What to do when you have an overnight layover in New York

When you have a flight that arrives in Newark at midnight and have a connecting flight leaving at ten the following morning, most people would resign themselves to sleeping on their luggage in a quiet corner of the airport. Not me. I had to explore.

overnight layover New York Yellow Cab

I should start from the beginning. It was 2011 and I had organised a J1 visa (usually acquired by students travelling to the USA for summer work and travel) as I was going to work for a company that sold educational software door-to-door (that’s a story for another day). I was flying from Belfast to Nashville, Tennessee and was not the flight booking wizard I am today and had a layover of around ten hours. As always with Immigration in the US, it took hours to get through and it was just after 2 am when I got to the arrivals hall with my huge suitcase. It was around this time that it truly hit me that I was in New York, a city I had only seen on television and read about in books, for the first time. I thought that I would never be back (my summer plans didn’t include the city at all), so I should try and make the most of the next six hours.

Off I went to the train station and booked a return ticket to Penn Station, Manhattan. I lugged my rather large suitcase with me and got on the first train that looked city bound. It was 02:30 and I sat down in a section on my own. As the train started moving, a man in the compartment next to me started talking to me and I told him what I was in the states for and that I may only have one night in Manhattan in my life and I wanted to explore. He offered to show me around. I accepted straight away – what could possibly go wrong?

overnight layover New York 23rd street Subway

First time in New York!

The train arrived in Penn Station and my new friend Mathew (Kas) decided I should have a flavour of some New York food. Outside the station was a place that sold “Dirty Water Dogs”, which were hot dogs with different types of sauerkraut. I wasn’t impressed.

It was at this point we decided to take the subway to Times Square. Public transport ran all night – this was absolute madness to a girl from rural Northern Ireland. Once I got back up to ground level at Times Square, I was completely mesmerised by not only the bright lights but by how “quiet” it was. My idea of this area was hustle and bustle and although it wasn’t quiet by any stretch of the imagination, it was a place where I could sit down, grab my first American Starbucks and have some serenity in one of the busiest places in the world.

overnight layover New York Times Square

overnight layover New York Times Square

Alas, I had to keep moving. This is a big city and I was on borrowed time. Next up was the Rockefeller Center. At the time, I knew this part of New York mostly for the large Christmas tree and ice rink beside it. I now appreciate it a lot more for the television aspect. I was filled with adrenaline and could not get over how busy and how quiet the city was at the same time.

overnight layover New York Ice rink rockefeller center

Where you find the ice rink at Christmas

overnight layover New York Atlas Statue rockefeller center

Atlas Statue

overnight layover New York Rockefeller center

   overnight layover New York Rockefeller center

Kas and I then walked along 5th Avenue. I got to see the large array of famous stores that I’d only ever seen in publications. The Apple building was something completely out of this world to me. At this stage, the city was beginning to get lighter and the early morning hustle began.

overnight layover New York sunrise

It was after this, I got my first glimpse of Central Park. I still couldn’t believe the amazing places I was seeing. We walked along the south side of the park and ended up at Columbus Circle. It was at this point that Kas said he was rather tired and I should probably make my way back to the airport. He was concerned for me and didn’t think I should take the train alone (you never know who you could meet there). He hailed down a famous yellow cab. It was a relief not to be carrying my massive suitcase around with me anymore.

overnight layover New York yellow cab

Putting on a brave face to go back to the airport

The journey back to Newark cost me $70 (I remember this bitterly to this day) and I got to watch the sun rise over the city along the way.

overnight layover New York sunrise jersey

I got back into the airport and to my check in desk full of energy and excitement, but mostly a love for a wonderful city that I was already craving to go back to.

On a soppy side note, “that fella I met on the train at half two in the morning” has turned into one of the best friends I have. He’s one of the first people I turn to if I need words of wisdom and he always finds a positive way of telling me to wise up. When everything went belly up with the aforementioned job, he offered his spare room to me and another Northern Irish girl to stay in.

The morale of this story is not what it is expected to be. I took a big chance getting on a train to Manhattan in the middle of the night (did I mention I had big and heavy luggage?) not knowing what to expect. I definitely didn’t expect to get a personal tour from a New Yorker and I definitely didn’t expect to gain such a good friend.

What’s the most exciting thing you have done on a layover? Has that stranger you met in a strange place become a close friend?

My first night in New York City was an interesting one... My first night in New York City was an interesting one...

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14 Comments

  1. 07/07/2015 / 07:48

    I wish I started my blog earlier in life so I had documented my travels! Mr C and I visited New York on a ‘whim’ for a long weekend, just a couple of years ago! The hotdogs are disgusting! But the shopping is amazing (I am not a shopper) and the atmosphere is electric! I hope to return, although Nashville is actually closer to the top of my list now!

    • 07/07/2015 / 07:57

      There’s nothing to stop you documenting previous travels – I’ve went back in my Tardis today (although I remember that night like it was yesterday). I would be really interested in reading what you got up to!
      Do return – what a wonderful place. I would love to get over this summer! Nashville is a place I would have loved to explore more of (even though I spent a week there!). You would definitely get your country and western fix!

  2. daydreamingfoodie
    07/07/2015 / 08:28

    What an adventure! I haven’t really done all that much travelling, but I hope to add a few destinations to my list over the next years. Nashville is somewhere that appeals, but possibly from watching too much Nashville….. For the moment I am content with getting to know my country of residence a little bit better 🙂

    • 07/07/2015 / 08:41

      I do hope you get to add some more onto the list! Nashville would be great to visit – I didn’t get to see too much of it when I was there 🙁 I am currently doing more exploring of wonderful Northern Ireland – I want the world to see what a wonderful place it is!

  3. Sjbritton1308@gmail.com
    07/07/2015 / 09:43

    Wow,I loved your blog. I am New York bound soon and am staying for three. And half months .you ha e me. Excited now. Lol .great blog x

    • 07/07/2015 / 09:49

      Amazing! I’m so happy for you! You will never be stuck for things to do anyway!

  4. schoolgatestyle
    07/07/2015 / 13:20

    This is a brilliant post – the mother in me was SO worried about you…kept thinking you’d end up mugged and without any possessions in Central Park! But then I was left thinking – what an amazing experience and how ‘meant to be’ it was. Wonderful stuff x

    • 07/07/2015 / 13:48

      I had to show the post to Mum last night and sat with her as she read it as she would have had kittens had I not. I never thought about the stress I caused my parents all those years ago! I hope I worried them less on my more recent travels!xx

  5. 08/07/2015 / 06:50

    Great post Sarah – what an adventure! We’re always more likely to regret the things we don’t do, rather than the things we do! Good on you.

    • 08/07/2015 / 07:51

      Never a truer word! No regrets!

  6. 01/09/2016 / 02:05

    What an awesome story. I’m a native New Yorker myself and it really makes me happy to see stories where people put themselves out like this. I really want to try to do this for a stranger in the near future. 🙂

    I’d recommend exploring Flushing if you ever have a layover at JFK. 🙂

    • 10/10/2016 / 19:54

      I think I was very fortunate. Thanks for your wishes – I ended up spending a lot of time in the city later that year and I have been back a few times since.

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