Practical Tips for a DIY New York Trip

It had been in our dreams for a long time to visit this city. What better time to visit it than Christmas? We take advantage of the long Immaculate Conception and St Ambrose long weekend and, adding a few days of leave, we set off for a week. The flight is long, but the trip is worth it! We bought the plane tickets well in advance online. We relied on Lufthansa, which offered return tickets at 337 € per person including taxes with a stopover in Munich. For the hotel we looked at a few reviews online and opted for a solution with a private bathroom on the island of Manhattan.

Before entering the country it was necessary, under international rules for entry without a visa, to register under the ESTA procedure through this link:

the procedure is very simple and available in all languages. A reference number is issued at the end. You need to have an address in the country for at least the first night of your stay. You must carry the form with you.

ACCOMMODATION

The choice this city offers is truly wide; it all depends on your budget and the comfort you choose. There are hostels, large hotels and mid-category ones. The one we chose belonged to the last category mentioned above: it was cheap (for NY), 116 US$ a night with a light breakfast, clean and above all with a private bathroom in the room. Something that in cheap hotels (by New York standards) is hard to find. We were very close to Union Square and outside the hotel there was a subway stop. This is the hotel's website:

Only downside, there was no lift.

GETTING AROUND

There are various combinations of MetroCard by duration, cost, type of transport and number of rides.

For a week we chose the unlimited transport (subway only) at a cost of 27 dollars each. In my view it's extremely useful, since the city is so vast that you can't get around only on foot. We definitely got our money's worth! To reach Manhattan from the airport, taxis have a fixed fare. From JFK it's 45 $ plus 5 for the toll.

MUSEUMS - ATTRACTIONS

There are two different passes to access the museums/attractions at discounted prices and avoiding the queues: The CITYPASS, which we bought, giving access to six attractions and valid for nine days, priced at 79$:

The NY PASS, which includes entry to almost all the city's attractions and various discounts, priced according to the number of days bought:

CREDIT CARDS – DEBIT CARDS

They didn't always work properly; it depended on the ATMs and the various shops. You can't rely on a single debit card or a single credit card. The only card with which we had no problems was the AMEX. Cash is barely used; even for small amounts everyone uses a card. Even the stalls at the Christmas markets have a card reader; many shops and hotels even have a cash machine inside! All the photos from the trip are available on our website:

I VIAGGI DI JULIA & VINCENZO