Important Things To Know
Currency
New York City uses the American Dollar.
This currency is used nationally, and the good news is that you don’t need too much cash in this city. All major credit cards are accepted. If you want access to cash, there are plenty of ATMs around the city.
National Languages
The most widely spoken language in New York City is English. You’ll also find plenty of Spanish-speaking people in the city, as well as Chinese.
Time Zone
The New York City official time zone is UTC-05:00. This is locally known as Eastern Standard Time.
Climate And Weather
New York City is classified as having a humid subtropical climate, with part of the city transitioning towards having a humid continental climate.
Don’t let the word ‘subtropical' fool you. While New York gets fairly warm in summer, its winters are icy cold!
In winter, most of the precipitation in New York falls as snow. If you’re looking for a white Christmas, NYC is the place to be!
The city implemented Daylight Savings Time annually, which is done to preserve daylight hours during the short winter days. Clocks are set forward an hour around mid-March, and this remains in effect until around mid-November.