Visiting The Big Apple

You would think that since I've lived on the East Coast my whole life, and since I've been to New England and Canada several times, that I would have been to New York City at least once, but no. Now that I have time and some money, I'd like to go, but I'm completely overwhelmed on where to stay, what to visit, how to get around, etc. Searching around on the internet hasn't really helped, so I'm hoping to get some input from folks who live around the city, or have at least been there before.

I live close to Baltimore, about 5 hours south. I'm fine with interstate/freeway driving, even heavy traffic, but I don't want to drive into the city. Is it feasible to stay in, say, New Jersey, and take some kind of rail in? The NJ transit page has rail maps, but it doesn't seem like the stations are conveniently placed anywhere near hotels, and they don't have much parking. My other option would be to take Amtrak from Baltimore into the city, but that would end up costing me a lot more, both in hotel and train tickets.

How's the subway system? It's massive, yes, but it's not as bad as its reputation (crime, smell, etc), is it? What areas of NYC should I completely avoid? If I'm only in NYC for a few days, what things should I absolutely see (I don't care about Broadway, but I would like to visit Nintendo World, and any other cheesy shopping areas (like the mall in downtown Philadelphia))?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

NYC sucks. It's a combination of piss, garbage, and a burning motor (The Darkness).

If you must go, you can use HopStop.com - Subway Directions and Bus Directions for New York City (NYC), which is a great resource for the MTA. Where would you stay if you decide to commute from NJ? I'm in Central NJ, and I go to New Brunswick (another shithole) whenever I need to get to NY. There are a couple of hotels there, within tolerable walking distance.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Again, I don't know NJ that well, but East Rutherford seems like there's a lot of hotels/restaurants around the stadium. Either that or somewhere in Newark. I'm a federal employee, so at many nice hotels I can stay at per diem, which in the Newark area is $124/night (compared to over $200 in Manhattan).

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Someone from New Jersey talking shit about NYC. Classic comedy, that. Megalith acting like he has taste in anything? Even funnier.

NYC is an experience, Nutty. And what you see there depends on your tastes. You dig theatre, there's almost always some new Stoppard production going on. If you like food, there's some amazing restaurants. You like shopping, there's some good districts, etc. What you need to do is give a list of what things you dig on trying while you're there, and people can point you in the right direction. Can always hit a taping of the Daily Show/Colbert Report while you're there, if that's your thing. Or one of the late nights. Tons of stuff to do to keep you occupied.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Denicalis

What you need to do is give a list of what things you dig on trying while you're there, and people can point you in the right direction.

Unique (but affordable) dining would be great to find. I always love finding new places to eat when I travel. I hadn't thought about getting a seat at a late night taping; that would be cool except isn't there a several month waiting for those? I was planning on doing this sooner rather than later.

Mostly what I do when I visit a new city is check out all the shopping areas. That sounds weird from a straight guy, I know, and I'm not looking for the latest fashions or anything, I just dig finding new stores (video games especially) or getting lost in an enormous mall. Not cookie-cutter suburban malls, but malls that are maybe old and off the beaten path, or malls in the middle of the city that have cool architecture. It's hard to describe, and makes me sound a bit one dimensional, I suppose Something like a flea market/open air market would be awesome as well. But of course, that's not what NYC is all about.

By and large, I'd like to visit the touristy things, like the Empire State Building, Times Square, Macy's, Ground Zero, etc. Things that if you only go to New York once, you can say you've seen them.

I don't care about theater at all, nor am I big on nightlife in general. That's why I'm perfectly content to stay outside the city, and come home at night to a nice quiet hotel room.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I just visited NYC this past weekend, and I hope to be moving there after I graduate. (If you're interested, I wrote all about it with pictures in my journal.)

In a little over 24 hours, my friends and I covered a good amount of the major attractions, Rockefeller Center (Nintendo World is there too), and from there you can walk to Times Square, Ground Zero, Central Park. A lot of walking will be done, no matter what you want to see.

