Photo: Brooklyn Bridge · Yair Haklai · CC BY-SA 3.0
🗽New York: What to Know Before You Go
Destination Intel / United States / New York
Culture, Food and Etiquette
- New York-style bagels and lox with cream cheese
- New York-style pizza, thin crust, large slices, pizza etiquette
- Pastrami sandwich, iconic deli sandwich on rye
- Hot pretzels, roasted chestnuts, and street food culture
- Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, immigration heritage
- Times Square and Broadway theaters, world-class entertainment
- Niagara Falls, natural wonder on Canadian border
- Metropolitan Museum of Art and world-class museums
New York accent (especially NYC); direct, fast-paced, diverse languages in NYC.
- NYC pace is fast. Move quickly, respect personal space
- Tipping 18-20% is expected in NYC restaurants
- Pizza etiquette, fold your slice and don't critique the pizza
- Subway safety and etiquette. Avoid eye contact, keep moves efficient
Best Time to Visit
New York has warm summers, cold snowy winters and a famous fall foliage upstate; New York City is lively year round while upstate is best in the warmer months.
- Peak: September to October, June
- Shoulder: May, November
- Off season: January to February, the cold months
Source: ncei.noaa.gov
Getting Around
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What moves the cost: A car helps upstate and in the mountains.
Common Questions
When is the best time to visit New York?+
Trains link the city with upstate and the rest of the northeast.
Source: ncei.noaa.gov
Fall foliage upstate and the holiday season in the city cost the most, while late winter is quieter.+
Early fall for upstate foliage and late spring through summer are the best windows; New York City works year round.