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Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

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A&L_Ont "Live from...." Rare

A&L_Ont

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I've never eaten anything from the sidewalk cart vendors. Are they safe? Anything labeled as Dirty Water would raise my suspicions too much to try it.


Street Meat is best consumed after midnight, and lots of Kraken.

 

5 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Not happening.


Vendors up here need permits and safety standards. The Gyro wagon late at night was always a hit. 

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MJSailors

MJSailors

Posted
Posted

I have been reading all the posts of things to do and places to eat/drink in NYC.

I thought I would add my two cents as NYC is my City as I grew up in Forest Hills in Queens which was a quick subway ride on the F train into the City.

My mother started taking me into the City for shopping, Radio City Christmas show and museums beginning at age three.

My first haircut was at the salon at Best &Co . Later, I worked for Lord and Taylor in the customer service department after college when teaching jobs were scarce.

But, I digress!

I agree with places that other posters have mentioned.

I would add Rock Centre Cafe on the ice rink at Rockefeller Center

Good food and the view of people skating on the ice is interesting.

One time, mt DH and I witnessed a marriage proposal on the ice -she said yes!

An Irish place that we like is O’Lunneys . I think it is on East 48 or 49 Street near the theater district.

There is a bus that serves a celebratory tea. It is painted pink, decorated as a tea room inside and provides a driving tour of Midtown Manhattan. I am b it sure of the name, but a cousin did it a few weeks ago and thoroughly  enjoyed it.

Grand Central Station is wonderful. It has been renovated a bit with the new area being built to accommodate the LI Railroad. The Oyster at is famous . It has vaulted ceilings and white tile walls.

There is also a Juniors in the station where you can get deli and their famous cheesecake.

The food market in GC is very interesting and a good place to pick up wine or snacks to take back to your hotel. They have a holiday craft market there at Christmastime. There is also a holiday market at Bryant Park-at least there used to be on pre Covid.

There is so much to see and do in the City, obviously it can not be all accomplished in one visit.

I recommend getting a good guide book to help narrow down what a visitor might want to do/see.

I would stay in Midtown if a person wants to fit in a lot of sightseeing, bar hopping and dining.

Staying in Newark may be okay, but travel time into the City may limit your time there.

Do not stay near JFK or LaGuardia.

Again, too much commuting time to get into the City and the neighborhoods are not very scenic.

I would recommend two hotels -

The Warwick on Sixth Ave around 54th Street. It is an iconic, charming hotel within walking distance to theaters, Central Park and Fifth Ave.

The Fitzpatrick is a lovely hotel in 44th Street near Grand Central run by a mostly Irish staff.

There is a very good pub on the street level of the hotel.

Now, I have to add this.

My beautiful City has had some difficult times lately.

There is crime, homelessness, drug use visible on the streets The City always had these troubles, but lately it seems to be pervasive and heightened to a certain degree.

For those visiting-I think it is @bobmacliberty and @Tree_skier who have mentioned future trips to NYC, I offer this advice.

Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Plan where you are going before you venture out for sightseeing, theater or dining.

Walk with confidence!

If you need directions ask a police officer -if you can find them - or check with your hotel concierge before going out  or go into a substantial store and ask a salesclerk if you need directions away from the hotel.

I hope you enjoy the City.

It is my favorite, but I may be just partial to it.  It saddens me a bit to hear about what is happening to NYC.

I remember the good days when it was a different place.

I can only hope it will be returned to those days.

If I had to choose a Broadway play, I would like to see Spamalot-just my sense of humor .

Also Bonnie-The saying is “You can take the girl out of NY, but you can’t take NY out of the girl!😊

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

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Sunshine3601

Sunshine3601

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Earlier today I was zooming my Parkinson’s Support Group.The people are age 45 to 85 and instead of discussing the illness we were discussing scams.One person said that he received a call yesterday supposedly from a utility company telling him that he had not paid his bills for the past three months and if he did not pay it immediately they were sending somebody to his home at 5PM to turn off his electricity .They said they would take it from his bank account and he gave them his account number.He was scammed for $100,000.

That is horrible.   Unfortunately the chances of getting his money back are very slim unless the bank has some sort of protection in place.

Edited by Sunshine3601
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George C

George C

Posted
Posted
45 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

I have been reading all the posts of things to do and places to eat/drink in NYC.

I thought I would add my two cents as NYC is my City as I grew up in Forest Hills in Queens which was a quick subway ride on the F train into the City.

