11 Free Things To Do in New York City

It's no surprise that New York City is one of the most expensive ones to visit. After paying for your cost of getting there, a hotel or hostel, and food, you may find that you don't have much money left for sightseeing. But even though NYC is so expensive, there are still so many free ways to experience the city! If you take a trip to New York but can't afford to spend too much, you definitely need to add these places to your to-do list:

Times Square

Times Square is probably the most famous tourist attraction in New York City, and the best part is you can walk around for as long as you like for no charge! It's impressive during the day, but especially amazing at night, and there is never a shortage of street performers. Just beware of the restaurants surrounding Times Square...they are much more expensive than restaurants in most other parts of the city!

Rockefeller Center

Right around the corner from Times Square is another major NYC attraction, Rockefeller Center. Of course the best time to visit is around Christmas when you can see the huge tree and the ice skating, but it's beautiful all year round!

Central Park

You could dedicate an entire day to exploring Central Park and not get bored. There are endless things to do and see, especially if you visit during the Spring or Summer!

The 9/11 Memorial

While the 9/11 Museum charges a fee to enter, you can walk around the outside portion for free. There are two huge fountains where the Twin Towers stood with the names of everyone who died around the edge. When you see a rose like in the photo above, it means it would have been that person's birthday. It's sad to visit but definitely so impressive.

**UPDATE: After publishing this blog post, I found out that the 9/11 Museum is free to visit on Tuesday nights! Tickets go so quickly, but if you can get there right at 4pm for a ticket, it's a great museum. Powerful and sad, but definitely a museum worth visiting.

The Staten Island Ferry

Don't pay the expensive ticket price to visit the Statue of Liberty! You can get an even better view of the statue and the downtown skyline from the Staten Island Ferry, which takes a half hour and is free to ride! The best times to ride the ferry are during the warmer months so you can stand outside. And if you can, try to time your ferry ride so it's daylight on your way over to Staten Island and the sun is setting on your ride back to Manhattan!

The High Line

This mile-long park in Chelsea is built on an abandoned railroad and is a must-see if you visit New York in the Spring, Summer, or Fall. You get an amazing view of the Hudson River, Chelsea, and lots of art along the way.

The Museum of Modern Art on a Friday night

If you enjoy visiting museums, you have to add the MoMA to your list. On Friday nights, everyone gets in for free and you can spend hours looking at the impressive exhibits featuring Van Gogh, Matisse, Andy Warhol, and Jackson Pollack!

The Brooklyn Bridge

This is becoming a major NYC attraction and for good reason! You get an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline, the river, Brooklyn, and the Statue of Liberty. I would recommend walking the Brooklyn Bridge and then walking back on the nearby Manhattan Bridge...hardly any tourists, same great view of Manhattan, and a view of the Brooklyn Bridge too!

Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is one of my favourite places to visit in New York City and is exciting all year round. It's full of cool shops, restaurants, and a flea market. And if you're in New York on the first Friday night of the month, you can see a free concert featuring some local artists!

The American Museum of Natural History

While the website and signs say there's a ticket price, if you read the fine print, you'll see that it's just a recommended price. If you wait in the longer line to get a ticket from a counter rather than an automated kiosk, you can pay whatever price you'd like for tickets: $10, $3, or absolutely nothing! You might get some disappointed looks, but if that doesn't bother you, take your free ticket and explore the museum that has awesome exhibits about animals, dinosaurs, prehistoric people, and lots more!

Just walk around, get lost, people watch, and explore!

I think the best way to really experience a city is to wander around aimlessly observing all the interesting sights and people that you come across. My favourite places to explore and people watch: Soho and Greenwich Village.

Now that it's starting to get warmer, I'll be able to explore New York a lot more over the next few months! I know of so many more free things to do in the city that I can't wait to check out and post about :)



*all photos in this post are my own except the exterior shots of the MoMA and the Natural History Museum

City Spotlight: Seattle

In the Summer of 2013 I interned in the Seattle area, so I got to know the city pretty well. The entire suburban area reminded me so much of the Boston South Shore where I'm from, except it's even nicer! I've heard Washington referred to as "New England on steroids" and I couldn't agree more! It has the same feel as New England with the coastal towns but it is so much greener, the trees are about ten times taller, the mountain ranges are bigger, and the people are even friendlier. The entire area has such a laid-back vibe, which I loved. And don't believe all the rumours you hear about Seattle having awful weather! Yes, it does rain a lot in the Fall, Winter, and Spring, but once Summer arrives, it is beautiful and sunny almost every day. The best part about Summer in the Pacific Northwest is that there is hardly any humidity, so the hot weather actually feels nice! And even though it's pretty rainy the rest of the year, it's just a constant drizzle rather than a downpour, and it doesn't get too cold. Amazingly, the annual rainfall in Seattle is actually lower than it is in most major cities in the US! During my Summer in Seattle, I developed a big love for the city, and I could definitely see myself living there one day. If you go to Seattle, these are the highlights of the city that you definitely need to check out:

