Everything YOU NEED to know before coming to NYC | 20 LOCAL TIPS 🗽 

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An alternative to LIC is Williamsburg in Brooklyn. It is about four stoops from Union Square(14th at) in manhattan. It is a place where hipsters hang out. Safety is important. NYC is no more dangerous than any other major city. Sarah has suggested to not be out after 10PM. Good advice. It also helps you get a good night’s sleep for tomorrow. If you are out and about remember there is safety in numbers. In Wall Street late at night (Why?). There is very little foot traffic in the area. Leave the area ASAP. Traveling on the subway late at night. Nobody on the platform? Hand out by the coin booth until you hear your train coming. I love crossing the B bridge. My advice is take the train to Brooklyn and walk towards the city. When you finish the walk you’ll be by city hall. Lots of busses and trains to take you to your next destination. There are also things to do and see in downtown Manhattan. Not so if you walk toward Brooklyn. I think a visit to Times Square at night is worthy of your time. I go back home to NY yearly And love taking pictures. There is so much light I take pictures without a flash or pushing the light sensitivity. Locals avoid Times Square. Then again you aren’t a local. Besides, most of the tourist sights are closed when TS is lite up. Sarah has warned you about the scamsters and they are here a plenty. Besides the lite up area it is entertaining, for me, to watch the scamstars try and work the street. It is part of the street entertainment. You decide. Staten Island isn’t for site seeing. Generally it is a residential area. The only reason to visit Staten Island, in my opinion, is to get off the Staten Island ferry (FREE in both directions!) and catch a returning ferry back to downtown Manhattan. The view of lower Manhattan is worth the ~ one hour (including the wait to board the ferrys) total time. Tourists are hip to this trip and know to go to the starboard (right) side on the trip to Staten Island for the Statute of Liberty. True about the Wall Street bull. What many people don’t know that since this is a bull his genitalia is on display. Many people rub his private area as his body has a patina but his private part is bright and shiny. Everything in NYC is expensive. Some good news is the food doesn’t have to be. Stay away from chain restaurants as Sarah suggests. It is more expensive than the chain restaurants at home because of rents et al. Plus they strive to taste wherever you go. Go to neighborhood restaurants. There is a wide variety of cuisines to sample. The restaurant may be expensive compared to home but the food will be better and less expensive than the chain restaurants. Storyblocks cinema. Good idea. Unless you are a professional photographer or videographer, these images will be better than any images you want to create. Take a small camera or use you cell camera for images of your family with the Brooklyn Bridge (or other tourist destinations) in the background. Sarah may suggest not going into tourist trap souvenir shops. Good idea. On the other hand, you can purchase great postcards at a reasonable price. Here is a fun thing. Negotiate the price. You can get the postcards for less than the published price sometimes. If it doesn’t work write this off as entertainment. I negotiated my the price of my Brooklyn baseball cap. As Sarah suggests, if you are in the city for about a week, get the MTA weekly pass for ~$33. The subway is definitely the fastest way to get around. Somethings to consider. The trains are three stories below ground. During rush hour let the locals out of the subway car 1st and climb the stairs. They do this all the time and can climb the stairs faster than you. When they have left you can climb the stairs at your own pace. There are very few handicapped accessible stations. For short trips try the bus. Yes it takes longer to get where you are going. In exchange for time you will be above ground and see the environment. Also the buses are handicap accessible. Want to stop in the middle of the block to take a picture? Look behind you 1st. As Sarah suggests, locals can give you a dirty look or say something about your behavior. Like you, locals have places to go and people to see. This is merely a polite thing to do. Oh yes. Unofficially, Jay walking doesn’t exist. A break in the traffic? Cross against the light. I now live in Seattle and I still cross streets this way. I check the street traffic and make sure there aren’t any local cops around. I guarantee no NYPD officer will ticket you for Jay walking. Good bathroom hack. An additional one is chain food chains have bathrooms for customers. Find the bathroom and wait on line until your time or go to a cashier for the passcode. Advanced hack. I’m a street photographer and walk the streets all day and into the night. If you are going to return to the area later in your trip make a record of the pass code and use the code again. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

I gotta add something to the “don’t stop in the middle of the sidewalk” : PLEASE walk at a normal pace 😭 Most people walk from point A to point B, and a crowd of slow tourists is an absolute nightmare

I love your videos Sarah!! The quality of them is insane. Watching them this summer has curbed my boredom :)

Planning a trip to NYC in the Fall and have been binge watching your videos for the past few weeks. Thanks for this one!