My mother started taking me into the City for shopping, Radio City Christmas show and museums beginning at age three.

My first haircut was at the salon at Best &Co . Later, I worked for Lord and Taylor in the customer service department after college when teaching jobs were scarce.

But, I digress!

I agree with places that other posters have mentioned.

I would add Rock Centre Cafe on the ice rink at Rockefeller Center

Good food and the view of people skating on the ice is interesting.

One time, mt DH and I witnessed a marriage proposal on the ice -she said yes!

An Irish place that we like is O’Lunneys . I think it is on East 48 or 49 Street near the theater district.

There is a bus that serves a celebratory tea. It is painted pink, decorated as a tea room inside and provides a driving tour of Midtown Manhattan. I am b it sure of the name, but a cousin did it a few weeks ago and thoroughly  enjoyed it.

Grand Central Station is wonderful. It has been renovated a bit with the new area being built to accommodate the LI Railroad. The Oyster at is famous . It has vaulted ceilings and white tile walls.

There is also a Juniors in the station where you can get deli and their famous cheesecake.

The food market in GC is very interesting and a good place to pick up wine or snacks to take back to your hotel. They have a holiday craft market there at Christmastime. There is also a holiday market at Bryant Park-at least there used to be on pre Covid.

There is so much to see and do in the City, obviously it can not be all accomplished in one visit.

I recommend getting a good guide book to help narrow down what a visitor might want to do/see.

I would stay in Midtown if a person wants to fit in a lot of sightseeing, bar hopping and dining.

Staying in Newark may be okay, but travel time into the City may limit your time there.

Do not stay near JFK or LaGuardia.

Again, too much commuting time to get into the City and the neighborhoods are not very scenic.

I would recommend two hotels -

The Warwick on Sixth Ave around 54th Street. It is an iconic, charming hotel within walking distance to theaters, Central Park and Fifth Ave.

The Fitzpatrick is a lovely hotel in 44th Street near Grand Central run by a mostly Irish staff.

There is a very good pub on the street level of the hotel.

Now, I have to add this.

My beautiful City has had some difficult times lately.

There is crime, homelessness, drug use visible on the streets The City always had these troubles, but lately it seems to be pervasive and heightened to a certain degree.

For those visiting-I think it is @bobmacliberty and @Tree_skier who have mentioned future trips to NYC, I offer this advice.

Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Plan where you are going before you venture out for sightseeing, theater or dining.

Walk with confidence!

If you need directions ask a police officer -if you can find them - or check with your hotel concierge before going out  or go into a substantial store and ask a salesclerk if you need directions away from the hotel.

I hope you enjoy the City.

It is my favorite, but I may be just partial to it.  It saddens me a bit to hear about what is happening to NYC.

I remember the good days when it was a different place.

I can only hope it will be returned to those days.

If I had to choose a Broadway play, I would like to see Spamalot-just my sense of humor .

Also Bonnie-The saying is “You can take the girl out of NY, but you can’t take NY out of the girl!😊

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

I lived in a few areas of Brooklyn and Queens but last apartment was in Kew Gardens which you know is right next to Forest Hills , both neighborhoods were great with lots of restaurants and bars . Did take the F train to work, saw I guy getting mugged about 2am , but when I jumped up train was pulling in and he got off , luckily guy wasn’t hurt much . Definitely need to keep alert and definitely more homeless. But we had a great trip in Memorial Day weekend and will return next year again.

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NHProud

NHProud

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MJSailors said:

I have been reading all the posts of things to do and places to eat/drink in NYC.

I thought I would add my two cents as NYC is my City as I grew up in Forest Hills in Queens which was a quick subway ride on the F train into the City.

My mother started taking me into the City for shopping, Radio City Christmas show and museums beginning at age three.

My first haircut was at the salon at Best &Co . Later, I worked for Lord and Taylor in the customer service department after college when teaching jobs were scarce.

But, I digress!

I agree with places that other posters have mentioned.

I would add Rock Centre Cafe on the ice rink at Rockefeller Center

Good food and the view of people skating on the ice is interesting.

One time, mt DH and I witnessed a marriage proposal on the ice -she said yes!

An Irish place that we like is O’Lunneys . I think it is on East 48 or 49 Street near the theater district.

There is a bus that serves a celebratory tea. It is painted pink, decorated as a tea room inside and provides a driving tour of Midtown Manhattan. I am b it sure of the name, but a cousin did it a few weeks ago and thoroughly  enjoyed it.

