Great American Cities- New York City

May 17-21, 2007- Girls’ Weekend Getway!

Many of my adventures include a group of awesome girlfriends who are always up for anything. When we’re home our activities range from hiking, cross-country skiing and cycling to attending art shows and gallery openings. We enjoy meeting at Mexican restaurants for big pitchers of Margaritas but we also like spending a Saturday night playing games. My friends are an awesome bunch!

The NYC Girls’ Weekend idea originated with my middle sister, Joanna. Her friend Kevin offered to show us around the city. My middle sister Joanna, my little sister Megan, my best friend Di, my friends Jan and Janet (who are also co-workers of Joanna and Megan) and I were in. A date was set and plans started being made. We would celebrate Jan’s birthday in NYC!

We’re all budget travelers and cost was a concern. Although we’d heard that NYC is a very expensive, there are so many ways to save money in NYC! Before leaving, we all ordered the New York Pass (plus one for Kevin), which is a card that gives you admission to more than 40 top NYC attractions. We paid about $85/each for a two-day Pass- considering the cost of the Natural History Museum alone was $56, the Pass is a great deal! The Pass also saves a lot of time! We didn’t have to wait in line to buy tickets at any of the attractions. Because of the Pass, you get to skip the lines and go to a special desk that will issue the tickets.

We left after work on Thursday. We rented a minivan with lots of storage space and a DVD player. We all brought an assortment of snacks for the ride. We watched ‘The Warriors’ while driving toward NYC. We took Interstate 77 North to I-76 East to I-80 East and followed 80 all the way into New Jersey. We stopped around 9:00pm for a dinner at a little Amish place somewhere in Pennsylvania. We drove through the night and arrived at our hotel in the early morning hours. We decided to stay in a hotel in New Jersey near a PATH station and ride the train into the city everyday. What can I say about the hotel? I’ve seen much nicer but for $100/night compared to NYC prices there weren’t bugs and the rooms weren’t dirty but a mirror did come crashing down in the middle of the night and the exterior of the hotel is definitely on the shabby side.

On Friday morning we took off toward NYC. We had an awful hand-drawn map from the front desk with nothing resembling directions to the train station. We still managed to find it with the help of some friendly New-Jerseyians outside the restaurant where we had breakfast. Once we got to the station, we were a little confused because we’re from Ohio and just don’t ride public transportation on a daily basis. Another kind person helped us with the ticket machines and a very helpful man herded us to train minutes before it took off. He spent the 10 minute ride telling us the various places to shop, eat and enjoy ourselves. We rode the train from Journal Square to 33rd Street and come up under the Manhattan Mall. That’s where we met Kevin.

The next few days were a whirl-wind tour. I think I remember most of it but I could have things confused. It is a lot to take in. But, for all the times I’d heard about how overwhelming NYC can be, I didn’t feel that way at all. When we were confused, a local would help us. The signs are pretty clearly marked and no matter what, there’s always some major landmark close to where you are so you can get back on track if you need to. The trains are easy once you get the hang of it. NYC is a visitor-friendly city.

Our first stop was the Museum of Sex, which was covered by the NYC Pass. The MoS was not my thing. I was expecting risqué exhibits but we went on a day when celebrity porn was being featured and that didn't interest me. I enjoyed the first exhibits which featured different fetishes and some of the exhibits at the end were quite interesting. It wasn’t a museum of sexy stuff, it was really a museum of sex.

Next, we went to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, also covered by the Pass. This was slightly fun because you can get your picture taken with your favorite actor, politician, athlete, etc. But, the museum was packed with people and it is hard to navigate around the crowds and the statues. I did enjoy getting a picture of myself kicking Derrick Jeter in the balls.

After Madame Tussaunds we wondered around the city a little taking in Times Square, which basically has everything we have at home, but all lit up and shiny, then heading over to see Rockefeller Center, Saks 5th Avenue, Radio City Music Hall and many other landmarks in that area. We plan on visiting Top of the Rock on our next visit. One of the highlights of the trip was saying a prayer in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was absolutely beautiful and quite calming in the middle of the hectic city. We only stayed for a few minutes but it was quite touching.

We decided to stop for dinner at a little Italian place at 150 W. 49th St. called Bella Napoli. We just read the menu in the window and decided it looked good. We ordered carafes of red wine and enjoyed delicious salads and entrees. I ordered Tries Fungi, which was mushrooms in cream sauce over pasta and it was amazing. We all got pleasantly tipsy on red wine and headed over to the Empire State Building for a view of NYC at night.

The Empire State Building at night was another of the highlights of the trip. There are long lines getting to the elevators to go up and even longer lines getting to the elevators to go down. But, the time spent on top of the building was great. What a beautiful view! We got our picture taken and then headed down. Kevin headed for Penn Station and we headed back to the PATH to go back to the hotel for the night.

The next day was another day full of running, running, running. Jan ended up walking about 12 miles on her birthday! We came up under the Manhattan Mall but asked a local where a good place to eat was and she pointed us toward a little deli a few blocks over. It had a name like Amores or something like that. I got a huge egg salad sandwich and drink for a few dollars. They also served pizza, sandwiches, soup and salads. We wanted to take a boat tour but because of cold and rainy weather, it was cancelled. Instead we wandered around the Garment District, saw the Parson’s School of Design (where Project Runway, a show that Janet and I love is taped) and the big needle.

We rode the train to the upper West Side and headed to the American Museum of Natural History, covered by the Pass. The museum had a lot of amazing historical exhibits but they all run together now. I know we saw dinosaur bones, Inuit canoes and a solar-system exhibit.

We walked through Central Park toward the Guggenheim, which is on the Upper East Side. The Guggenheim Museum was amazing and I think we all enjoyed it quite a bit. There were interactive light exhibits along with exhibits by well-known painters. There were hidden galleries and the building itself is a work of art.

From there we headed south toward the financial district. First, we stopped at Katz Diner for some lunch. I’m glad we stopped since it is a landmark but since I don’t eat much meat, it wasn’t really for me.

From there we headed down to Battery Park so we could see the Statue of Liberty. The park was deserted and quiet and I enjoyed visiting on a rainy day. We walked into the financial district and got a picture taken with the Bull. We then headed to the World Trade Center/ Ground Zero to pay our respects. There was a simple memorial made up of pictures, statements and timelines of the tragic events of 9/11. I cried most of the time. This was where we separated from Kevin. We all thanked him for being a wonderful guide- he headed back to Penn Station and we got the PATH right there. Instead of going out for Jan’s birthday, she was beat and we decided to order in.

We spent our last day in NYC wondering around and just enjoying the city. When we arrived in the city that morning, we ate at another local diner where the owner was very friendly and the food was good. From there, we headed to the Pier for the Beast Speedboat Tour (which is covered by the Pass). Don’t bother with the slow-boat tours- just take the Beast! We flew by everyone else with the wind in our hair and being splashed with water. The operators are great guys and made the tour even more fun. We circled the Statue of Liberty, saw lots of Manhattan from the water and had the best time. The Beast is probably the most fun we had! We got a limo ride back to Times Square and spent the rest of the day shopping. We spent one last night in our hotel and headed back to Ohio on Monday morning.

We had a great trip and saw so many attractions. I cannot wait to go back and spend more time in Central Park, take in sites we didn’t get to see, like Top of the Rock and the Museum of Modern Art, and get to know the city a little better. Although I’d budgeted $1K for the weekend trip, I barely spent $500! We were able to do everything on a budget. NYC is def a great weekend trip!