Hamilton Park
Traveling Home
After checking it out, we packed and got on the bus, then a super long subway ride (afterwards a random guy talked us into giving him our Metro Card), then a shuttle to La Guardia Airport. (NOTE: Always bring your own food to La Guardia. I've been to lots of airports but never paid that much for food!)
Since La Guardia is so busy and big, after getting on the plane we waited... and waited.... finally we took off. By the time we reached Denver, we had about 20 minutes to get from gate B23 to B69. It took us 5 minutes to go to the bathroom and 15 minutes to get to the gate.
But we MADE IT. And then we came home and got our bags and gma and the kids picked us up!!!
Thoughts on NYC
I love NYC. It's fun, exciting, and despite rumors, the people are very friendly and helpful. New Yorkers are very confident, happy people. They love life--they are just busy. If they seem abrupt, it's because that's their life. Most are more than happy to help tourists. The city itself has a great vibe. It feels like anything is possible.
It's also very loud, stinky, busy, and full of people. So schedule plenty of downtime.
The food is amazing. We randomly chose where to eat and were always impressed with their service and the food. For lunch you'll spend about $16-18 a plate, and for dinner you'll spend just a bit more. I budgeted $100 per day and since we didn't always eat regular meals, that covered our transportation and meals.
Getting around takes some brain power. We clustered our activities, so one day we'd be in Mid-Town all day, then another morning we'd be downtown. We walked 6-8 miles per day! And we took the subway everywhere. It's efficient and easy (use your Google Maps app and click on "transit) and fairly cheap. Just be aware that sometimes lines get closed last minute and you have to reroute. Sometimes the subway doesn't take you right to your destination, so you might need to walk 10 blocks, or take an Uber or taxi. I highly recommend Uber! Very convenient and less expensive than a taxi. The thing about getting around in NYC is that it will take longer than you think due to traffic, or waiting for a train, or etc.
If you are going to NYC, even if you aren't a huge Broadway fan, SEE A SHOW! These are professionals. They do this everyday. You will be blown away. I sure was! I can't wait to see more shows. My advice? Buy tickets as early as possible. When we tried to get same-day "cheap" tickets, options were very limited, and we were able to get cheaper tickets online anyway.
Airbnb is the way to go. Way cheaper than hotels! Maybe it won't have an elevator, but you'll have a kitchen. Just make sure to get one with good reviews and lots of pictures.
There is so much to see in NYC. So look on different lists of what to see, and pick your top 5 or 10, depending on how long you are going to spend there. I think 5 days is probably the perfect amount of time to be able to see one or two shows and hit the main sites. It would be hard to do EVERYTHING so just pick your favorites. We saw the Empire State Building and the Freedom Tower and the Statue of Liberty, but we didn't go up and tour them. That was good enough for us.
My favorite places to visit? The MET, Central Park, Broadway (and the shows), the food, different areas of NYC (mid-town has a different feel than lower Manhattan, etc.). Also just walking around exploring was fun!
One final thought -- talk to everyone. It's so much fun. Traveling with my husband Jon is always an adventure because he's so friendly and energetic (yes, at times it made me tired....). We talked to people on the subway, shop owners, waiters, waiting in line to see a show, etc. That was one of the best parts of NYC and really anywhere!
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