Summer in New York

There is really only one thing to say about summer in New York – it’s hot, as in 38c+, and its busy.

But none of that stopped us from exploring in full – it just slowed us down a little and cost a little more with all the stops for a cool drink and air conditioning!

New York is too big to walk around on foot – depending on where you stay, it is possible to get to some of the main areas/attractions on foot, but with so many different areas and places of interest spread across Manhattan, the subway or bus are often the easiest option.

Must Dos on a Trip to New York

Central Park

Central Park is huge, and it is also easy to end up walking the wrong way, with paths that gradually curve and take you in an entirely different direction to the way you thought you were heading! As we were staying about half way up central park, cutting across the park tended to become our morning walk to catch the bus downtown. Look out for the terrapins lazing on the rocks in the sun on the edges of the lake.

A Trip on the Staten Island Ferry

As we visited in the summer, we decided against an actual trip to the Statue of Liberty due to how busy and hot is would be. Instead, we jumped on the Staten Island Ferry (free!) which takes you past the Statue of Liberty, offering the best view from the water.

Get off the streets on the High Line

The High Line is an old freight rail line that wound its way above the streets on the West side of Manhattan. Trains have not run along the line since the 1980s, and in 2009, the first section of the high line opened as a public park and walkway. The completed high line is a 1.45-mile-long greenway with a wide variety of plants, public seating, coffee vans and art. It’s a great way to get to areas of the city on the West side, avoiding the busy streets below.

Explore Chelsea Market

Walk down off the High Line at Chelsea Market and take advantage of the wide variety of food outlets to garb a bite to eat. We found a fabulous fresh tacos and also managed to find popular New York bakery – Amy’s Bread.

Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

Now attempting to walk across Brooklyn Bridge in what was on that day 40c heat, was maybe not one of our best ideas. But when you only have a few days, you have to do what you can, when you can. We made it across to Brooklyn, but it wasn’t quite the relaxed, enjoyable walk we were hoping for – more of a ‘lets get this over with and out of the heat!’. If it had not been so uncomfortably hot, we would have liked to explore more of Brooklyn, with its shops, restaurants and bakeries. It’s also a good spot in an evening to look over at the lights of Manhattan. To save the walk back, we jumped on a water taxi across the East River to Manhattan.

Enjoy a Broadway Show

There are so many theatres on and off Broadway that there is plenty of opportunity to see a show. We were fortunate to be able to get tickets for Wicked, which is a fantastic show made even more special being in New York.