Grand Central Station is wonderful. It has been renovated a bit with the new area being built to accommodate the LI Railroad. The Oyster at is famous . It has vaulted ceilings and white tile walls.

There is also a Juniors in the station where you can get deli and their famous cheesecake.

The food market in GC is very interesting and a good place to pick up wine or snacks to take back to your hotel. They have a holiday craft market there at Christmastime. There is also a holiday market at Bryant Park-at least there used to be on pre Covid.

There is so much to see and do in the City, obviously it can not be all accomplished in one visit.

I recommend getting a good guide book to help narrow down what a visitor might want to do/see.

I would stay in Midtown if a person wants to fit in a lot of sightseeing, bar hopping and dining.

Staying in Newark may be okay, but travel time into the City may limit your time there.

Do not stay near JFK or LaGuardia.

Again, too much commuting time to get into the City and the neighborhoods are not very scenic.

I would recommend two hotels -

The Warwick on Sixth Ave around 54th Street. It is an iconic, charming hotel within walking distance to theaters, Central Park and Fifth Ave.

The Fitzpatrick is a lovely hotel in 44th Street near Grand Central run by a mostly Irish staff.

There is a very good pub on the street level of the hotel.

Now, I have to add this.

My beautiful City has had some difficult times lately.

There is crime, homelessness, drug use visible on the streets The City always had these troubles, but lately it seems to be pervasive and heightened to a certain degree.

For those visiting-I think it is @bobmacliberty and @Tree_skier who have mentioned future trips to NYC, I offer this advice.

Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Plan where you are going before you venture out for sightseeing, theater or dining.

Walk with confidence!

If you need directions ask a police officer -if you can find them - or check with your hotel concierge before going out  or go into a substantial store and ask a salesclerk if you need directions away from the hotel.

I hope you enjoy the City.

It is my favorite, but I may be just partial to it.  It saddens me a bit to hear about what is happening to NYC.

I remember the good days when it was a different place.

I can only hope it will be returned to those days.

If I had to choose a Broadway play, I would like to see Spamalot-just my sense of humor .

Also Bonnie-The saying is “You can take the girl out of NY, but you can’t take NY out of the girl!😊

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

Great advice ! Did you ever go to the tennis facility at Forest Hills ? 

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xpcdoojk "Live from...." Rare

xpcdoojk

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I'm far from an expert but have gone off the deep end recently with NYC research.  The general advice I've received is to fly to whatever airport gives you the best fares/timing since you'll have a somewhat lengthy commute from any of the 3 into Manhattan (although LGA is shorter).  You can then either take relatively cheap public transportation into Manhattan, or spend a lot more on a taxi/Uber.  Note that Uber/Lyft often have surcharges during busy times and may be more expensive than a taxi.  Revel is another option that's fairly new.  It's like Uber/Lyft but only uses Tesla cars.

 

General advice again is to stay in Midtown Manhattan if it's your first visit and/or don't mind paying more for a hotel.  It's convenient because you're right in the middle of everything.  If you want to save on hotels and only add about a 10 minute commute into Manhattan via subway, check out staying in Brooklyn or Queens, specifically Long Island City.  This supposedly gives you a better feel for a NYC neighborhood. Again, I have no personal experience with this...just repeating what I've seen others say.

 

This all assumes that you don't mind commuting back to the Cape Liberty Cruise Port the morning of your cruise, which will probably be expensive.  You're trading off short/no commutes for your 3 days in Manhattan for a longer commute to the cruise ship.  I haven't seen anyone mention staying in Newark as an option when visiting the city, but that may only be because it's in New Jersey. 😁 

 

I got a lot of info from a couple of Youtubers:

Sarah Funk - YouTube

Here Be Barr - YouTube

That is what we did on our first trips to NYC.  After that I got smarter.  🤣

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xpcdoojk "Live from...." Rare

xpcdoojk

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I'm far from an expert but have gone off the deep end recently with NYC research.  The general advice I've received is to fly to whatever airport gives you the best fares/timing since you'll have a somewhat lengthy commute from any of the 3 into Manhattan (although LGA is shorter).  You can then either take relatively cheap public transportation into Manhattan, or spend a lot more on a taxi/Uber.  Note that Uber/Lyft often have surcharges during busy times and may be more expensive than a taxi.  Revel is another option that's fairly new.  It's like Uber/Lyft but only uses Tesla cars.

