There are some places that just have to be visited at least once in your life. New York is the kind of city that needs to be visited at least twice! If anyone asked me prior to my visit to New York in May if you could visit one place in the world where would it be? Without hesitation I'd answer New York. If you asked me that question now the answer would still be New York
When most people think of New York they think of one of the five boroughs - Manhattan. New York City is actually made of Manhattan,Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. Apart from Brooklyn which I would have visited if I'd have completed the entire length of the Brooklyn bridge I managed to to visit abet briefly all of the other four boroughs on my 3 night stop in New York.
~Getting there~
New York is served by 3 airports. JFK in Queens, Newark in New Jersey and La Guardia in Queens which is for domestic flights. Most major airlines fly to New York from the UK, taking on average 8 hours to get there. average prices seem to be around the £250 mark - but do shop around as bargains can still be had. The lesser know airlines are a better bet if you want a cheap and cheerful priced flight. Remember that the service they provide can be just as good if not better than some of the bigger players in the airline industry so don't be put of by traveling with a lesser name.
Having arrived into JFK on an internal flight, from Pittsburgh I can not comment about the immigration process in JFK. I would just add that do remember to keep your Visa Waiver form handy with your passport -these forms are given out on the airplane over. Having got throw customs at Chicago with little hassle I'd assume it was probably the same at JFK.
~Getting into Manhattan~
Having arrived in New York fight in to JFK I can only really comment on the options available from this airport but if you look at www.panynj.gov/aviation/ewrframe. you'll find various options for getting in to Manhattan from the other international airport Newark. From JFK you have 3 options:
A yellow cab with a fixed rate fare of $35 plus toll fees of $3.50 and an optional tip to any where in Manhattan. The return journey does not have the flat fee so could be more.
The New York Airport Services Express Bus: costing $13 this runs every 15-30 minutes from 6.15am to 11.10pm. Depending on the time of day it can take up to an hour to get into Manhattan. The buses run to either Grand Central Station or The Port Authority terminal. From there you can pick up a transfer bus. The driver of our transfer bus on learning that 90% of the people on the bus were staying at the same hotel actually very kindly dropped us right outside it
The Subway: From JFK you need to take a free shuttle bus to Howard Beach station and then get the tube into Manhattan for $3. If you should make the journey from Manhattan to JFK you'll need the A line tube heading to Far Rockaway. It would be advisable to leave at least 2 hours for the journey and not the hour that we did, luckily American Airlines rushed us throw check in when we turned up with 55 minutes to spare! Once you arrive at Howard Beach station you'll find the free shuttle buses outside the station clearly numbered as to which terminal they are going to. Journey time depends on which terminal you are heading for.
~Hotels~
New York is awash with hotels from 4* luxury pads with price tags to make you faint to budget hotels that make you wonder if they are really whore houses with their ridiculous price tags. A good starting point to look for accommodation is lastminute.com, opodo.co.uk or expedia.co.uk, this should give you a rough idea of prices types of hotels available etc but they are by no means the cheapest way to book. One I'd decided on a few hotels I actually did a comparison cheek on kellkoo.co.uk which ended up saving me again on the price of the hotel. Eventually my hotel was booked using discounthotels.com. You should expect to pay around the £70 a night mark for a good clean comfortable hotel obviously you'll pay more if you're after 4* luxury and pampering.
The hotel I stayed in for the 3 nights I was in New York was the Hotel Pennsylvania which is directly opposite Madison Sq Gardens and Penn Station, a block or so from Macy's and the Empire State Building.This Ramada owned hotel is the biggest hotel in Manhattan. As you enter it's ostentatious entrance foyer you'll feel like you've perhaps stumbled into a 4* hotel my traveling companion was noted as say " Blimey I'd have bought my suit if I'd had know..." But this is perhaps the only grand thing about this hotel these days. You can still see signs of it's now faded glorious past but in all honesty it really could do with a complete refurbishment. It is however a clean and comfortable hotel which is ideally situated. My only bug bear would have to be the reception unfortunately any dealings with them were always time consuming and every thing blamed on the computer system being down - it appeared to be down for the whole 3 days we were there!
As my trip to New York was part of a trip that included going to Pittsburgh I was unable to book at package trip which can be more economical then booking flights and hotels individually - majortravel.co.uk have some excellent packages available at present starting at £299 for two nights - I would definitely suggest you stayed for at least 3 if not 4 nights to take advantage of all this wonderful city has to offer.
~Getting around~
The Subway - having heard all the horror stories of the NYC subway I'll admit that I was pleasantly surprised to find they felt just as safe as say traveling on the London Underground is. The subway basically runs uptown and downtown so if you wanted to go across the city it might be more advisable to catch a bus. All fares are a flat rate $3 so a good investment if you're going to make several journeys is the daily metro card at $7. This will take you to any where on the subway system. Unlike the London underground you'll not find those ever so helpful signs that tell you when the next train is coming and where it's going to. If in doubt I'd just ask a fellow passenger as you'll probably then find they'll tell you an even quicker way to get to your final destination. The subway runs 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Obviously extra safely should be taken if traveling very late at night. The only borough it doesn't run to is Staten Island.
