So many of you guys like to share your au pair story with us and the rest of our Au Pair in America family – which we absolutely love! There’re those who have crossed oceans to come to America, those who have dropped anything & everything to join their new families in the States, and many others who had to leave their best friends behind in order to be able to make new friends on the other side of the world. No matter where you’re from and what US state you’re headed to, you guys all have at least one thing at common: Your first few days in the States belong to New York City, and New York City belongs to you!
In this series, we’re shedding some light on our au pairs’ favourite spots in the USA. Whether it is a city, a state or just a general area that our au pairs are currently obsessed with – we’ll introduce some of North America’s “places to be” in an entirely new way. Our secret? We get our recommendations right from the source – our lovely au pairs – to ensure that our travel tips cover everything an Au Pair in America needs to know about and more!
It’s not really hard to guess where we’re headed to this time… Ladies, we proudly present the city that never sleeps: NYC!
Subway | available 24/7, $2.75 per ride
Buses | available 24/7, accessible at the front of the bus, accept MetroCard or exact change
Ferries | Staten Island Ferry (free, Staten Island – Manhatten’s Whitehall Ferry Terminal), NYC Ferry (several different routes, cost of a subway ride), NY Waterway (New Jersey – Manhatten)
Citi Bikes | New York City’s bike sharing system
Taxis | available 24/7, on duty when numbers on top of the vehicle are illuminated
MoMA
Met
Museum of Natural History
NY Transit Museum
Edgar Allan Poe Cottage
9/11 Memorial & Museum
Whitney Museum of American Art
Guggenheim Museum
Keep an eye out for ‘Pay What You Wish’ deals & designated ‘Free Entry’ days
Times Square
Brooklyn Bridge
The Docks
Rockefeller Center & Top of the Rock Observation Deck
Empire State Building
Flat Iron
Dumbo
Statue of Liberty / Staten Island Ferry / Ellis Island
Coney Island
Broadway & the Theater District
Fifth Avenue
Little Italy
Chinatown
Greenwich Village
Grand Central Terminal
One World Observatory
New York Public Library
Wall Street
Radio City Music Hall
Madison Square garden
St Patrick’s Cathedral
Yankee Stadium
Bronx Zoo
Carnegie Hall
Theater District
Metropolitan Opera
Movie spots | such as the ‘Friends’ building, ‘Gossip Girl”s Met steps etc.
Shake Shack
Stardust Diner
Two Boots
Polpettina Pizza
Wheated
Roberta’s
Lombardi’s
Raclette | melted cheese on anything and everything
Bubba Gump
Absolute Bagels
Magnolia’s Bakery
Junior’s | try a perfect example for a classic New York cheesecake!
DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections | raw cookie dough to go, anyone?
Dominique Ansel bakery | aka the inventor of the ‘Cronut’
Vegan Divas | for deliciously vegan treat
TCS New York City Marathon | 1st Sunday in November, Staten Island – Central Park
New York Road Runners Midnight Run | December 31st, Central Park
New York Fashion Week | Spring / Summer, various locations
Rangers and Islanders Openers | October, Madison Square Garden
Big East Tournament | March, Madison Square Garden
Knicks and Nets Openers | October, Madison Square Garden
New York Liberty Basketball | May – September
Mets and Yankees Season Opener | April, Citi Field & Yankee Stadium
US Open Tennis | August through September, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
TD Five Boro Bike Tour | May
New York Comedy Festival | every November, Madison Square Garden / Town Hall etc.
New York City Ballet Winter Repertory Season | 4 weeks starting in January, Lincoln Center
NYC Off-Broadway Week℠ | February & October, various venues
NYC Broadway Week℠ | January & September, various venues
BAM Next Wave Festival | creative dance, theater, film & literature from September through December, different venues in and around New York City
New York City Ballet Fall Repertory Season | kick-off in September, Lincoln Center
Summer at Lincoln Center | July, Lincoln Center
Shakespeare in the Park | May-August, Central Park’s Delacorte Theater
Amateur Night | February – November, Apollo
Archtober | Architecture & Design month in October, Museum of Modern Art / the Guggenheim / Central Park Conservatory / 9/11 Memorial & Museum etc.
New York Comic Con | October,Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
The Armory Show | March, Piers 92 & 94
The Art Show | March, Park Avenue Armory
Open House New York (OHNY) | every October, various buildings and sites
NYCxDESIGN | May, various locations
New Yorker Festival | October, different venues in and around New York City
New York Jewish Film Festival | January
New York Film Festival | September through October, different venues in and around New York City
Tribeca Film Festival | April, Lower Manhatten
New York International Children’s Film Festival | February & March, SVA Theater, Cinépolis Chelsea, Scandinavia House, IFC Center, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown, Museum of the Moving Image
Winter Jazzfest | January, Le Poisson Rouge, Judson Memorial Church, Bitter End, etc.
