A Solo Traveler’s Guide to New York City

Navigating the Concrete Jungle

New York City is huge, not only physically large but it’s also dense. Solo traveling in NYC can be scary, but once you learn its quirks NYC is a colourful city that’s unlike anywhere else. Urban development runs rampant and everywhere you look will have some sort of high-rise or dense urban space. Thankfully, New York has a sprawling infrastructure designed to keep people moving and these urban developments have no shortage of food or places to stay.

Public Transit

The combination of subway, bus and train can take you everywhere you need to be in New York and beyond. Subway service runs 24 hours and the fare is $2.90 USD, same as the bus. Cycling is also quite popular in the city with hundreds of miles of bike lanes and a reliable bike share system makes navigating the city much more accessible. Taxis are more expensive but they get you where you need to go on request and are very numerous in NYC. Crossing the Hudson in a more leisurely manner may direct you to one of the six annual ferry routes in the city, with stops providing other transit connections. 

The Five Boroughs

New York City famously has five boroughs. While on the map they seem to be connected each section of the city offers a unique cultural and culinary experience. Solo traveling in NYC can help you focus on which of the boroughs you enjoy the most.

Manhattan is the borough when you think of “The City”. Manhattan is where most of New York’s skyscrapers call home, and is host to many famous landmarks such as The Statue of Liberty, Central Park and Times Square. Brooklyn is New York’s most populous borough. It has many culturally rich neighbourhoods with many different styles of architecture. Queens is the largest borough and is very ethnically diverse. Queens is host to Citi Field, where the Mets play, and JFK International Airport. The Bronx is the most Northern point of New York City, and the only borough of the city on the mainland. Yankee Stadium can be found here alongside the New York Botanical Gardens and Pelham Bay Park, which is the largest park in New York City. 

Safety Tips while Traveling Solo

As with traveling anywhere, it is recommended to be more cautious because you’re visiting a new place. Anything can happen and the worst place to be in an emergency is a place where you don’t have control of the situation. With that being said, New York City has a reputation for its dangers, but is there more than meets the eye? According to the NYPD, common crimes are actually on a downward trend. Overall crime decreased nealy 3 per cent in 2024. There were 14 fewer murders in 2024 and robberies decreased by 27.1 per cent. 

To say NYC is lovey-dovey would be incorrect. Especially in a place as large and fruitful as NYC, you can’t be too careful. Don’t wander the streets very late at night, especially alone. Taking transit during the very late night has its risks as well. Sticking by the tourist-y areas is probably the safest place to be. Don’t be afraid to explore though, NYC is so diverse and culturally significant that not wandering its streets would do it an injustice.

Sources:

• https://compstat.nypdonline.org/
• https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/public-safety/2025/01/06/crime-down-nearly-3–in-nyc-in-2024–nypd-says#:~:text=There%20were%20377%20murders%20in%20the%20city%20in,larceny%20auto%20was%20down%2010.3%%20compared%20to%202023.
• https://www.girlwiththepassport.com/nyc-solo-travel/
• https://www.overherenewyork.com/nycs-ferry-system-a-guide-for-newcomers/