Here are five top things I have learnt about visiting the city.

1. Don’t dress like a tourist
One thing I noticed this summer in NYC, not many New Yorkers wear flip flops/thongs/ Havianas (depending what country
you are from). The women all wear dressy sandals and the men wear sneakers. You will do A LOT of walking so leave the uncomfortable shoes at home and opt for some street sneakers or nice sandals. Those I love NY t shirts are great…
for bedtime. Do NOT wear them in the streets. You are basically giving yourself away to the scammers.

2. Stay away from scammers
You will come across these guys, especially around Times Square. They will act polite and hand you a CD, discuss with you hip hop, and even if you don’t like hip hop they will convince you that you do. Eventually when you admit that you do, they will guilt you into handing over $10. They pretty much won’t let you put the CD down and walk away. Don’t stop in the first place and you wont have that problem.

3. Times Square
OK, yes, you need to see it, but Times Square is NOT a representation of what NY has to offer.  Times Square is big, bright, crowded and hectic, and you will look up and think, “Wow, I am in New York, this is Effin awesome”. Once you get that out of your system, turn the corner and explore the real New York.

4. Don’t be a tight arse with tipping
When you come from a country where tipping isn’t mandatory, it’s hard to part with that extra amount. Deal with it. In New York the standard is between 15% – 18% and above for exceptional service. I must admit that on my last trip to NY I experienced for the first time less than exceptional service and found it hard to give them a good tip.
You will read many different opinions that state you have to tip, or if the service is bad, don’t tip at all. Personally, I take the middle ground. I tip, but depending on the situation I will leave 10% if the service has been really bad (which is rare), and point it out to the staff why I was unsatisfied, so that when they get the tip, they will understand why it’s so low.

5. Avoid chain restaurants
Especially those in Times square. I have listened to numerous people say they didn’t organise well enough, they didn’t have time, they were tired and it was just easy. Did you really travel all that way to New York to eat at Bubba Gumps or TGI Fridays? Give your taste buds a treat and try some of the incredible restaurants NYC has to offer. And stay clear of any restaurant that has a massive banner claiming to have “the best steak in New York” (seen in midtown) I guarantee you they don’t. Peter Luger (a steakhouse well worth mentioning) would be turning in his grave.