When planning a trip to New York the first few places that come to mind are probably as follows: Times Square, Statue of Liberty, and Central Park. Although these spots are classics, I think there are many other honorable mentions. With the conclusion of my first round of college applications on November 16th, I finally had the time for a long-awaited opportunity to travel, and left for New York the very next day. This being my third time visiting the city, I’d already completed a thorough tour of all the main tourist attractions, so instead I decided to spend my weekend exploring a random collection of places I discovered online. If you have the extra time, here’s a few that offer unique experiences that I would recommend going to:
1. Jellycat Diner
Located in midtown Manhattan close to many of the big attractions, I think this store is definitely worth stopping by if you like cute things. It is the stuffed animal brand Jellycat’s store in the Rockefeller Center, and they sell only food items. The entire place is themed as something between a grocery store and a diner, and if you buy the hamburger, pizza, or taco they wrap it for you as if you got an actual takeout item from a restaurant. Overall, yes, Jellycat sells everything online and there are more meaningful places to see in New York, but I think the experience is worth a visit.
2. Flushing Chinatown
For people who like food, this is a must-visit. The food options actually seemed to be endless, and I could’ve stayed there the whole day if there weren’t a limit for how much I could eat. We went to a place called Jiangnan for lunch, mostly for the purpose of taking a picture of the crab pots, but the food surprisingly was pretty good too. In addition to food, there are also a lot of cute cafes that look like the ones in Asia I always see on Instagram. The subway ride from Manhattan to Flushing is almost an hour, the car ride is usually even longer due to traffic, but it is very close to LaGuardia airport so I think it’s a great area to grab food after arriving or before leaving New York.
3. Jane’s Carousel
Jane’s Carousel is located in the Brooklyn Bridge Park, around half a mile away from the base of the bridge itself, it is the perfect angle to take photos. The carousel itself is an attraction, but I think it is the view of the city skyline that makes it worth a visit. The view is beautiful,, and there is a path a short walk away from the carousel that brings you down to the shore of the river. Most importantly, I went at night when there were barely any people, which means you can get the classic picture of the NYC skyline without any obstructions to the view.
4. Summit One Vanderbilt
This spot I think recently became popular, and after visiting I truly understand why. The building is in the center of the city in Midtown Manhattan, so transportation in the area is convenient. The views are very similar to the Empire State Building experience of going up a tall building and seeing the city from above, but much more modernized. The whole experience at the top of the building included three floors and a balcony, all with light and sound effects. The management and ticketing systems aren’t very efficient so the line was a two hour wait, but I would still recommend this place as a more interesting alternative to the Empire State Building.
5. Soho
Soho already is a very popular location, but it’s one of those places that is not only worth visiting but revisiting. Apart from the fact that each time I go back the stores have completely different items, there are also a lot more shops, many of which we don’t have in Chicago like Gentle Monster and Stussy. There’s also a larger location of Miniso, a Japanese store that sells stuffed animals and various household items, which we have here in Chinatown. Almost everything in these stores can be bought online, but I think it’s a different experience to see them in person. Additionally, the architecture is very unique, from not just the rest of the buildings I’ve seen in the U.S., but also the rest of New York. Entering Soho, there is a clear distinction between the style of the buildings in Soho and those of the surrounding areas.
That’s nice that you could go on a trip right after the first round of college applications are due. Is there a special reason that you pick New York out of all of the cities? Jellycat dinner seems so cute! I wish I had stopped by during my trip there. I feel like now there are stuffed animals of every kind. What was your favorite food during the trip? The food looks so good in that picture. The view from the Summit One Vanderbilt looks amazing, I think I would be too scared to go closer to the window. I am not really afraid of heights but that would be way too much for me, mostly the balcony. I went to Miniso once and I feel like I could stay there for hours. Everything is so cute there with all the stuffed animals and random things that they have. The stuffed animals they have are pretty good quality too, I have a chicken and it is still thriving to this day.
Hi Carol! Your post was a lot of fun to read and had me thinking about my own travel experiences. Some of the most fun I’ve had wasn’t a result of going to iconic tourist attractions, but rather from discovering unique and less well-known places.
I’ve been to New York City once, but the city is so large that I feel like I barely scratched the surface of things to see and do. NYC is probably an exception to what I mentioned above, because seeing the places that are hugely famous around the world was an amazing experience. My personal favorite was the Statue of Liberty — it seemed so impressive in person and really made me understand why it’s seen as a powerful symbol of America. However, if I ever go again, I think I’ll check out some of the places you recommended, especially Jane’s Carousel. I’ve never heard of it but the picture you took at that location looks really beautiful!
Nice job at detailing the other places to see in New York beside the popular attractions. There are so many. I have enjoyed reading your blogs this semester.
I really loved this post Carol! My two best friends live in NYC, so I have gone many times. I love the city and am so glad I could relive some of those memories through this post. Unfortunately, I have not been to any of the places you described, although I have been to Midtown and Chinatown for other reasons. If you ever go back to Midtown, I would definitely recommend doing an escape room, since that part of Manhattan is full of super creative and incredibly fun ones. If you ever go back to lower Manhattan, around Chinatown, you should definitely head to Chelsea Market. It has a bunch of cool small restaurants with a variety of cuisine options. The Lower East Side is also a place I would go to, since it has a smattering of adorable shops with some cool trinkets to take as souvenirs. That being said, my favorite part of the city is definitely the Upper West Side, where my friends live. The Upper West Side has an awesome blend of cultures to enjoy, and because it was founded largely by artists and writers, there are amazing buildings and small exhibits. Be careful though, since everything closes early!