New York for Beginners

Highlights for first-time visitors: Staten Island Ferry--FREE! and stunning views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty

Metropolitan Museum of Art--one of the world's greatest collections, from Pharoahs to Picassos

Pizza!--it's better in NY...

Quick Tips:

Think about picking up half-price theatre tickets on the same day you'd like to see a show at the TKTS booth in Times Square.

Best Way To Get Around:

Don't be afraid to use the subway. It is less smelly than ever, and a day pass (MetroCard) costs only .

It is possible that you might be afraid to use the taxis, because the level of vehicular daredevilry is high in the city. If you don't mind lots of stop and go, and you don't mind lots of near misses, a taxi can be an adventure!

My friend Dana and I stayed at the Gorham Hotel for one night, courtesy of IgoUgo Travel Club’s "Travel On Us." We received room 703, which was a lovely room with two queens, fitted with a spacious marble bathroom, and a view out the front windows onto the Moorish-style tile work of the theatre across 55th street. The room has a tiny kitchenette, with a microwave and coffeemaker. It’s nice to know that in a city as expensive as New York, The Gorham invites you to take care of yourself. We also enjoyed a complimentary breakfast buffet (described below).

The experience was pleasant from the moment we arrived at 10:30am. The hotel’s lobby is comfortable, with an array of seating areas and magazines to keep you occupied. The woman at the front desk was quite helpful, and even though we had arrived hours before regulation check-in, she sent us straight up to our room! She knew precisely about the IgoUgo booking and no complications ensued. Once we dropped our bags upstairs, we headed out to our lunch date at jojo, an elegant bistro on the Upper East Side.

When we returned to the hotel after lunch and a little sightseeing, we were wet and cold. I took advantage of the very comfortable bed and luscious pillows. The blankets are covered on both sides by a sheet (which I appreciate), and the room temperature was perfect for two chilled Southerners. Next we prepared to go to the theatre, and were pleased at the elegant bathroom. The Art Deco-feeling porcelain sink was square with wide sides surfaces, useful for storing your toiletries (such surfaces being a hotel room commodity). The bath water temperature is operated by touch on a digital meter — you press the up or down button to raise or lower the temperature. It took me a minute to figure it out, and I’m pretty good with computers :) Humorous touch: the Gorham’s thick terry bathrobes say "The Champ" on the back.

When we returned from our show (Urinetown) and a late dinner at Becco, we found that the hotel manager had sent up a welcome card and small box of truffles, a wonderful perk of being an IgoUgo traveler!

The next morning, we were amazed to find that the continental breakfast buffet was much more lavish than expected, and staffed by wonderfully helpful waiters and a waffle chef. We were assisted at every turn with our fruit, coffee, juice, baked goods, and waffles. The room was well-lit and not as crowded as the typical hotel breakfast room. Check out that morning was a breeze! I would definitely stay at the Gorham again, and would highly recommend it for travelers who might need a quiet and friendly respite from the crowds and grit of the city.

My sister and I were very pleased with our two nights at the Belvedere. The warm welcome and consistently good lobby service (opening doors for us, hailing our taxis, wishing us well) went a long way to capture our hearts.

Location? Excellent for those who want to focus on mid-town Manhattan. The Belvedere is on W. 48th St. between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, thus extremely close to Times Square and the majority of the Broadway Theatres. Fortunately, the block on which the hotel is situated houses residential buildings and a number of restaurants such as Mont Blanc, Luxia, and Brasil Grille, and so doesn't attract the throngs of tourists usually strolling the Broadway area. There are three subway line stops within two blocks of the hotel, and several coffeeshops nearby (including Starbucks) for a quick breakfast.

Value for the money? Excellent. We stayed on a Sunday and a Monday and paid a different rate each night. The average was $150 per night including tax, but not including breakfast. This may seem pricey, but we received a beautiful room (#1023) with a suprisingly nice view. We each had a bed, and the room featured a large closet, a kitchenette with micro, coffemaker, and fridge, and a large bathroom (with minimal counter space--my only complaint). The weather was ungodly hot (mid-nineties), but the window unit kept us cool and de-humidified. It was a very clean room with little visible wear on the furniture and upholstery. We heard no loud noises within the hotel, no street noise, and had no unpleasant experiences there. For New York City, this hotel seems like a bargain to me!

