Advice Needed - 1st Time Visit To U.S.A.

[HeatherInFlorida]

OK, I'll compromise on Merritt Parkway through the New Haven (or even the Groton) exit.

 

 

:) -dave

 

The "Hutch" into the Merritt into the Wilbur Cross is good. But if you really want to enjoy the scenery on your way to Boston, you absolutely should check out Connecticut's Quiet Corner (where I happen to be from;) ). It's only the most beautiful countryside in all the world ... well, maybe not the world, but pretty darned nice. It would take you a lot longer, but if you're going to drive from NY to Boston, you absolutely must get onto some of the back country roads. Otherwise, you may as well just fly up ... or take the train.

 

JMHO:D

[kelly-NYC]

Jennie-

I don't have any advice about locks. I never lock my bags when at the airport. I live in NYC, so I do have some advice about visiting here.

 

Someone mentioned the TKTS booth in Times Square. You are able to purchase tickets to some Broadway plays at half price at this booth. Really popular shows typically are sold out, so they do not sell tickets for the most popular shows at half price.

 

One bit of advice for you if you do want to try the TKTS route. Tickets are usually about $45-55 at the half price rate and you must pay in CASH. In addition, the line at the Times Square location is often REALLY long. They have another location at the South Street Seaport, which is a touristy area with shops and restaurants. This is all the way at the end of Manhattan near the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. The line is much shorter there. I have never waited longer than 20 minutes in line there. The line in Times Square can be hours long.

 

Have a wonderful time in NYC and on your cruise!!

Kelly

[RuthC]

Gee, Jennie. Ask one itty-bitty question and look at all the advice you got! How's that for a "Welcome to the U. S. of A."!

IIRC, you're taking the train from NYC to Boston. Is that still the plan?

I'm looking forward to meeting you on the Maasdam. It's getting closer, now, isn't it! :)

[dakrewser]

The "Hutch" into the Merritt into the Wilbur Cross is good. But if you really want to enjoy the scenery on your way to Boston, you absolutely should check out Connecticut's Quiet Corner (where I happen to be from;) ). It's only the most beautiful countryside in all the world ... well, maybe not the world, but pretty darned nice. It would take you a lot longer, but if you're going to drive from NY to Boston, you absolutely must get onto some of the back country roads. Otherwise, you may as well just fly up ... or take the train.JMHO:D

 

Along the shore from Westchester to North Kingstown, across the bridge to Newport then up 114 thru Bristol to Pawtucket then on to 95 and race into Beantown. That's the way to go.

[Ziggy7]

IIRC, you're taking the train from NYC to Boston. Is that still the plan?

I'm looking forward to meeting you on the Maasdam. It's getting closer, now, isn't it! :)

Ok Ruth, you keep mentioning this IIRC person, but I never see them post! Are you seeing things from too much chocolate or is their an explanation ??? :)

[RuthC]

Ok Ruth, you keep mentioning this IIRC person, but I never see them post! Are you seeing things from too much chocolate or is their an explanation ??? :)

Both can be true! :D

IIRC= If I Recall Correctly, or, Unless I've Gone Completely Daft In My Old Age I Think I Remember That...

[Aussie Gal]

Ruth, Heather, Ziggy, Dave, jc, Mark, Time2Sail, Ted, Keith and Gina, Doug,

 

Thanks everyone for your warm wishes and great welcome to your wonderful country which we are really looking forward to seeing even though it will only be a small part.

 

Yes, we do now have to be fingerprinted on arrival which is a bit of a shock because down here only criminals are fingerprinted. Anyhow we won't mind as long as it keeps the terrorists away.

 

Ruth is correct. We are going to catch the train between New York and Boston. We would be hopelessly lost if we had to drive and remember we drive on the left side of the road so we would probably end up having an accident before we had gone very far.

 

As far as going to a Broadway Show, of course we couldn't visit New York without seeing at least one. I have been given the name of a place to buy tickets which is very reasonable, without having to queue up on Times Square.

 

We are also going to see the usual sights - Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, walk the Brooklyn Bridge one way, Empire State Building, Central Park, Metropolitan Musuem etc. We will probably have walked our legs off before we board the Maasdam in Boston. It will be a very exciting vacation.

 

Any tips or hints will be gratefully received. ;) ;)

 

Jennie

[HeatherInFlorida]

Jennie, if I may use your thread just to ask Kelly to give the city of NY a kiss for me:) ...

 

Just be careful which direction you walk the Brooklyn Bridge:D ... just kidding.

 

How long are you in New York? Because the Whitney and the Guggenheim are also great museums to visit. And on the West Side, the Museum of Natural History is fun. You might want to wander over to Lincoln Center where the Metropolitan Opera is (you'd be mere blocks from where I used to live:) ).

 

There's a really wonderful restaurant that you might not hear about just anywhere down in the Village called "One If By Land Two If By Sea" ... take a look: homepage . I have such fond memories of it and it's been there a long time. Fabulous and off the beaten path.

