Rohit's nukkad

Sunday, December 31, 2006

New York city



Recently I made my first trip to New York city - the big apple, the financial capital of US and one of the greatest cities in the world. The city has a unique vibe, something which makes New York what New york is. It is made up of five boroughs (again something unique for New York City) important from administrative point of view. They are Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Out of these Manhattan is the most important one, with a beautiful skyline, all the great shopping stores, the Wall street, the Times Square and the list goes on.
A lot of tourists come to New York to see the various attractions, but for me going on top of the Empire State Building was the biggest attraction. One of the main reasons why Empire State attracted me was the sheer joy of seeing from top of the tallest building in the Manhattan skyline (the World Trade Center towers were taller than it). One amazing fact about Empire State is that it was completed in a short span of 14 months. Two neighboring states are visible too, Connecticut and New Jersey. You have to go on top of the empire state to experience it.
Here are couple of tips while making your trip to New York.
  • Try to stay with a friend or family since hotels are expensive. But if you are booking a hotel room get one in New Jersey, and take the the subway to visit New York city.
  • Use the subway system , it is very efficient and a cheap transportation option. Renting or taking your own vehicle is not a good idea. The routes are easy to follow and learn with maps available at all subway stations.
  • The subway and the bus system come under MTA, hence purchasing a ticket makes it valid on both. Tickets can be purchased at any subway station or a gas station near bus stations.
  • Be prepared to walk a lot since that is the best was to explore Manhattan and other areas in New York.
One last word, explore the city and try doing not just the regular touristy things .

1 Comments:

  • Its a good idea to do some research on hotels in Manhattan before going. The hotels in Manhattan are either really expensive, or if they are inexpensive, they are really old and dilapidated. But there are few that are a balance between price and decency.

    If you do stay in New Jersey, you gotta take a train/bus to Manhattan. Some points to note:
    1. Do not rely on a bus to bring you into the city - traffic, tunnels, and traffic in tunnels. A train is the best option.
    2. There are no New York subway trains that come to New Jersey. You can catch a PATH train and come to the World Trade Center station, and change to the subway there (which is sorta a pain). The PATH train is $1.50 single ride.
    3. NJ Transit runs trains to New York Penn station. The ticket for that is about $12.50 or so single ride.
    4. For the more adventurous-type, there are commuter boats or water-taxis from certain points in New Jersey to Manhattan.

    So, it might be slightly cheaper money-wise to stay in New Jersey, but more expensive convenience-wise.

    By Blogger Amit B, at 1:07 AM, January 07, 2007  

Post a Comment

Site Feed << Home