisses,

Karen

P.S. I’d love for you to leave any New York City tips you may have in the comments below. I will be returning again someday! 🙂