by TopView Sightseeing & Kev Berry

I love traveling alone! Not having to follow anyone’s schedule but your own is the best. Following your own impulses while walking around a city you don’t know too well can often provide great memories. It’s easy to become overwhelmed when booking a trip to The Big Apple, but have no fear, I am the loneliest New Yorker of all, and I’ve got The Ultimate Guide to Traveling Alone in New York!

First of all, let’s talk about getting around. While the subway makes the city fly by, if you’re in no rush, I suggest walking as much as you can. The best way to get to know any city is on foot, and in New York, there’s so much to explore with surprises around every corner. Central Park provides seemingly endless opportunities for exploration, and even after years of exploring the park, this writer has barely even scratched the surface. Take a walk up the broad tree-lined mall to Bethesda Fountain, and from there take any of the winding paths north and see what you find! 

Head over to the Museum Mile on Central Park West and pop in at any one of the stunning museums and check out the art and artifacts on display! If you’re downtown, check out the shopping scene in SoHo, where the stores are impeccably designed to give patrons an eye-popping experience. (Not a big fan for walking too much? Consider taking a bus tour to save you some legwork.)


After all that walking, you’ll probably be pretty hungry. With such an exciting food scene in the city, making a choice can be tough. The Counter, a build-your-own-burger bar with an unbelievable happy hour, at 41st and Broadway is a great spot for a quick pre-theatre bite. 

Gazala’s Place on 9th Avenue is a killer Middle Eastern joint with a BYOB policy and an insanely affordable wine store directly across the street. If you’re looking for a bite in less familiar territory, head up to 148th and Broadway, where Harlem Public will wow you with their beers, signature cocktails, and wild burgers; or down to Fort Greene, where Smoke Joint will satisfy your barbecue cravings with their unbelievable brisket, pulled pork, and a slew of sides to choose from, like mac and cheese or housemade slaw. If you’re craving a New York slice, Bleecker St. Pizza is the absolute best, and their Nonna Maria pie is a must-try.

At the end of the day, you’ll be pretty tired. The Pod Hotel Times Square has small rooms for single travelers on a budget. It’s brand-new and almost every single room has a great view. If you’re interested in exploring one of the outer boroughs of the city, try renting an AirBnB in BedStuy, Crown Heights, or Astoria, and check out their hopping nightlife and brunch scenes on the weekend.
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Landing in New York City for a solo vacation can be daunting. But if you put on your shoes, start walking, and follow your impulses, and this guide, I guarantee you’ll have a killer trip.

The Legal Aid Society, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project lauded a decision rendered by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) that acknowledges gender non-conforming New Yorkers’ right to health coverage under Medicaid.
 
“No New Yorker should be denied medically necessary, gender affirming health care, and we are glad to see that Albany finally recognizes this right,” said Heidi Bramson, Staff Attorney with the Health Law Unit at The Legal Aid Society. “The Legal Aid Society is hopeful that this historic, precedent setting decision will inform insurance plans, health care providers, judges and gender non-conforming individuals that health care discrimination on the basis of gender identity is illegal and it has no place in New York.”
 
“We are pleased with the Department of Health’s decision in this important case, which should further cement the rights obtained in Cruz v. Zucker - that transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming New Yorkers have access to medically necessary, gender affirming health care,” said Wesley Powell, partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

"It is upsetting for AV and every other non-binary New Yorker that legal intervention was necessary in this case. It should be understood that every New Yorker must be provided with healthcare regardless of gender identity and expression. We hope that the Department of Health takes this issue seriously and begins to inform more New Yorkers of their right to access healthcare and that the Department of Health enforces the true scope of the Cruz ruling with all their contracting health and insurance companies,” said Mik Kinkead, Staff Attorney with the Sylvia Rivera Law Project.

Background
In 2014, The Legal Aid Society, the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and Willkie Farr & Gallagher filed Cruz v. Zucker to challenge a New York State regulation that banned Medicaid coverage for transgender health care. That case led to a repeal of the ban and an amended regulation, which became effective in December 2016, requiring Medicaid coverage for all medically necessary transgender health care for individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria (GD).  The Legal Aid Society now regularly represents transgender Medicaid recipients to enforce the right to gender affirming care secured through Cruz v. Zucker.

AV is one such client. AV is a 27-year-old transgender person and identifies as non-binary. On February 22, 2017 AV’s doctor requested Medicaid coverage for a reduction mammoplasty as medically necessary treatment for AV’s GD. This procedure was denied by AV’s Medicaid plan, Healthfirst. AV requested a fair hearing to challenge the denial, which was held on June 8, 2017. The Decision, issued by New York State on June 14, 2017, upheld Healthfirst’s denial. Disturbingly, the administrative law judge (ALJ) found that the regulation does not apply to non-binary individuals, thereby imposing a requirement that does not exist within the regulation: that individuals must be transitioning strictly either from male to female or from female to male.    

On October 6, 2017, Legal Aid submitted a request for a corrected decision. However, despite months of waiting, Legal Aid did not receive a response. In January of 2018, a group of advocates addressing the ongoing barriers to gender affirming care for transgender people sent a letter to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) alerting them to these challenges. In this letter, AV’s case was mentioned and a request for intervention was made. While DOH did eventually respond to Legal Aid in late March, stating that they were considering our request, there was still no resolution or significant movement weeks later.
On April 27, 2018, Cruz counsel sent a letter to New York State’s Office of the Attorney General alerting it that the erroneous fair hearing decision was a violation of the final judgment and order in Cruz and informing it of our intention to file a motion to enforce the judgment. One week later, on May 4, 2018, DOH informed Legal Aid that AV’s fair hearing decision would be vacated because the regulation does provide coverage for non-binary individuals and that a new decision would be issued ordering coverage for AV’s medically necessary health care. That decision was issued on May 11, 2018.
 
The decision is accessible here.