We’ve heard of it and seen it on so many TV programmes – Friends, Gossip Girl, Sex and the City (to name a few) – that we feel like we’ve lived like a New Yorker before we’ve even set foot in Grand Central Station.

We’ve heard of the terms ‘Upper East Side’ and ‘Upper West’ but have no real idea what they mean and we’ve envisioned that skyline so many times that when you actually set eyes on it, you have to pinch yourself that it’s real. You’re actually in the Big Apple!

It’s an overwhelming city that steals a slice of every visitor’s heart. Here are my 9 unmissable spots in NYC.

Grand Central Station

Grand Central Station has become quite the icon of the NYC. Built in 1903 and located in Midtown Manhattan, Grand Central Terminal is a hectic train station, which boasts outstanding, Roman-esque architecture as well as, shops, bars and restaurants.

Rockerfeller Centre

Rockerfeller Centre is a historic landmark in central Midtown, which is a complex of buildings, restaurants, shops and bars. Although all the buildings are worth a quick explore, the main attraction (in my eyes) is Bar SixtyFive on the 65^th floor of 30 Rockerfeller Plaza where you can have a drink with an unbeatable view across Manhattan.

The Empire State Building

Probably the most recognizable building in New York, The Empire State Building is a 102 story building, which soars above the rest of the city’s jaw-dropping skyline. As a result of its height, the Empire State Building offers tremendous views across the city and beyond and is a brilliant spot to watch the world go by from above.

Staten Island/Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is symbolic of NYC.

In 1886, she was gifted from the people of France to the United States as a symbol of freedom and democracy and from that day on, she has appeared on anything and everything New York related. If you head Downtown towards the Staten Island ferry, you will be swarmed by vendors trying to sell you trips to see Mrs Liberty up close and personal. However, if you’re not fussed about actually setting foot on the island, you can catch the Staten Island ferry for FREE, which rides straight past the statue.

Central Park

Central Park is idyllic. Spanning over a jaw-dropping 843 acres, the park takes up a huge amount of Manhattan and is bursting with flora, fauna and wildlife. From rappers, artists, rickshaws and food trucks to horses and carriages, lakes, statues and rowing boats, Central Park can keep you busy for days on end.

9/11 Memorial/Museum

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is heart-wrenching.

A tribute to the thousands of people effected and killed by the tragic terrorist attacks, which struck the Twin Towers in Downtown Manhattan on 11th September 2001, this memorial is informative, emotional and a must visit whilst in the city.

Put aside at least half a day to get the most out of the museum. Tip: the museum is free from 5pm – 8pm on Tuesdays (usually $24).

Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is an urban food court located in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. Laden in trendy exposed brick walls, cute fairy lights and food stalls galore, it caters for all food cravings. From carefully crafted coffee and wine to soft juicy tacos and ice cream sandwiches, Chelsea Market has it all.

Times Square

Most New Yorkers hate Times Square.

Home to Broadway, this area in Midtown is as eccentric, bright and in your face as most of the shows in the theatres. Garish billboards and kaleidoscopic lights shimmer from every direction and touts, tourists and shoppers patrol the grounds below.

It can be a rather busy and stressful district to explore however, it is worth the overwhelming stress to experience such a unique square.

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge connects Downtown Manhattan with the hipster neighbourhood of Brooklyn. Walking across the bridge (especially at sunset) provides you with excellent views across the city’s skyline and, if you’re peckish when you reach the other side, you can reward yourself with a delicious pizza.

Have you ever been to New York? What would you add to this check list?

Ten days and ten pounds later, we had eaten our way across Manhattan sampling everything from calorific Chicago deep pan pizza to succulent, zesty chicken taco shells.

And although my waistline begs to differ, the indulgence was worth every calorie.

Here are my must eats in New York!

Cream cheese bagels

NYC does cream cheese bagels like nowhere else. Not only can you choose your flavour of bagel – plain, salted, herbed, you name it – you can also pick from a ridiculous number of cream cheese flavours and fillings (scallion and smoked salmon being a firm favourite).

Once chosen, an unholy mound of the chosen cream cheese as well as, any other toppings are lathered onto the soft bagel guaranteeing a heavenly ooze.

Try  Ess-a-Bagel in Midtown for a banging bagel.