 

Oh my goodness!!! This is my 3000th post!!! I just noticed when I hit "submit"! Wow! Aren't I the yappy one:D

[Aussie Gal]

Hi Heather,

 

First of all congratulations on your 3000th post. Now it is not to far to the 5000th!

 

We will be in NYC just for one week so there will be a lot to fit in. Thanks for the recommendations. I have bookmarked the restaurant and hopefully we will get there and have a meal.

 

We both adore Opera so will have to find our way to the Lincoln Centre and the Metropolitan Opera House. I wonder if there are tours that can be taken over the building. We would love that.

 

It is so exciting for us to be actually going to this great city that we have read about all our lives.

 

Jennie

[Ziggy7]

Dont you have to still be careful on the subways in NY for thugs ??? I know this sounds awful but when my parents were there in Feb. 2004 they were told this. They didnt have any problems but I wondered if they took care of this. And before you throw me in the fire pit, they were told by my cousin who works in the Treasury Dept.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Dont you have to still be careful on the subways in NY for thugs ???

Well, I'm not a subway rider, but I haven't heard of anyone being attacked by thugs on the subway lately ;) .

 

NYC is the safest big city in the US - the bad old days of high crime rates are over. Of course there is still crime but as big cities go, NYC is extraordinarily safe these days. I would of course suggest that visitors use common sense and take standard precautions just as one would anywhere, but there is no need to be particularly worried about crime in NYC, certainly not in the areas regularly visited by tourists which are particularly safe.

 

There are a lot of misconceptions about crime in NYC by people who are not familiar with the city - people remember the bad years of the '70s and '80s (and they were) bad but anyone who has not been to NYC in the past ten years or so is in for a huge surprise. It really is a very different place - cleaner, brighter, safer, more welcoming and more prosperous than it has been for decades.

[dakrewser]

There are a lot of misconceptions about crime in NYC by people who are not familiar with the city - people remember the bad years of the '70s and '80s (and they were) bad but anyone who has not been to NYC in the past ten years or so is in for a huge surprise. It really is a very different place - cleaner, brighter, safer, more welcoming and more prosperous than it has been for decades.

 

I don't know, Doug. I was in NYC in Dec. '99 after coming back from a western Med cruise. I didn't feel as safe walking around Times Square as I did walking thru the Casbah in Tangiers.

 

It was nighttime in NYC, afternoon in Morocco, but I swear the Moroccans spoke better English! :rolleyes:

[kelly-NYC]

Heather-

I will give NYC a kiss for you :-) I don't make it to the Upper West Side very often, but I will think of you the next time I pass Lincoln Center!

 

Aussie -

I am a subway rider and have not heard of recent issues with thugs or experienced any. I live in midtown (Grand Central/United Nations area), but have worked in East Harlem and the Bronx. I have never experienced an issue. There was a recent report that there has been a in increase in Ipod (MP3 music players) thefts on the subway. I looked at an article on it and it seems to be an issue in the outer Boroughs, not Manhattan. Remember, when you hear a story about crime in New York City, it includes Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island as well as Manhattan.

 

Manhattan is really very safe. Most tourists never leave Manhattan. It is definitely not the NY of 10 or 20 years ago. I walk home from work and to my husband's office in midtown after dark and feel just as safe as if I were walking after dark in one of the small towns in Kentucky or West Virginia where I have lived. Just make sure to keep a bit of a closer eye on your purse or wallet in busy touristy areas like Times Square, Battery Park (Statue of Liberty) or Rockefeller Center. I do that and I live here. I just make sure my purse is zipped and my wallet isn't sticking out. I also avoid riding the subway after midnight or so.

 

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island can be an entire day event by the time you wait in line for the boat that takes you there. My advice for people if they are trying to save time is to see the Statue from Battery Park and save Ellis Island for a second trip. Since you are traveling from quite far away, a second trip might not be an option. Ellis Island is a great experience, but if you have alot of other things on your "to do" list, you might not have time for it since it takes most of the day. It depends on what your priorities are.

 

A good travel guide to NY is always helpful. I have and use DK- Eyewitness Travel Guide - NYC whenever relatives are in town. It helps you to determine what sites are in which neighborhoods so you aren't running from one neighborhood to the other and back. I find that I can save time when sightseeing if I see all that I can in one neighborhood or area before moving on to the next. For example. I usually do Statue of Liberty, World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown and Little Italy all on the same day because they are fairly close to each other. I wouldn't want to do any of those the same day that I was at Central Park or the Metropolitan Musuem, because they are at the other end of Manhattan.

 

If you have any other questions, don't hesistate to ask! And... make sure to wear comfortable shoes. Everyone who visits here insists that we do alot of walking in NY!

