NYC Like a Pro: Secret Spots, Money-Saving Tips & Food Adventures

Uncover a fresh perspective on New York City in this savvy traveler's guide to the Big Apple! Join hosts Heide and Nicky as they reveal how to navigate NYC like a seasoned pro, from mastering the modernized subway system with simple phone taps to scoring amazing deals on Broadway shows and TV tapings.

Dive into the city's hidden treasures as we explore the transformed Industry City in Brooklyn, the peaceful medieval world of The Cloisters, and the stunning views from The Edge at Hudson Yards. Get ready for a mouthwatering journey through Chelsea's Victorian-themed restaurants, K-Town's vibrant food scene, and an unforgettable food tour through Chinatown and Little Italy.

Whether you're looking to save money with CityPASS attractions, find the best cheap eats, or discover which neighborhoods to stay in, this episode is packed with practical tips and secret spots that'll transform your NYC experience. From medieval art to modern architecture, authentic street food to elegant dining, we're sharing everything you need to know to explore New York City confidently and cleverly.

Transcript

NYC Like a Pro: Secret Spots, Money-Saving Tips & Food Adventures

[00:00:00] Hey there fellow adventurers! Today Nicky and I want to share some exciting updates about New York City that make it even more accessible and enjoyable than ever, especially for those of us who appreciate convenience and unique experiences. 

So on today's episode, we're talking all things, Big Apple from transportation to our favorite eats and some lesser known attractions. You'll definitely want to check out on your next trip to New York city. 

Let's dive right in. For those of you who have been to New York City before, you know that getting around can be a bit daunting. But fear not, the city has implemented new systems to make navigating the streets and subways easier than ever.

One of our favorite additions is the MTA's OMNY system, which allows you to use your phone or credit card as a contactless payment for all public transportation options.

Yeah, the city just recently implemented a surcharge on cars in Manhattan. And so renting a car is even more daunting because there's a surcharge to help fight congestion. So you're looking at additional $9 per day just to drive in the Uber and your Lyft rides that much more expensive. 

And it's, it's so. Strange to me that people would rent a car in New York City when it is so simple to get around. My brother and his wife have lived there for well over a decade now. They've never owned a car. They've never needed to. And if they do want to get outside of the city, that's when they'll rent a car. But the parking is a nightmare. Uh, parking fees. I mean, sometimes a parking space, A month's rent equals that to what you're paying for your apartment. 

Oh, that's crazy. Yeah. Best tip I ever received was public transit in New York City. Super easy to get around.

Today, Nicky and I want to share some exciting updates about New York City that make it more accessible and enjoyable than ever, especially for those of us who appreciate convenience and unique experiences. 

Let's talk about how the city has modernized its public transit system and explore some lesser known gems that deserve a spot on your itinerary.

First, let's tackle what's often the most daunting part of visiting New York City, getting around.

 Remember those frustrating days of waiting in long lines to buy a MetroCard only to have it fail to swipe properly? Well, New York City has finally caught up with the other major cities by implementing OMNY. That's one Metro, New York.

This contactless payment system has completely transformed how we navigate the city. Just last week, Heidi and I were both visiting the city and couldn't believe how seamless it was. 

Setting up transit in apple wallet was super easy for both of us. We just opened up our wallet app. Tapped the three dots on a credit card up at the top right hand corner and enabled express transit in the payment settings. Super easy and once it's all set up, we simply had to hold our phone near the OMNY reader on the turnstile. It turned green and we were good to go. 

For those who prefer Android, Google Pay works just as well. It's the same fare as before, it's $2. 90 per ride, but without the hassle of carrying a separate credit card or a metro card. 

And here's a pro tip, the system automatically captures fares at $34 per week, so you never pay more than you would for a weekly unlimited pass.

The subway system itself connects you to every corner of the city and with free apps like google maps or city mapper you'll get real time updates about train arrivals and service charges and trust me it's nothing like the confusion we experienced in the 90s and the early 2000s.

Yeah, so here's also a game changing tip for navigating the subway. Before you head underground, start your route in your map app. Google Maps is my preferred one. It'll show you multiple route options, and the best part is even if you lose cell phone service underground, as long as you keep the app open, it'll continue to track your journey and show you where to go.

