3 Days in NYC: How I Had the Best NYC Trip Ever as a Wheelchair User

New York City is one of my favorite destinations in the world. In fact, it may actually take the top spot for me. I’ve visited NYC numerous times and there’s just nothing better than the bright lights, live theatre, the hustle-and-bustle, the many food options, a never ending plethora of wheelchair accessible NYC attractions… oh, the list could go on and on. But in short, I’m obsessed with everything about New York City

Since my first visit to NYC at the age of 15, I’ve taken many trips to the city and I honestly thought I had seen everything the concrete jungle has to offer. However, during a recent trip, I spent several days enjoying a variety of accessible activities in NYC that I had never previously experienced. When you think you’ve seen all that NYC has to offer, trust me when I say that there is more. I discovered this firsthand and had the best 3 days in NYC ever. Here’s how I had a phenomenal time in NYC… without ever even going to Times Square! 

Arriving in NYC + NYC Wheelchair Accessible Taxis 

For this trip, my mom and I actually drove in to the city. We had never driven in NYC prior to this trip, but it actually went a lot smoother than we expected thanks to two different companies – Edison ParkFast and Curb.

We used accessible taxis to get from place to place within the city, so that we didn’t have to drive everywhere (much easier!!!). For the entire trip, we used the Curb app to get accessible taxis. The app was incredibly easy to use and it was simple to choose a wheelchair accessible taxi on the app. Curb doesn’t charge any more for accessible taxis than regular taxis, which was great. 

A couple times throughout our trip, the ramp wouldn’t work once the accessible taxi arrived or the driver wouldn’t have tie-down straps to secure my wheelchair, but Curb was always quick to send another taxi that would work. Overall, NYC’s accessible taxis aren’t completely perfect yet, but I’d definitely recommend using the Curb app for your wheelchair accessible NYC taxi needs, as they are very fast and it’s remarkably easy to order a wheelchair accessible taxi on the app. 

Since we used Curb to get around, we parked my van in an Edison ParkFast location only a block away from our hotel, which I’ll talk about in just a bit. We actually parked in the Edison ParkFast location at 167 Essex Street as soon as we arrived in NYC and didn’t even use my van again until we departed the city on our last day. 

There are nearly 40 Edison ParkFast locations across NYC and northern New Jersey and they are totally secure, with staff on location 24/7. While we didn’t necessarily need the van until we departed, it was good to know that it was easily available if we did suddenly need it. 

If you are driving into NYC & want to park your vehicle and use taxis or public transportation to get around, there’s a good chance that an Edison ParkFast location is near where you’ll be staying. Check out all of the ParkFast locations here

Wheelchair Accessible NYC Attractions I Visited

New York City has many wheelchair accessible attractions and I was fortunate enough to check out quite a few that I haven’t previously experienced. I’ve written about them below, but if you are visiting NYC in the near future, please note that you do need to show proof of vaccination and ID to enter all NYC attractions and restaurants. I was asked for proof of vaccination literally everywhere that I went, which I loved because they’re trying to keep everyone as safe as possible. Here are the wheelchair accessible NYC attractions I visited during my most recent trip: 

The Edge

I always like to begin any trip to NYC by taking in the views from up high. I’ve been to the top of the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock in the past, but this time, I was excited to visit the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere at The Edge. 

The Edge is located at Hudson Yards, an expansive shopping, dining, and entertainment center, which we’ll discuss next. I began my visit to The Edge on the fourth floor of Hudson Yards, where I rolled into an elevator and soared up to the 100th floor in just 52 seconds. Once at the top, I was ready to see the beauty of New York City. 

Unfortunately, I visited on what had to be the cloudiest day of the year, so there wasn’t much visibility at all. However, I still enjoyed the experience and could see a bit of the buildings and streets way down below.

You can take in the views indoors, but my favorite thing about The Edge was the fact that I could go outside to an outdoor sky deck. Part of the sky deck even had a glass floor and I was brave enough to roll over it and look under me. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun. 

After rolling outside for a while, I rolled back in, checked out the souvenir shop, and noticed that there was a bar indoors as well. This is a fun place to hang out and enjoy good views (when there’s visibility), and The Edge is completely wheelchair accessible. Tickets for The Edge start from $36 per adult when purchased online

Hudson Yards

As previously mentioned, The Edge is at Hudson Yards, so after coming down from the 100th floor, I checked out everything that Hudson Yards had to offer. Hudson Yards bills itself as “New York’s newest neighborhood” and that is no understatement. There is so much to do here that it really does feel like an entire neighborhood. 

