New York in general > Reviews > Non-stop New York

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Good
Shopping	Excellent
Nightlife	Excellent
Family Friendly	Good

Advantages:	lots to do, easy to get around, plenty to see
Disadvantages:	loud at night, somewhat overwhelming (if that's a bad thing ! ?)

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

After years of talking about it and day-dreaming, my husband and I finally visited New York City in September 2007. We had high expectations and thought we knew what to expect. Newsflash: Whatever your expectations, New York City will exceed them. Another newsflash: no matter how much you think you know about NYC, you will never really know until you visit. After four days in the city that never sleeps, we still didn't know or see a tenth of it!

We stayed at the Carter Hotel which was smack-bang in the centre of the action at Times square. You see Times Square on TV and it is nothing compared to the real thing. It is truly huge. My husband and I spent the entire time looking up with our mouths open in wonder.

What did we do during our stay? We took a tour of Madison Square Garden- a must see for all sports fans; took the elevator to the top of the Empire State Building for breath-taking views; visited Grand Central Station; joined the New York Public Library; saw the site of the World Trade Centre; took in a Broadway show and I would highly recommend "Legally Blonde", especially if you love the film; and went on the "Sex and the City" tour, another must see for fanatics of the show. We did as much as we could fit in to the four days we were there and still only saw a tiny part of the city.

Walking around the city is easy. Everything is easily accessible. 20 blocks is approximately 1 mile, so it's easy to keep track of how far you need to go with the streets numbered as they are. The regimented layout of the streets in NYC also prevents you from getting lost too easily, which is always helpful in a new city.

Many people say that four days is not long enough to explore the city fully and, as I have already said, it isn't. However, the fast pace and constant buzz of NYC can be quite overwhelming and for the first time visitor, I would suggest a short stay initially to get used to it. To a small town girl from Wales like myself, NYC was crazy and non-stop and I was completely awe-struck for the entire visit. After four days, it was time to move on. My rapidly beating heart couldn't have lasted another day!