Staying in NJ is very possible. I dont know exactly WHERE the station is in NJ, but there's a Subway line called 'The Path', that goes directly between NYC and NJ. The Path's NYC station is right in the middle of the World Trade Center, so there's one stop right there. You're definitely gonna need to purchase a Metro Card... cards swiped and scanned on both subways and buses (and I found out, some taxis)... I lasted with a $10 one, which gave 6 rides (if you get off a subway and get onto a bus, its considered just another transition, so its not an extra ride). Subways, however, can definitely be confusing, especially on the weekends, when some of the trains turn 'express' rather than 'local'. My friends and I experienced this the hard way when our train went right by our stop and we didnt know why. Almost ALL the locals are extremely helpful, so dont be afraid to ask when you cant figure out the maps. As for crime, dont buy anything from sketchy dudes, no matter how legit it looks (common sense), but that's about all that I noticed. My friends and I all had giant bags when we went on, with no problems. Smell... depends on the station. If I recall, I think it was Chambers St. that reeked. Also, I learned this the hard way, dont try to approach the cops with the dogs.

Also, taxis really arent that expensive at all (at least not from our trip... I think the most we spent was like, $8 + tip... I think it was from the Museum of Natural History to 86th and York, but dont quote me on that one). If the subways get too confusing, dont be afraid to swallow your pride, summon a taxi, and tell him where you want to go.

As for food... its pretty much on every corner. If it looks expensive, it is, and Delis and pizza places are your friends. Bars, ironically enough, serve good food too (and have beer pong!). I dont know any specifically great places to eat though.

Hmmm... that's all I can think of right now. It seriously is a great place, and if/when you do go, remember that its a city you're almost MEANT to get lost in... that's when all the fun happens.

But then, I'm only the occasional visitor and future resident. The folks who live or go there more often may have different things to say. Hope this helped though! <3

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Sheesh, I didn't know that Megalith was that close to me. <.<

Since it's the closest train station to me, I'd usually take Metropark to NY, but that's 12 bux round trip during off-peak hours. Although the Path train is pretty good if you wanna save money. Last time I went, it was 3 bux one way. Probably a good place to stay then, if you wanna take the Path train, would be Jersey City.

It's a business area, I'm sure that you could find some hotel to stay in there.

Checkout Chinatown if you want also. The Elizabeth Square mall could settle all your anime and gaming needs there. The location of it might be a little obscure, but Chinatown isn't a huge place anyway, so finding it shouldn't be a problem. There's an import gaming store across the street from Elizabeth Sqaure, so that's a place you could check also. The shit they have though, is pretty pricey... A Japanese Wii ran for about $410, DDR STR!KE was $70, and I ended up picking up Jump Superstars there a couple years ago at $60.

As for shopping areas in Jersey, Jersey Gardens, I guess, would be alright. Biggest outlet mall in Jersey and there's an IKEA about five minutes away.

I don't really travel to NYC all that often, so that's about all I could tell you. If there's anything about NJ you need to know, I could possibly help.

FELIPE NO

Learning about the PATH is very helpful, since I hadn't heard of that before, and it looks very cheap. The problem is there are so few stations. After further research, I've found a nice Residence Inn in West Orange that is 4 miles from the South Orange station, or 8 miles from the Harrison station on PATH, both off of I-280. There's also another Residence Inn around the parking lot of the Jersey Gardens, but from the map it doesn't look like it would be easy to get to a rail station from there.

Chaotic, are you sure you have the name of the Elizabeth Square mall right? I've tried googling it every which way and only turn up a mall in New Zealand.

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GREAT PLACE TO VISIT. DONT LIVE THERE. THEY EAT SOULS

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by nuttyturnip

Chaotic, are you sure you have the name of the Elizabeth Square mall right? I've tried googling it every which way and only turn up a mall in New Zealand.

My mistake. It's Elizabeth Center/Elizabeth Street Mall.

Here's some info regarding the place and other gaming and anime places around the city (site seems a little outdated, but whatever): New York City Geekdom

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Originally Posted by nuttyturnip

How's the subway system? It's massive, yes, but it's not as bad as its reputation (crime, smell, etc), is it? What areas of NYC should I completely avoid? If I'm only in NYC for a few days, what things should I absolutely see (I don't care about Broadway, but I would like to visit Nintendo World, and any other cheesy shopping areas (like the mall in downtown Philadelphia))?