There are over 100 shops and restaurants, so if you’re wanting to shop around, this is the perfect place to do it. You’ll find everything from Brooks Brothers to Sunglass Hut to Fendi and Dior. The variety of stores is fantastic, as are the amount of eateries. I ate at Shake Shack (Yum!!), but there are many other restaurants as well. Whether you’re wanting to enjoy a nice dinner or grab a quick meal, you can do it at Hudson Yards. 

While at Hudson Yards, be sure to get a photo with its centerpiece landmark known as the Vessel. The Vessel is a spiral staircase that offers great views from the top of the river and the city. An elevator is available for wheelchair users to access levels 5, 7, and 8, but the Vessel was closed when I visited. But it really was fascinating to see the structure from the ground, so even if you can’t go in it, I’d highly recommend getting a photo with it at least. 

VR World

Imagine playing dodgeball, “walking” a plank over a city, and going to space. Sounds fun, right? Well, I did all of that and more within the span of a couple hours thanks to virtual reality at VR World. 

I had never tried VR in the past, but this was the perfect place to try it out for the first time! To be honest, I worried if I’d even be able to play VR games, but the VR World staff did a phenomenal job of helping me play the games and were super friendly. They recommended specific games after learning about my accessibility needs and even helped position my hands, so that I could play the best that I could.

VR World costs $44 per person for a 2 hour pass. Only one level (out of two) at VR World is wheelchair accessible though, so the staff was kind enough to give me half-price admission. On the first level, there were approximately ten games and I did four of them fairly easily. Dodgeball was my favorite by far and I’m happy to say that I won against my mom (by a landslide! Haha!)! 

Little Italy in the Bronx

On most trips to NYC, I stay in Manhattan and never really explore any of the other boroughs. It’s a shame, I know, but I was determined to see more than just Manhattan on this trip, so I headed to the Bronx for the first time ever.

I had the chance to explore Little Italy in the Bronx with Lakshmee of AccessibleTravelNYC. On the AccessibleTravelNYC blog, Lakshmee shares helpful accessibility information about wheelchair accessible NYC attractions, restaurants, and more. It’s a terrific blog for all things NYC and I was thrilled to finally meet up with Lakshmee in-person in her home borough of the Bronx.

Lakshmee and I

We started our time in the Bronx with a DELICIOUS meal at Zero Otto Nove. We chowed down on pizza, eggplant parmigiana, and even grilled octopus. I wasn’t a huge fan of the grilled octopus (it tasted okay, but it was mostly just a mental thing for me), but the pizza and eggplant parmigiana were outstanding. Honestly, it was one of the best pizzas I’ve probably ever had. Zero Otto Nove has a large accessible restroom as well if you need it. 

After getting our tummies full, we then wandered around the Bronx’s Little Italy, eventually popping in to the Arthur Avenue Retail Market. The market has a beer hall, souvenir shops, produce stands, and more. Overall, it was a fantastic place to experience what a day is like in this wonderful part of NYC! I’m always a fan of visiting local markets and this one was no exception.

By the end of our time in the Bronx, I was in love with this part of New York City. The Bronx often gets a bad portrayal from news outlets and I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I tremendously enjoyed my time in the Bronx and it was one of my favorite parts of this trip. I can’t wait to explore more of the Bronx the next time I’m in NYC!

Drunk Shakespeare 

I am a Broadway fanatic and have seen many shows in NYC, but during my most recent trip to the Big Apple, I saw the wildest and most fun show I think I’ve ever seen. Like, in my whole life. It was an off-Broadway show called Drunk Shakespeare.

In Drunk Shakespeare, one actor takes 5+ shots of alcohol and then has to perform in a Shakespeare play. On the night that I visited, they did Hamlet, but it didn’t exactly go like your average Shakespeare play usually does. There was a ton of interaction with the audience, singing, screaming, and by the end of the show, the drunk actor was only wearing his underwear. It was a wildly entertaining show to say the least. 

Drunk Shakespeare was so much fun to attend and was completely wheelchair accessible. The space only holds about 50 audience members, so everyone has a great view of the performance. Accessible restrooms are available in the building as well.

Color Factory

Color Factory is one of NYC’s most unique attractions. It has a variety of colorful, interactive experiences and is part selfie museum/part regular museum. It’s really interesting to see how they’ve incorporated colors throughout the space. 

