YOUNG WILD FREE
We're Going to New York
New York, a city of dreams, a city of lights... I want to go back to New York. Yes, I've been there before but this trip, my dream vacation, would be my first trip ever with friends. It would be a celebration in completing my undergraduate studies and moving onto my career path. More importantly, it would be the last trip I go on before having real responsibilities. Quite simply, next summer (summer of '12) will be the last summer before real life begins...
Motto for the trip: To be young and wild and free.
So, New York City, I've been there before and it's not that far from home. What's the motivation?
- Culture - there's just so much of it, it's like having the world in one city (well at least food and diversity of people you'll find there)
- It's really fast paced and therefore lots to do
- I love eating - tons of that there
- I love art - tons of that there too
- I speak English just like everybody over there does - language barriers can be frustrating!
- Glitz and Glamour - from Sex and the City to Breakfast at Tiffany's, watching your favourite movies just makes you want to go there!!
Four days. Four whole days of Broadway musicals, shopping, museums, dining, and adventure ... an exploration of the arts! I want to live the confused but excited tourist life, the posh life of Manhanttan, and the local life of local dining and outings; all in one trip.
Arrive Sunday June 3rd and check out on Thursday June 7th.
Sleep in a City that Never Sleeps?
So, by the end of this trip, I'll be hibernating for a week. Then I'll wake up and remember the bright lights at night and non-stop honking streets and be happy I'm back in my suburban neighbourhood and able to breathe fresh air. We're barely going to get any sleep but getting a hotel to put our stuff in is a good enough reason to get one; on top of the power naps we'll be needing (you're only young once so we might as well see the city during the day, live it at night, and sleep when we get back home - what 20 something year old doesn't do this anyway?)!!
Cheap and questionable mattress worrying the whole night if there are bed bugs? Motel.
Posh, elegant, and satin sheets that I wish I could bring back home? Hotel.
I think I'll settle for the safer alternative. I've had my share of motels and run-down living accommodations. It's not nice and it's well worth your money to find somewhere decent.
Quite frankly, the type of hotel you stay in moulds the rest of your experience. Sure, you don't spend a whole lot of time in them since you're sightseeing and attempting to absorb as much local culture as you can but coming back to a hotel with great service, warm, welcoming smiles just makes your day that much smoother on what seems to be a jam-packed day of activities.
Location, location, location.
I refuse to stay in a run-down motel in New York City. I've been there before, trust me, you don't want to be in the bad area of the city. When New York is ghetto, IT'S GHETTO. You'll be glad you spent the money, even if it could have bought you your next meal.
I chose to go with a good hotel, in a good location. The Soho Grand Hotel - part of a fashion and art district.
Think quaint ... cobblestone streets ... local bakeries ... freshly baked cupcakes ... art stands on the streets ... hints of the industrial revolution lurking around ... and lots of those pull-down ladders you see people use to get to their apartment in the movies...
Here's a description of the neighbourhood I found on the hotel website:
"The Soho Grand is located in Manhattan’s most iconic neighborhood... Sprawling artists’ lofts and elegant cast iron architecture rise over historic bottle glass detailed sidewalks. Industrial and raw, SoHo’s reputation for creativity and culture has inspired individuals for decades...visitors can choose between world famous art galleries, shops, bars, and restaurants while being minutes away from the city’s legendary landmarks and attractions...to reveal the hidden aspects of New York City culture; from art, film, fashion, music, and dining and nightlife"
Subway rates:
Single ride is $2.50
7 day Metro Card is $29.00
Here's the one bedroom suite... Modern with a 70s twist. Being right in the city, there isn't a non-sound proof room that could block out the activity down below on the streets. Some of the reviews for hotels in New York City acclaimed how wonderful they were but how noisy it was. If you don't want to hear cars brakes, impatient drivers honking their horns, the ice cream truck passing by, or somebody drunk in the middle of the night hollering out their favourite tune from the bar, don't stay in the city. That's the whole purpose of coming to the city; to get excitement and find life in the city whether it's the sun or moon that's above us in the sky. Yes, we would all like to get some rest but try resting when you're home, closing your window or go to South Carolina for some peace.
Location is another reason why I chose the Soho Grand Hotel. I would prefer to walk out of my hotel without having to run to the subway station or hop into a cab just to be safe. Anxiety and fear are the last things on my mind on my dream vacation.
"Designer bathrobes and toiletries are also provided."
Great, now that's what I call a vacation, convenience and pampered.
