So I WENT To New York (First Time)
I'd like to post my impressions and experience and how everything went during the few days that I was there. So here goes...
1. Times Square at night is... magical. My wife and I took the subway into Times Square (walked off the train around 7:30) and as we walked through the subway tunnels toward the Times Square exit, we could hear the cars and people buzzing about. It built an epic amount of anticipation and emotion inside of us as we walk with the cool air hitting our face. Then, stepping up off the last step onto the sidewalk and seeing the lights all around was just breath taking. The feeling that coursed through my body was just electric and exhilarating. There exists nothing like Times Square anywhere else in the United States, and it is obvious why. The excitement is inside of EVERYONE there and it constantly felt like something amazing was about to happen. Do yourself a favor, and the first time you visit Times Square, take the Subway in and walk out of a tunnel at night, it is electrifying.
2. THANK GOD FOR MY iPhone/Google Maps/KickMap. I don't know how I would have made it around Manhattan without constantly looking up what subways and buses to take to get to the different stores. The 24 Hour KickMap APP from the appstore is probably one of the best tools for anybody about to visit NYC. I found it very helpful in being able to see when and where each subway line was going and what intersects it to get me to other places. KickMap + Google Maps on iPhone = WIN! I would have made it nowhere without it!
3. Thanks to everybody on restaurant and sight seeing suggestions. I didn't have time to do everything I wanted to, and in some cases I avoided things all together based on you guys suggestions from the original thread. Probably the best thing I did was visit Rockafeller Plaza/Tower and take a trip to the Top of the ROCK + NBC Studio tour. I got to see John Malkovich, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers and Darrell Hammond rehearsing during the NBC studios tour. The top of the rock definitely gives an awe inspiring view of Manhattan and it was just fantastic seeing the Rockafeller Christmas Tree. That entire plaza is just BUZZING with people and excitement.
4. If you are going to be near Ground Zero, eat at the Essex World Cafe! I found this gem of a restaurant by accident while searching for places near Ground Zero to eat breakfast. They serve you an INSANE amount of food for very very cheap and it is all packed onto a Dixie plate, which gives it a real hearty breakfast kinda feel. They also have on hand the BIG boxes of orange juice, not the tiny little kind that you find in a kiddie lunch. This made the breakfast all the better. Much Food + Much Drink = AWESOME Breakfast. Definitely eat there if you have the chance.
5. NEVER take a taxi to/from La Guardia. All I have to say is $70. I was warned on here, but it was real cold, my wife was very tired (and pregnant) and we were both desperately hungry.
6. Take the subways/buses everywhere. It is so cheap to buy an MTA card that works for both buses and subways, you use them all day long most of the time and honestly, unless you plan on walking the skin off your feet, you HAVE to take the subways/buses to get a decent amount done during the day.
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Final Thoughts:
Would I ever want to MOVE to NYC?
I would have to say no. Living in San Antonio and having a vehicle to drive has spoiled me. What took me all day long to do in New York, I could have done in 3 or 4 hours in San Antonio. The reason why is because everything in NYC is PACKED into Manhattan and there isn't anywhere to park a vehicle (except for the extremely expensive and hard to get into/out of parking garages).
In San Antonio, I can drive and park in front of any store in the city and there are several malls that have stores around that that are very easy to access. In addition to this, we spent so much time on the Subway and Buses that it took a very long time to get to/from "home" (our hotel room). I guess this is a result of us staying in an apartment in East Elmhearst (near La Guardia), but it seems like many people live outside of Manhattan (at least from what I could tell). Almost no matter where you live out of Manhattan, it would take you at LEAST 30 mins to 90 mins to get home. I can get to and from anywhere in San Antonio in 45 minutes MAX in my vehicle, and that is with TERRIBLE traffic (which there isn't alot of here). Most points of interest can be accessed in less than 15 minutes.
I know this is just San Antonio, but this is ME we are talking about here.
It WAS good to "be with the people," though. Growing up, I took the city bus everywhere, and being on the Subways in NYC gave me that feeling back, and it is a good feeling being with the people.