The Belvedere Cafe served a continental breakfast buffet for $9.99 and a larger breakfast buffet Wednesday through Sunday for $14.99. Although we never ate there, we peeked into the Cafe and found it tastefully decorated, with a friendly host and plenty of room for diners.

The Belvedere is part of the Empire Hotel Group (go to http://www.newyorkhotel.com/flashmain.htm and select the Belvedere). It appears that the hotel runs occasional Internet booking deals, so read all the "specials" sections on the site to find the codes you need to plug in when your reserve.

When my sister told me she wanted to walk the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn and then look back on the island from a park on the Brooklyn side, I was a little skeptical. After all, we could see the skyline from the ferry. And all that walking in the heat of summer?

But boy am I glad she talked me into it (if it hadn't been her birthday...)! Not only is the view from the pedestrian overwalk incredible, but the beauty of the bridge and the pleasure of walking with other people from New York or around the world is unsurpassed. If value is your thing, then this is the perfect adventure for you: it's free!

If you're not a walker, perhaps this is not for you. But it's really not a long hike; it probably took us twenty-five minutes from end to end. The breeze saved us from too much heat, but do be sure and wear your sunscreen. There will be panoramic stops with shady areas at each of the two great towers, where you can see bronze plaques describing the bridge's history. Open to the public in 1874, it has been a major symbol of New York City, even inspiring an important modernist poem by Hart Crane, "The Bridge."

Once we arrived in Brooklyn, we basically followed our instincts to get back to the waterline (the pedestrian walkway ends a ways up from the water, in the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights). We finally got to the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park where we sat on the benches gazing at Manhattan while family reunion participants, dog walkers, and young lovers milled around us. It was kind of a hike up to the High Street subway stop to get back to Manhattan, so if you think you'll be tired after crossing the bridge, you'll should make alternate return plans.

A quick example of the graciousness of New Yorkers: my sister dropped her disposable camera, half full of vacation pictures, down onto the automobile part of the bridge when we were just approaching the water (the pedestrian walk was separating the traffic both ways at that point, rather than hovering above it). A lovely man in a large sedan STOPPED among the bumper-to-bumper traffic, got out, and then handed the camera back up to two fellows who were also walking and who had volunteered to CLIMB DOWN INTO TRAFFIC TO GET IT. Can you believe it? I love New York!!!

When we visited the Statue of Liberty July 1 of 2002, no one was allowed to go inside of her. However, we were very pleased with the trip overall, from the ferry ride to the island itself, where we could view the statue close up.

Getting There:
To make your visit to the Statue of Liberty, you will need to go to Castle Clinton in Battery Park, at the lowest point in Manhattan (use the Bowling Green subway stop). There, you buy a ferry ticket for $10 (adult) that leaves from Battery Park every half hour for Liberty Island first and Ellis Island last. You don't have to get off of the ferry to tour either island; if you like, you can remain on the boat for the fifteen minutes it takes to load up passengers who have already visited the island. The ferries leave their stops every half hour to make the fifteen minute cruise to their next destination.

Liberty Island and the Statue:
I suppose the Statue of Liberty is the closest thing that the United States has to a Colossus, who greets new arrivals at its shores. She is a beautiful sight, even though she is an alarmingly bright shade of green! You would think she was bronze, but she is actually made of copper which has achieved a bright green patina through the years.

Once debarked, we made a lazy circle around Liberty Island, taking in views alternating between New York and the Statue herself. Bronze markers ring the island's walkway and explain different facts about the statue's history, for example, she has broken chains at her feet to symbolize freedom (of course I never knew this because you can't see her feet from BELOW!). I also never knew that the book she held symbolized the Declaration of Independence, and is marked with the date of its signing in Roman numerals. There is an impressive gift shop with air conditioning, refreshments, and unique souvenirs of the sight.

If you are content with seeing Lady Liberty from afar (try the Staten Island Ferry--it's free!), then this trip may not be for you, especially if you have limited time. But it can provide a leisurely family outing full of American history for those who want to slow down for an afternoon.