Burgers

Visiting Manhattan and not taking pleasure in an overflowing burger filled to the brim with meat, cheese, bacon, onion rings and lashings of sauce would be a crime.

Black Tap in Soho, Meatpacking, Broome Street and Midtown sell scrumptious burgers served up with a mammoth mound of fries. If you’re feeling brave team this with a freak-shake for dessert…

Freak-shakes

Freak-shakes have become quite the craze recently and, after trying one in New York, I can see why.

A drink and dessert in one, freak-shakes offer a thick milkshake of your chosen flavour with anything from frosting, ice cream and chocolate sauce to crumbled cookie, chunks of brownie  and even alcohol built atop your glass like a piece of art.

Black Tap is where you’ll find the most Instagrammable freak-shakes that won’t disappoint.

Pizza

Where do I start with pizza.

$1 pizza slices to go, crispy thin crust pizzas, thick deep pan pizzas, NYC has it all.

Grimaldi’s in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Woodbridge, Garden City and Coney Island has been voted as the best pizza in New York. Whilst Emmett’s in West Town makes the best Chicago deep pan pizzas in town.

Cookies

Fancy a gooey choc chip cookie the size of your head? Levain Bakery is the place for you.

A cute tiny bakery in Wainscott, Harlem, Amsterdam Avenue and West 74th Street, this bakery’s cookies are so popular you’ll be lucky if you don’t have to queue before getting your hands on the crumbling cookie of your choice.

Get a selection of flavours and find a pew in Central Park to gorge.

Tacos and nachos

Along with the prominent Mexican influence in the US comes fantastic Mexican food.

In New York, tacos are served in a floury soft shell stuffed with everything from smokey strips of succulent pork, beef and chicken to crispy strips of fish topped with tangy salsa, coriander and an essential squeeze of lemon. Whilst nacho ‘chips’ tend to come doused in a mound of chilli, cheese and fresh tomato salsa.

The best tacos I had in the city were at Los Tacos No.1 in Chelsea Market. Push the boat out by getting one of each filling – you won’t regret it.

Mac n’ cheese

A trip to New York would not be complete without indulging in a delicious, gooey bowl of mac n’ cheese.

Try The Smith in Midtown, East Village, Nomad or Lincoln Square for a giant portion (tip: one appetizer is enough as a main course).

Have you ever been to New York? What would be your must eats in the city?

I had been on Asia time for 6 months and was used to organising everything last-minute. Therefore, when it came to booking car rental, accommodation and campsites before my trip to Cali, I was a little unprepared.

I had left booking our car rental until I was waiting to board my flight to LA and the prices had skyrocketed. On top of this, the complicated terms and conditions scared the life out of me – I knew Americans were renowned for suing people…

In the end, my friend Lydia and I decided to avoid the stress of renting a car and caught the Greyhound bus from destination to destination instead. Although we did have to make a few sacrifices along the way, we did save A LOT of money and didn’t have to worry about parking/hangovers/speeding tickets.

Everyone I spoke to about my trip to the West Coast said it was impossible to get around without a car and, despite it restricting us a little with timings and not being able to stop off along the way, IT IS POSSIBLE.

If you want to explore California, Vegas and the Grand Canyon without renting a car, here’s where to go and how to do it on the Greyhound bus in just over two weeks.

LA (beach) – 3 nights

Los Angeles is a vast sprawl of unique and quirky neighbourhoods. Covering 1.3 kilometres squared, LA is huge and renowned for its awful transport systems. Therefore, most locals and visitors get around by car.

As Lydia and I didn’t rent a car, we decided to spent our first few days in LA in the South area of Redondo Beach. From here, we explored the lengthy stretch of sand leading all the way up to Santa Monica by bicycle. We rented bikes and cycled along the beach-side boardwalk via Hermosa beach, Venice beach (home to Muscle Beach) and Manhattan Beach (around 22km in total each way).

Before hopping on the Greyhound bus from downtown LA to San Diego (2/3 hours, approx $15-$20).