Sarah I love that you do your videos with Bella now! You are a role model for all moms out there who are always worried about career with kids.

These are all great tips overall! I agree that hotels in Midtown are quite expensive. Thankfully I had points I could use so that my stay was significantly cheaper. When I was in NYC last September by myself, I rode the subway quite a lot, and I had no problems or concerns with regards to safety. I rode it only during the daytime however. Awesome video!

SO NICE OF YOU TO SHARE THIS VIDEOS WITH YOUR DAUGHTER🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙏

I love how much stronger your NYC accent has become since your earlier videos! I study and teach a lot of foreign languages as well as English dialects, and the various accents in the Boroughs are some of my all-time favorites. It’s entirely natural for people’s accents to change during their lives, whether through osmosis or deliberately changing it. In any case, you’re an excellent communicator and I deeply appreciate all the helpful information.

I'll be visiting NY for the first time at the end of May, getting ready with your videos! They're amazing, thanks a lot 😊🙏

YES! make as many NYC videos as you can I absolutely LOVE your content!!!!!!

We’re coming from Liverpool to visit New York in July for the first time, can’t wait, your videos have been a great help, thankyou 👍👍

Congrats for the great tips that comes handy for my next near visit. Keep on w/the good work.! 👍

I really want to go to NYC now! And your videos feel current..love the awesome authentic recommendations. Your daughter is SO cute and a natural in front of the camera! Do a video on traveling NYC with kids.

I am at 6:22 and already you video made me feel like moving back to NYC after 10 years living in Northern California . I ❤ NY

It was so good and straight to the point, thank you!

Honestly when it comes to safety and crime…..it’s more so common sense. If you’re walking in an area that seems very off putting, the people around you give off a weird vibe, and you actually see something bad happening, either leave that area quick or if you have to walk in that area to get to your destination…keep all of your belongings out of sight and extremely close to you, as well as just mind your business which is a superpower that most NYers seem to have. When it comes to weather and what to wear…..I’m sure it’s just the tri-state area that experiences this but specifically here in NY….the weather is bipolar and sometimes disrespectful.

I planned a trip to New York for my anniversary around Fall and thanks to your videos I have a more clear idea of what I want to do around New York, keep up the good work, your content is lovely and amazing!

I'm visiting NY for the first time in a little over a week. Thank you for all these great tips!! And Bella is just too precious!

I love all your videos, so informative and fun to watch ! I lived in New York for 6/7 months and I miss it so so much ! Hope to be back soon. I feel/felt like a local, but I still hope to do your tour one day. Thanks ! XX

This video is perfect Sarah, thanks! Going to visit New York in 9 days! Can’t wait!

Love your work Sarah

I’m a RU-vidr and I’ve never heard of Story Blocks and this is gonna be a lifesaver!!!! Thanks so much

I find this video is sooooo helpful. Planning my first NYC trip this year. Please do a video on baby friendly activities and places (I'll be bringing in my 1 y.o. baby and I really hope to do all the fun things with her along).

I’m moving to nyc from South Africa and this is the best video I’ve watched.thank you so much this helped a lot🙏

Love it Sarah, we watch all your stuff....

So happy to see Bella !!! Beautiful

This video was so helpful!!! Thank you!

You do such a good job with these videos!!!

Thanks for putting this together. I'm an Australian and am visiting August - September this year. Really excited but had no idea what to expect.

you are THE BEST!!! Love your content. Going to NY soon

Hi Sarah, I just discoverd your channel and find it very entertaining. The main reason to watch your videos was to practice my English listening and, let me tell you, I think your English sounds very clear to me, it may be because you're an educated person/communicator or simply my understanding of the language is good. Hope some day I can visit the City That Never Sleeps, thanks for your tips and videos abouit it.

Sara, Just spent a few days in New York and was lucky enough to get to the Mets vs Yankees. It was a brilliant night and the New Yorkers we spoke to were great. Word of warning, me and my wife are in our 60’s and we were asked for identification when buying our drinks. We didn’t carry our passports as we didn’t want to take too much with us. Didn’t happen in the bars we went to but they were pretty strict in the stadium. We found a kind vendor who accepted my vaccine passport which had my dob on. May be worth a mention. Had a great time.

Loved this !

I visited mi-September 2022 and the weather was just absolutely perfect.