The Space Needle

First up is the most iconic landmark in Seattle that you have definitely heard of before. The Space Needle was built in 1962 and was once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, which is pretty impressive. The Space Needle is located in a central area of Seattle and has amazing views of the city, the Puget Sound, and the several mountain ranges that surround the area. There are elevators to take you up to the top of the Needle and once you are up there, you can spend as long as you like walking outside on the observation deck taking in the view. You can even have a meal or glass of beer or wine on top of the Needle! While I would highly recommend venturing to the top of the Space Needle, tickets are about $20. So if you don't want to spend money, you can get an amazing view of the Space Needle from many parts of the city.

Pike Place Market

The next must-see place in Seattle is the famous Pike Place Market. If you have been to some other markets like Chelsea Market in NYC or Borough Market in London you may have a picture in your mind of what Pike Place Market is like. False! Pike Place Market is so enormous and has way more shops and stands than any other market I've ever been to! Any food you could possibly want, you can find in Pike Place Market: Korean, French, Italian, Greek, Turkish, specialty food imported from Europe and Asia, and anything else you could think of. And since Seattle is right on the water, of course there is plenty of fresh fish! Many of the stands offer free samples, and there are lots of benches overlooking the bay so it's a perfect place to get lunch or a snack. And in addition to food, you can buy fresh flowers, spices, and handmade crafts. Walking through Pike Place Market is so fun and could keep you occupied for hours!

The Elliott Bay Waterfront and Great Wheel

During the Summer, I don't think there's anywhere more beautiful than the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle. The waterfront is lined with so many different attractions like Pike Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium, restaurants, shops, the original Starbucks, and something new to the Seattle skyline: the Great Wheel. The Great Wheel was opened less than three years ago and is the only wheel of its kind to be built over water in North America! You stand in pods on the wheel, similar to the London Eye, and you get an amazing view of the city and the bay. Whether you decide to ride the Great Wheel or just view it from below, it is very cool to see and the waterfront area is definitely the place to be when it's warm and sunny out.

Fremont

In general, Seattle is a pretty artistic city, but the section that is by far the most artsy is Fremont. Fremont is a neighbourhood in northern Seattle near the University of Washington and Lake Union. Fremont is full of quirky and unusual things, but that's what makes it so interesting! In addition to the many eclectic shops, restaurants, and cafes in the area, there is definitely not a shortage of art. Probably the most famous sculpture is the Fremont Troll. I recognised it from one of my favourite movies 10 Things I Hate About You and was excited to see it in person. There are also sculptures of Vladimir Lenin and a large rocket. The residents of Fremont like to refer to it as the "Center of the Universe" and there's even a sign that says so! And the unofficial motto of the neighbourhood is "Freedom to be peculiar", which I must say is pretty perfect! Fremont is such a cool, unique area and definitely a must-see if you take a trip to Seattle.

Gas Works Park

Located within Fremont, Gas Works Park is right on Lake Union and was one of my favourite places to visit in Seattle. The park was once the home of a gasification plant, and while the company is no longer operating, the equipment from the plant is still standing. It's strange but so interesting at the same time, and the view from Gas Works Park is really amazing! Looking out over Lake Union, you can see the Space Needle and downtown Seattle. In the Summer, there are lots of sailboats in the lake and even sea planes that fly in and land on the water! There's lots of grassy space, so the park is the perfect spot to meet up with friends or go to relax. And if you've seen 10 Things I Hate About You, you will recognise the park from the famous paintballing scene!

Kerry Park

Probably the only place in Seattle that could rival the views from Gas Works Park is Kerry Park. Seattle is a city of hills, and on one of the tallest hills is the Queen Anne section of Seattle. Located in Queen Anne is Kerry Park, which is on the small side, but has views that are brreathtaking. Whether you visit Kerry Park during the day or night, you will have amazing views of downtown Seattle, the Space Needle, and Mount Rainier. Kerry Park is a must-see if you are in Seattle!