Top things to do in the LA beach area:

– Cycle from Redondo Beach to Santa Monica pier

– Dolphin spotting on Hermosa Beach

– Play beach volleyball

– Watch the sunset on the beach with a bottle of wine

San Diego – 3 nights

San Diego is a lot more compact than LA and therefore, is a lot easier to get around by foot. The main part of the city is centred around Balboa park where you’ll find the city’s well-known zoo as well as, its Botanical Gardens and Natural History Museum.

On our first day in SD we walked through a small slice of the peaceful park before looping round through the suburbs of North Park, Hillcrest, Mission Valley, Little Italy and the Gaslamp Quarter.

The next day we went to stay on an island just over the bridge from Downtown called Coronado. Here, there was a beautiful beach to relax on and a cute, well-kept town to grab a nice lunch or dinner.

Coronado was definitely our highlight in San Diego.

From Downtown San Diego we caught the Greyhound bus to Vegas via LA (7-10 hours, approx $30-$40).

Top things to do in San Diego:

– Visit or stay on Coronado Island

– Meander through Balboa Park

– Explore the Gaslamp Quarter

Las Vegas – 3 nights

Vegas Vegas Vegas, the one place Lydia and I didn’t think we’d like very much and ended up loving!

The city that never sleep has two main areas – Las Vegas Boulevard aka. ‘the strip’ and the kaleidoscopic original Downtown area, which is now commonly referred to as the Fremont Street Experience. There are train and bus services connecting the city efficiently however, Ubers are also very cheap and time effective.

Vegas is so strange and so unique it’s intoxicating.

You can keep yourself busy for days on end exploring the jaw-dropping, over-the-top hotels, gambling in the 24 hour casinos, partying in the many lavish nightclubs and eating at the hotel’s constant over indulgent buffets.

We spent our first day hotel hopping along the strip and watching the water fountain show at the Bellagio Hotel. Before hitting up Caesars Palace’s nightclub, Omnia to watch Martin Garrix until the early hours of the morning.

Top things to do in Las Vegas:

– Explore the hotels – The Palazzo, Venetian, Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Caesars Palace etc.

– Gamble

– Eat a burger at the Heart Attack Grill

– Experience the Fremont Experience

– Watch a show (check out Vegas.com to see what’s on as well as, cost)

Grand Canyon – 1 night

The Grand Canyon was the one stop we couldn’t reach by an affordable Greyhound bus. As a result, we ended up taking to Couchsurfing to find someone to share a lift with.

I have written a whole separate post on how to explore the Grand Canyon from Vegas for one night camping here.

San Francisco – 3 nights

After one more night in Vegas after our trip to the Grand Canyon, we caught the Greyhound bus to San Francisco (14-17 hours, approx $50-$60).

San Francisco is completely different to the other cities we had visited in California. It oozed character, charm and a quirkiness the other immaculate cities had lacked. The sea of steep roads, old-school trams and spotless waterfront gave San Fran a unique edge to cities such as, LA and San Diego.

We spent our main day in the city tandem biking across the Golden Gate Bridge, eating in China Town and wandering through the buzzing Fisherman’s Wharf.

Before jumping on our last Greyhound bus back down to LA  (8-12 hours, approx $25-$40).

Top things to do in San Francisco:

– Cycle or walk across the Golden Gate Bridge

– Eat a clam chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf

– Eat Chinese food in Chinatown

LA (Hollywood) – 2 nights

As our trip to Cali ended in LA, we decided to put aside some time during our second visit to explore Hollywood.

The epitome of LA, Hollywood is where you’ll find the rich and famous, the wannabe actors and the top-notch designer shops.

My first day in this area was spent bopping along Hollywood Boulevard where we walked over the famous Hollywood stars, came across aspiring actors making budget movies and followed people dressed as Darth Vader. Whilst my second day was spent hiking through the Hollywood Hills taking in the breathtaking views across the city as well as, the Hollywood sign before making my way to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive.

Top things to do in the LA (Hollywood) area:

– Walk along the Hollywood Boulevard

– Trek to the Griffith Observatory in the Hollywood Hills

– Explore the luxurious life of the rich and famous in Beverly Hills

Have you ever road tripped around California, Vegas and The Grand Canyon without renting a car? How did you do it?

Carved out by nearly two billion years of geological change, this jaw-dropping sight to see is a must visit if you’re in nearby Vegas.

Due to its sheer size, planning a trip to the canyon can be quite a daunting task. Therefore, I’ve put together this little guide to help you plan your visit to this outstanding corner of the world.