Convenience and All-Inclusive
New York being in the United States, you can imagine the sorts of deals you'll find there. Sure, it's an expensive city to live in but there's also tons of coupons online for your favourite department stores and dine-outs. I find that whenever I'm in the States, you go to a store, make a purchase, and they always give you a coupon for next time. I figured I would find appealing discounts online as well...
I came across THE NEW YORK PASS. You can use the pass for a maximum of up to 7 days. Of course, the more days you sign up for, the cheaper it gets. Being in New York City for 4 days, I thought it would be appropriate to use it for 3. A three day adult pass costs $130. I must say the list of attractions is never-ending and very impressive. While in NYC, use your senses (all of them!)...
Try a new food that you haven't already experienced!
Listen to the hustle and bustle of the city,
Smell the street vendor food - street meat and curly fries,
Don't touch anything (bring anti-bacterial hand soap),
Look at the different ethnicities of people wandering the streets... the diversity,
Listen to the languages people speak,
People watch (who's running for the cab, who's strolling in Central Park, who's really annoyed or stressed, try and find one happy person that's not a tourist),
Smell the smoke from the pedestrian smoking infront of you,
Don't mind the (unintentional) shoves in the crowds crossing busy intersections,
Look at the city lights at night,
Stop to listen and watch street artists, even for just 2 minutes of your day,
Listen to the click and clacking of leather-soled shoes of businessmen on Wall Street,
Be aware because there's so much life around you!
Day 1:
I'm ashamed to say, it was at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto but I missed it. So, I'm travelling to New York to see it! It has real cadavers that are cut up so you can see the cool or gross (description depending on how nerdy you are) organs inside. Pretty neat eh! The nerd in me can hardly wait!!
What could be cooler than riding your bike in Central Park? In the midst of a city where you take a breath whenever your lungs are full because you can no longer hold your breath from the car fumes and garbage, riding a bike amongst the trees couldn't be any more deserving. Your lungs will thank you for it, and so will your ears. June, the perfect time to take a bike ride, the temperature is about 20 degrees and the trees and flowers have bloomed. Oh, and the other joggers, bikers, and dog walkers make you feel as if you're right at home in your local park.
What could be a better place than the wax museum in the late afternoon? Yes, I'm guilty, I'm visiting a city I've been to before and seeing an attraction I've seen before. But so what? It was awesome, and I'm sure I'll be able to witness some new wax statues. The ability of Madame Tussuad to create human-look-alike statues so real that you have to almost poke them as if to reassure yourself they truly are made of wax. But a handful of them couldn't fool me... they're as plastic-looking and waxy as can be!!
Art makes me feel creepy because you get so much emotion out of a painting, that inanimate object in front of you. And if you don't you'll think that you'll think what I just said is really odd. But any art lover, art enthusiast, aspiring artist would understand that feeling. Any painter or artist can appreciate the skill and difficulty in replicating an artwork. Art is all about feeling and thought... how were the colours mixed? What do those colours represent? Happiness.. sadness.. anger.. mystery?I hope my friends know that I plan on spending most of my day here. Yeah, I used to wonder how and why someone would ever be able to spend that much time in a museum. But you can if you absorb the artwork into your life. Certain paintings and pieces will speak to you louder than others...
In fact, last summer I applied to be a camp counsellor. I love kids, yes, I even want to make a career out of working with kids one day but it was the art. Art drew me to the job I swore to my sister I would never take. The experience is phenomenal, the pay is okay, but your patience gets stretched out as far as you could ever possibly imagine by the end of summer... BUT art was sufficient to make me apply for a camp counsellor position, the job I swore I would never take.
I have to admit, I didn't know what MoMA was last summer when we had an art conference at work. Everyone kept on saying "MoMA this and MoMA that" and I nodded my head agreeing because I work in a museum, shouldn't I know what this MoMA is? After June '12 I'll be able to speak about MoMA with pride.
At last, we'll head here to get a panoramic view of the city before we explore it ourselves. I can picture being viewing the city from atop... building's rooftops, little cars that look like toys and people barely visible except for their heads and hats. The streets will look aligned so perfectly as if this city were not real... and somewhere in the distance you will see the Statue of Liberty greeting those that come to the harbour...
Nighttime: Marquee Nightclub
289 Tenth Ave.,New York, NY10001
Cover: $20
Cab: $10
Drinks: $20
What would a trip with your girlfriends be without having a girl's night out? It would be wonderful to hear the sounds of New York City, some of it mainstream music I'm sure but that will suffice, and the loud bass infiltrating the entire place. Everybody will be talking, okay maybe yelling, at each other to keep a conversation and sipping on their martini's or whatever fancy concoction they are serving that night.
