New York! New York! Begins… Travel to New York City (1)

“The big apple”, “Gotham”, “The city that never sleeps” and many many more names of this magnificent city – New York. Travel to New York City – the place where a typical European traveler starts his exploration of the West. Therefore, so did I. This post is the guide through New York’s museums and special places to visit.

Adventures of entering USA

You can apply for the legendary American VISA, but if you are just a short-time visitor to US, Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) is a simple and great choice. The ESTA allows approved applicants to travel to the USA for up to 90 days for the purpose of tourism, certain types of business visits, and transit to another country. I received the approval within 3 working days after my application.

When landing at the airport there are few separate lines through the customs for first-time visitors, visitors with ESTA and without it, and a few more. But what I didn’t expect, is that after a 9-hour flight I’ll have to spend 3 more standing in the line to finally enter the US. People were fainting in the line as it was really hot and nowhere to sit down. The comments from security personnel were that most of the customs’ officers are allocated to the Mexican border and Newark Airport has only 4 officers per line.

One important thing to mention – we easily went through customs, without additional checks. But when we received our luggage it had signs of being thoroughly examined. All our stuff that was put into separate bags inside the luggage was opened and messy.

There are many ways how to reach Manhattan from Newark Liberty International Airport. But the easiest, most popular and I believe – cheapest is the train to Penn Station. You just need to buy an NJ Transit ticket and the AirTrain shuttle which directly takes you from the airport to the train platform is already included. The full price is ~$15.

And the exploring begins

When you are coming from East to West across the Atlantic ocean, you are destined to start your exploration of the city veeery early in the morning. For a few days at least.

As we’re in New York only for a few days, there’s always a wish to explore it to the fullest for possible time period. So we invested in The New York Sight seeing Pass. Not the cheapest option, but the variety of attractions and, what is so important to me, the number of possible city views from the viewpoints (One World Trade Center, Top of the rock, etc…). The Pass itself could be the great New York guide for you.

Travel to New York City for the best Museums

New York is full of attractions, unfortunately, all of them need time. I have chosen few museums to explore and include in a must-see as travel to New York City guide.

After exploring the bigger part of Europe and especially museums, I didn’t think that something could heavily amaze me anymore. But what a mistake it was.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is probably the best museum (in it’s own way) that I have ever visited. Of course, I believe it is so because of the emotional weight of the tragedy that occurred during our times, the events that were followed and held breath for the people worldwide. The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, the former location of the Twin Towers to honor the victims of the attacks. There are two large basins where the buildings were standing with a neverending flow of water and victims’ names surrounding them. Some names have a white rose attached to them, this means that this day is the victim’s birthday.

And the Museum itself is located in the underground where the buildings were located. There are still some constructions and walls left, original stairs. And the museum is full with authentic photos, videos and stories, real cars, shoes and helmets. Being there touches you to every corner of your soul.

A must-visit for art lovers while in NYC – Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is the largest art museum in the US. I just can’t comment much here because everyone has his own relations with art. And I have mine. I fulfilled my cravings for art in the paintings sector, viewing the masterpieces of Van Gogh, Monet, and Rembrandt.

Just across Central Park, and this was all that I’ve seen of the park, there’s American Museum of Natural History, which is known from movies like “Night in the Museum”. Lots and lots of dried animals. During my visit there was a special exhibition for dinosaurs – a bit of salt into plain animal world.

Beyond museums… New York guide

One attraction from Sightseeing Pass raised my curiosity to the top – “Ocean Odyssey” by National Geographic. It looked like there’s an aquarium somewhere in the center of Manhattan, which is not possible. Or is it? How the US managed to astonish me is with their 4D (and more D’s…) capabilities everywhere. Ocean Odyssey is located near Times Square in the underground building full of screens and sounds, where sometimes you are feeling more than in a real aquarium. Educational plus fun attraction.

Continuing through the fun attractions in Manhattan, Madam Tussauds museum is also a must. I haven’t decided is this a museum or an attraction. Since it’s more fun than a historical or educational approach, let’s add to the attractions. The concept is the same as in all chain museums. During my visit, there was a limited exhibition for “Ghostbusters” and a special section for Marvel’s “Avengers”. Below – attending an event with Royals 😉

I felt a bit (a lot actually) ashamed when I heard the name Madison Square Garden, I have heard it many times, and had no idea what it was… Well surprise surprise, it’s the world’s most famous arena. The home of New York Knicks and New York Rangers.

The arena can hold Basketball games and Hockey games on the same day. And even two separate events at once in its separate sections. Madison Square Garden tour is rated as one of the best tours in NYC. And it’s worth it! The guides are spreading their love and passion to the history of the Arena and even to its technicalities. A good mood is guaranteed!

To be continued…

I fell in love with New York City and its vibes immediately. But also there are controversial things that are left in my memories. For example, New York’s homeless community is the biggest in the US, but you don’t see many homeless people in Manhattan. But the quality of air, the amount of dust, and neverending construction work right above your head affect the overall mood. I remember, when coming back to my tiny room after a full day of walking, I was feeling so dirty, that I had been taking off most of my clothes still in the corridor.

Only 3 days in New York, and the experience doesn’t fit into one blog story. This is what New York does to people. Follow my further adventures in the following post where I continue my New York guide through special landmarks and observation points.

Looking for a place to stay in New York City? Check out these places:

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