I visited NYC two years ago right after Christmas with my two roommates (probably not a good choice, right before New Year's and all) and it was not NEARLY as bad as people kept saying it was. Especially the subway, it really was a great and easy way for us to get around. And theres a lot of cheap places to eat at some of the main subway stations. As long as you keep to yourself, you'll be fine.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by nuttyturnip

How's the subway system? It's massive, yes, but it's not as bad as its reputation (crime, smell, etc), is it?

I used it constantly on my two trips to NYC. For the most part, it's pretty decent. I didn't see that much evidence of crime, but I will admit that a few elevators did stink of piss so much that it was impossible to use them.

Quote:

What areas of NYC should I completely avoid?

There's nowhere on Manhattan island that you should avoid. Speaking as a white man who walked through Harlem I can safely say that it doesn't entirely deserve the reputation it has acquired.

I wouldn't like to say regarding the other boroughs, because like a typical tourist I stayed in Manhattan.

Originally Posted by nuttyturnip

Unique (but affordable) dining would be great to find. I always love finding new places to eat when I travel.

Manhattan is filled with places to eat. You can't walk an entire city block in midtown without encountering at least two different places to eat. I don't know about 'unique', but I suggest you check out some of the little Chinese places that are tucked away. There seem to be quite a few of them, so you won't have any trouble finding one.

Quote:

Mostly what I do when I visit a new city is check out all the shopping areas. That sounds weird from a straight guy, I know, and I'm not looking for the latest fashions or anything, I just dig finding new stores (video games especially) or getting lost in an enormous mall.

The best video games store I found was J & R Computer, which is located not far from the former site of the World Trade Center. I didn't venture that far off the beaten track, but J & R computer had a quite extensive range of product. Certainly there's nothing like that back home where I live.

Quote:

Something like a flea market/open air market would be awesome as well. But of course, that's not what NYC is all about.

When I have visited, there was always an open air market on each Sunday. It was pretty cool, there were interesting things to eat at least. Most of the stalls are selling cheap tourist crap, but the odd one or two were selling things that made me deeply regret the limits on how much weight I could carry in my luggage. Such as the stall that sold sculptures of various sci-fi characters made out of reclaimed motorcycle parts.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

That link is awesome, Chaotic, thanks!

Soluzar, I was planning to go to J&R, as I've heard mention of them before in relation to games. Provided I can get the time off, I plan to go March 5-8, so I won't be there on a Sunday to check out the open air market. Since this is my first time, I'll probably just stick to Manhattan, though it sounds like there might be some cool districts in Queens as well.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I really want to go to Broadway to see some musical theater, I only seen one production and it was in Toronto.... that's not a bad thing, but I would love to have the whole "Big Apple' experience when it comes to theater.

I hope to go in a few years.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Musicals aren't theatre. They're a disgusting abomination of a beautiful concept. People who call musicals theatre are the same people who think wine in a box is high concept. Is it wine? Sure. But is it good wine? Fuck no.

Do yourself a favour if you're in NYC, go see Stoppard, not Gilbert and Sullivan.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Denicalis

Musicals aren't theatre. They're a disgusting abomination of a beautiful concept. People who call musicals theatre are the same people who think wine in a box is high concept. Is it wine? Sure. But is it good wine? Fuck no.

Do yourself a favour if you're in NYC, go see Stoppard, not Gilbert and Sullivan.

Gilbert & Sullivan are classics. Pirates of Penzance? Pretty much gold. I think anything in the Andrew Lloyd Webber catalogue or those riffing off him (Les Mis, Rent) would be a much better target for your derision.

Anyway, nutty, I would recommend checking out some of the local NY blogs websites, particularly Gothamist and New York Magazine. The local section of the NY Times is also good. Try to find something going on that'll make your trip a little unique -- there's so much happening in NYC that it should be pretty easy.

Good luck and post pictures.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Speaking of which, check out RENT while you're there. It's Broadway run is supposed to end at the start of June, so this might be a good time to see it before it's over.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

So you're interested in shopping for games? There are an innumerable number of Gamestops along Broadway but I'm sure you're looking for a more interesting store. My favorite place is J&L Game Trading in Chinatown. They have a huge selection of imports and rarities. A bit pricey, but not much more expensive than the chains. There is a subway stop nearby that's marked on the map. Nintendo World wasn't all that special, the decor is nice, but I wouldn't exactly shop there for my games.