The Monorail

The monorail in Seattle has been around for as long as the Space Needle and has become a pretty iconic part of the city. There are only two monorail stops, but it's a fun way to travel between downtown and the Space Needle. Tickets to ride the monorail are super cheap and you get a nice view of the city while you ride, so it's something cool to add to your Seattle to-do list!

Chihuly Garden

Located right next to the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden is an amazing collection of glass sculptures. The exhibit is made of three parts: the Garden, the Glasshouse, and the Interior Exhibits, and is basically a botanical garden made completely out of colourful glass. They offer tours of the Chihuly Garden and even a morning yoga class! And if you are visiting the Space Needle as well, you can get a joint ticket for the two attractions to save some money!

Mount Rainier

Driving around the Seattle area on a sunny day, you are almost always guaranteed a cool view of Mount Rainier, the active volcano that is located about 50 miles from Seattle. Mount Rainier is the biggest mountain in the continental US and is such an impressive sight. Mount Rainier National Park has hundreds of miles of hiking trails, and if you are truly adventurous you can even make the three-day journey up the glaciers of the volcano to its summit. I can't say I tried this, and you definitely shouldn't attempt to make the trek up Mount Rainier unless you are an experienced rock climber!


I loved Seattle and could definitely see myself living there someday. It's a really cool city and much smaller and more laid-back than NYC where I'm currently living, but is still full of exciting things to do. Seattle's a very modern city but also on the quirky side, which I find really interesting! If you have the opportunity to visit Seattle, you would be crazy to pass it up! If you've been to Seattle, leave a comment telling me what your favourite part of the city is, and if you haven't been to Seattle let me know what part of the city you would most like to see!

City Spotlight: Boston

Travelling and exploring new cities has always been one of the biggest (if not the #1 biggest) passions in my life. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to visit a number of different cities and countries, including studying abroad in France, interning in Seattle, and moving to New York City. As a way to reflect on some of my favourite travel experiences (and inspire some wanderlust in you), I've decided to start a series of semi-regular blog posts highlighting some of the cities that I've been to. And since I lived near Boston almost my entire life, I thought my hometown would be a good place to start!

Boston is such a vibrant and diverse city, so there is really something there for everyone. There's more history than probably any other city in the US. There's great shopping, amazing restaurants, and beautiful scenery. If you take a trip to Boston, these are some places you should definitely add to your itinerary:

For food lovers: 

The North End

A trip to Boston is never complete without a trip to the North End. If you're looking for good Italian food, this is basically as authentic as it gets without going to Italy. Hanover Street, the main stretch of the North End, is lined with restaurants, cafes, bakeries, gelato shops, and boutiques that are all independently owned, mostly by Italian families. Walking down the street, it almost feels like you're in Italy. I have never been to a North End restaurant that I didn't like, but the one I have returned to the most times is called Pagliuca's where I've had the most amazing lasagna, chicken parm, and antipasto ever! Most of the restaurants in the North End are on the smaller side, get really crowded most nights, and many don't take reservations, but trust me–the food is worth the wait! After enjoying some dinner, a trip to Modern Pastry is a must. The bakery is well-known for its cannolis and has so many amazing desserts to chose from!

Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market

Not too far from the North End is my next must-see place in Boston: Faneuil Hall. The huge plaza is lined with shops and always has interesting street performers. This is definitely my favourite place in the city to people-watch and there is always something exciting going on! Right in the center of Faneuil Hall is a long building called Quincy Market. Inside, it's lined with around a hundred different food stands in every ethnicity and nationality you can imagine: Italian, Chinese, Greek, American, Japanese, Irish, Indian... I could go on and on! I have eaten from so many different stands over the years, but the ones that stand out the most in my mind are Japanese, Greek, and Indian meals that I loved!

For nature lovers:

Boston Common and Public Garden

Boston Common is the big park in downtown Boston. It's the oldest city park in the country, so it's full of history. The Common is lined by beautiful townhouses and is right next to the impressive Massachusetts State House. Connected to the Common is another beautiful park, the Boston Public Garden. This park is full of flowers, beautiful plants, and ponds. The Common and Public Garden are beautiful all year round, but the Spring and Summer are the best times to see them. They are always full of people, and the flowers are at their most impressive. The ponds in the Public Garden even have swan boats that people can go on! Even in the hustle and bustle of downtown, the Common and Public Garden are always a nice, peaceful place to go and relax.

