Why We Keep Coming Back to New York City

Why do we keep coming back to New York City? Travel writers Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough have a lot of answers, and they’re not what the typical headlines say. Joelle has just wrapped a week in the city. She was born here and spoke at a United Nations side event during the General Assembly. Ryan joined her for part of the trip, riding Amtrak in from Harrisburg. He once almost had a panic attack in a New York taxi. Now he says every visit is better than the last. On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Wanderers Compass" Podcast, they share what the city feels like today, plus the practical tips that make a first visit easier. In this episode: Why Ryan went from city-nervous to city fan Safety, street smarts and walking at all hours What New York really costs, and the free things to do Grand Central, the High Line, Hudson Yards and The Edge How CityPASS helped Joelle see the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, the American Museum of Natural History, the Intrepid, Ellis Island and more Amtrak, flying into Newark, skipping the car and mastering the subway Seeing Hamilton on Broadway, plus the real history at Fraunces Tavern Smart tips for solo theater tickets and for your first trip The best time of year to visit Eataly, bodegas, bagels, pizza, gelato and Asian cuisine KEEP UP WITH WANDERERS COMPASS 🔗 Blog: https://www.wandererscompass.com/ 🔗 Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/... 🔗 Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/... New episodes of the Wanderers Compass Podcast air every second Monday on Big Blend Radio. CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome to New York City 1:06 From Panic Attack to Big-City Fan 1:53 Joelle’s NYC Roots and a Changing City 5:07 Ignore the Headlines: Is NYC Safe? 8:36 Looking for King Kong 9:24 Is NYC Expensive? What’s Free 12:33 Architecture Lovers’ Paradise 13:17 Grand Central and Preserving History 16:23 The High Line, Hudson Yards and The Edge 18:47 Seeing More with CityPASS 21:18 The Friends Experience and Seinfeld Love 23:07 Taking Amtrak into Manhattan 26:13 Flying In and Skipping the Car 27:24 Broadway, Hamilton and Fraunces Tavern 30:40 Live Theater Magic 35:48 First-Timer Tips: Plan by Neighborhood 36:53 Subway Tips and Avoiding Rush Hour 39:42 Flatiron, Eataly and Union Square 40:53 Living Like a Local: Bodegas and Neighborhoods 43:47 Best Time of Year to Visit 46:14 Wegmans Daydreams and Museums 47:45 Staten Island Ferry and Lower Manhattan 49:20 Top of the Rock, Empire State or The Edge 50:40 Central Park and Public Spaces 52:27 Hot Dogs, Law & Order and Pop Culture 53:53 Madison Square Garden Memories 54:56 Bagels, Pizza and Gelato 57:21 Ryan’s Food Picks 58:30 Plan Your Adventure 59:21 Wanderer and Compass: Be Spontaneous #NewYorkCity #NYCTravel #TravelPodcast #WanderersCompass #BigBlendRadio