The best shopping to me is downtown Broadway, from 14th Street/Union Square south to Canal Street. Walk down this section, keeping a sharp eye out for stores that interest you and you'll be set. As you exit the station there is a Virgin Megastore that is so much better than the one in Times Square if you need music/movies. A good starting point is Strand Books, which is my favorite bookstore, with literally miles of bookshelves and great prices. Across the street is Forbidden Planet, which is a huge comic book shop. Stay the hell away from the Manhattan Mall or Midtown in general if you want any shopping done, it's crowded, noisy and just unpleasant to visit.

As a lifelong resident, the idea of taking a taxi around Manhattan is complete insanity. For the price of a $7 Fun Pass, (unlimited subway/bus rides for 24 hours) you can barely get crosstown at busy times. Don't worry about the subway, it's very safe and reliable. I ride it everyday and have never been accosted nor run into smelly stations. I'd advise you to look at the map that's posted at The MTA Site. This online version is actually very shitty, as it does not have the major streets written down nor neighborhoods marked, so glance at the PDF. I will admit, it is quite overwhelming at first, especially in Manhattan. But think of each North-South avenue as having a subway line under it, with a few East-West lines that go crosstown.

I'm going to assume your starting point is Times Square, which has nearly every line connection in Manhattan. If you want to go down to Union Square, which is my advised starting point, take the N,R,W downtown to "14th Street-Union Square". You can just walk down Broadway from there and find all the locations I've marked.

It would take a huge post to go over all the places I like to eat at, so I'll just list my favorite place in Manhattan. My other choices are in Queens and Brooklyn, and I don't know how that would work out on a first trip to NYC.

Pho Bang. I can never get tired of this place, it doesn't get any better than authentic Vietnamese food if you're sick of all the Thai places that permeate the city. It's incredibly cheap, filling, and bursting with flavor. My favorite dishes are the Banh Tap (appetizer, pork loin on shrimp chips with a dipping sauce) and Tai (Pho, basically a beef broth with noodles, bean sprouts, beef).

Phew, that's all off the top of my head right now. If you have any questions feel free to ask, it'd be a pleasure to help. :D

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Valvados

So you're interested in shopping for games? There are an innumerable number of Gamestops along Broadway but I'm sure you're looking for a more interesting store. My favorite place is J&L Game Trading in Chinatown. They have a huge selection of imports and rarities. A bit pricey, but not much more expensive than the chains.

Ah, this was the name of the import store across from Elizabeth Center. Now that you have a map, you literally can't miss either one of the two. Although inside Elizabeth Center, it's probably the best place to pick up some used games. They usually run $5-10 lower than Gamestop/EBGames.

But as Valvados said, they are a bit pricey if you were to buy the games new, but I suppose they equal out if you were to import them from a website.

As I said, you really can't miss either. I've marked them on the map. Elizabeth Square is a two level mall though. Small, but most of the good stuff is on the bottom floor.



How ya doing, buddy?

Recently I've been visiting NYC and i have to say, that it is just amazing. I'm from Germany and was very impressed of the city. The only thing that was strange was, that I had the impression that more people speak spanish than english there ,-)

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

When I stopped by NYC on my way to Buffalo a man in the amtrak station told me to stop sending radiation towards him. He was an honest man, he said, and a scientist. I spent most of that conversation staring at him in disbelief and finally apologizing so I could get some sleep (it was 3 in the AM, you see).

And here I thought he'd appreciate a bit of radiation, I guess not.

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Originally Posted by Denicalis

Musicals aren't theatre. They're a disgusting abomination of a beautiful concept. People who call musicals theatre are the same people who think wine in a box is high concept. Is it wine? Sure. But is it good wine? Fuck no.

You have no idea how sorry I am for you.

Originally Posted by Chaotic

Speaking of which, check out RENT while you're there. It's Broadway run is supposed to end at the start of June, so this might be a good time to see it before it's over.

I would love to see RENT before it closes, but it won't be for a few years before I get to Broadway. I hope Hairspray and the Lion king are still there by the time I go.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?