The New York Fix
New York, USA - January, 2007
Warning: New York is addictive and whether it's your first or 100th visit nothing prepares you for that adrenalin rush when you spot the famous skyline from the back of your yellow cab.
New York's famous landmarks are spread all over the island and for first-timers the best way to get your bearings is courtesy of a "hop on hope off" bus tour
Excitement and anticipation grows the closer you get to the skyscrapers and as soon as you cross onto the island of Manhattan you are surrounded by buildings so tall they block out the sky. Your senses will be overwhelmed as your cab joins the nose to tail traffic squeezing through intersections whose signposts mainly boast numbers instead of names. Blaring horns, aromas of hot dogs and pretzels and pavements jam packed with rushing workers and mesmerised tourists. There is so much to take in your heart will be racing by the time you reach your hotel.
The biggest dilemma for anyone planning their first trip to New York is where to stay. New York City is made up of five boroughs - Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island - but it’s the island of Manhattan that most people mean when they say they are going to New York. The island is long and narrow and at one end is Harlem and at the other the Statue of Liberty and in between there are many neighbourhoods all with something different to offer. It therefore makes sense to be based smack in the middle of all the action, in Mid Town.
New York’s famous landmarks are spread all over the island and for first-timers the best way to get your bearings is courtesy of a “hop on hop off” tour bus. As there is so much to see it’s recommended that you purchase a 48hr or 2 day pass and do the Uptown Loop one day and the Downtown Loop the next and the best place to catch both these tours is at Times Square where the loops overlap.
The Uptown Loop will take you through Harlem, around Central Park and the beautiful townhouses on the Upper East and Upper West side, past the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum. It will then take you down Fifth Avenue and through the Theater district and back to Times Square. The Downtown Loop stops at the Empire State Building, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, Financial District (home to Wall Street) and Battery Park (departure point for Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferry) before arriving back at Times Square.
Another fun way to get around New York is by Yellow Cab but be prepared for a roller-coaster ride and another adrenaline rush
Once you have your bearings you can then spend time walking and really get to know this amazing city. It’s easy to find your way around on foot as the city is based on a grid system and thankfully it is also flat but you will need a good pair of walking shoes as there is a lot of distance to cover. A good way to judge distances is that each block will take approx three minutes to walk. Times Square to the Empire State Building is approx nine blocks so will take approximately half an hour.
The neighbourhood of SoHo - which stands for South of Houston Street - is worth spending half a day or more exploring. As you walk down Broadway, SoHo’s most commercialised street, take one of the streets on the right hand side ie Prince, Spring, Broome or Grand and wander up and down all the intersecting streets especially West Broadway. SoHo is full of trendy restaurants, cafes, boutiques, galleries as well as good “High Street” shops. This is where New Yorkers go to shop and well worth visiting if you want an alternative to Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and Macys.
Another fun way to get around New York is by yellow cab but be prepared for a rollercoaster ride and another adrenalin rush. The cabs have very little suspension and you will feel every bump and turn as you slide across the leather banquet seat. New York is a maze of one way streets and each cab driver will have his own way of taking you from “A to B” so don’t worry if you loose your sense of direction.
One you have your bearings you can then spend your time walking and really get to know this amazing city
A good tip when giving an address to a taxi driver, especially your hotel or a restaurant, is to give the nearest intersecting streets as most streets in Manhattan are very long and several run the full length of the island. To say “350 Fifth Avenue” isn’t specific enough instead you need to say “Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Street”. This is probably a bad example since it’s the address of one of New York’s most famous landmark – The Empire State Building - where the view from the observation platform is amazing not only during the day but also at night.
Finding somewhere to eat is not a problem as there are approx 18,000 restaurants in Manhattan. If you are “foodie” it’s worthwhile picking up a ZAGAT New York restaurant guide or pay the small subscription for the on-line version. Of course like most major cities you need to book popular restaurants three months in advance. Also don’t forget to tip as service tends not to be included and your waiter will expect 15-20% or an easier way to work out how much to leave is to double the tax that appears on your bill.
Even if you don’t buy the book you can still use ZAGAT by spotting the “ZAGAT Rated” brown sticker which will be proudly displayed on restaurant doors and windows. This is particularly helpful if you find yourself in the heart of Little Italy walking down Mulberry Street or along Canal Street in Chinatown as every restaurant and menu will look almost identical.
There isn’t really a wrong time to go to New York and whenever you go you should make time to enjoy Central Park. The park is 843 acres so you will probably only explore a small section on your first visit. If you go in the springtime check out the zoo and the castle; in the summer you can rent a rowing boat, hire roller-skates or have a picnic. In the autumn the colour of the trees around The Rambles are beautiful and in the winter you can go ice-skating. It’s the perfect place to rest those tired legs and get away from all the hustle and bustle.
Sadly, all good things come to an end and as you head out to the airport, your neck straining for one last glimpse of the skyline, you will find yourself making the city a silent promise…..that you will come back very soon…. and trust me it won’t be long before you need another New York fix.