When to get off and most importantly, which exit to take once you get off the subway, this has saved me for missing stops so many times, especially when there's station skips and delays. 

Yeah, and I really like City Mapper too. I used City Mapper before Google Maps really kind of caught up to the game.

What's great about these apps is it's step by step. It tells you how far you have to walk to find the [00:05:00] subway station. How many stops you're going to be on the train before you either have to transfer or get off. 

One other thing that I want to say about Google Maps is they have a live view and I can sometimes be directionally challenged, especially when I'm trying to wait for my GPS to catch up with my phone. Google has a live view. You click on it while you're walking and it will show you what landmarks you were supposed to see as you're walking. 

Oh, see, that's brilliant. I didn't realize that. See, I learned something new today. It's fantastic. Thank you, Nicky. You're welcome. 

 One question we always get is. Is the subway safe? Yes, I would say yes. I would 95 percent of the time the subway is wonderfully safe. I've never personally ever had a problem on the subway. Now, you will get characters sometimes, and ,we were there in winter, so you get unfortunate people who are seeking shelter in the subway car, and you know, maybe some of them weren't, You know, all together healthy or put together.

And although I've never been approached or harassed by anybody, if I feel uncomfortable, I just at the next stop, I'll get up and go to the next car over. As simple as that. But luckily there are emergency buttons and there are police on the platform. So if you ever do have a problem and New Yorkers are always, Happy to help too.

Yes, I've seen I've seen New Yorkers step up to help when somebody needed it Yes, I have on this last trip I definitely had to ask for help because I couldn't find where my Platform was gonna be. It turns out I had gotten off on the wrong stop. I just approached a woman who had a teenager with her and she's like, oh, yeah Just come on and she was like, okay now go here go here and she pointed exactly where she's like get back on the train and she's like And, you know, do it that way.

See, New Yorkers get a bad rap. I think, especially from those of us in the Midwest, we remember the movies from the eighties where everybody's like, F you, F you, buddy. And now some of the nicest people live in New York City. Definitely. 

Now let's talk about one of my favorite areas. I love Brooklyn because my brother and his wife live in Brooklyn. So I ended up spending a lot of time there when I'm in New York. And one of Brooklyn's best kept secrets that's finally getting the attention it deserves is Industry City. 

What's that? See, I hadn't heard of it either. This is not your typical tourist destination, and that's exactly why I love it.

It's located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. This massive complex is restored industrial buildings that have been transformed into this vibrant cultural hub that perfectly represents modern New York. Oh, that sounds fantastic. Yeah. Picture this historic warehouses now filled with artisan food halls, artisan food halls, design stores, art galleries, and wonderful spaces to just sit and take in the scene. What I particularly love about Industry City is how it caters to visitors who appreciate a more relaxed pace. You can spend hours there, and we did. Moving from Japan Village, which is this incredible Japanese food hall, if you like Japanese food.

Yes, I do. I knew you would like that. To courtyards with comfortable seating, stunning views of the harbor. They even have an ice rink. Very fun. Yeah. And there are often free events from art installations to live music. And the whole complex has plenty of seating areas where you can kind of rest and recharge.

In fact, my brother and his wife and I spent a wonderful evening at a free salsa dancing event at standard Wyrmwood distillery in industry city. I say that three times fast, standard Wyrmwood distillery, which is Walter's favorite distillery. Uh, he picked up one of the best pizzas I've ever had in my life from nearby Gravesend Pizza.

And while I waited for him to come back, I sipped on probably the best vermouth I have ever had. Uh, it was sweet, it was, it was, very kind of herbal and clove like have warming spices. Not what I thought of when I think vermouth. No, not at all. Because when I think of vermouth, I think of what goes into a martini and definitely not something that you would drink on your own.

Exactly. Well, I've learned there are since different kinds of vermouth and I was sadly uneducated about the finer points of vermouth, which I'm Again, I should have got a bottle to bring home from standard Wyrmwood, but it was fantastic for me. And of course they make gin and whiskeys and things like that. Oh, definitely have to check them out. 

