Exploring New York City is very exciting. Let’s be honest.
But you need to have some smarts and know the basics, which will make your experience smooth and enjoyable.
Top tips for Navigating NYC
Look both ways
Before you exit a building or step off the curb to cross the road, look both ways. If you don’t, chances are high you’ll be hit by a food delivery rider, a guy on an electric skateboard or something very random going the wrong way against traffic. It’s just the way it is.
Walking
Want a hassle free experience? Walk on the right hand side. Want to bump into hundreds of people and be abused? Walk on the left. The choice is simple. Don’t be that person.
Don’t walk three abreast walking down the sidewalk. You’re not in a movie. Space is limited and people will bump you if you don’t move.
Oh, and walk with purpose and avoid stopping abruptly to check your phone. Move to the side. Own it, like a New Yorker.
Be a Subway surfer
Use apps like Citymapper (it’s awesome), MTA and MTA Train time.
Look for subway entries that state “Uptown” or “Downtown.” Large stations – it’s just assumed. In the early days of living in NYC I would regularly travel in the wrong direction.
On the platform, keep you hands out of your pockets. Some mentally disturbed people look for easy targets and push them onto the tracks. Yes. It happens.
Before you get onto a train carriage, check out who is in there. You’ll often find homeless or drug affected people, more on certain lines. If it’s busy and the carriage is empty, don’t get on.
My best advice on the subway is to keep an eye on other people in the carriage. You will see others doing the same. This is the world we live in.
Ask
Not sure about something, ask someone. Like the handsome devil above. Oh that’s me. Shucks.
Google doesn’t have all the answers. In tourist-heavy areas, there is a strong chance the person you’re asking will be a foreigner, but it’s worth a shot. Plus New Yorker’s love telling someone about their town. They love their city and are happy to showcase their knowledge.
Go stress free
People come to NYC to have a good time, find interesting things to do, meet cool people go and places that they’ve only seen in movies or TV.
Use these three top tips:
1 Tip
It’s customary to tip 15-20% in restaurants and $1-2 per drink at bars. Regardless of your home country’s customs, go with the flow unless it’s super bad service. And if that’s the case, ask to see a manager.
2 Know ‘The Grid’
Know the street grid. Streets are numbered, with avenues running north-south and streets east-west. Uptown = north, downtown = south. 5th Avenue is the divider between the West and East Streets. Check out a map, it will be very clear.
The New Work Street Grid was developed as part of the 1811 Commissioners Plan, in a nutshell, it formalized the layout and made it easier to develop real estate.
The New York Street Grid is geo-rectified. The avenues run parallel to the island, tilting to the northeast, rather than true north. The deviation from true north is close to 29 degrees. There you have it folks.
3 Pack patience
There’s 10 million plus people that live here and in 2023, 65 million people visited. Expect lines, expect to wait. It’s part of life here, plus you meet some interesting people.
At Tompkins Square Bagels in the East Village, the line goes out the door. But it moves. Get a Lox (smoked salmon) bagel then head to Tompkins Square. On weekends you’ll find hordes of people munching away on bagels too.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations. You just got what took me two years to figure out.
Now go explore New York, ride the Subway and do everything a New Yorker does. You will have some stories to tell, I promise you.
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Brett Williams
Brett Williams is the founder of Ylore Travel, a platform dedicated to making self-guided travel accessible to adventurers worldwide. With experience exploring over 50 countries and living in four, Brett’s passion for discovering new places and immersing himself in diverse cultures inspired the creation of Ylore Travel. Based in New York, he continues to seek out unique experiences and empower others to explore the world at their own pace.