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New York

New York: New energy, new experiences every time!

Brooklyn BridgeMore Photos
  • by Dutchnatasja
  • A December 2004 travel journal
  • Last Updated: April 11, 2006
Journal Usefulness Rating 3 out of 5
Journal Usefulness
13
Reviews
8
Experiences
40
Photos

New York has stolen my heart! It reinvents itself every day. I love to come to this great city. The great architecture, the people, the whole atmosphere. I love walking down the street and seeing faces and drama and happiness and sadness and dirt and cleanliness. It's New York!

New York: New energy, new experiences every time!

Overview

Brooklyn Bridge
New York is the place were it all began for so many people. How lucky am I that I can travel to New York whenever I want. I love New York for the architecture, the people, the museums, and for many more things. I've never walked in any other city as much as in New York; the eyes are filled with images, and my legs are constantly moving. I enjoy every minute of the city. It gives me energy!

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Park Central New York

Hotel

The lobby of hotel Park Central

Park Central

Great hotel with a perfect location. You can walk out the door, take a left, and be in Central Park within four or five minutes. You can easily get to Times Square and Fifth Avenue. Our room was large (they are bigger than the standard rooms in New York), with a king-size bed and plenty of room to relax and move around. You can also choose for a room at the concierge level. Than you'll have breakfast, newspaper, afternoon snacks, and drinks. You can also use the Internet for free during the time when breakfast and dinner is served.

We stayed in this hotel twice, both times in December (2003 and 2004). It was great. From our room, we had a view of Times Square.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on March 21, 2005

Park Central New York
870 7th Ave. New York, New York 10019
(212) 247-8000

Helmsley Park Lane

Hotel

Helmsley Park Lane

We visited the Helmsley Park Lane in May 2003. We printed an upgrade coupon so that when we arrived, they gave us a room on a higher floor, with a view overlooking Central Park. I was amazed by the view. Each room has an oversized window that offers panoramic views of Central Park. The hotel room was very clean, large, and spacious. It is walking distance to all the Midtown attractions. In the guest rooms, look for the hotel’s special walking/jogging map of Central Park, hung on a convenient neck cord. I would have chosen this hotel in December if it wasn't so expensive in the Christmas period. Besides that, I highly recommend this hotel.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on March 21, 2005

Helmsley Park Lane
36 Central Park South New York, New York 10019
(212) 371-4000

Carnegie Deli

Restaurant

Carnegie Deli in New York

Carnegie Deli

Although I have never tasted one of these sandwiches (I don’t like huge sandwiches with more meat than bread), I’ve read a lot about it. The most were positive, but there were also a few negative reviews. Anyway this famous deli draws big crowds, and mostly you’ll see long waiting lines on the sidewalk. Sometimes the lines are a half-block long!

I wonder why it draws so many people; is it really the corned beef sandwich, which they say is delicious, or is it that they are able to say, "I ate at the Carnegie Deli"???

WEBSITE: www.carnegiedeli.com
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on April 6, 2005

Carnegie Deli
854 Seventh Ave. New York, New York 10019
(212) 757-2245

Brooklyn Diner

Restaurant

Brooklyn Diner in New York

Brooklyn Diner

We always visit the Brooklyn Diner, when we are in New York. The interior is nice; it takes you back to the 1950s. On the walls hang many pictures of many stars who have visited the Brooklyn Diner. Great food, always cooked just right. The portions are huge and well prepared. Because it is a popular restaurant, you have to be prepared to wait for a table.

They have many various menu items, like a hot brisket-of-beef pot roast sandwich, a Coney Island jumbo lump crab-cake club, or an oven-roasted "Dodger" pot roast, all kinds of pastas, and for dessert, they recommend the house specialty: the Strawberry Blonde Cheesecake.

They serve breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and they have an "after the gym" menu.

Favorite Dish: My favourite is the Brooklyn Diner Cheeseburger Deluxe with bacon, onion rings, and shoestring fries. The cheeseburger is the best I have ever had. The cheeseburger was enormous, and the burger was juicy, cooked to perfection, and very tasty. The onion rings were thin and not greasy at all, and the french fries were enough for two people.