Now speaking of transformed industrial spaces, let's talk about one of Manhattan's. most successful urban renewal projects. The High Line. While many of you might be familiar with the original High Line Park, the section near the Javits Center, which is the [00:10:00] city's convention center, it's particularly special and less crowded.

This extension creates a seamless connection between the Hudson Yards area and the Javits Center. And fun fact, I just saw this massive, pigeon statue on the high line. Pigeon? Pigeon. It was on an overpass at the beginning of the High Line just outside Hudson Yards.

I'd never come that direction and right there over the street was a massive pigeon statue. I know it's a joke that the pigeon is New York City's official bird, otherwise known as flying rats. Flying rats. So it was something fun and the views in the springtime are absolutely beautiful. I mean, you absolutely can't miss this architectural marvel.

The centerpiece has to be the Edge. It's one of the highest outdoor sky decks in the United States, standing 100 floors up. You can actually lean over Manhattan on The Edge's angled glass walls. Ooh, God, no, you could, that would probably give me a little bit of nervousness. 

That's funny, because you will jump out of an airplane. I will not, but I'm okay with looking over the edge. And I am not. What's funny though, is I have an easier time looking through my phone. So if I have my camera on, I can look through my phone down easier than I can just looking over. It's those little mind tricks we can play on ourselves. Oh yeah. 

 The views are absolutely fantastic and they've done a really good job showing kind of the progression of the Hudson Yards area from a shipping yard to a tourist attraction.

Yeah. And it, it gets a little more adventurous from there, doesn't it? Uh, yeah. If you're crazy enough, you can actually go out and climb on the walls. What? Yeah. Uh, that, no, I am not doing that. Definitely not going to do that. But there is a glass floor if you want to look straight down to the city below.

You know, even though, it's going to hold you up and you're not going to fall to your death on the city floor, standing on glass platforms does give me the butterflies. I understand. I remember the first time I did it, um, I actually got on hands and knees cause I saw someone else doing it. So I got on hands and knees and kind of crawled out to the center of the plexiglass, sat down, took my picture and then climbed back out. Yeah. Yeah. Now I can walk out. No problems. 

Hudson Yards isn't just about the views. The shopping and the dining in this area is world class. One of my personal favorites and, you know, me bringing it back to food, of course, is a place that I returned to year after year. That's Mercado Little Spain by Jose Andres. It's a tapas restaurant and it's absolutely authentic. And the atmosphere makes me feel like I've been transported to Spain. The patatas bravas and the jambon alberico are definitely must tries. And the whole complex is filled with amazing restaurants all housed in this beautifully modern structure.

That sounds great. And, you know, we're talking about food in these quirky little areas, but a lot of people come to New York for the museums. And I want to share my absolute favorite museum in New York, one that often gets overlooked, you know, in favor of the Met or the MoMA, which is the Museum of Modern Art of New York City, of course.

And that museum is the Cloisters. Have you heard of it? I actually haven't until we started talking about it. Yeah, it's located at the northern tip of Manhattan in Fort Tryon Park. This museum is a treasure that feels more like a journey to medieval Europe than your typical museum visit. 

The Cloisters kind of holds a special place in my heart because one, it was one of the first places my brother brought me when he moved to New York City and I visited for the first time, but also because it offers something increasingly rare in our fast paced world. Tranquility. 

 Built from actual medieval European monastery parts, they reconstructed it here in New York and the gardens are planted with species found in medieval manuscripts and actual medieval gardens. They grow poison, like belladonna, nightshades. Okay, very fun. And the art collection includes the famous unicorn tapestries. If you can visualize that in your head. 

Now, I've seen pictures of the unicorn tapestries, but I didn't realize that's where they were housed. Yes. So here's my suggested way to experience the Cloisters. Take the A train to 190th Street. Yeah, it's, it's a bit of a journey, but that's kind of part of the charm of the whole thing.

When you exit the subway, you'll find yourself in Fort Tryon Park, one of the most beautiful parks in the city. The walk to the museum through the park offers stunning views of the Hudson River and the Palisades. [00:15:00] And visit on a weekday if possible, when you can often find yourself alone in these peaceful courtyard gardens, which by the way are called cloisters.

