Where do you start with New York? Here are some quick-fire things…
- Time Square : Totally mental! Definitely see it by night!
- Empire State Building : I like to see city views by night because they remind me of Blade Runner. 🙂 I did the 86th floor and the 104th floor. I think the 104th floor is pointless. The views are no better than the 86th floor, you are behind glass and it’s packed. Save your money and buy a VIP pass for the 86th floor to avoid some of the queues. 🙂 Most of your time will be spent queuing!
- Staten Island Ferry : One of my favourite things and it was free! Pretty good view of the Statue of Liberty, as well as great views of the Manhattan skyline on the way back.
- Brooklyn Bridge : Loved this! Definintely walk or bike across it.
- Central Park : I went on a Sunday. It was packed. If you prefer it quieter, go in the week. I thought it was really neat to see everyone there enjoying themselves.
- Grand Central Terminal : Iconic. Had to go and see it.
- 9/11Â Memorial : Water flowing into a great big hole scares the crap out of me. Very impressive and significant though!
- Subways : I struggled with the subways at first. So much so I ended up walking most places, which took a long time, but made me feel a little more connected. Once I took some time to properly look at the subway map it was pretty simple. Lack of planning on my part again. 🙂
- Photos/Videos : I started off using the camera a lot, but found I was missing out on seeing stuff because my head was behind the camera all the time. Added to that, most things in New York are really hard to photograph or video well. They are either too big or you are just too close to them. I got some photos and video clips, but I think it’s better to just look and experience things, then Google for some good photos when you get home. 🙂
- People: At first I found interacting with people kind-of daunting. Most people looked miserable and stressed, but once you asked a question they were really animated and helpful. The police were super helpful too! I got some really good tourism advice from some policemen I spoke to.
- Safety : I felt really safe. Like any large city, you have to avoid making yourself a victim by being sensible, but my time was drama-free.
For my last night I transferred to the Hilton at Newark Airport. This was just for convenience as my flight the next day was kind-of early!
So that’s New York done… Until next time…
Cheers
Tim…