The Metropolitan Opera Fall/Spring Season | September – May, Metropolitan Opera
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival | August, Tompkins Square Park & Marcus Garvey Park
SummerStage | May, Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield
Broadway in Bryant Park | July, Bryant Park
NY Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks | one week in June, Van Cortlandt Park, Great Lawn, Cunningham Park, Prospect Park, etc.
New York International Auto Show | March, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Holiday Train Show | November – January, New York Botanical Garden
Holiday Train Show Grand Central | November – February, Grand Central Terminal
New York Boat Show | January, Jacob Javits Center
Origami Holiday Tree | November – January, American Museum of Natural History
Macy’s Flower Show | March, Macy’s
Orchid Show | March, New York Botanical Garden
Cherry Blossom Festival | April, Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Earth Day / Week | April, parks around the city
Butterfly Conservatory | October, American Museum of Natural History’s seasonal vivarium
Westminster Dog Show | February, Madison Square Garden
Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival | October, various locations and happenings
Feast of San Gennaro | 11 days in September, Little Italy
NYC Restaurant Week® | January & July, various restaurants across the city
Big Apple Barbecue Block Party | June, Madison Square Park
9th Avenue International Food Festival | May, 9th Avenue
NYC Must-See Week | March, various venues and sights across all 5 boroughs
Village Halloween Parade | October, West Village
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade | November, near the American Museum of Natural History
Richmond County Fair | September, Staten Island
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival | August, Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Summer Streets | between 7am – 1pm on three August Saturdays, Park Avenue
MoMA PS1 Warm Up | July through September, MoMA area
Harlem Week | July through August, Harlem
Museum Mile Festival | June, Upper East Side
National Puerto Rican Day Parade | June, Fifth Avenue
River to River Festival | June, various locations downtown
Celebrate Brooklyn! | June, various locations in Brooklyn
Summer on the Hudson | May, Riverside Park
Bronx Week | May, various locations in the Bronx
Asia Week New York | March, Rubin Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, China Institute, etc.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade | March, 5th Avenue between 44th & 79th Streets
Easter Parade & Easter Bonnet Festival | March, Fifth Avenue
Lunar New Year Parade & Festival | March, Chinatown, Flushing (Queens) & Sunset Park (Brooklyn)
Pride Week | last Sunday in June, various locations across all five boroughs
Winter Antiques Show | January, Park Avenue Armory
Three Kings Day Parade | 6th January, El Museo del Barrio
Radio City Christmas Spectacular | November & December, Radio City Music Hall
Lighting of the World’s Largest Hanukkah Menorahs | every December, Plaza Hotel
Holiday Shops | every December, Union Square / Grand Central Terminal / Byrant Park / Columbus Circle etc.
Ice-Skating Rinks Open | late October – December, Rockefeller Center / Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park etc.
Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting | every December, Rockefeller Center
Kwanzaa Celebrations | African-American heritage celebration every December 26th – January 1st, American Museum of Natural History
Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks | 4th of July, viewing locations across the city
Times Square New Year’s Eve | December 31st, Times Square
Commemorating 9/11 | September 11th, various locations
More event over on www.nycgo.com
Soho
Herald Square | Macy’s, VS, GAP, Zara, H&M, etc.
North Williamsburg | vintage & independent stores
Delkab Ave | e.g. Century 21
Atlantic Ave | e.g. Uniqlo & many more chain stores
6th Avenue | souvenir shops
Bay Plaza Mall
Woodbury Common Mall | New Jersey
Explore the City on Foot
Free Yoga classes | various NYC parks
Ice Skating | various ice rinks across the city in winter
Central Park | running, cycling, skating, boating
Prospect Park | Brooklyn
Bear Mountain Park
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Bryant Park
High Line Park
Washington Square Park
East River | kayaking, stand-up-paddling
Empire State Building
Bay Park
Top of the Rock Observation Deck
Brooklyn Bridge Park / Bridge
World Trade center
Greenpoint | Brooklyn
Williamsburg | Brooklyn (e.g. N 5th Street Pier & Park)
9/11 Memorial
General Grant National Memorial
Federal Hall National Memorial
Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthplace
Chrysler Building
Greenwood Cemetery | Brooklyn
Edgar Allan Poe Cottage House | Bronx
Apollo Theater
Ellis Island
Chinatown
Broadway Shows
Times Square
Bushwick | various independent musicians & artists with galleries & art studios (also: street art!)
“New York is not America and America is not New York. There are so many cultures and people in this city. You can explore and learn something new wherever you go.”