Boston Harbor 

One of the things that makes Boston so beautiful is its location on the ocean. If you visit Boston during one of the warmer months, a walk along the waterfront is a must. There are so many restaurants and shops all along the water, and it's not far from the North End and Faneuil Hall. There are always so many boats in the Harbor, especially in the summer, and it's such a peaceful area to walk. If you really love the water and want to get an even better view, there are both whale watches and duck boat tours that go into Boston Harbor. If you don't know what a duck boat is (I don't think I've seen them in many other cities), it's a bus and a boat in one! They drive through the city and then into the Harbor, so people on the tour can really get a good feel of the city.

For shopping lovers:

Newbury Street

If you're into fashion, Newbury Street is the place for you. It's right next to Boston Common and is the perfect place to go on a nice, sunny day. Newbury Street is considered to be the "Rodeo Drive" of Boston, because it is lined with high-end designer stores. If you're like me, the stores like Chanel, Marc Jacobs, and Burberry are a little out of your price range, but it's still fun to window shop there! The street also has more affordable stores such as Forever 21, H&M, and a bunch of great second-hand stores. My favourite is one called Second Time Around (or STA for short) where I bought a like-new pair of Tory Burch flats for $30! Since Newbury Street attracts a lot of wealthy shoppers, those same people go to stores like STA with pieces that they don't wear anymore, meaning there are so many great second-hand designer pieces at affordable prices. During the summer, Newbury Street has the most amazing atmosphere, and I love breaking up my shopping by sitting at outdoor cafes and people watching.

For history lovers:

The Freedom Trail

There are so many historic spots in Boston, and the Freedom Trail hits most of them. The Freedom Trail is a two and a half mile path that goes all through the center of Boston. It is marked by red bricks and is a great way to get a historic tour of the city without needing a tour guide or a map. The Freedom Trail starts at Boston Common and winds all around the city until it reaches the end at the USS Constitution (an old navy ship) in Charlestown. If you follow the trail for the entire two and a half miles, you will see the State House, site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House, the Old North Church, the Bunker Hill monument, and so many other places—17 historic sites in total. If you are visiting Boston for the first time, I would definitely recommend taking some time to walk along the Freedom Trail.

For beach lovers:

Cape Cod

If you visit Boston in the Summer, be like a local and head out of the city for the weekend to visit Cape Cod. The Cape has that quaint small-town New England feel and is so easy to get to from Boston. One of the most exciting cities to visit on the Cape is Provincetown, or P-Town as Bostonians say, which is just a short ferry ride away from Boston. P-Town is the town at the very tip of the Cape and always has so much going on during the Summer. The town has a big LGBT presence, which is fun and no one there is afraid to be themself. If you want to get involved in that aspect of the town, going to a drag show is such a fun way to unwind at night. And if that's not your thing, there are so many other things to do including beautiful beaches and quaint little restaurants and shops. Everywhere on the Cape is beautiful, so you really can't go wrong picking a town to visit!

For sports lovers:

Fenway Park

Even if you aren't a sports fan, I'm sure you've heard of the famous Fenway Park where the Red Sox, Boston's baseball team, play. Fenway Park has been featured in a bunch of movies and has the well-known Green Monster, a big green wall in the outfield. If you are in Boston during baseball season, going to see a game at Fenway is a great experience. I've been to a couple of games, and even though I'm not a huge fan of baseball, it's impossible to not have fun there. The atmosphere is awesome and so exciting! Fenway Park also offers tours if you'd like to get a better look at the stadium and learn more about the team.


I hope you enjoyed reading a little about my hometown of Boston! I have been to so many different cities over the years and will be writing lots more posts like this in the future. If you've been to Boston, leave a comment below telling me what your favourite parts of the city were. Thanks for reading!

Weekend in NYC with my Mom!

A little over a month ago, I made a big move to New York City. Two weekends ago, my mom came to visit me, and we had such a fun time! We did some shopping, ate a lot of good food, explored, and went to see the show This Is Our Youth on Broadway! She was my first visitor since I arrived in NYC and it was so nice having her here! 

She arrived on Friday night just as I was getting out of work, and we decided to hit up a few happy hours! We went to a couple places for drinks, and then found a restaurant called Tony's near Times Square. It's a family-style Italian place and was so good! We got a big serving of spaghetti and meatballs that was delicious!