The TAXI drivers are CRAZY, the pretzels are cold, and I heard more honks in my first 5 minutes in NYC than I have ever heard in my life (Seriously! Nobody ever honks here in Texas [except Houston and the crazy parts of Dallas]).
Let me stress this: THE PRETZELS ARE COLD! The corner stands say "Hot Pretzels," but they give you the ones that have been sitting out in the cold for lord knows how long and if you try and argue with them they don't give a crap.
Ground Zero is an emotionally confusing place. It is imperative that you see the tribute center across the street from ground zero (2 or 3 shops down from the Essex World Cafe) and almost more imperative to take one of the tours that they offer. They do a really good job of telling the story and showing you the things that you would have missed otherwise.
I say it is emotionally confusing because unless you are hearing one of these first hand accounts from the tour guides, the entire place looks just like a huge construction site (which, incidentally, it is). The emotion is lost if you don't know the significance of the buildings around it, what has been rebuilt, why certain buildings are covered in plastic, why a memorial was built in this specific place, etc. I would say the tours that the tribute center offer are great because you get all the emotion from the tour guides (who all have a first hand account of 9/11), and you get taken to the important places to visit.
I don't hesitate to say that the best view of the Statue of Liberty is from Battery Park. You get a 100% unobstructed view of Lady Liberty from across the bay and it is majestic. Seeing the water glimmer and the statue there in all its glory is fantastic. The view from across the bay is unmatched, even if you go onto the island where the statue sits. Take some pictures from across the bay, you won't regret it.
Also, quick note for people in the other thread. It did in fact FLURRY on the final night I was there, which many though it would not do. I was happy to at least see the flurries. I got to see plenty of snow during my 15 minute stop at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. It was 8 degrees Fahrenheit on our way back to San Antonio.
Anyway, there is a lot that I forgot, but I just thought I would let some of the people who contributed to my original thread know that I made it and I had fun and I thank them for their input.
PLEASE ask questions, I love answering questions.
I'd like to post my impressions and experience and how everything went during the few days that I was there. So here goes...
1. Times Square at night is... magical. My wife and I took the subway into Times Square (walked off the train around 7:30) and as we walked through the subway tunnels toward the Times Square exit, we could hear the cars and people buzzing about. It built an epic amount of anticipation and emotion inside of us as we walk with the cool air hitting our face. Then, stepping up off the last step onto the sidewalk and seeing the lights all around was just breath taking. The feeling that coursed through my body was just electric and exhilarating. There exists nothing like Times Square anywhere else in the United States, and it is obvious why. The excitement is inside of EVERYONE there and it constantly felt like something amazing was about to happen. Do yourself a favor, and the first time you visit Times Square, take the Subway in and walk out of a tunnel at night, it is electrifying.
2. THANK GOD FOR MY iPhone/Google Maps/KickMap. I don't know how I would have made it around Manhattan without constantly looking up what subways and buses to take to get to the different stores. The 24 Hour KickMap APP from the appstore is probably one of the best tools for anybody about to visit NYC. I found it very helpful in being able to see when and where each subway line was going and what intersects it to get me to other places. KickMap + Google Maps on iPhone = WIN! I would have made it nowhere without it!
3. Thanks to everybody on restaurant and sight seeing suggestions. I didn't have time to do everything I wanted to, and in some cases I avoided things all together based on you guys suggestions from the original thread. Probably the best thing I did was visit Rockafeller Plaza/Tower and take a trip to the Top of the ROCK + NBC Studio tour. I got to see John Malkovich, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers and Darrell Hammond rehearsing during the NBC studios tour. The top of the rock definitely gives an awe inspiring view of Manhattan and it was just fantastic seeing the Rockafeller Christmas Tree. That entire plaza is just BUZZING with people and excitement.
