Perhaps New York City’s image as rude, dangerous, tough and ridiculously
fast paced was redefined since my preconceptions jelled without firsthand
experience. Here are a few observations
from a first-time visitor to the place described during the musical Hamilton as “the greatest city
in the world”.
-New York is a safe
place for tourists. We walked around
Time’s Square, the Theater District, Hell’s Kitchen, Williamsburg Brooklyn and
Greenwich Village. There’s a huge police
presence and some of New York’s finest hold automatic rifles. These
anti-terrorist units will kindly give tourists accurate directions. (We saw it
in person. This really happens.)
* Red or green traffic lights
are irrelevant. Traffic lights are only reference points for the millions of pedestrians in
Manhattan. New Yorkers watch traffic and
move quickly across crowded intersections whenever possible. Vehicle movement
is often standing still due to grid lock.
-Most of the New
Yorkers we encountered were polite. They didn’t waste time with unnecessary
conversation but their direction and service was courteous. We visited Manhattan and Brooklyn and found
that the phrase that normally replies to “Thank you” was rarely “you are
welcome”. That’s been replaced by sure,
certainly, of course and absolutely.
*New Yorkers love their
city. When asked how we found NYC we
replied that “we love it.” It was the
right answer.
-If you enjoy walking,
the guided tours are value for your money.
The wealth of knowledge and new perceptions gained from participation in
the tours was overwhelming.
For
example, what do the following people and things have in common? Truman Capote, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Bob
Dylan, Dylan Thomas, Cary Grant, Hemmingway, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Gay
Rights, and Mixed Racial Clubs. The common denominator is Greenwich
Village. This list only skims the surface of the artists and social
activities that were inspired by the energy of Greenwich Village.
(Check out
the price of real-estate in Greenwich Village now. Call it gentrification. New York’s narrowest
house at 75 ½ Bedford Street sold for $3.25 million)
*Shop carefully for
Broadway tickets. The talent on the
stages of Broadway is leading edge. This
is not a revelation but ticket prices for the latest hot shows will shock you.
(We needed a second mortgage to pay for tickets to Hamilton. It was worth it.) There are discount sites
available and our guides all stated that “New Yorkers never pay full price for
theater tickets.”)
-The magic of Central
Park: running thru Central Park,
walking, or relaxing on a Park Bench on a sunny day is worth the visit to NYC. There
are hundreds of statues, memorials, the children’s zoo, Belvedere Castle,
lovely ponds, paths thru forests, and green meadows. Don’t miss the “Imagine” monument and
Strawberry Fields dedicated to John Lennon across from John and Yoko’s
condominium at the Dakota House.
*Plenty of
transportation options: Our choice for transportation methods depended on
time and traffic congestion. The subway, Ubur and walking worked well.
-The NEW YORK Pass is
value for your money if you’re a “go getter”. My wife set the alarm early
and we enjoyed tours of Wall Street, Greenwich Village, Broadway, Brooklyn’s Williamsburg,
a boat trip around the Statue of Liberty, a trip to the top of the Rockefeller
Center, the Big Bus Tour, the Natural History Museum, MoMA, The Met, the 9/11
Memorial Museum and The Guggenheim Museum. The pass also offered some fast
tracks into each venue.
*The Frank Loyd Wright designed Guggenheim Museum and The
Frick House (Collection) constructed by Thomas Hastings are worth visiting to enjoy the architecture alone.
The
collections are equally amazing and can be enjoyed when time is limited. (Be ready for paintings by iconic artists
including Vermeer, Renoir, Van Gogh, Turner, Anthony van Dyck, and Picasso.)
-There are hundreds of
Irish Bars. We visited the Celtic Pub on a Friday night near Time’s square.
It was crowded, most patrons sang along with the club’s guitarist, danced, and
chatted loudly with strong Irish accents.
We stepped thru a door and found ourselves in Dublin. (They left the IRA
song list to play my request for Brown
Eyed Girl by Irishman Van Morrison.)
Dining. We
searched the net before visiting New York and used YELP throughout our visit. The results were terrific. Almost every meal met expectations and there
were several major positive surprises. Before
and after musicals we loved dining at Lillie’s Victorian Bar and Dutch Fred’s
near Hell’s Kitchen.
They served a world
class steak at Keens on West 36th and the atmosphere defined over
100 years was simply sensational. Great
options for dining in NYC are countless.
The Top of the Rock: we saved the trip to the top of the Rockefeller Center for late in the evening and avoided line ups. The night views of New York from the viewing stage on the 67th, 69th and 70th floors were remarkable. (Our friends waited at the Empire State Building for three hours before getting the lift to the top.)
May your next trip to New York be safe, exciting, and full of
opportunities to meet friendly and engaging people that don’t waste time.
