I Love New York!
What a first day. We went to bed some time around 12:30 AM. Then up at 3:00 AM, Denver time, in preparation for the trip. We got to the airport and Margo and Jessi had just enough time to grab a couple of sandwiches from McD and they began boarding for our 6:00 AM flight. Two hours later we transferred in Chicago, with no wait and we were on our way to NYC. Another two hours later and we touched down at La Guardia. We got our bags and got in line for a taxi. It went quick. About 15 minutes and we had a cab. I was glad I had read up on what to expect as far as the taxi drivers and traffic laws. The guide book mentioned that the old time movie cab drivers were a thing of the past.
Our first experience with NYC culture.
No cigar chomping hack saying “Where to, Mac”. The guide says that most were first generation immigrants. Ours was Korean. I could only tell that by his placard and radio station choice. But, there were no problems at all. He took what had to have been the quickest route, and we were at our hotel, The Hotel Newton on the Upper West side of Manhatten, by 1:30 PM. We checked in and everything was as described. The elevator is slow, but it’s not as worrisome as some of the people’s reviews, on the internet, made it out to be. The room is nice. Two queen beds, a kitchenette, and a sitting room. The beds are very firm. I slept very well.
Our first stop after getting settled in our rooms was to get something to eat.
Margo & Jessi on top of the Empire State Building
We generally check out the local Hooters when we get to town. Jessi likes the chain. I like the scenery. After we sat down and ordered we got our first taste of NYC’s eclectic and diverse range of people. A 60+ year old man, with short hair, like a business man would have, and a short skirt like a hooker would have. He (she) had boobs to match, fishnet stockings, and heels. We snuck a picture. After Hooters it was off to the Empire State Building. It started to rain, but we had anticipated that, and had umbrellas for all of us. By the time we got to ESB, waded through three different lines (& there would have been a fourth if we hadn’t got our tickets in advance.), and taken the two elevators to the 86th floor, the rain had stopped. Visibility was only a couple of miles, but you still make out the Statue of Liberty.
Macys. It's so big, you can't find a damn thing. But, I'm sure they have it
The crowd was a bigger obstacle. They weren’t terrible, but bad enough. We spent a half hour or so checking out the view and looking at the gift shop. I always try to get a polo shirt when we visit an attraction like this, but they didn’t have any. We finished up at ESB and then went to Macy’s, which is right across the street, providing you go out the correct door. It was way too hard to find anything in Macy’s. They might have everything, but you can’t find anything. They will give you a “personal shopper”, but unless you were planning to spend some money with them, I would feel guilty. We did end up eating there in their Cellar Café. Margo had a Turkey Bristini and Jessi and I had the BBQ Chicken Quesadillas. The food was actually pretty good. It wasn’t as hot as I would have liked it and the service was bad. It took too long for our order to be taken. It came out about right, but after some busy boy brought it out, we never had anyone else even check on us, until we finished eating.
Times Square
Whatever. If that’s the worse thing that happens, I’ll be ecstatic.
After we ate it was off to Times Square. Times Square for the most part lived up to expectations. Some of the more glamorous shops were a lot smaller than expected. But, the lights were all there. We walked around for a while. Saw the Hershey store, MTV store, Planet Hollywood, and of course tons of lights. It reminds you of Vegas. It had been a long day, so we decided to call it night about 9:30. We were going to have the opportunity to get back to Times Square, so it wasn’t that big a deal
Near the Subway
The Hotel Newton, located on the Upper West side of Manhatten is a budget hotel that delivers more than you would expect. The cost is cheap for New York. The final bill for 6 nights, in a Junior Suite, came to $1100 of $183 per night. For this you get two beds, microwave, small frig, and a very attentive staff. Don't let the location scare you away. There is a subway station half a block away. If you catch an express train you can be in Times Square in 15 minutes. The neighborhood is quite. There is a small grocery store just down the street, and the Key West Diner is right next door. They have decent food (big protions) at good prices. The one drawback is that they have just one elevator, and it is slow. If you go in knowing that it's really not a big deal. I thought it added a bit of charm to the place. The Newton is in an older building, but the furnishing are well cared for and the maids keep it very clean. We thought it was an excellent choice, and the extra $50 a night we would have spent staying in Lower Manhatten was easy to spend elsewhere.
The Hotel Newton (photo is from
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