 

General advice again is to stay in Midtown Manhattan if it's your first visit and/or don't mind paying more for a hotel.  It's convenient because you're right in the middle of everything.  If you want to save on hotels and only add about a 10 minute commute into Manhattan via subway, check out staying in Brooklyn or Queens, specifically Long Island City.  This supposedly gives you a better feel for a NYC neighborhood. Again, I have no personal experience with this...just repeating what I've seen others say.

 

This all assumes that you don't mind commuting back to the Cape Liberty Cruise Port the morning of your cruise, which will probably be expensive.  You're trading off short/no commutes for your 3 days in Manhattan for a longer commute to the cruise ship.  I haven't seen anyone mention staying in Newark as an option when visiting the city, but that may only be because it's in New Jersey. 😁 

 

I got a lot of info from a couple of Youtubers:

Sarah Funk - YouTube

Here Be Barr - YouTube

That is what we did on our first trips to NYC.  After that I got smarter.  🤣

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xpcdoojk "Live from...." Rare

xpcdoojk

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Earlier today I was zooming my Parkinson’s Support Group.The people are age 45 to 85 and instead of discussing the illness we were discussing scams.One person said that he received a call yesterday supposedly from a utility company telling him that he had not paid his bills for the past three months and if he did not pay it immediately they were sending somebody to his home at 5PM to turn off his electricity .They said they would take it from his bank account and he gave them his account number.He was scammed for $100,000.

Yeah, Lennie, don’t trust people who call or email.  Look at your bank statement or credit card statement, or however you pay bills and if you believe you have paid, tell them to pound sand.  Then call the company you do business with and see if they are looking for their payment.  Regardless, don’t give anyone your bank account information etc.  If you can’t decide any of that it is time for someone to take over your finances.  

 

It saddens me when people fall victim to these evil people.

 

jc

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Jimbo

Jimbo

Posted
Posted
28 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

That is what we did on our first trips to NYC.  After that I got smarter.  🤣

 

27 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

That is what we did on our first trips to NYC.  After that I got smarter.  🤣

Twice as smart I'm guessing? 🤣

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BonTexasNY

BonTexasNY

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, MJSailors said:

I have been reading all the posts of things to do and places to eat/drink in NYC.

I thought I would add my two cents as NYC is my City as I grew up in Forest Hills in Queens which was a quick subway ride on the F train into the City.

My mother started taking me into the City for shopping, Radio City Christmas show and museums beginning at age three.

My first haircut was at the salon at Best &Co . Later, I worked for Lord and Taylor in the customer service department after college when teaching jobs were scarce.

But, I digress!

I agree with places that other posters have mentioned.

I would add Rock Centre Cafe on the ice rink at Rockefeller Center

Good food and the view of people skating on the ice is interesting.

One time, mt DH and I witnessed a marriage proposal on the ice -she said yes!

An Irish place that we like is O’Lunneys . I think it is on East 48 or 49 Street near the theater district.

There is a bus that serves a celebratory tea. It is painted pink, decorated as a tea room inside and provides a driving tour of Midtown Manhattan. I am b it sure of the name, but a cousin did it a few weeks ago and thoroughly  enjoyed it.

Grand Central Station is wonderful. It has been renovated a bit with the new area being built to accommodate the LI Railroad. The Oyster at is famous . It has vaulted ceilings and white tile walls.

There is also a Juniors in the station where you can get deli and their famous cheesecake.

The food market in GC is very interesting and a good place to pick up wine or snacks to take back to your hotel. They have a holiday craft market there at Christmastime. There is also a holiday market at Bryant Park-at least there used to be on pre Covid.

There is so much to see and do in the City, obviously it can not be all accomplished in one visit.

I recommend getting a good guide book to help narrow down what a visitor might want to do/see.

I would stay in Midtown if a person wants to fit in a lot of sightseeing, bar hopping and dining.

Staying in Newark may be okay, but travel time into the City may limit your time there.

Do not stay near JFK or LaGuardia.

Again, too much commuting time to get into the City and the neighborhoods are not very scenic.

I would recommend two hotels -

The Warwick on Sixth Ave around 54th Street. It is an iconic, charming hotel within walking distance to theaters, Central Park and Fifth Ave.

The Fitzpatrick is a lovely hotel in 44th Street near Grand Central run by a mostly Irish staff.

There is a very good pub on the street level of the hotel.

Now, I have to add this.

My beautiful City has had some difficult times lately.