All of Color Factory’s rooms and experiences are wheelchair accessible, except for one ball pit. You have to go down a set of stairs to enter the ball pit, but I had a ton of fun in all of the other exhibits. This attraction is definitely worth visiting in NYC, no matter what your abilities are! If you are visiting Color Factory, plan on at least 90 minutes to really experience everything.

There were a ton of awesome photo opportunities at Color Factory, but there’s no need to worry about bringing your own camera. There are cameras setup throughout Color Factory and after you leave, they email all of the photos to you at no additional cost. This is included in the price of admission ($35 per adult), which is wonderful. 

I was pleased to discover that about halfway through Color Factory, there were two all-gender accessible restrooms. They were spacious and I was happy to see this added layer of inclusivity at Color Factory. 

Contento

Okay, this technically isn’t an attraction. It’s actually a restaurant, but it is so phenomenal that I had to give it its own section in this blog post. It’s that amazing. 

I was able to have dinner at Contento on my last night in New York City, which I’ve been wanting to do ever since it opened in early 2021. What makes Contento so special? Well, a number of things…

• It is owned by wheelchair users.

• The entire restaurant is wheelchair accessible, including the restroom and the outdoor patio. 

• Half of the bar is lowered, so that wheelchair users can easily roll up to the bar for drinks or a meal.

• Adapted silverware is available upon request.

Lowered bar

And perhaps most importantly for a restaurant, the food is delicious. Like, PHENOMENALLY tasty. I met up with Bri and GG of Wheel New Yorkers and my friend Anna for a fantastic dinner at Contento.

We started with some appetizers, including ceviche and caramelized badger flame beets. Both the ceviche and caramelized beets were to-die-for. Soooo so good! For my main course, I enjoyed the pork katsu. All of the food was truly remarkable, but the ceviche was honestly one of the best items I’ve ever eaten. I’m tempted to book another trip to NYC just to eat it again. 

Ceviche
Caramelized badger flame beets

The fact that four wheelchair users could easily go out to dinner together in NYC was amazing… and most restaurants would’ve probably panicked when they saw us rolling in, but not Contento. This is a restaurant that has inclusivity top-of-mind and it should be at the top of your list of things to do in NYC! 

Where I Stayed: Hotel Indigo Lower East Side

In past wheelchair accessible NYC trips, I’ve always tried to stay as close as possible to Times Square because I thought that was where all of the good restaurants, attractions, and sights were. While there is a lot of great stuff near Times Square, there is a ton to do and see in other parts of the city as well, so this time I stayed on the lower east side at the Hotel Indigo Lower East Side

Hotel Indigo is in a great area, just a couple doors down from the world-famous Katz’s Delicatessen and the place with the best bagels in the world, Russ & Daughters. These two restaurants are must-visits, but there are a variety of other eateries within a short walk/roll as well. 

Eating a massive sandwich at Katz’s Deli

Aside from being in a nice and convenient area, Hotel Indigo Lower East Side is beautifully designed and my wheelchair accessible room worked perfectly for my needs. In the bedroom, there were two queen beds, a desk, a minibar, TV, and a full-length mirror. The beds were a great height for self-transferring, but unfortunately, a hoyer lift could not roll under them, as there was no clearance underneath.

In my bathroom, there were grab bars by the toilet, a pull-under sink, and a roll-in shower. The roll-in shower had a fold-down bench and all controls and the handheld shower wand were easily within reach of the bench. The bathroom really couldn’t have been more perfect for me. 

The Hotel Indigo also has a 14th-floor sky lobby with sweeping views of Manhattan, an on-site rooftop bar and restaurant called Mr. Purple, free WiFi, and an outdoor heated pool. Trust me when I say that you certainly won’t get bored while staying at Hotel Indigo Lower East Side. 

Every time that I visit NYC, I discover something new, but this time, I discovered soooo many new wheelchair accessible NYC attractions and things to do. After nearly two years of living in a pandemic and New York suffering tremendously in 2020, it truly felt like NYC is now more alive than ever. There was a new vibrancy in the air and within just a few days, I was reminded why this is the greatest city in the world and I am already looking forward to returning. 

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*Thank you to NYC & Company for working with me on this trip and showing me the best wheelchair accessible NYC attractions! While most of my experiences in NYC were complimentary, all opinions expressed are authentic and my own.

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