New York
There is so much to see and do, there won’t be a minute of your time idle. Day or night, there are numerous bars and restaurants. All varying in price and taste, from pubs to clubs and Broadway shows there’s something to entertain everyone.
Having travelled to New York several times and as a self-confessed shopaholic, I have the shopping in the city down to a Tee. My fellow shopaholics and I flew into Newark which is in very close proximity to Jersey Gardens Outlet Mall. We had planned to do most of our shopping here over the first two days before heading into the city. At the malls, you can buy almost every designer wear at the fraction of the prices you would pay at home. One tip I would always advise on is when you first arrive at the Mall, go the concierge desk and register with them. You will need your passport for this. Once registered, they will give you a booklet giving further reductions off certain branded shops. There are also shopping trollies you can hire to carry your many shopping bags you will gather throughout the day.
On our third day, we got a transfer into the city and stayed right in the heart of Times Square. This is such a central location both for sightseeing (which is a must, especially if it’s your first time in this amazing city) and shopping. We spent a further four days here, rambling through the diamond district, 5th Avenue, Central Park and exploring the many delights that the city has to offer.
St Patricks Cathedral is a must, along with the Rockefeller Centre, which can be seen as you stroll along 5th Avenue. You will also encounter the many designer shops including the iconic Tiffany’s store on your way to Central Park. Here, you can get a horse and carriage ride around the park and admire acres of lush parkland, including ice rinks in the winter. It’s incredibly romantic if you’re with your partner and you never know you might end up with a ring from the dazzling diamond district!
Another worthwhile trip would be to get the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Statin Island. This generally takes up a full day so we booked a Broadway Show for that evening. We saw Mamma Mia, and to say that it was incredible would be an understatement. Even at 2/3/4am we were amazed to see the city still as busy and as vibrant as in the early evening.
Another idea is the sightseeing hop on and hop off bus this will take you around all the major tourist attractions and big shopping stores. You could spend a day in Macys, it’s a massive New York land mark and also the world’s largest store covering an entire city block and eleven floors of everything you need. When visiting this store bring your passport to register for discounts and offers and again, you will receive a discount card you can use for all of your purchases.
Our return flight was from JFK in the early evening allowing us a full day before our return. We left our baggage with the hotel and spent the day at our leisure before getting our return transfer back to the airport. All in all, we had a thoroughly fun filled, shopping packed holiday, full of laughter and good times. It’s a city I love and would recommend as a must do.