That's the name of name comes from. Okay. Yeah. So plan to spend at least three hours here. The cafe has simple but good food and the museum shop has these really unique items that you will not find anywhere else in the city. Your ticket to the Cloister also includes same day admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

So you can make a full day of museum hopping if you're ambitious. Oh, that's a fantastic tip. 

So one of my favorite things about visiting New York City is experiencing different neighborhoods each time I stay. And I've been to New York City a good number of times. And this trip, I chose to stay in Chelsea for the first time.

And it was right at the edge where it meets Koreatown and Nomad. And let me tell you, the food scene alone made it worth it. I knew you would bring it back to food. It's always about food. It's also a very easy stop along the subway. To get north, get south, um, going east or west, there's a bus and it's easily walkable.

So in Koreatown or K Town as locals call it, the energy is incredible, especially at night. It's this vibrant pocket in the city, centered around 32nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. I discovered some great Korean spots, this Japanese market, I ended up stopping in H Market, which is a Korean supermarket, and Jongro BBQ, and I'm probably butchering that name, is definitely a must try.

And don't get me started on Korean desserts, cafes, and karaoke. Dessert cafes and karaoke. I mean, you can just, just go find the first place you see, the second place, the sixth place, wherever you find yourself. It's just absolutely amazing. Did you have a favorite, like dessert spot? So actually, but what's funny is in Koreatown, we stopped at a French bakery . So yeah, it's one of those fun things. I like to stop at different international bakeries. On this trip, I also stopped in Danish, Australian, and another French place that I hadn't been to before. It's kind of fun. And they were all bakeries. They were all bakeries. 

I will have to add one thing to the bakery conversation we're having here, but we went to Flatbush. which is a neighborhood in Brooklyn to get foot massages. And came across a bakery and I wish I could remember the name of it, but they had one of the fluffiest flakiest croissants, but it was stuffed with za'atar spice because it was a Lebanese coffee and wine bar. And it was fantastic. 

Yeah. In little Italy, I did a food tour. I'll talk about that more in a minute, but we stopped at the oldest expresso bar in the city and had a lobster tail and a cannoli. Oh God, it had a little bit of white wine in the pastry dough. And so it didn't get mushy. Oh, it was amazing. But one other thing I want to talk about where I stayed this last trip was NoMad. It's North of Madison Square Park. Okay. And you'll find this great mix of casual eating as well as entertainment. And in recent years, it's really transformed. The original Shake Shack is found in Madison Square Park. No kidding. Yes. So, and it's still a classic spot for lunch, even though at the moment you can actually go to the airport. and have Shake Shack. You can even go to Dallas and get Shake Shack. I think you can get Shake Shack here in Oklahoma City. Can you really? I think so. Oh, I'm missing out. So, but the architecture in this area is stunning because most people have heard of the Flatiron building. Yeah. So, that is right there by the park even though during this trip it was, it was encased completely in scaffolding.

Oh, so not a great picture, but you know, it's there. It's there. Yes. But Chelsea is a food lover's paradise. You've got Chelsea market, but we tried a new place one night for dinner. You met me, you came down from Brooklyn with your brother and his wife and that was called Oscar Wilde. I loved it. I am so glad you found this place and recommended it.

You're welcome. I found it on Tik TOK after I had been Googling places, uh, to find .What I liked, it was really ornate Victorian themed restaurant, and it had the most amazing decor that you could imagine. Everything was on high tops. Paintings were everywhere, everywhere you looked really. It was just amazing. Think marble fireplaces, antique mirrors, and the longest whiskey bar in the city. I know it, plus the literary feel of it because of course you've got Oscar Wilde and I loved all the, the displays that [00:20:00] had his quotes on them. Yes. And it's close coming on and the new American menu was great. But honestly, just the atmosphere and craft cocktails made it a worthwhile visit.

Yes. So, and then speaking of exploring the city, let me share a great money saving tip that made my trip a little extra special. And that was the New York CityPASS. I know tourist passes can sometimes feel gimmicky, but I really like using CityPASS and I've used it for other places, including Toronto, California, and Tampa.

