Quick New York Getaway

We came out from New Haven, Connecticut for a quick 22 hour trip to New York City. None of us had been to the city before, so our objective was largely just to look around and do more of the "tourist" things. Our trip was low stress, relaxed, and overall highly successful in my opinion.

We got into the city around 7 on a Friday night. We went straight to our hotel down in Times Square, and then spent most of the evening walking around. Honestly, if you can spare the time, spending an evening walking around Times Square is a lot of fun. I had never seen Times Square before, so I was quite impressed and overwhelmed. It's amazing how bright it is and how many places are located in such a small area. Bring a camera, a map, and just explore. You'll be amazed at what you find. Times Square also never really "closes," and as long as you're in the general area, you'll be safe at almost any hour.

We went outside of Times Square for one reason that night, and that was to visit the Empire State Building. You can read more about that in the review, but the Empire State Building was completely worth the walk to see it at night.

On Saturday, we walked from Times Square to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Walking to the Met was totally worth it, as we were able to explore the amazing Central Park along the way. When you're in the middle of Central Park, you'll begin to forget that you're in the largest city in the United States. As for the Met, there isn't much I can say besides simply that you could spend an entire weekend exploring the museum. There are so many impressive pieces of work. I would not miss it.

The theme of our 22 hour adventure was really just exploring around - no big plan, and we enjoyed ourselves because of that. New York City is an amazing experience!

Quick Tips:

- When you're in Times Square, especially when it comes to eating, try to overlook the "mainstream" chains. It may seem more flashy, but a McDonald's in Times Square is no different than a McDonald's in your hometown. There are some pretty cool places around Times Square - just find them!
- ATMs: Chase claims to have the most in the city. I swear I read an advertisement with this claim on every block, and it certainly seems to be true. Citibank and Bank of America also have ATMs everywhere. So don't worry about finding an ATM.
- Bring a camera and a map.
- If you want to see a Broadway show, search the Internet for information on Rush tickets for your particular show. Many shows offer raffles at about two hours out for remaining seats. Its a great way to see a show for a reasonable price.

Best Way To Get Around:

- WALK! We walked almost everywhere, and it was well worth it. Not only did we save money, but we saw so much more.
- Grand Central Station is fairly conveniently located. We took the Metro-North Railway in from Connecticut and had no problem walking around.
- The walk from Grand Central Station to Times Square takes about fifteen to twenty minutes. Along the way you'll pass the City Library and a bunch of stores.
- Taxis, obviously, aren't hard to find, but it will cost you.
- To get to the airports, I highly recommend the NY Airport Shuttle Service (www.nyairportservice.com). You can find them right across the street from the 42nd Street exit from Grand Central Station. They operate coach buses from Penn and Grand Central Stations to LaGuardia and JFK. The tickets range from - one-way, with a worthwhile discount for students. They run fairly regularly through the day. I would recommend either walking or taking a cab back and then taking this shuttle bus to the airport. From the Hilton Times Square, they estimated - for a cab to LaGuardia. I walked to GCT and took the bus. The subway is also quite do-able, but takes more effort on your part.

The Hilton Times Square is located in the heart of Times Square, and is in a perfect location if you're planning on spending a lot of time exploring that area. We stayed for one night in a double room on the 26th floor looking down onto 42nd street. The room seemed rather new, and had very nice sheets, a relaxing chair, a business desk and chair, an expensive mini-fridge, safe, and in-room Internet and movies. Despite being near the elevator, our room was very quiet and we felt very secure. The shower was also very nice - a true pleasure to use. The hotel staff were also very friendly and quite helpful in giving us suggestions on what to do.

This was our first time in New York City, so we of course wanted to experience Times Square, and being in the center of Times Square was incredibly helpful. We were able to go out and explore for a while, and easily get back to the hotel, as it was fairly centrally located.

I was a little disappointed that everything extra seemed to cost something; I did feel a little like they were constantly looking for a way to get a few extra dollars from me. Any of the business features cost money to use, including simply accessing the computers in the business center.

The hotel can be a little difficult to find, as it really doesn't begin until about twenty floors up. The only evidence of the Hilton Times Square on the ground floor is a simple door and hallway that leads to an elevator up. Tip: The Hilton Times Square can be found between the AMC Theaters ans the Applebees. Both are hard to miss, but the Hilton Times Square is easy to miss.

