New York alone?
Hello! I'm having a dilemma. For years, I've wanted to visit New York and I now have enough money to go for a few days. However, I don't have anyone to go with. Nobody's got enough money/time, etc. At least one person has recommended I just go alone but she's much braver and more well-travelled than little old me - I've never been outside Europe and not on my own either.
So, do I wait a few more years in case someone changes their mind/suddenly has enough money to come with me or do I just go? And if anyone out there has been to New York on their own, is it ok? Were you lonely/scared/lost?
Thankyou for any advice,
Moonbean.
So, do I wait a few more years in case someone changes their mind/suddenly has enough money to come with me or do I just go? And if anyone out there has been to New York on their own, is it ok? Were you lonely/scared/lost?
Thankyou for any advice,
Moonbean.
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Comments
Just plan out where you want to go in advance-routes, methods of transport and so on and you should be fine. Good luck!
Due to an emergency, I had to spend 5 days in NYC on my own and it was fine.
There's plenty of things that someone on their own can do, the locals are generally friendly, its easy to get around on the subway or taxi and the fact that theres no language barrier is advantageous.
I'd say go for it, You'll enjoy it!
You should go for it.
Its the most fantastic scheme. We've been lucky to be able to get one both times we have been to the city and had 2 fantastic but different guides.
http://www.bigapplegreeter.org/
I stayed in a hostel, which happened to have a nearby studio flat where they sometimes put guests, which is where I stayed.
However this flat had 3 double-bunk beds around it (for six people in all), and a procession of interesting characters arriving and leaving during the week!
(I think if I had to stay on a own in a hotel room I could well have ended up jumping from the window, they are that depressing. A hostel is usually cheaper too; this one was $40 a night, 7 years ago, and it wasn't the cheapest.)
Wow, I never heard of that service. Looked at the site, what a fantastic idea!
BTW...we ARE really nice here.
I went to NYC alone a couple of years ago. I was ingle at the time, none of my friends were free and I just thought, why should I wait?
It's a fantastic city and great for seeing alone. There's so much to do. The main advantage of it being a busy American city is that it's very common for people to eat out alone over there. People eat out more often than they eat in and you regularly see lone diners at lunch and at dinner.
I ate out alone several times and although I virtually whispered "table for one please" the first time in absolute terror, the restaurant staff don't bat an eyelid. They are used to it.
I also felt very safe there. Obviosuly, I didn't go wandering down dark alleys in the middle of the night, same as I wouldn't do so at home, but I felt very confident on the main streets at night and using the subway. New York is basically awake through most of the night anyway.
I hope you go! You'll have a fab time
Oh, and I stayed in a very nice hotel and swallowed the stupid single occupancy surcharge. I decided I was worth it and I had saved for the holiday so I wanted to enjoy it in as much style as I could afford! If you get a twin room - then you can add someone else if they are able to come suddenly, but I'd say it would be unlikely they'd get on a flight at the last minute anyway. Just book it!
Travelling to places like this, you're going to want to see everything, and having a friend with you can sometimes prevent that, and also send you to places you're not particularly interested in seeing.
I'd highly recommend going alone, plus its an English speaking country so you won't have any translation issues!
Was it scary? Heck yes it was. But I just like you wanted to go to NYC but I found that most of the nerves came before stepping foot on a plane. I didn't have a clue if I'd make it back alive or if I'd get ran over or what (just assumed the worst). However once you're on the plane and your in the air, the feeling of "oh my god, I'm going to New York City" kicks in.
I dealt with it by spending some of the flight planning out my first 24hrs. Just thought "once I land, I need to get my luggage then get a taxi to my hotel and maybe get some food". Don't try and over complicate things. Just take it step by step
Also just a side note, if someone at the airport asks you if you want a taxi, say 'No thanks'. There's people who wait at arrivals who have nice cars and will drive you to the hotel but they charge a ridiculous amount ($100-$200) which they won't tell you about until you're at the hotel and it's a horrible way to start your trip. Always go outside the terminal and use the officially Yellow NYC cabs. There is a flat rate of $45 from a NYC airport into the City.
If you need any advice or anything then let me know
If I had the opportunity to go again I would go whether it was by myself, with family or with a thousand other people
This sounds fab! I've bookmarked it for, hopefully, future use!
What a brilliant idea, will keep that link for when I go back!
I went recently with two older lady friends; but we weren't together all the time as I 'don't do' shopping! I was absolutely fine with being on my own, it was an amazing adventure
Its practically impossible to get lost in large areas of Manhattan, but you should get a guide book with a street map anyway so you can locate the subway stations and places you want to visit
Manhattan is set out in grid system. Streets run East to West and are numbered North to South and Avenues run North to South but are numbered east to west. The intersections are always well labelled. So if you wanted to visit somewhere thats located on 15th and 6th while you were on 10th and 3rd. you'd need to walk 5 blocks north then 3 blocks west.
She returned to England and went off to tour Europe where she lived in Germany till the outbreak of War.
Few years before she died she packed her bags & arthritis to go off and do it again - she had a wonderful time being put in wheelchairs and pushed to the front of queues.
I went on my own 6 years ago and it's one of the best places I have ever been to. Considering it's one of the busiest/biggest cities in the world felt safe at all times, safer than I do in some British towns :rolleyes:
There is so much to do, I would go back in a heartbeat.
*wishes there was a green eyed jealous smilie*
xx
When I was younger and single, many a time I would get home from work on a Friday, go to the airport, book a flight from there and just go. :cool:
New York would take a little more planning though.