I used it in Dallas and it was fantastic. Yeah, it really generally saved me quite a bit of money and time by having reservations and skipping ahead of the line privileges. So this trip I used it primarily for the Empire State Building, which you can book your timed reservation for sunset. The views are magical.

And I also used it to visit the Guggenheim, where I skipped the long ticket line and walked straight to see the latest exhibition. And then the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are another highlight. And there's some other ones on the CityPASS as well that you can kind of pick and choose to customize it.

But these are really nice because you can make advanced reservations and avoid lengthy ticket queues.

So what's the best part about CityPASS? For me, it's how flexible it is. You have nine days to use your tickets once you activate the first one and you can make all your timed reservations in advance through the app for each. So you don't have to go to the attractions website, come back out, go to the next one. It's all right there in an app. And it actually, I planned the whole itinerary around the attractions filled in the spaces, like the food and Koreatown, uh, between them with neighborhood exploration and food adventures.

 If we're talking about money saving secrets in New York city, here's one of my favorite. How to enjoy amazing shows without breaking the bank. Did you know that you can actually attend a TV show taping for free? Yeah, I've done it a few times. Yeah. Through 1iota.Com that's numeral one and the word iota. com. You can get tickets to the NBC studio shows like the Tonight Show, Late Night, and other popular programs. Just create an account, browse available shows and request tickets. The key is to plan ahead though, as these tickets can go fast, especially during peak tourist seasons. Definitely. And with these tickets, it's first come first serve.

So when the ticket window opens, you want to get there, get in line. So that way you get a seat because having a ticket doesn't guarantee a seat. Gotcha. So definitely plan ahead. 

When it comes to Broadway shows, there are so many ways to score discounted tickets. My favorite method is using TodayTix app where you can find seats at 30 to 50 percent off, and they even have lottery tickets for lowest 20.

Woo. The. Tickets, the TKTS booth in Times Square is another classic option. They offer same day tickets at up to 50 percent off. Yeah, I've used that before. I've had friends who've done it and they actually really enjoy it that way. 

One other pro tip is while the Times Square tickets booth always has long lines, the Lincoln center location is usually much quieter.

Ah, see, I learned something new again. I didn't realize there was a second booth at the Lincoln center. And then also don't forget about digital lotteries. Most Broadway shows have their own lottery systems through their websites or their apps. I've had friends score 40 front row tickets to hit shows that way.

Wow. That's lucky. Just make sure you set reminders to enter daily as the windows are usually pretty specific. Okay, well let's talk about my favorite budget friendly bites across the city. We're back to food, Nicky, your favorite topic. You haven't truly experienced New York until you've had A 1. 50 slice from two bros pizza.

There's one near Penn station. That's perfect for a quick lunch. Yeah. So, and of course the best bagel deal in town, find a spot and you're going to find a great bagel. And I think the best part is when you add cream cheese to it, it's like two inches thick. Mean, your bagel is the same width as the amount of cream cheese. It's so fantastic. So I completely understand why New Yorkers rave about their bagels. 

As we're recording this episode, it's the week of Chinese New Year, so we can't not mention Chinese food in New York City. And Nicky, this is your forte.

I did an incredible food tour through Chinatown and Little Italy. This trip with Ahoy New York Tours. It was this perfect blend of history, culture, and absolutely amazing food. Fun fact, [00:25:00] did you know a fortune cookie was actually not created in China? I had heard that it was California. Yeah.

Strangest thing. I was like, Oh, okay. Interesting. So, and this food tour, we had eight different tastings that added up to a great full lunch. I bet. We started in Chinatown with green tea ceremony, moved to some perfectly steamed bao buns and the most succulent roast duck ever. And then homemade dumplings were incredible too.

Then we crossed over to little Italy where we tried some Eggplant rullatini paired with Italian red wine, fresh gnocchi that melted in your mouth, and then the tour ended with a cannelloni at one of the oldest expresso bars in the city. The shell was crispy and the feeling was just made fresh that morning.