Transport

There are multiple ways to get to the Grand Canyon.

Car

The most popular option is to rent a car and drive there, which takes around 5 hours from Las Vegas. There are many car rental companies in Vegas however, I would recommend booking the rental as far in advance as possible to get the best deal. Between 3 of us we paid $20 each round trip for gas, which is a mega bargain in comparison to the bus…

Bus

There are a few bus companies that travel between Vegas and the Grand Canyon but, at the extortionate starting price of $105 each way. This was wayyyy out of Lydia and I’s budget and therefore, quickly moved onto alternative options.

Tour

There are a lot of tour companies in Las Vegas that will take you to and from the canyon as a day trip. Although this is a convenient way to visit the Grand Canyon, you’ll be seeing it on their itinerary and time schedule. Therefore, be sure to check that it matches what you want to get out of your time there.

Train

Getting the train from Vegas to the Grand Canyon takes around 9 hours and requires three changes, two trains and two buses. As it is not an easy process, it is not a very popular method of getting to the canyon. Nonetheless, if it’s a challenge you’d like to give a go, you can find some more info on the journey here.

Couchsurfing

This is the option Lydia and I chose/stumbled upon!! Just as we were beginning to think that the Grand Canyon wasn’t doable on a budget as tight as ours, we decided to check current events on Couchsurfing. To our elation, we came across a Grand Canyon event where people who were in a similar position to us were posting to get together and help each other out. We messaged a woman who was driving and wanted somebody to go with and devised a plan for our 2 day/1 night adventure.

Helicopter

If you’re not on a budget and would like to treat yourself to an exceptional experience, travelling to the Grand Canyon by helicopter would be a great way to do this. Seeing the vastness of the wonder from a bird’s eye view is sure to be unforgettable however, be sure to try to fit in a trek down into the canyon as well.

South Rim? North Rim?

The Grand Canyon is huge and there are many different access points to explore. The main two areas are the South Rim and the North Rim.

The North Rim is known for being more remote, less busy and a lot harder to access than the South Rim. Due to heavy snowfall, this part of the canyon is only open for half of the year (mid May to mid October) and therefore, limits when you can go. If you have already visited the South Rim or, have lots of time to kill, this area is absoloutely worth the journey and has some incredible hikes and views.

I visited the South Rim, which offers picture-perfect, expansive views across the canyon as well as, dozens of trekking routes along and down into the canyon – enabling you to view it from lots of different view points.

Accommodation

Camping

There are a few campsites within the park grounds, which you can book online. I would recommend doing this as early as possible as the sites are known to book up very far in advance – especially during the summer. I stayed at the Mather Campground in the middle of the South Rim ($18 a night) and loved the cute spot we were allocated amongst flora, fauna and woodland.

Be warned, it does get very cold in the canyon at night-time so make sure you have the appropriate clothing and sleeping bag to keep you warm.

Lodge/Hotel in the park

There are a few lodges within the park such as, Bright Angel Lodge and Thunderbird Lodge, which book up very far in advance and are rather pricey. Make sure you plan ahead if you want to stay within the park grounds.

Lodge/Hotel outside the park

Areas close by (ish) to the park such as, Flagstaff have lots of hotels and Air BnBs that give you easy access to the canyon. However, Flagstaff is still around an hour from the park entrance so keep this in mind when planning to watch sunsets and sunrises as well as, added travel expenses.

Getting around

In the South Rim there is a very efficient free shuttle bus that takes you around the whole park. Travelling from one end of the rim to the other takes approx 1 hour.

Trekking

The easiest and quickest trek to do at the South Rim is the Rim Trail, which skirts the inner canyon. It is flat, easily accessible and offers outstanding views across the Grand Canyon. Alternatively, if you’d like to trek down into the canyon (which I would definitely recommended), there are many different trails of varied lengths and difficulties such as, Bright Angel and South Kaibab to choose from. Check out all of the different routes here.

If you’re looking for an even more in depth guide on how to visit the Grand Canyon and other Parks in US on a budget, check out this very useful and comprehensive guide on Coupon Chief.

If you have any other questions about planning a trip to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, please feel free to pop me over an e-mail or comment below!