On Saturday, we did quite a lot of exploring! We started off the day at the Bryant Park Christmas Market. It was so cool and there were so many cute little shops! There was ice skating too, which we didn't do, but it was cool to see. There was a chocolate shop that was giving out samples of chocolate covered almonds that were so delicious! I think I may make a couple detours there after work soon to get some more samples :)

ice skating in Bryant Park

a cute vintage shop in Bryant Park

Next, we did some shopping and walked through Rockefeller Center. We saw the ice skating and we even saw the famous Christmas tree being put up! Then we took the subway up to the Upper West Side/southeast Harlem because that is one of the areas I want to look when I start searching for a new apartment. The area was even nicer than I expected and actually had kind of a Parisian feel to it! There were a bunch of cafes and outdoor fruit/vegetable stands, and the architecture was really pretty. We also saw the Columbia University campus which was amazing! It looked like it was taken out of a painting.

Columbia University

On our walk back to the subway, we came across Tom's Restaurant...aka Monk's Cafe from Seinfeld! Me and my entire family are huge Seinfeld fans, so we were so excited to see this! We had already had lunch a few hours earlier, but we stopped in for some hot chocolate. coffee, and cheesecake. It was delicious and all the other food we saw people eating looked so good too! There was Seinfeld memorabilia all over the walls and some of the waiters even called customers by the Seinfeld characters' names! It was such a cool experience and we definitely want to go back next time my dad is here too because we know he would absolutely love it!

Tom's Restaurant, aka Monk's Cafe!

After our awesome Seinfeld experience, we headed downtown to the Financial District. That is another area where I want to look in my apartment search. I have been to this area a bunch of times, and I already know I love it! We saw the Freedom Tower, went into some shops, and then walked to Soho and Little Italy where we found an amazing restaurant called Bianca's. It was such a cute restaurant and had a great atmosphere! My mom and I both ordered lasagna, and it was probably the best lasagna I've ever had! I definitely want to go back there at some point!

the Freedom Tower

delicious lasagna from Bianca's

Fast forward to day 2 of my mom's visit... we started off the day by heading to Times Square to get discounted broadway tickets! We originally got tickets for the Idina Menzel show If/Then and we were so excited because everyone in the ticket line was raving about it. So we bought our tickets, got lunch, did a little shopping, and headed to the theatre. We found our seats and they were in such a perfect spot! But then, less than 5 minutes before the show was due to start, we heard people complaining near us about how Idina Menzel was sick that day and wasn't going to be performing. A lot of people were leaving and getting their tickets refunded, so we decided to do that too, because Idina was the main reason we had wanted to see the show. We brought our tickets back to the TKTS office in Times Square and got a refund and were able to get tickets for the other show we had really wanted to see...This Is Our Youth starring Michael Cera!

That show wasn't starting until a few hours later, so we had some more time to explore. We walked around and came across another iconic Seinfeld attraction—the Soup Nazi stand! We got a butternut squash soup to split and walked to nearby Central Park to eat it. It was so delicious! The stand is famous on the show for having the best soup in New York, and I can see why! Unlike on the show though, the people working there were really friendly. I gotta say I was a little disappointed about that because I wanted them to be rude like the Soup Nazi and say "no soup for you!" That is another place we want to take my dad next time he visits because he would love it! I can picture him ordering his soup in the exact structured way that people order it on the show :)

No soup for you!

Thanks for the delicious soup, Soup Nazi!

After eating our soup, we walked around Central Park. The foliage was looking so pretty that weekend so I really enjoyed it and got so many nice pictures!

Central Park

Then, it was almost time for the show! We wanted to get some food before, so we stopped at Junior's. We got some Thai chicken wings which were delicious and of course we had to try some of what Junior's is famous for—their cheesecake! The cheesecake was so good and I will definitely being going back there at some point to get another piece!

our tickets for This Is Our Youth

yum!

And then it was time for the show! It took place in the 80s in New York and starred Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, and Tavi Gevinson. It's a coming-of-age story about a boy (Michael Cera's character) who gets kicked out of his dad's house for smoking weed all the time. He then steals thousands of dollars from his dad and goes to his friend's house where he looks for help to solve his dilemma. The play takes place over that night and the next morning and involves friends, disfunctional families, and romance. I'm not very good at explaining plots, but it was a really good show, and the actors were all so amazing! I would definitely recommend seeing this if you are in New York.

Michael Cera!

I got to meet Michael Cera after the show! He's one of my favourite
actors so I was really excited, and he was such a nice guy!

My weekend with my mom was so amazing and I was so happy to have her here! I was sad for her to leave, but on the bright side, I am going home for Thanksgiving in a couple of days so I will get to see my family again soon! 

If you're interested, I also tried my hand at vlogging for the first time while my mom was here, so if you'd like to check out what our weekend was like in video form, you can check it out below :)