And. Shell of the cannoli was still crisp and you bit into it and it just kind of crumbled. That was fantastic. God, I love New York City. Get a great price in this tour via Groupon.

And you know what makes New York special? Isn't just the big attraction everyone knows about. It's these kind of experiences. That combined history and culture and modern convenience.

So whether you're navigating the subway with a simple tap of your credit card or app, discovering artisanal foods at industry city, enjoying the sunset from the Highlines newest section, or finding that tranquility at the Cloisters. Today's New York City offers experiences that are both accessible. And extraordinary.

Yeah, man. Really. The best way to experience New York is to balance the must see attractions with the more intimate venues. Don't try to do everything. I mean, there really isn't any way to do it between the 2 of us. I don't think we've really repeated. Something more than twice. No, no. So just pick a few areas to really deeply explore and give yourself plenty of time to simply exist in the space.

And that's really where the magic to New York really reveals itself. And I will say to you where you're walking shoes, where you're walking shoes between Tuesday and Sunday. On this last trip, I. No kidding. Walked 31 miles. Oh yeah. Yeah. I walked a marathon. Yeah. I think I had a one day close to 50, 000 steps on my pedometer.

Yeah. Yeah. It's easy to do. So, you know, pace yourself, fuel up, enjoy an afternoon coffee. Oh yeah. And a croissant. And a croissant. Or a lobster tail. Or a bao bun. Or a pizza pizza. And indulge in a foot massage if you have to. I mean, it was, that was really good. It was really necessary because my feet after day three hurt so bad.

I was like, I need a foot massage. And of course these great little spas everywhere that you can do that. 

When I was in Chinatown, I saw billboards for foot massages and full body massages, sometimes as low as a dollar a minute. Oh yeah. Yeah. I mean, when you're in the city, especially if you're not used to walking as much as you're gonna walk, self care is not just an indulgence. It's a necessity. Yes. So I think we spoke about, I indulged in a foot massage. It was hour long foot massage with hot stone and Ooh, let me tell you, my feet have never felt better, but you did something really special. I did. I found a place called Bath House Flatiron. And it was kind of like a Nordic spa and Roman bath experience where you had different temperatures of pools.

That you could sit in they had a steam room as well as a dry sauna and a cold plunge Oh, and it's an all day pass And oh, it was absolutely amazing. I ended up doing a, one of their dry sauna ceremonies where he does a guided meditation with different essential oils and you sweat. And you're in there for at least 15 minutes to get the full therapeutic experience.

And then you go to the cold plunge, which after a few seconds, you feel those icy pricks along your thighs and feet. And you're. Just to feel invigorated. And when it was 20 degrees outside, it was glorious. Oh, absolutely glorious. We spent about four hours.

You know, my brother always took me to this Russian sauna house and it's on wall street. It was underground and it was like that. It had all these different kinds of saunas, wet saunas, dry saunas, cold saunas. They had an ice plunge pool too. And isn't that also the place that does the branch whipping? No. Um, I think that's someplace else. This, this was definitely the, all I know is it's called the Russian sauna house under wall street. And it [00:30:00] was, it was very, one, very enjoyable. 

The first time I went, I was like, what, we're here all day. I mean, what are we going to do all day? I'm like, I don't want to leave. But they also have a full size Olympic swimming pool and. You know, a bar and a restaurant under there too. Oh, very fun. Yeah. Bath house also had a restaurant and a bar and also had spa services.

So you could have a facial, I believe you could have a massage and some other things, but I just relaxed and did absolutely nothing. I went with a friend and it was fun to catch up and just have a good time. Another one that I've heard about is QC on Governor's Island. It's kind of a similar thing where you just go and relax and you have views of Manhattan being on Governor's Island.

So that's it for our episode of Untethered and WanderWise talking about all things, Big Apple. We hope you found some inspiration for your next trip.

 So if you're planning a trip to New York, we'd love to hear which of these spots you're most excited to visit. You can share your thoughts in the comments section or just reach out to us on our social media channels. 

And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for more travel insights in hidden attractions in cities around the world.

 Until next time. I'm Nicky Omohundro. And I'm Heide Brandes. Encouraging to explore your world and live wanderwise.