New York City Travelogue
Dateline: 04/12/99Earlier this month my wife and I spent a little over a week in New York City. It was our first trip to the Big Apple and I was armed with a camera to record the trip for this travelogue.
We departed Los Angeles on March 30 and returned April 6. Those nine days were, as almost all travel is, a great geographical experience - one which I'm pleased to bring to you. Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 30
Our plane left Los Angeles International Airport precisely on time at 8 o'clock a.m. After landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Long Island, we took a taxi ride to Manhattan. In 5 o'clock traffic this trip took approximately one hour and cost $30. The ride was pleasant and the traffic didn't seem as awful as L.A. traffic in most areas; our driver took us on a route through Central Park.
Unfortunately, the address I had written down from our hotel's web site was incorrect - the hotel sat on 50th Street and not 56th Street, as the site had reported. Thus, our frustrated taxi driver dropped us off on 56th Street and we were forced to inquire about the correct address for our hotel from a concierge at a hotel on 56th Street. With the correct address in hand, we took a second taxi the six streets south to our hotel.
Our hotel room was smaller than we expected but we didn't fret because the deal we obtained was great and we did plan to spend most of our time away from our room. We ate at a chain restaurant but were surprised by the $12 hamburgers that we usually buy for $7. We then explored Times Square on our first night and really enjoyed it. Times Square is very busy late at night with thousands of people on the sidewalks, going from restaurants (entertainment in themselves) to Broadway theaters to the movies. Billboards and the lights of signs are everywhere in Times Square. We felt quite safe with so many people around and a strong police presence on foot, on horseback, and in patrol cars.
Wednesday, March 31
We walked to the News Building on 42nd Street to visit the headquarters of the Mining Co.. We met many people for the first time whom we had only emailed and spent the day there (my wife and I are both Mining Co. Guides).
You might recognize the interior of the News Building from its use as the Daily Planet building of Superman fame. Walking back we visited Grand Central Station. The renovated transportation center was very busy and allows people to transfer between train, subway, and bus. It's a very stately and grand building.
Thursday, April 1
We set out on the subway for the southern tip of Manhattan - Battery Park. The subway is awesome! Stations in Manhattan are never more than a few blocks away from each other, over a half dozen different lines run in the area south of Central Park. The stations and trains are relatively clean and safe.
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All photographs are copyright 1999 by Matt Rosenberg and The Mining Co. They may not be reproduced without permission.
