I squealed internally (potentially externally) the first time I jumped into my first yellow cab outside of JFK.  To add to that, I’ve also never felt more Carrie Bradshaw in my life than the moment I stood on Fifth Avenue, stuck out my hand and yelled TAXI.

As much as it can be convenient and so-freaking-cool to be in the back of a those infamous yellow cabs, a lot of the times you can be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, getting nowhere fast whilst watching that meter tick on and on.  Grab a couple of cabs , sure (because again, so freaking cool) but for speed and if you’re on a budget, the Subway is a lot faster which means you can maximise your time exploring rather than sitting in the back of a taxi.  Learn the key Subway lines and hit up Google if you have data/are connect to wifi and you’ll be hopping on and off the 6 in no time.

There’s no better way of experiencing New York than to be amongst the crowds, pounding the pavement and just soaking up the atmosphere of the city,

Underestimating How Much Walking Is Involved

Yep, there’s those infamous yellow cabs and the subway that you can rely on when you just feel like your feet can’t carry you anymore or you’ve got quite a trip ahead of you, but ultimately you’re gonna be spending a lot of time on your feet. There’s no better way of experiencing New York than to be amongst the crowds, pounding the pavement and just soaking up the atmosphere of the city, so be prepared to prioritise comfort over style and take very comfy shoes (and a foot soak).

Failing to Prepare

You know the saying “if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail”?  I think it was coined by someone visiting new York for the first time who’d stepped off the plane without any prior planning.  I’m a self confessed planner, but when I booked my first trip to NYC the super planner in my friend Khila was unleashed in the guise of a spreadsheet.  There it was, a few hundred Excel cells split down into day and time with a comprehensive plan of where we’d be visiting and a rough time.  Before we went, I could tell you just where I’d be in Manhattan at 3pm on Sunday afternoon.  But y’know what?  It worked.  There’s so much to see that if you don’t plan your time accordingly, it may be that you run out of time to see the Empire State Building or get over to Brooklyn.

You also need to account for the fact that although on the first day adrenaline (& lots of excellent New York coffee) may mean you have a spring in your step, the long days and late nights may mean you’re a little burnt out and frazzled.

Staying in Midtown for the Entire Trip

Although you could easily get away with staying between 14th to 59th street for your whole stay and come away feeling like you’ve completed New York, there’s a big world outside of Times Square and the usual tourist spots that Midtown has to offer.   Midtown East or West is the most obvious area to stay due to its prime location for walking distance to all of the main tourist attractions, but venturing further Uptown, Downtown or even to the other boroughs of New York allows you to experience how contrasting the different neighbourhoods are.  The difference between the Upper East Side and Greenwich Village (the village) for example is massive, both in the surroundings, vibe, residents and places to eat and shop.  Don’t discount the entirety of Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Central Park or Harlem just because it’s outside of Midtown, cos you’ll be missing out, baby

Waiting In Line for Tickets

Don’t you know that the cool kids don’t stand in line for hours waiting for tickets for the big attractions?  They book the tickets from the comfort of their homes days, weeks or even months before their trip to guarantee a) the best price and b) it saves you from having to queue up and buy tickets on the day, especially as queues for major attractions like the Rockefeller, Empire State Building and 9/11 Museum can fluctuate dependent on the date/time.  The last thing you want to be doing during your holiday of a lifetime is having to waste time standing in a queue.  Especially if, like me, you hate queuing.

Booking tickets in advance does mean that you have to be super organised and know where you’ll be on what days (which we already covered) but it’s a great way to lay the foundations of a solid New York plan and to make sure you’re going to get in the sights you want to see.

Not Know The Rules of The Road/Sidewalk

The streets of Manhattan are constantly busy.   The population of the city is 1.6million which on its own is a mind blowing number but when you factor in that during business days, this can increase to over 3.9 million and that number doesn’t include tourists… that’s a hell of a lot of people.  Bikes, cars, cabs, buses, pedestrians.  Everyone has somewhere to be and they all want to be there right now.  People don’t care that you walk slow, it’s not a race after all and you’re there to see the city but it’s best that you walk smart, basically, don’t be a sidewalk hogging dick.

(Most of) Manhattan is laid out in a grid pattern, meaning that it’s easy to find your way around once you know how.

Not Being Able to Work Out Where You Are

22.7 square miles of blocks can be a little bit daunting.   Uptown, Downtown, Westside, Eastside, the corner of West 27th and 5th.  Say what now? It can seem like a foreign language but once you learn the layout of the city, you’ll be reeling off your location like you’re late to meet up with Blair Waldorf for lunch and you’ve gotta let her know exactly where you are.

So heres the lowdown: (Most of) Manhattan is laid out in a grid pattern, meaning that it’s easy to find your way around once you know how.  The Avenues run north to south and the streets run east to west and a block is where each street intersects an Avenue and the East and West sides are separated by Fifth Avenue.  The higher the street number, the further Uptown the street is and vice versa.

Being Ripped Off

Keep your wits about you and stay savvy when you’re heading to tourist attractions.  If you’re heading across to the Statue of Liberty there’s often legit looking ticket sellers who will help you find your way to the boat.  These guys aren’t official distributors and instead will try and sell you tickets at an increased price and can be super pushy.  Head instead to the ticket office at the boat terminal to avoid being conned.

Times Square is full of ticket touts offering up exclusive front row seats at Broadways hottest show for an absolute steal or the chance to be at an exclusive comedy night that is often frequented by famous faces.  Sounds too good to be true, right?  Cos it is.  Only buy tickets from authorised sellers and don’t be worried to just keep walking

Spending Too Much on Eating Out

New York is one of the most expensive cities in the world and unless you know where you’re going, you can find yourself paying over the odds for mediocre food and drink.  During my last two trips to New York I think I sat down to an actual meal with table service 3-4 times but otherwise, ate pretty well.  To make your dollars stretch a little further, especially if you find you’re constantly on the go, grabbing dollar slices of pizza, eating/drinking during Happy Hour and picking up on-the-go food from markets will mean you can eat cheaply and save your money for one blowout meal.  Venturing away from the big tourist attractions into the likes of the West Village, Lower East Side and Chinatown also means that you’re more likely to find cheaper, quirky eateries.