visit new york

How I did it: In a nutshell: I let my wife plan it.  She wanted to plan out the New York end of the trip, so I left her to it, with a few suggestions of my own.  She booked the hotel, made reservations at restaurants, and planned out most of the sightseeing.  However, I can give a few small bits of advice.

Lessons & tips:

• "Blocks" is a relative term in New York City.  Walking "5 blocks" can
  take you 7 minutes or 20, depending on what direction you're going.  Be
  wary!
• If you need to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time: don't be afraid of the subway.  It's fast, cheap, safe, and relatively clean.  And I had no problems navigating it, thanks to a small transit map that I had on me at all times.
• If you're looking for show tickets and don't really care what you see, TKTS is a good way to get cheap tickets the day of.  I got to see Spamalot for 50% of what it would have cost if I'd ordered the tickets in advance.
• Hot candied nuts are $5 for 3 little snack-sized bags; a good deal and they are delicious.
• If you're planning on going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accept the fact that you will NOT be able to see everything in one day.  My wife and I spent 5 hours there and saw maybe 1/5 of the exhibits.  Pick a handful of exhibits that strike your fancy and focus on them; if you try and see everything you will leave disappointed and exhausted.
• Try as many different kinds of restaurants as possible.  New York City has dozens of different cuisines for the curious culinary adventurer.

Resources: The Pod Hotel: a quirky, clean, and reasonably priced hotel in the heart of Manhattan.  There are four bathrooms on each floor that are shared between all the rooms, but there was never a lineup when we went, and each suite has a sink.  Some rooms even have bunk beds!

Natsumi Restaurant: The best sushi I'd ever tasted, for a very reasonable price.  And delicious sake infusions: lychee, pear, plum, or blueberry.

Sep 23, 2008, 03:15PM PDT | 0 comments | 8 cheers