I highly recommend the Brooklyn Diner!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on April 6, 2005

Brooklyn Diner
212 West 57th St (between Broadway and Seventh Avenue) New York, New York 10019
(212) 581-8900

Heartland Brewery

Restaurant

Heartland Brewery

This is a must-visit for beer lovers!

If you like beer, you can’t miss this one. Heartland Brewery is located at several places in Manhattan. The one we visited is located at 35 Union Square, between 16th and 17th Streets. The Heartland Brewery has a dark-wood interior and mix of high-top tables near the front bar and deep wooden booths toward the back.

Menu items range from expected starters, such as onion rings, mini-burgers, and quesadillas to sandwiches and more adventurous items, such as grilled rib eye.

Let’s talk about the beer. They have a good variety of fresh-brewed beers and a lot of tasty seasonal beers. Our favourite is the Old Red Nose Ale. This is one good seasonal beer (during Christmas/winter). It’s a copper-brown, almost reddish in colour. The flavour is rummy and sweet, tasting of orange and ginger. The body of this beer is full, rich, and spicy. You order this beer in December and January.

Sit, enjoy your beer, and don't worry about how long you're there... it’s perfect!

DIRECTIONS:
Between 16th and 17th Streets Subway Stops: 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W to 14th Street - Union Square

WEBSITE:
www.heartlandbrewery.com
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on April 6, 2005

Heartland Brewery
35 Union Square West New York, New York 10003
(212) 645-3400

Lobby Lounge

Restaurant

The Lobby Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental

Enjoy your drink and the view!

The Mandarin Oriental New York is part of an exclusive, new development on floors 35 to 54 of the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle. It is a stunning blend of modern design and oriental flair in the heart of Manhattan.
The lobby lounge has beautiful views of Central Park and the city’s skyline. The interior is classic, contemporary, and residential in golds and browns.

You can enjoy a enjoy light fare, afternoon tea, or late-night desserts.

Menu Highlights:
- Sake-Cured Salmon, Thinly Sliced Salmon, House-Cured with Sake, served with a Wasabi Crème Fraiche

- Bento Box, Selection of Mushroom Chopsticks, Crab Quesadilla, Shanghai Chips and Tamarind Chicken and Beef Sate

It is a very expensive hotel; rates start at $479! You can always drink a cocktail in the lobby lounge, just to get a feeling of this magnificent hotel. It’s an experience not to be missed.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on April 6, 2005

Lobby Lounge
Mandarin Oriental New York, New York 10023
(212) 805 8800

Statue of Liberty

Activity

Statue of Liberty during the sunset

Statue of Liberty

As you approach on the ferry, you can imagine what millions of immigrants felt as they got their first glimpse of America. From the ferry, you have a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. If you're going to be in the Big Apple, this is one sight you've got to see. If you have the change, then try to see the Statue of Liberty during the sunset. You can make beautiful pictures.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on March 21, 2005

Statue of Liberty
Liberty Island New York, New York 10004
(212) 363-3200

Greenwich Village

Activity

Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village

The Village of Greenwich has certainly got its charm! Today it is a joy to walk through the streets of Greenwich Village. It has quiet streets with beautiful homes, so it was almost like staying in another city. Greenwich Village offers a great respite with its calmer, more manageable feel, and Greenwich Village's shorter buildings allow more sunshine to reach the streets. There are many secret courtyards and small gardens nestled between townhouses in the residential blocks of Greenwich Village. Manhattan's Greenwich Village offers visitors an escape from the skyscrapers. I highly recommend a walk through this area.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on March 21, 2005

Greenwich Village
Houston to 14th streets New York, New York 10014

Soho Streets

Activity

Soho

Soho

Squeezed between Little Italy, Chinatown, and Greenwich, SoHo (South of Houston Street) is another distinct area of New York. The area is also renowned for its architecture. Iron-clad buildings line the streets, emergency stairs hanging out of the houses. What once were industrial buildings were gentrified and turned into loft spaces with many art galleries and boutiques. SoHo is constantly changing. SoHo is also easy to cover. You just walk the length of its blocks between Houston and Broome, turning the corner and seeing what's coming next.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on March 21, 2005

