The City That Never Sleeps!

As you can imagine, there are so many neighborhoods, and they truly are unique; whether it is dining, shops, or Broadway, there is so much out there.

Quick Tips:

Stay in Manhattan, though, if you can, to really get a feel for the city. The closer you are to Broadway and certain touristy areas, it can be pricey. There are some reasonable hotels around, but remember--even the fanciest of hotels tend to have small rooms.

Best Way To Get Around:

The rooms were medium-size, yet comfortable, but I expected that for New York. Unless you go to the $250-$300 range, that is probably expected there.

The location was also central to a lot of famous spots, and we were able to get there by foot. A few blocks away, toward 8th and Broadway, was the famous Times Square. There were lots of places to eat nearby.

The hotel was good and very centrally located. I can't say we ate there, except a quick bagel at the on-site Starbucks, with a coffee to go.

As you may know, for New York, that is very good unless you want to stay in New Jersey!

Rooms were comfy but expectedly small. Location was easy enough--Park Ave. and 5th. So getting around by foot or by cab wasn't difficult for the cabbies taking me around.

I didn't eat in the hotel; there was a basic cafe attached to it. I usually got something on the road. Getting something to eat is not an issue in New York!

For a moderately priced hotel, I would reccommend this.

Getting to LaGuardia Airport cost about $20, and they can arrange for a cab to take you.

They give you a gourmet-style bowl of soup, like a goulash, lobster bisque, etc., along with fruit, bread, and dessert. It is about $10, hits the spot, and was fun to see a place that was on such a famous show!

He didn't yell at us or anything like that!

Of course, there were big screens - a sports-lover's paradise!

You have a lot to do here--you can take a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride, see the ducks and birds on the water and running streams, lots of walking trails, and an oversized merry-go-round ride too! Musicians play here, and of course, depending on the time of year, there may be a festival or live entertainment.

Don't forget the hot dog vendors and others along the edges of the park too!

You basically take a ferry near Battery Park. It is a nice ride, and of course, what a view of the Manhattan buildings! We weren't allowed to climb the statue as I did when I was a youngster; I really wished we could have done that. It is small island--the bigger island is Ellis and really made my mind drift, as we saw various photos of past immigrants and what they all did as their new lives began in the U.S. with this famous stop!

This tour is worth doing. There's no cost to tour--it's basically just the cost of the ferry rides.

It is a great place area to buy souvenirs and have coffee, Italian food, Chinese, or whatever gets your attention.

I have seen similar neighborhoods in Toronto and San Francisco, but the nice thing is that these two famous neighborhoods are next to each other and easily accessible by subway.

Take the subway towards the Bronx. You will want to stop at Canal Street, which will put you in the heart of Chinatown, and a few blocks over you will find Little Italy.

Very bright neon signs, restaurants, billboards… you name it, it is there, whether it is the NASDAQ ticker or Coca-Cola ads. It is bright and very New York and American.

Of course, there are nice places to have coffee and New York Pizza, and we stopped at the Marriott Times Square for dessert, but these places are scattered all over!

You will be amazed at how many shows are going on. You may be confused as to what to see! I would like to go back just to attend some more shows.

The show, of course, was great and beats anything I have seen in my own area. After all, it is Broadway!