First Time in NYC? Avoid 5 Mistakes That Waste Time & Money

Travelers to New York City repeatedly make the same costly and common mistakes.

Whether it’s your first time or fifth time visiting NYC, these 5 tips will save you money, headaches, and time. Here are the 5 common first-time NYC visitor mistakes:

1. Thinking you have to stay in Times Square
2. Taking Uber/taxis everywhere
3. Engaging with scammers on the street
4. Trusting food carts
5. Buying a subway card

Let’s look at each one in detail and what to do instead, below. 👇

Note: This article was written by a real human who lives in NYC, not artificial intelligence. 🥸

Best Midtown Manhattan Spots & Neighborhood Guide Podcast Episode

Want to hear more podcasts like this? Head here.

#1- Thinking You HAVE to Stay in Times Square

Times Square is a busy, loud, and expensive area.

You do NOT need to stay in Times Square when you visit New York City!

Instead, prioritize being close to a subway station. If you’re in Manhattan and within a 10-minute walk of a subway station, you can get almost anywhere in the city in less than 45 minutes.

Plan out where you hope to go and spots you plan on visiting in the city, then book a hotel accordingly.

We use Hotels.com for almost all of our personal travels and trips. With their OneKey Cash, you can earn free stays (of which we’ve had many)!

When we visited NYC as travelers, we usually stayed outside of Times Square. We’ve enjoyed staying in the following places in New York City:

• Financial District
• Garment District
• Chelsea
• Midtown East
• Midtown & more

Again, prioritize proximity to subway stations vs. staying in expensive Times Square.

#2- Taking Uber/Taxis Everywhere

New York City’s transit system can get you dang near everywhere you’ll want to go, and usually faster than a car. All three major airports (JFK, LGA, & EWR) also offer easy-to-use (and cheap) public transit into the city.

An Uber/Taxi from most airports to Midtown Manhattan will run you anywhere from $60-$110 or more.

Public transit options to/from the airport? Anywhere from only $2.90 to around $15. 🙌

So, save your cash and take public transit. Plus, f*ck cars, tbh.

We cover this in much more depth in our 100% free Ultimate NYC Transportation Guide. Get it here.

#3- Engaging with Scammers

You don’t have to engage with people who are trying to talk to you on the street.

The vast majority of them are trying to scam you… Common scammers in NYC are:

• People giving you a CD for “free” but then demanding money
• Breakdancers in tourist spots
• Selling tickets to awful comedy shows (if they’re selling tickets on the street, it’s not good)
• Staten Island Ferry scammers (it’s always free)
• Characters in Times Square who demand wild amounts of cash
• Pedicabs in any way, shape, or form & others

See our full list of common NYC tourist traps here.

My rule of thumb? If someone is trying to engage with me on the streets of New York, the odds are high they’re trying to take advantage of me.

So, keep walking and don’t engage. Easy. ✌️

This Episode’s You’ll Have to Check It Out Segment: Terra Blues

Terra Blues Jazz Club is a cozy, historic jazz club in Greenwich Village.

You are paying to get in, and once you are in, you can stay as long as you want. Seating is first come, first served seating, but some reservations are available (until around 8pm) if you plan ahead.

Terra Blues has talented artists, great cocktails, and a huge whiskey list.

Check out Terra Blues here.

#4- Food Carts

We personally recommend avoiding (most) food carts.

Unless you can look up reviews about it online, probably don’t eat there. The worst churro I’ve had in my entire life was from a food cart in Central Park. Yuck!

The caveat here is that some food carts are delicious.. Some of those would be:

• The Halal Guys (be sure to go to the location on 53rd Street)
• Adel’s Halal Food
• Billy’s Hot Dog Cart

Another caveat are food trucks. There are some AMAZING food trucks in the city, especially Birria-Landia!

#5- Buying a Subway Card

You do NOT have to buy a subway card for the subway or bus. All stations are equipped with tap-to-pay via OMNY to pay your $2.90 fare.

Simply use your Apple Wallet or Google Pay Wallet, OR a credit/debit card with tap-to-pay.

Additionally, there is NO benefit to buying the week-long unlimited pass because your free rides automatically kick in once you hit the threshold in a 7-day period when using Omny. This is a simple NYC subway tip that will save you time and effort.

Plus, now the AirTrain to/from JFK accepts Omny.

So, save $1 and the headache of the card swipe rarely working. 🤪

Common First-Time NYC Tourist Mistakes Recap & Next Steps

These 5 common NYC tourist mistakes can, and should, be avoided. As a recap, common mistakes include:

1. Thinking you have to stay in Times Square
2. Taking Uber/taxis everywhere
3. Engaging with scammers on the street
4. Trusting food carts
5. Buying a subway card

Remember, the more you prep and plan for your trip to New York City, the better experience you’ll have!

To help with your planning and prep, be sure to sign up for our free newsletter. We email once a week, plus, you’ll get free access to our Ultimate NYC Transportation Guide and a curated selection of Google Maps lists.

Sign up now. 👇