The hotel also has a luggage hold on the ground floor. We checked out early on Saturday morning, but the Hilton held our bags for us until the late afternoon when we caught our flight. Very helpful.

From Grand Central Station, it's about a twenty minute walk - quite doable, and you pass by some nice sights along the way.

All told, I highly recommend the hotel. It served my needs perfectly.

Quite simply, Famous Original Ray's Pizza may have made the best pizza I have had in quite some time - and that is saying something from someone from New Haven, home of the pizza. The restaurant is located on 7th avenue, several blocks away from Times Square activity, right next to a small Mexican restaurant. This truly is your classic pizza place - it's greasy, abrupt, and fast-moving, but they make great pizza.

When you enter, you're basically immediately in line to order. You can both take-out or dine-in, and they offer pizza by the slice, full pizzas, as well as other Italian foods. If you want pizza by the slice, you can get it right away, and if you want a full pizza, they'll make it as soon as you order it.

We ordered a large cheese pizza and three drinks, and it cost us about $18 total. The food was made fairly quickly, and it was absolutely delicious pizza. There are a handful of tables in the back that can seat about four each. They are cheap tables, but they get the job done.

As far as timing, we came in around 11pm on a Friday, and it really was not that busy at all. There was not really any delays involved. One small nitpick: they seemed to be completely out of napkins. Very annoying.

Other small good things: They serve Coca-Cola products, the food comes out quickly, and they accept credit cards. They are also open ridiculously late (4am or so). It's not that far from Times Square, and we stumbled upon it while exploring around If you're looking for an authentic pizza experience, I would recommend it.

Burger Heaven is apparently a mini-chain in New York, with something like six locations in the city. The restaurant, as the title suggests, is basically an American burger joint. You'll be directed either upstairs or downstairs when you walk in; the downstairs has a dinner bar style area as well as seating for parties of one or two, while the upstairs has seating for larger parties. The restaurant is very bright and has a "happy" ambiance.

My party of three each ordered a cheeseburger and Coca-Cola and split a regular and curly fry basket between the three of us. I was surprised at how good the order was, although if the three of us were a representative sample, they aren't the best at getting you're meat cooking level right. Not that big of a deal. It was also slightly annoying how they charged per the topping added on, but the base price wasn't that bad. My party of three got out for under $30.

The service was alright; the waiter had trouble communicating well in English, which led to some frustration when ordering, and the waitress also messed up our order slightly. Nevertheless, these were minor problems.

It also should be noted that they only have one single men's and one single women's bathroom, so it doesn't take much to create a line for the bathroom. The bathroom is also down in the basement and is not really that finished at all, which seems a little unprofessional for such a restaurant.

Nevertheless, the burger was great, and I recommend the joint.

It sort of goes without saying that one of the things you have to do while visiting New York City is to go up the Empire State Building. In my opinion, it won't disappoint.

First, the facts: The Empire State Building is located at 34th Street on Fifth Avenue. The building has a remarkably nondescript entrance, with a simple awning that says "Empire State Building." If you didn't know better, you could easily overlook it while you walk on the street. Once you go in, you have to go up a level to purchase tickets to the observatory. The standard is $18 an adult, but there are varying other prices for kids, seniors, etc.

And that is where they start trying to get your money. After that, they'll try to get you to buy a ticket to a simulator ride over NYC in combo (don't, it is a waste of money). Then they'll take your picture to try to guilt you into buying it later. Then they'll try to sell you an audio tour. They'll also make you walk through a gift shop or two. Anything to make a buck, I guess.

But if you can get past that, the view is amazing. There is nothing like seeing New York from above, and the lower observatory is on the 86th floor. That is pretty high up there.

Here's a helpful tip: We went at 10:45pm on a Friday, and we faced literally no line. There were very little people there. As a result, what would at some points take a very long time to get through, we did in a very short period of time. If you want to go in and get straight up, you might try going later.

Anyway, it really is worth it. The other advantage to going at 10:45pm is that you can see New York at night, which is an amazing view. Totally worth it.