The tour guide obligation when you live in New York City for college is not one to take lightly when your family and friends come to town. Whether you’re residing uptown at Columbia University, midtown at NY Institute of Technology, or, like me, downtown in the Financial District at Pace University, you will get a flood of “When can I visit?” text messages the moment you hit that “accept” button on your college portal. As a broke college student myself, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when your family decides they’re going to come into town – especially during the holidays – and designate you the job of official tour guide. From personal experience, it’s easy to forget you live in a great city when school gets overwhelming and time-consuming, but having family or friends visit reminds me to get out, try new places, and get more recommendations under my belt. When touring on a budget in NYC during the holiday season, here are some of my favorite places to make a stop:
- Bryant Park Winter Village
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While this list is most definitely not in order in terms of greatness, this one still deserves to be number one. Bryant Park Winter Village is an event hosted by Bank of America and sits right in Bryant Park on 41st Street and Sixth Avenue. With only two years of city living under my belt so far, this is one place I don’t see myself missing a chance to visit for the foreseeable future. The village opened this year on Oct. 27 and will remain open until March 3, 2024. If you’ve never been, it’s basically a cluster of small shops and vendors set up to sell everything: food, drinks, trinkets, and crafts. I attended Winter Village during my first year at Pace with my roommates, and we were absolutely obsessed with every shop setup — we could’ve spent hours there! Walking around all of the booths last year is what allowed my roommates and me to discover our favorite NYC-staple empanada shop, Nadas Empanadas. Being able to wander around the vendors, look at the lights, and just feel the holiday spirit is something so valuable and fun to do with your loved ones, and it’s so easy to find your newest favorite restaurant in the process! This year, I was able to bring my oldest sister, Emily, to the village while she visited me at school. Nothing solidifies the sisterhood bond between you and your sibling like agreeing to split every form of cheese dish possibly sold at this event. Our menu included cheese curds, cheese wheel pasta, cheese and guava empanadas, arepas, and not a single sip of water (how could we when there’s a hot chocolate option around every corner?). This place is a very manageable thing to do with your loved ones, and you can decide how long you want to be there, and how much money you want to spend.
- Pier 17/South Seaport
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If you’re a Pace student, an alumnus, or a first year just finding your bearings, South Seaport will become a frequent spot. Seaport is located at Pier 17 in the Financial District, and is no more than a five minute walk from most Pace dorms. It quickly became one of my favorite places as a first year student, to either walk around to clear my head, browse McNally Jackson Books, or just sit to read and do homework. As a sophomore student, the pier still has one of my favorite views of the Brooklyn Bridge and wonderful bench/single seating options for just you, or a family visit. One of the best parts about Seaport is its close proximity to other things to do in the area. After a quick trip to the top floor of the seaport building for a great Brooklyn Bridge view, you can head back downstairs to treat yourself to one of the many dinner spots, or head to the IPIC Theater for a movie. If you’re aiming to spend less on dinner and activities, you can head straight up the street for Little Italy Pizza with your family, as I assure you, they will request New York pizza– even if you insist it’s nothing special. If you happen to visit Little Italy Pizza,’ be sure to try their mozzarella sticks (arguably the best in NYC) and their gluten-free pizza options. Pier 17 is a great spot to visit with your friends for a photo-op, or with your family to sit and catch up, and it’s especially great during the holiday season when the Seaport Christmas tree is lit up for everyone to see!
- Bagels, Bagels, Bagels!
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Allowing a loved one to visit you and not getting them a classic New York City-made bagel should be considered some type of crime. It’s one of the easiest meals to grab, as there’s usually a bagel shop on every corner, and the price range doesn’t get too high when grabbing a quick bite. You can’t really go wrong with stopping at a popular place like Zucker’s Bagels or Leo’s, but if you’re looking for less of a chain and more of a place that makes the bagels right in front of your face, try something new! Liberty Bagels on Wall Street has been a favorite of mine this semester, as it’s very close to my apartment, has fast service, and has wonderful bagel options. As a vegetarian myself, I opt for Liberty’s French toast bagel with cream cheese, but judging by the double order of bagels from my roommate, I have faith in their bacon, egg, and cheese as well! If you find yourself craving a bagel in Midtown, I would make a stop at Tompkins Square Bagels. As a hotspot in the bagel community, you’ll find a longer line here, but I assure you, the wait in line only makes the bagels taste better once you get them. My sister and I somehow managed to spend a ridiculous amount of money at this particular shop, but the smorgasbord of all types of cream cheeses, bagels, and sandwiches doesn’t disappoint when you stop for a picnic at Tompkins Square Park, right down the street from their Avenue A location!
- Central Park
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The gorgeous nature and peaceful surroundings of Central Park have never failed me for an impromptu trip from relatives and friends. The ability to walk through this park for hours is only amplified during the holiday seasons, when the leaves are gorgeous caramel and velvet colors, and lights are strung throughout the trees, illuminating the park. My sister and I lived vicariously through our inner child selves and even rode the infamous Central Park Carousel. The antiquities of it and the childlike giggles it inflicted onto us are reasons it’s now something I recommend to anyone who happens to stumble upon it on their trip through the park. Not only is the park a perfect place to come for a stroll to get fresh, real nature-like air in the concrete jungle, but it’s also the perfect spot for an afternoon picnic, jog, reading spot, or just a place to sit and catch up with old friends. With its hundreds of acres of grass, walking paths, and trees, I doubt you and your loved ones will be disappointed during a trip there.
- Booth by Bryant at the Moxy Hotel
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Booth by Bryant is a lovely hidden treasure and a quick stop during a city visit! It’s currently located at the rooftop bar of the Moxy NYC Times Square and costs no more than five dollars for a strip of film photo booth pictures of you and your loved ones. The photo booth sits behind the rooftop bar, and you can wait for your photos to develop while you enjoy a stunning view from the hotel of the Empire State Building and the New York skyline. A trip to the Moxy can be turned into an hour-long lunch and drink visit with stunning views and delicious cocktails (per my-of-age friends and siblings), or it can be a quick trip up to the 18th floor to pose for your pictures, and then leave for your next city adventure!
There’s an infinitely large amount of places you can take family members and friends when they come to visit you in the big city. While it doesn’t seem like there’s much to do that’s friendly with your college budget, as long as the people you love are with you, in the city you love, not much can go wrong. Determining your maximum walking distance before your sister decides she needs to buy comfier shoes, or how much money your mother is really willing to pay for dinner in the city are some of the greatest joys that come from city living, and being able to share this part of your life with your loved ones creates some of the greatest memories of city living! Sometimes, it’s not about going to the fanciest dinners or the most popular attractions, but going to get pints of ice cream and cookies at your corner convenience shop with your sister, and laughing over the fact that you got your mother’s ice cream craving gene, and she got your dad’s cookie-dipping gene. It’s all relative in The Big Apple.