There is crime, homelessness, drug use visible on the streets The City always had these troubles, but lately it seems to be pervasive and heightened to a certain degree.

For those visiting-I think it is @bobmacliberty and @Tree_skier who have mentioned future trips to NYC, I offer this advice.

Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Plan where you are going before you venture out for sightseeing, theater or dining.

Walk with confidence!

If you need directions ask a police officer -if you can find them - or check with your hotel concierge before going out  or go into a substantial store and ask a salesclerk if you need directions away from the hotel.

I hope you enjoy the City.

It is my favorite, but I may be just partial to it.  It saddens me a bit to hear about what is happening to NYC.

I remember the good days when it was a different place.

I can only hope it will be returned to those days.

If I had to choose a Broadway play, I would like to see Spamalot-just my sense of humor .

Also Bonnie-The saying is “You can take the girl out of NY, but you can’t take NY out of the girl!😊

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

Many great NYC posts in here,  Yours is tops!  

 

At one point in our lives, we looked at apartments in Forest Hills.  I remember one good one was at Yellowstone Blvd, I think near the tennis center.  For some reason we didn't take it but always loved that area.

2 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Toby’s sisters other brother in law died tonight.I knew him 58 years.His funeral is Sunday and I am physically unable to go .

 

You have my condolences. 

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MJSailors

MJSailors

Posted
Posted

@NHProud Yes, I went to a number of USOpen tennis matches at the FH stadium. Then, my DH and I attended a number of matches at the tennis facilities at Flushing Meadow-a much larger tennis complex.

I saw Martina Navratilova play at the FH stadium when she first came to the US.

I recall she played a match with Yvonne Goolagong when I saw her play.

The stadium also was the site of concerts. Lots of good music-Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles and Motown singers to name a few.

But, during my teen years, my friends and I never thought of going to any of the concerts. Not sure why and feel like I missed out on some good times there.

Last Summer, my grandson (16) went to a Weezer concert at the stadium.

Music tradition continues there.

The stadium is 100 years old this year.

 

Bonnie-I am familiar with the Yellowstone Blvd area as one of my HS friends lived on Dartmouth Street down from Yellowstone.

I lived in the other side of town, between Metropolitan Ave and Forest Park.

My parents’ house  was recently sold by the person who bought the house from my Mom in 1984 for close to one million dollars. My parents would never believe it!

It was a great place to grow up!

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

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NHProud

NHProud

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, MJSailors said:

@NHProud Yes, I went to a number of USOpen tennis matches at the FH stadium. Then, my DH and I attended a number of matches at the tennis facilities at Flushing Meadow-a much larger tennis complex.

I saw Martina Navratilova play at the FH stadium when she first came to the US.

I recall she played a match with Yvonne Goolagong when I saw her play.

The stadium also was the site of concerts. Lots of good music-Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles and Motown singers to name a few.

But, during my teen years, my friends and I never thought of going to any of the concerts. Not sure why and feel like I missed out on some good times there.

Last Summer, my grandson (16) went to a Weezer concert at the stadium.

Music tradition continues there.

The stadium is 100 years old this year.

 

Bonnie-I am familiar with the Yellowstone Blvd area as one of my HS friends lived on Dartmouth Street down from Yellowstone.

I lived in the other side of town, between Metropolitan Ave and Forest Park.

My parents’ house  was recently sold by the person who bought the house from my Mom in 1984 for close to one million dollars. My parents would never believe it!

It was a great place to grow up!

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

I certainly envy you being so close to such great tennis matches.  I remember watching on TV the bye gone days of riveting matches between Martina and Chris.  I saw Chris Evert play in person at La Costa when she was Mrs Lloyd .  Martina has been on fce bk lately because of her birthday . They’ve both faced the same adversary , the big C , recently and have come away triumphant. 

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MJSailors

MJSailors

Posted
Posted

@NHProud We now live at the end of Long Island making it a two hour drive to the Open at Flushing Meadows.

The ticket prices have become astronomical , so for those reasons we no longer see the matches in person.

Lately, we have also found that there are few players we like to watch.  Djokovic and Nadal have been interesting players for us and the young woman, Coco,  has a good game.

We saw the match between Connors and McEnroe that went on for hours one night. I think that it may have been 1983. We had to leave because of work the following day-it was quite the marathon.

One Summer, we went to the Tennis Hall ofFame to seeJimmy Connors’ induction.

Both my DH and I enjoyed playing tennis.

Now,we watch the various Opens on TV.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

 

.

 

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