Yellow Cabs - no trip to New York is complete without at least one journey in a Yellow cab, the fares start with a $2 charge then go up by 30cents per 1/5 mile traveled and by 20 cents for every 90 seconds you are held up in traffic. From 8pm to 6am expect to pay a 50cents surcharge for traveling at night
The Bus - having not ventured onto a bus I can't really comment on ease of use but the metro card you purchase for the subway can be used on them. If you do need to get across town then this is far simpler to do on a bus then on the subway as they run up and down Manhattan
The easiest way obviously is to pack a good pair of walking shoes and explore on foot -you'll end up walking miles no doubt but the things you'll see on route more than make up for it!
~Sights and Attractions~
Prior to your visit I really would suggest you get hold of a guide book -the Rough Guide to NYC is excellent. Then have a good read so you can work out a vague plan of action. Manhattan is a massive place with thousands of different things to see and do. I'll admit I only really had 3 things I wanted to see whilst I was in New York and a few vague well it would be nice to see them.... to a few other attractions.
**Central Park** - no trip to NYC would be complete without a stroll in to Central Park. Situated between 5th and 8th Avenue at the junction with 58th St. This oasis in the heart of a maddening city really does deserve at least a morning or afternoon of your time to full appreciate all it has to offer. Should you only be able to spare an hour or so then a must see is Strawberry fields to the west side of the park at about 72nd St. From there if you walk across the park to the East side you'll find the Bethesda terrace again worthy of a photo or two!
Websites:www.centralparknyc.org www.centralpark.org www.nyctourist.com/central_park1.html**The Statue of Liberty**-there are several organized tours that take you both to the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island Immigration museum, these run from the ferry terminal in Battery Park the round trip costs $10 plus entry to both attractions. Due to time and a desire to actually see Lady Liberty as thousands of immigrants had done in the pass from the harbour we took the Staten Island ferry which goes directly past the statue and gives you an idea what it must have been like for the thousands of immigrants who's first glimpse of the promised land was this stunning statue. The Staten Island Ferry runs every half hour 24 hours a day 365 days of the year and it is presently free to travel on.
Subway: Both ferries can be picked up using the following subway links:N or R local train to Whitehall St,4 0r 5 Express train to Bowling Green or1 or 9 local train to South Ferry
**The Empire State Building** - located on the corner of 5th Ave and 34th St, nothing can really prepare you for the breath taking views from the observation deck just make sure you've a spare roll of film as you'll probably need it. As with all attractions it is advisable to either go first thing in the morning or early evening to avoid the crowds. Opening times are from 9.30am till midnight - the last lift goes up at 11.15pm it is open 365 days of the year. Admission is $11. I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to go up the Empire State Building at sunset blame Sleepless in Seattle for that dream!!
Subway:1, 2, 3 or 9 (Seventh Avenue Lines), A, C or E (Eighth Avenue Subway) to 34th Street/Penn Station. Also B, D, F, N, Q, R or Path to 34th Street/Avenue of the Americas .
website:www.esbnyc.com
**The Brooklyn Bridge**- An astounding piece of Victorian architecture, the bridge was the very first bridge to link Manhattan with the neighbouring borough of Brooklyn. the views from the bridge are spectacular as you look back into Manhattan. Nearby the bridge is the South St Seaport shopping area so a trip to the bridge could be linked with a bit of retail therapy. With in walking distance is Wall St unfortunately the stock exchange is no longer open to the public.
Subway: For the Manhattan side the City Hall park Subway is the closest along with line 6 on Broadway From the Brooklyn side : lines 2,3,4,N,R,C and A all go to downtown Brooklyn. The obvious station to head for would be the Brooklyn Bridge station.
**Ground Zero/ World Trade Center site**- The work to recover the area where the world trade center stood carries on, around the site you'll find various plagues and information. What I found most poignant were the boards just away from the site covered in letters of remembrance to all who had died there. Thankfully the area was not awash with tacky souvenir sellers when I visited.
Subway: N or R to Rectory St, 4,5 or 6 to Wall St or 1,2 or 3 to Chambers St.
**Grand Central Station** - a working station with the most impressive architecture I've ever seen in a railway station.Free tours of the station are available on Wednesdays and Fridays, even if you're just pasting by it really is worth a quick look inside.
Subway: trains on the 4,5,6 and 7th line all stop at Grand Central Station
Website:www.nyctourist.com/grandcentral
The above is only a small number of attractions New York has to offer as I said before it really would be advisable to get hold of a good guide book and do a little bit of pre trip preparation especially if you are only going to be there for a day or two.
~Eating and drinking~
From high class restaurants to MacDonald and Starbucks on every corner you'll find something to suit every palate and budget in New York The fast food Italian diners that seemed to be on every street corner did a good cheap pizza or pasta for under $15 for two people. Lunchtime snacks etc can be easily purchased in the numerous Deli's and Sandwich shops dotted all over the city. Should you only visit one Starbucks can I suggest you go to the one in Trump Towers just for it's rather grand and opulent surroundings!
~Shopping~
What ever you want you'll probably be able to find it in New York from the grand department stores on 5th Avenue to the bargain basement stores on the Lower East side New York is awash with shops. Should you only have time to visit one department store then I'd definitely recommend Macy's which can be found on W34th st on either Broadway or 7th Avenue. Particular bargains are the cosmetics and Levi jeans which can be found in Macy's along with a huge range of other bargains. Toys and games can be purchased at the massive ToysRus store on Time Square - well worth a visit if it is only to see the big wheel they have in the store.Another good toyshop is FAO Schwartz on 5th Avenue.
Further information about New York can be found on numerous websites:
One day I'm hoping to go back to this wonderful city to experience further the delights it has to offer as my visit only really scratched the surface of this vibrant city.
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