4. If you are going to be near Ground Zero, eat at the Essex World Cafe! I found this gem of a restaurant by accident while searching for places near Ground Zero to eat breakfast. They serve you an INSANE amount of food for very very cheap and it is all packed onto a Dixie plate, which gives it a real hearty breakfast kinda feel. They also have on hand the BIG boxes of orange juice, not the tiny little kind that you find in a kiddie lunch. This made the breakfast all the better. Much Food + Much Drink = AWESOME Breakfast. Definitely eat there if you have the chance.
5. NEVER take a taxi to/from La Guardia. All I have to say is $70. I was warned on here, but it was real cold, my wife was very tired (and pregnant) and we were both desperately hungry.
6. Take the subways/buses everywhere. It is so cheap to buy an MTA card that works for both buses and subways, you use them all day long most of the time and honestly, unless you plan on walking the skin off your feet, you HAVE to take the subways/buses to get a decent amount done during the day.
----------
Final Thoughts:
Would I ever want to MOVE to NYC?
I would have to say no. Living in San Antonio and having a vehicle to drive has spoiled me. What took me all day long to do in New York, I could have done in 3 or 4 hours in San Antonio. The reason why is because everything in NYC is PACKED into Manhattan and there isn't anywhere to park a vehicle (except for the extremely expensive and hard to get into/out of parking garages).
In San Antonio, I can drive and park in front of any store in the city and there are several malls that have stores around that that are very easy to access. In addition to this, we spent so much time on the Subway and Buses that it took a very long time to get to/from "home" (our hotel room). I guess this is a result of us staying in an apartment in East Elmhearst (near La Guardia), but it seems like many people live outside of Manhattan (at least from what I could tell). Almost no matter where you live out of Manhattan, it would take you at LEAST 30 mins to 90 mins to get home. I can get to and from anywhere in San Antonio in 45 minutes MAX in my vehicle, and that is with TERRIBLE traffic (which there isn't alot of here). Most points of interest can be accessed in less than 15 minutes.
I know this is just San Antonio, but this is ME we are talking about here.
It WAS good to "be with the people," though. Growing up, I took the city bus everywhere, and being on the Subways in NYC gave me that feeling back, and it is a good feeling being with the people.
The TAXI drivers are CRAZY, the pretzels are cold, and I heard more honks in my first 5 minutes in NYC than I have ever heard in my life (Seriously! Nobody ever honks here in Texas [except Houston and the crazy parts of Dallas]).
Let me stress this: THE PRETZELS ARE COLD! The corner stands say "Hot Pretzels," but they give you the ones that have been sitting out in the cold for lord knows how long and if you try and argue with them they don't give a crap.
Ground Zero is an emotionally confusing place. It is imperative that you see the tribute center across the street from ground zero (2 or 3 shops down from the Essex World Cafe) and almost more imperative to take one of the tours that they offer. They do a really good job of telling the story and showing you the things that you would have missed otherwise.
I say it is emotionally confusing because unless you are hearing one of these first hand accounts from the tour guides, the entire place looks just like a huge construction site (which, incidentally, it is). The emotion is lost if you don't know the significance of the buildings around it, what has been rebuilt, why certain buildings are covered in plastic, why a memorial was built in this specific place, etc. I would say the tours that the tribute center offer are great because you get all the emotion from the tour guides (who all have a first hand account of 9/11), and you get taken to the important places to visit.
I don't hesitate to say that the best view of the Statue of Liberty is from Battery Park. You get a 100% unobstructed view of Lady Liberty from across the bay and it is majestic. Seeing the water glimmer and the statue there in all its glory is fantastic. The view from across the bay is unmatched, even if you go onto the island where the statue sits. Take some pictures from across the bay, you won't regret it.
Also, quick note for people in the other thread. It did in fact FLURRY on the final night I was there, which many though it would not do. I was happy to at least see the flurries. I got to see plenty of snow during my 15 minute stop at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. It was 8 degrees Fahrenheit on our way back to San Antonio.
Anyway, there is a lot that I forgot, but I just thought I would let some of the people who contributed to my original thread know that I made it and I had fun and I thank them for their input.
PLEASE ask questions, I love answering questions.
