Did you even visit New York if you didn’t get THAT Manhattan Bridge/Dumbo shot? There’s certainly so many views to see in New York and you could try for an age and still not see everything the city has to offer. As we found out planning ahead is essential to maximise your time there and to get all the best sights covered! So I pulled together my top five must see’s alongside a few tips to get them covered quicker or easier!
Skyline Views
You have to see the city from above, be it on a helicopter (how fanncyyyy), atop a rooftop bar or at one of the many vantage points in the city. After research we opted to go to the Top of the Rock. Visiting the top of the Rockerfeller Center gives amazing views across the city and most importantly gives those views of the Empire State Building. After quizzing lots of people they said they preferred this view to the one from atop the Empire State Building because of that.
My top tip is to plan ahead but not toooo far ahead! On our first day the rain and fog/mist was so thick you couldn’t see into the sky, so check the weather reports and choose the best day and book tickets for a specific time. We turned up and then queued for 15 mins to get tickets which were an hour and a half after that time, so save all that and pre plan! It’s extra for sunset times but you can spend all the time there you want so if you want to be really frugal book the last cheaper slot and stay up the top. Book direct here. There’s inside seating on the first deck and benches outside too so there’s plenty of place to rest. Either way, make sure you leave a couple of hours as there’s videos to watch and walls to read all about the history of the building before getting to the lift then the three decks to go around and explore all the views.
Statue of Liberty
There’s many ways to see the most famous landmark, to get truly up close you’ll need to be on a boat (stating the obvious!?) if you want a cheap (well, free) drive by then catch the Staten Island Ferry. We wanted a closer look so went on a cruise that took us up to it and back under a few impressive bridges (hehe) all whilst drinking spiked cocoa and singing Christmas carols. Perfect. You can of course book on actual boat trips that go there and to the neighbouring Ellis Island if you have a bit more time there. It’s worth noting you can get some views of it from various points of the coast too and we got to see it’s small silhouette against the sunset whilst at Battery Park which was an unexpected surprise!
Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges
One of the many iconic shots to get in New York is at least one of the bridges. The most infamous Instagram shot is on a street in the Dumbo area where through the buildings you’ll get perfect view of the Manhattan Bridge. Aim for Washington Street (Dumbo as there’s more than one!), it is definitely one of the top views to see in New York that is for certain! The differences between the two bridges are that the Manhattan Bridge is blue iron whilst the Brooklyn Bridge is more browny red. If you walk down this street and turn left you’ll get to the famous views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the carousel- which was closed when we went. I was gutted.
Times Square
Of course you have to go see Times Square, I’m not sure what about this didn’t take my breath. You do have to go see it for yourself of course and let me know if I’m just missing something!
- Outfit details can be found here
Central Park
You can get lost for what seems like forever in Central Park. There’s lots of things to see once you are on it’s winding paths but my fave had to be the skyline shots we took when at the bottom west side of the park. Other views were the Alice in Wonderland Statue, the Boat House, the carousel (also closed when we went!!!), Gapstow Bridge, Belvedere Castle (they are renovating it at the moment though), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Resevoir and the Bethesda Terrace. Phew!
So there you have it my top five views to see in New York! There’s always loads more of course but these are a fab starter for ten IMO. So tell me if you were going to go to New York what would be the one view you’d want to see!? My fave was actually seeing the Statue of Liberty coming into view through all the fog – it felt magical almost.