Kelly

[Renorita]

Heather, what more can I add to what everyone has already posted. It justs emphasizes that you are One Popular and Classy Lady! You are an Act that is hard to follow! Keep up the great posts as we all enjoy reading what you have to say. :)

 

Rita

[Aussie Gal]

Kelley,

 

Thank you for all that good advice. We have been watching documentaries on the subways of New York on TV here and from what we have seen we believe that they are quite safe as long as you are sensible and not flash money and jewellery around.

 

We do have the Eye Witness Guide, in fact that is the guide we buy for all our trips and I have a huge stack of them now as we have been all over Europe in the past 12 years. We find them invaluable.

 

We are staying in Midtown - Murray Hill area - which seems to be quite central to quite a few attractions and not that far from Times Square.

 

Jennie

[Renorita]

Heather, what more can I add to what everyone has already posted. It justs emphasizes that you are One Popular and Classy Lady! You are an Act that is hard to follow! Keep up the great posts as we all enjoy reading what you have to say. :)

 

Rita

 

Aussie Gal

 

:o I am embarassed to say and I don't know how I did it, but I thought I was responding to Heather's post about her getting the Blue Ribbon Cruiser award!

 

I was reading your thread to and wanted to wish you a great trip to this country, but got really mixed up somehow. Please forgive me and I really hope you have a wonderful vacation in New York, Boston, and on your Cruise! :)

 

Rita

[floridakeith]

Jennie I can only tell you that when flying from the UK to the USA the airlines that I and my friends have used ALL insist that to comply with US regulations cases must be left unlocked. These flights were all in the last few months and were on US Airways, Delta, United and British Airways. Why don't you call Singapore Airlines and ask them? My wife and I have cases just like yours. As others have suggested we use luggage straps as a second line of defense. On two recent round trips one of our cases have been opened and searched on three occasions out of four. They put a note inside the case to confirm it has been checked.

[Peggy Sue]

Are you going to have any time to spend in Boston? It is a beautiful city .. compact and full of history!! We love living in this area...from mountains to coast..it's all beautiful!!

 

 

If you have any questions about Boston, please ask .. I'd be happy to help you out!!

 

Wow..19 hours on board a plane .. Yikes .. But, at least it gets you here quickly and eliminates connections, lay overs, waiting in airports etc.

 

Peggy Sue

[HeatherInFlorida]

Jennie, I'm sure they have tours in Lincoln Center.

 

I never felt unsafe in NYC in all my years there. I know Rudy cleaned up Times Square and made a lot more areas safe, but even while I was there until '85 I biked in Central Park, went out at night (always walked near the curb;) ) and never worried. Obviously, caution is important in any city.

 

I can't wait to hear what you think of it all ... so unreal to imagine what it will be like your first time. I envy you the experience!

[Aussie Gal]

Peggy Sue,

 

We will be having two days in Boston, not a lot of time but at least we will be able to walk the Freedom Trail and see some other sights. I had a penfriend when I was about 12 years of age and she lived in Boston, so I have always wanted to visit plus it has so much history which we learnt about at school. eg. Boston Tea Party!

 

Floridakeith,

 

I will take your advice and ring Singapore airlines and found out what is required. We have always had luggage straps so that we can identify our cases so I suppose it would not be too hard to leave the cases undone, I just don't like the thought of people going through my luggage.

 

Rita,

 

Thanks so much for your good wishes and think nothing of getting mixed up with the threads. Heather deserves all the congratulations.

 

Jennie

[kruzkeen]

We both adore Opera so will have to find our way to the Lincoln Centre and the Metropolitan Opera House. I wonder if there are tours that can be taken over the building. We would love that.

 

 

There is info about tours of the Met at:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/discover/tour_the_met/

 

I have taken the tour during the opera season. I do not know if they do them all summer. Have a look at the Met site. There is usually ballet done in the summer.

 

Like others I hope you have a great time. I love NYC and Boston and usually go east in the fall. I notice nobody has warned you about the summer weather in the eastern part of the USA. It might be more humid than you are use to in Australia.

[Aussie Gal]

Kruzkeen,

 

Thanks so much for that link which I have bookmarked for future reference.

 

Yes I know it will be humid as I have read about New York summers. Down here we have the lovely dry heat, though Sydney and further north suffer humidity. Still, we don't mind what we have to go through as long as we can walk and take in all the sights.

 

I doubt if the humidity will be anything like experienced in Singapore where it is always between 90% and 95%. We have a stopover there every year on our way home from Europe so we know what it can get like.

 

Jennie

[dougnewmanatsea]

I doubt if the humidity will be anything like experienced in Singapore where it is always between 90% and 95%.

Well, not always, but it does get that humid here on a fairly regular basis in the summer.

 

My least favorite thing about New York is the weather! Quite cold in the winter, often rather hot and almost always incredibly humid in the summer.

 

I absolutely hate humidity and I must confess to sometimes wishing I could just leave for someplace cooler for the entire summer! (At least it isn't hot and humid year round here like many other places in the US - e.g. Florida or Southern California.) The cold winters don't bother me as much but I could do without them too.