10 Common Mistakes Travelers Make in New York City

When you're visiting the city that never sleeps, your first instinct may be to cram a month's worth of outings into one visit. But this local's guide will help you make the most of your trip. (Spoiler alert: Skip the cronut).

Don't feel like you have to stay in Manhattan

For many people, “New York City” is synonymous with its most famous island, so of course that’s where visitors often choose to stay. But prices in Manhattan are still quite high—the average hotel room is around $250 per day—and unless you’re determined to sleep at a famous spot like the Waldorf-Astoria, you can get better deals off the island.

INSTEAD: Book a few nights in Brooklyn.

The borough has experienced a boutique-hotel boom in recent years, and many of the options—including Williamsburg’s chic Wythe Hotel (pictured), and the Aloft Hotel in Downtown Brooklyn—offer stylish, comfortable rooms for a lower price than their Manhattan counterparts. Plus, both of those options are no more than 20 minutes from the city’s center (by subway, of course).

Don't take taxis everywhere.

Yellow cabs may seem like a convenient way to get around, but they’re remarkably inefficient (you will get stuck in traffic). Plus, the city’s pilot program of green outer-borough cabs aren’t always easy to come by, and Uber will almost certainly overcharge you.

INSTEAD: Get acquainted with public transportation.

The subway will take you just about anywhere you’d want to go, and contrary to popular belief, it’s easy to figure out (be sure to familiarize yourself with routes to and from your destinations beforehand). If the weather’s nice, you also have the option of using Citi Bike, New York’s bike-sharing program.

Don't expect to see it all on a bus tour.

You can’t miss the guides in Midtown hawking tickets for hours-long jaunts on those huge red tour buses that circulate throughout the city. But don’t get sucked in: They give you only the briefest overview of tourist attractions.

INSTEAD: Book a spot on a bike or walking tour.

Get Up and Ride cycling tours aren’t cheap, but they’ll take you to areas of New York that you may not have visited—plus, some tours (such as its brunch jaunt) offer food as part of the ticket price. For history buffs, the Municipal Art Society offers walking tours that show off the city’s architectural gems and hidden spots, often for less than $20.

Skip the Broadway shopping.

Out-of-towners clog the sidewalks in Midtown and SoHo while indulging in window-shopping along the areas' main retail thoroughfares. But those stores aren’t particularly unique; they’re the same chains or designer brands you’ll find in Anywhere, U.S.A.

INSTEAD: Seek out boutiques in the Lower East Side.

The downtown neighborhood is filled with indie and vintage shops that cater to both ladies and gents. Orchard Street has a particularly high concentration of hip shops, including the Dressing Room, a hybrid vintage shop-bar, and the Tenement Museum Store, a museum shop that offers books, New York-centric gifts and more.

Don't wait on line for a cronut.

Dominique Ansel’s hybrid pastry—a cross between a flaky croissant and a doughnut—debuted in 2013 and quickly became the Next Big Food Thing, inspiring crowds to queue for hours to sample the snack. (They still do, more than a year later.) But while Ansel’s creation is tasty, it doesn’t live up to the hype—and it’s certainly not worth planning an entire day around.

INSTEAD: Sample a gourmet doughnut.

There are plenty of shops selling fancier versions of the humble fried-dough snack, but without the four-hour wait. Doughnut Plant, in business since 1994 (and now with several locations throughout the city), was at the forefront of the upscale-doughnut trend and still does it better than anyone else. We like the moist, dense cake doughnuts, in over-the-top flavors like dulce de leche and carrot cake.

Don't compete with the weekend crowds at the Met or MoMA.

Don’t get us wrong: These institutions are among the city’s best, and offer a cultural experience like no other. But you’ll also contend with lots of tourists—especially on weekends—which makes it much more difficult to check out the amazing art on view.