Great video! I would say that sometimes you do need to have some extra cash on hand for tips, bodegas, buskers, ice cream/hot dogs in Central Park, street vendors etc. Some places only take cash. Also, about hotels - if you are planning to do sightseeing mostly in Manhattan, I would rather pony up the extra money to stay in Manhattan and be able to walk, explore and be closer to the sights I want to see on my time instead of staying somewhere in the outer boroughs just for the cheaper hotel ...you can have the best intentions about taking trains wherever you need to go during the day and at night, but if you happen to have a few late nights out, safety can be a concern and if you're not quite sure about taking the subway, you will be taking cabs/Lyfts/Ubers back to your hotel in the outer boroughs and that cost can add up (and take up time, too).

Awesome video, Sarah!

Sarah I love your videos I'm taking my wife to NYC in February for her birthday. Your tips are so useful thank you. Bella is a cutie ❤

That was so helpful! Thank youu

Thanks Sarah....enjoy your videos.. and learn so much!

I just think it’s funny that I found you right before Covid when we were planning a trip, now we are catching up on that travel credit and I found you again and you have a daughter and now so do I. Life

Im from Long Island and I’ve only been to the city a few times. I want to take my aunt there, she’s visiting. I’m binge watching all your videos rn, so helpful. Ty

Hey Sarah! Just wanted to say that thanks to your amazing videos, I had an amazing time in New York! I can't wait to go back and do the things I couldn't do this time around. Thanks again :)

Hey I love your video Sarah and hi to Bella, she is so adorable! Thank you for these tips, loved it. Looking forward to visiting soon, at the moment I am a light packer and was thinking if you often travel too? With Bella with you, would love to recommend the bento bag on your future travels from Nomad lane. It is simply the best!

So cool, thanks for sharing

Great stuff, as usual. and OMG. Bella is getting so big and cuter by the minute!

I'm going to New York in 11 days, can't wait! Flying from England so up for a long trip, but I've made so many notes from your videos! Super helpful!

Thank you! Your content is so useful!

Thanks so much ❤

Brilliant guide!!

Great video! Any tips for accessibility? An video on new york with stroller would be nice !! 💕

Thanks for the tips! 👏🏼

Sarah When someone is taking the Subway. Go to the middle of the platform and look for a striped bar. That is where the conductor cab is or go to the front of the car. That is where the motorman is. Weather I NYC varies. Hot and humid weather with severe thunderstorms to cold and snowy weather. Tourist traps unfortunately are being spread to the Coney Island Boardwalk.. Do not give any thing to them. I agree with you when it comes to restaurants. I go to a bar restaurant in Sheepshead Bay. The service is great. Always people should 20% tip Great video.

I've been watching your videos quite a bit! I'll be there in December with my daughter. It's her favorite holiday hands down. So far I purchased tickets for The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular Show and a 4 hour Dyer Heights tour (Christmas day..kinda figured that would be a good day since some things may be closed and it'll give us a little break as we chill for a bit.) I found an Airbnb right by Times Square with all the action. I got it just in time too. All of my "hearted" pads skyrocketed considerably before the end of April. We have both been to NYC once but this trip is Christmas focused. I've been investigating like nuts and plan to utilize your video to get from LaGuardia to our Airbnb. There's only two other things I plan to purchase tickets for...ice skating and I think we're gonna go with The Edge. One World Observatory sounds great for all the obvious reasons but towering over all of NYC didn't seem as cool as kinda being eye to eye. I like the see through floor but the other seems intriguing as well. I want to book tickets for dusk. I almost bought tx last night but I held off so I could see what the distance is between our temporary NYC home and where the Dyer Heights tour ends. I'm thinking Christmas night may be the time to go after the tour which is scheduled to end at 8. Any thoughts on this? And any other suggestions that I should look into or book? Btw, my daughter will be 15 in June so she's at a great age to be adventurous with. Oh and we plan to definitely ride the Staten Island ferry. There's other good tour guides I've checked out but I feel most comfortable with your videos and one other lady...the dudes are ok but I'm sticking with the ladies! 💜 Thanks so much for your insightful, helpful videos. 💜🎄💜

Coming to NYC on Saturday. Finally !

Im going in a few weeks so excited

Tom D would be proud of that sick plug! Bonus tip if I may add as a semi local (I'm a 15 min drive from NYC in NJ) : Sunday mornings are the BEST time to sight see. Seriously. Anything before 11 AM, the city still seems "asleep" and it's so much easier to get around..I go nearly every Sunday :)

Merci Sarah!!!!!! 🥰🥰

My family and I are in NYC right now!

Fabulous, as always! :)

You are so delightful!!😊

Thank you Sarah & Bella Interesting video the NY.😀

Exceptionally accurate

Hey Sarah! I just booked my hotel stay in Long Island City. Thanks for all your great tips!