Soho Streets
Soho New York, New York

Christmas in New York City

Activity

Saks Fifth Avenue during Christmas

Christmas in New York

One 'must' is to stroll along 5th Avenue to view the store windows, which are decorated for the holidays. Many stores decorate their windows beautifully. If it wasn't for the yellow cabs, you would think that you were in Disney World. They have actual lines to lead the people along the windows. There are several stores that are particularly famous for this. The windows attract a lot of viewers, and lines of people walk by them day after day before Christmas. The many stores compete to make the most beautiful and interesting windows. Just taste the atmosphere of Christmas in the Rockefeller Center area. It is so beautiful. Don't walk too fast, and take some time to enjoy the Christmas decorations. It is also fun to watch the people around you. There are so many cultures enjoying the same thing as you are.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on March 21, 2005

Christmas in New York City
New York, New York

New York Public Library

Activity

The Public Library

New York Public Library

Constructed in 1911, this library building today contains over 6 million books, 12 million periodicals, and almost 3 million pictures. These numbers are just part of the 40 million items contained within the New York Public Library system. The entire system itself is considered to be the largest system in the world.

The great lions that guard either side of the entrance to the library are part of what makes this site a National Historic Landmark. Actually trademarked by the library (look at the library's logo), these lions have had a number of nicknames. Since the 1930s, they've been known at Patience and Fortitude. Patience still guards the south side of the library's steps and Fortitude sits unwaveringly to the north.
They have been photographed alongside countless tourists, replicated as bookends, caricatured in cartoons, and illustrated in numerous books. One even served as the hiding place for the cowardly lion in the motion picture The Wiz.

Look up when you’re in here. What you’ll see is a unique ceiling with its paintings. The ceiling murals had suffered badly over the decades, and by the 1990s, had become barely discernible. The ceiling murals could not be restored, but the $15 million budget allowed the painting of new clouds, and now the main reading room at the New York Public Library is back to its former glory.

Although paintings are not well represented at the library, most of the other artistic crafts are, and visitors should look carefully at ceilings, doorknobs, fountains, and furniture.

Directions:
Getting there by Subway: B, D, F, Q, 7 take you there directly; 4, 5, 6 leave you close by
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on April 6, 2005

New York Public Library
Fifth Avenue and 42nd St. New York, New York 10018
(212) 930-0830

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Activity

Museum of Modern Art, New York

Museum of Modern Art

"An ideal environment for art and people."


You will find works of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gaugin, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, James Rosenquist, Mies van der Rohe, Andy Warhol, and many more. You have to explore it yourself.

The first floor, which is at street level, houses the lobby, where tickets are sold. This is also the area where you can walk into the Sculpture Garden. Prints and Illustrated books, along with the Media Gallery, are on the second level. Architecture and design are on the third floor. The top level is devoted to temporary exhibits. The fourth and fifth floors house MoMA's considerable collection of paintings and sculptures.

Exhibits are constantly changing, and there is something for everyone. It is easy to understand. I believe it is nearly impossible to see it all in one day. Above all, don't rush. See what you can and enjoy what you see.

MoMA has two restaurants (not very large, and most of the time, crowded) and a museum store. The MoMA Store always has great gadgets and gizmos perfectly designed. They also sell books, CD accessories, and home furnishings. The museum has restrooms and water fountains on every level.

Museum Hours
Saturday 10:30 am–5:30 pm
Sunday 10:30 am–5:30 pm
Monday 10:30 am–5:30 pm
Tuesday closed
Wednesday 10:30 am–5:30 pm
Thursday 10:30 am–5:30 pm
Friday 10:30 am–8:00 pm
Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas

The best time to go is late Friday afternoon, when the museum is free and open till 8 pm.

Website:
www.moma.org

The museum is easy to get to and has a parking garage that gives discounts with validated tickets. See the museum’s website for details.

Admission:
Adults $20, Seniors $16, Students $12, Children (16 and under and accompanied by an adult) free
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Dutchnatasja on April 8, 2005

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
11 West 53rd St New York, New York 10019
(212) 708-9400