The City that never sleeps!
This time we had plans to shop until we dropped - walk until we had no legs left and of course see the Freedom Tower and go to pay our respects to the 9/11 victims at the memorial.
It would appear that as we landed everyone and their dog had too. What I was impressed about was that although it looked packed to the rafters in the border control area, they had a system in place that meant that we were through in about half an hour tops. What I didn't envisage was the mile-long queues for the yellow cabs. We waited and we waited. We got on our way into the city after about 45 mins queueing. My tip? Pre-book a transfer, and if you don't want to pay for a private transfer, then pre-book a shared shuttle transfer!
Once we had checked into our hotel at Westin Grand Central, we just had enough energy for a walk into Times Square. Boy - were we glad we stayed out of that area?! I stayed up there before and it was manic! The Westin Grand Central hotel was only about 15 mins walk tops but we all agreed, it was in a much quieter spot, and both my boys preferred the location.
I won’t bore you with every minute detail of our fabulous weekend away, but a few tips I picked up along the way.....
Pre-book your transfers - the taxis might be cheaper but after that flight you just want to get going...not queueing!
Don't break the bank to stay at Times Square. Whilst it is fab, its packed, its pricier and it’s just nice to be able to walk in and walk away from it all.
9/11 Memorial - This is the one everyone heads for and is run by the Government. It’s very good! However, we loved the 911tributemuseum.org which is actually run by victims’ families, volunteers, emergency workers from that fateful day. They give a private and very moving account of that day. You can also visit their own smaller museum which is very personal and very touching!
Staten island Ferry - This is absolutely free. Worth the walk down to Whitehall in the lower part of Manhattan and you get the exact same opportunities as a paid circle line cruise to see the Statue of Liberty. Just make sure you’re on the right side going over to Staten Island and on the left side coming back. The ferry turns around in about 40 mins, so you’re not over there for long if you want to come straight home.
Central Park....hire bikes and spend a couple of hours in this beautiful park which is smack in the middle of this mad city.
Open top buses.....pre-buy your tickets, you might just get one or two things free thrown in. But also use the subway, its quick, efficient and very safe.
Overall, we just want to go back! we walked, cycled, bussed, cabbed and subwayed all over this wonderful city.
Do you want to go? Have I whet your appetite for a short break in this city that truly never sleeps, then call me!