It's amazing how much Bella looks like her dad! So cute...

Thanks for the video! I am going to New York in January.

Great video💙 can you please make a video on things to do with kids in new york

Thanks for the info Sarah

Very informative.. Thank you so much.. 😍😍😍😍

Very informative,, thanks

Awesome video😄

Ohhh Bella 🥰she’s gotten so big. 💜🥰💜

The fact that these restaurants charge these super high prices yet only pay their waiters $5/hr is insane. Also, that the expectations for tipping % keeps climbing and now sits at 20% as a “normal” tip is ridiculous! Just out of control. NY needs better laws so the owners pay their staff instead of patrons

Hi Bella 😂 First Baby? Is there another on the way? BTW - agree with your assessments. To anyone watching this… take one of Sarah’s tours. My daughter really enjoyed the tour she took with her and Sarah is a really down to earth person. Only reason to go to Times Square is to people watch and you can combine it with a Broadway show. Oh yeah, don’t stop on the sidewalk.

nice Tips thanks

I love your videos, Sarah, my husband and I have been binging them as our trip to NYC approaches (we'll be arriving this Thursday) we will only have a few days to explore the city so it will be a little taster for him. This will be my 5th time visiting but the last time I was in NYC was in 2014 so I'm sure LOTS has changed since my last visit.

U rock girl.....

In terms of saving money on accommodation, I cant emphasise how much cheaper staying in an AirBnB is. It's about 10% the nightly cost of a hotel. You can find them in Brooklyn, Upper Manhattan and New Jersey. Yes you have to commute, but it's like 10-30 minutes max by bus!! This leaves you with more money for fun spending in New York.

Awesome video

Love your videos very informative. Would be very helpful for our next visit. I think though that Time square should be on the to do list. I know There’s really not much there,but it’s very Iconic. Otherwise it’s like going to Oahu & not seeing Waikiki beach & Diamond head.

I love the big pun graffiti love, thanks for the tips, I’ll be heading there in December

Oh dear 😂 Bella is toooooo cute definitely looks like Luis and she has your eyes! 👀 Wow 🤩 love your videos! So happy so up beat!

I’m going to NY in two weeks. This is so helpful! Thank you soo much! Prices are pretty much the same as it is here in California.

I found New York safe. The people were lovely and would give you directions if you asked them. When I said I was from Australia, they wanted to know more. I was there for 11 nights in 2018 and saw so much, but there was so so much to see that I didn't get a chance to. I found the Subway easy to get around (apart from Fulton street, but that's a long conversation). We stayed in Upper West side and had a supermarket across the road (well Broadway) with a deli and we were able to get something for dinner there. Saved us a lot of money. Plus we were out and about all day that all we felt like doing was changing into our trackie dacks (Australian slang for tracksuit pants) having a drink and unwinding for the day. I loved New York and can't wait to go again! I better get saving!

Awesome video 😍👍 hello from Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 see u in NYC 😉

Thank you

Hi Sarah! We are headed to midtown, staying at the Homewood Suites this week. Going for a week in the city then Billy Joel on Friday night. Thanks for the great videos!!

I Love This Beautiful Informative Video 🤗🤗 But Most Loveble part of the video is Baby Outtakes 😂😂👶👶👼👼

Really loved this one Sarah, great pace and you covered a lot of ground! I am a tad prejudiced though……

We got a hotel in midtown for our trip very soon for only $115/night that normally is $300/night! Going right now may be chilly, but the deals we’ve gotten are AMAZING!

Definately worth getting the ferry to and from Staten Island. Also love getting the bus right uptown to Cloisters, Mosaic garden and St. John's then Harlem.

It sounds like I'm already prepared for the prices. Disney has taught me well

Thank you 🙏

I'm finally coming to NYC in September for my birthday as a 1st time visitor. My sister is coming with me but she's been to NYC multiple times pre pandemic. I definitely been watching you and Here Be Bare videos lately. I'm coming from Orlando(biggest tourist city imo), so I'm use to bipolar weather lol.

Hi Sarah I love your videos, can you include family friendly places to visit in the city for toodler to teenager ages. Thanks in advance for your help.

I reckon this video is your Inroduction to Sarah Funk in NYC. Loved it!! Well done

Thanks for video

“Fake Elmo’s dressed up”, as oppose to what REAL Elmo’s?🤣 I do like these videos, she gives a lot of good info.😃👍🏽

Sarah we only stay in Manhattan to walk everywhere, as the underground system is so complicated. Live your videos

This video was awesome sauce. Can you make a studio in the future about moving to the city? Thank you for your body of work