Two Days in NYC

This was my FIRST time in New York City and I only had two days to take in everything that the Big Apple has to offer. If you're like me, you want to see it all! Navigating through the huge concrete jungle is probably impossible without some sort of tour, so we opted for the NYC Gray Line All Loops bus tour. For $64 we had hop-on-hop-off access to a double decker bus that took us through Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, and The Bronx, plus a nighttime tour. Well worth the money! We were able to see everything that we wanted, as well as get a feel for the layout of the city.

The cons of the bus tour are that the staff aren't super knowledgeable and the busses ran late a lot, but really for the price, it's not that big of a deal.

Planning an August trip to the city isn't the smartest, in that it's really humid and gets pretty hot. Luckily for us, it was a mild week of mid-80s temps. We actually experienced a light rain on our second day which was nice and saved us from baking in the sun. Unfortunately though, by the time we took the night tour it was pouring and we had to squeeze into the enclosed level of the bus. Although we missed the glow of the city lights, it was kind of hilarious getting drenched as we drove through Brooklyn (photo evidence below).

Cool spots worth checking out:
-Upstairs at the Kimberly Hotel - drinks are pricey but the view is priceless. Casual setting where you're not pressured to keep buying beverages.
-momofuku milk bar - get the crack pie. You're welcome.
-The Boathouse Central Park - book a reservation in advance and expect a hefty bill, but it's worth the view. You can eat on the patio right on a pond. Plus the location is next to the adorable remote control sailboats you always see on TV/in the movies.
-Top of the Rock - Empire State Building is more popular, but here you have the same great view, plus Central Park. It's cheaper and I hear less crowded.

My suggestions for traveling to NYC with only two days:

-Book a hop-on-hop-off tour
-Take the FREE Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.

-Research what you want to see/do beforehand

-Plan where you'd like to eat and know what neighborhoods the restaurants are in

-Have lots of singles handy to tip tour guides, and most importantly, buy subway tickets