Things To Do In NYC For Birthday Trip
There are so many things to do in NYC. So if you are visiting for fun or even just for a birthday trip like I did, here are some ideas/tips of what to do!
Flight
FlY INTO LGA!!! Always – unless it is an international flight where you have to fly into JFK. I have learned this the hard way.
Last time, I accidentally put my flight to fly out of JFK. Not only is JFK far away in Queens – the waiting time is forever. The line basically felt like Atlanta Airport – which says a lot.
But got straight off the plane and get on the M60-SBS bus to get into the city. It’s not worth it taking an uber, lyft or taxi because it is extremely expensive. Also, since the traffic can be bad, it might take you approximately the same amount of time. So yes although google maps might say it takes 50 minutes by bus vs 30 minutes by car – take into account the traffic. For me, I hopped onto the bus and headed straight to Harlem
Harlem
I am going to keep it abuck. If you are Black, you should visit Brooklyn- well certain parts of Brooklyn since it has gotten heavily gentrified over the years- as well as Harlem and the Bronx.
NYC is very diverse but there are places that more heavily Black than others. In Harlem though you feel the culture constantly. From the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture to the gorgeous cafe Ginjan Bros (which I talked about more here about cafes & work spots). Plus you never know you can run into a random arts show on 125th like I showed on my instagram post where I saw “Summer Stage in Harlem”.
Attend Concerts
I am pretty sure every major artist stops in NYC. So if you have the opportunity, when you visit, look to see what artist might stop by. For example, during my birthday trip, my friend and I attended the Jon Bellion Concert. Note: I am an avid afrobeats/amapiano/r&b/gospel lover – I did not know this artist. In fact, full transparency my friend and I were probably the 2 of the 3% of Black people there. Usually I am someone who attends concerts of artists that I know, but my friend had a ticket so I said “Why not?”. I left rather impressed.
I am sharing this not only so you check out Jon Bellion & his creative work but also to talk about the location of the concert — the Forest Hills Stadium. Basically, the stadium was the old U.S open quarters. It was such a unique setup that to be honest, it should be on your list of things to do in nyc. Even if you don’t know the artist, you should go to a concert in this stadium because the video quality and the scenery is just really cool to experience.
Little Italy and China Town
I used to visit China Town and Little Italy more but what’s funny is that even while living in NYC for 3 months, I was barely there.
So when I started walking in the area again I was amazed again at how you suddenly feel like you are in 2 different countries. I used to be more amazed by chinatown but then a few months ago I went to Flushing in Queens, NY which blew my mind. If you do have the time, I recommend visiting Flushing. Warning, its further out so it might be a day’s experience but you will feel like you are in China – well a much less clean China.
Brooklyn Bridge
Like I said earlier, Brooklyn has gotten heavily gentrified. It takes a little bit longer to get to the heavily Black neighborhoods. Brooklyn bridge is definitely not one those. But the water is very pretty and is a cute spot to take photos and run along. During this trip, I first stayed in one area but then moved to another area in Brooklyn. And one of the things I love about NYC is that it is the city that never sleeps. So when I was hungry late at night, I walked to Birria-Landia to get tacos.
Beach
At some point in the trip I realized that maybe I shouldn’t have done my birthday in NYC. It wasn’t because I don’t like NYC, but because the city is so go go go. Oftentimes I can barely rest. NYC is a fun birthday trip for doing but not being and resting.
As much as I loved the hustle bustle I felt like I needed to escape. At first I was going to go to New Jersey since it was close but also wanted to be back later at night to meet with some people. And I knew that I shouldn’t go to Coney Island. Please don’t ever go there. It’s a very dirty beach. So after searching I found the Rockaway Beach in Queens which is still far away since it is queens. But it was close enough to the train.
And it was beautiful, clean and relaxing. I recommend dropping off at 90th street train stop because other stops can have a lot more people. But the area I was in was the perfect ending of relaxation i needed for a birthday trip.
