I'm going to New York!

I've just finished booking the flight and doing all the paperwork to go to America.

I'm going to go with my girlfriend, and we both are very impatient to be there! We've booked a small apartment in Manhattan. This is going to be my first time in NYC (actually, it is going to be my first time out of Europe).

We're going to stay for one week. We haven't decided yet where to go, we will probably decide it in a few weeks; we have enough time.

I'm looking at a video on youtube where a woman explains how to move in New York, how the subway works and that stuff. Seems like New York will be overwhelming, but I think it will be a good opportunity to improve my English.

¿Have you been to NYC? ¿Can you give me some tips?

Yes, New York can be overwhelming! Just remember if some people are rude, it's just there nature. Not everyone there is like that. You MUST go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is one of the best in the world. Go to Times Square. Visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Have a slice of New York style slice of pizza (very thin), pizza shops are everywhere. Have a good time!

I'm going to New York!

I've just finished booking the flight and doing all the paperwork to go to America.

I'm going to go with my girlfriend, and we both are very impatient to be there! We've booked a small apartment, in Manhattan. This is going to be my first time in NYC (actually, it is going to be my first time out of Europe).

We're going to stay for one week. We haven't decided yet where to go, we will probably decide it in a few weeks, we have enough time.

I'm looking for a video on youtube where a woman explains how to move get around in New York, how the subway works and that stuff. Seems like New York will be overwhelming, but I think it will be a good opportunity to improve my English.

¿Have you been to NYC? ¿Can you give me some tips?

Excellent! And welcome to my 'hood [=neighborhood]! I live in East Village, which is midtown(ish) Manhattan.

Some tips:

-The best way to get around is the subway. Get the seven-day unlimited Metro card if you know you'll be hopping on and off a lot. Otherwise it's $2.50 per entry/exit.  http://web.mta.info/maps/submap.html

-Uptown (east and west side from roughly 59th Street up) tends to be very expensive and with few good restaurants. So if you head up there to see Central Park, it's better to plan to eat somewhere else so you don't get stuck trying to find a restaurant around there. By the way, East Side and West Side is divided by Central Park.

-It's actually very easy to navigate around New York past downtown. The avenues go east to west, so from the east, it's B->A->1st Ave. ->2nd Ave. ->3rd Ave... The streets count up as you head north, from roughly 4th street. So if you're on 34th Street and you want to go to Times Square (42nd Street), just keep walking (and counting) up.

-We walk and talk very fast, sorry! :( But we also have a healthy melting pot of Spanish speaking people, and it's the most popular foreign language taught in our schools. So in a pinch, I'm sure that you can find a Spanish-speaking person around town.