What would a trip with your girlfriends be without having a girl's night out? It would be wonderful to hear the sounds of New York City, some of it mainstream music I'm sure but that will suffice, and the loud bass infiltrating the entire place. Everybody will be talking, okay maybe yelling, at each other to keep a conversation and sipping on their martini's or whatever fancy concoction they are serving that night.
Day 3:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka The MET)
NYC's most visited attraction. That's a big enough reason to visit.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka The MET)
NYC's most visited attraction. That's a big enough reason to visit.
I saved this museum for the third and final day of our New York Pass because art is my thing. My thing as in I could stay here all day (it's much larger than MoMA). There's something about art that makes a person feel awkward. A beautiful awkward type of feeling though.
I could write about art forever. I won't allow myself to Google another painting because it just doesn't do the original piece any justice. Try it yourself. Look at a painting online, then go see it in person. You'll thank me later when you realize they look completely different; the texture of paint that seems to come right at you, and the colours, they usually don't even look the same.
Shop 'Til You Drop
New York, a city world known for it's trend-setting fashion industry. Any OCD shopper would know that good shopping isn't a planned thing (you don't map out your shopping route like you do with sight-seeing). You go with the flow; you go where the sales are. Rules from an addicted but efficient shopper, my sister. She's is so addicted to shopping that I've considered putting her on a show like Dr. Phil or Princess on TLC several times. I'm still contemplating but one rule I'll never forget is:
Shop everywhere!! No Limits.
I's true, you never know what you'll find. One time I was looking for aviators, cheap ones but nice ones (I tend to lose everything anyway so I have no reason to buy designer ones). She dragged me into a store that my mom shops in. To my surprise, there were $5 aviators on sale from $25!! Lesson of the story: be open to any store, you never know what you'll find in there.
Shopping in New York City with your girlfriends couldn't be any better than in June. School kids are still in class, most people aren't on their vacations yet so we will get to do what I love most about shopping on a weekday: Go early to find clothes neatly arranged, shoes in your size, and no fretting about looking for a sales associate. It's New York so yes it's a weekday and yes people are at work or school, but it's still New York (oh well, better than the weekend!).
Whether it's high-end fashion or the bang-for-your-buck type of shopping, it's all there, all bundled up in one big city.
Show: Wicked @ 8pm
A trip to New York City would be incomplete without the glamour and glitz of going to a show. Wicked has been out for some time and I've always loved The Wizard of Oz in which this Broadway musical is based out of (it's about Glenda and the Evil Witch). There is nothing more exciting than getting all dressed up with your girlfriends and heading out into the nightlife after the show!
Being a food enthusiast, it's weird to not have chosen where to eat. Reality is, you cannot plan every meal of your trip. You sort of just eat whatever happens to be nearby whenever you tend to get hungry. Here is a website on New York dining. The variety is abundant... there's sushi on one street, burgers on the next, not to mention, street meat, Indian, Thai, Italian, Greek... you can have it all.
That's the beauty of being in a big city, it's sort of all the foods of different cultures in about 1200 square kilometres, not bad!!
Pick-Pocketers and Sketchy Alleyways??
Safety 101 - Use Your Senses Part 2
Safety in New York City is a concern for many people visiting the city. Here are some rules I conjured up after my experience in New York:
- Ladies, keep your purses in front of you and hang on tight to them, especially on crowded streets (i.e. Canal Street) people walking by may be able to grab something out of it without you even noticing.
- Stay out of the alleyways.
- Don't follow strangers even when they tell you they can get you a good bargain if you follow them.
- Have emergency money.
- Bring your cell phone in case you get separated from your party.
- Subways: consider what you are wearing (ladies) if you have to take the subway.
- Don't carry to much cash with you.
- Open your wallet and use your cell phone in an area that isn't too crowded if possible.
- Take a cab at night.
- Emergency number is 911
Video: New York City in 24 Hours
This is a great video that quickly takes you throughout a lot of the neighbourhoods in New York City. It gives you a feel for which areas you would like to see. One neighbourhood may be more appealing to an individual versus another. It's good to be able to visualize what they are like before actually going.
Travel Expenses
Living Accommodations
$823.75 Hotel
Travel
$29.00 Metro Card
$50 Cabs
$192 x 2 = $384 Flight
Sightseeing
$130.00 New York Pass
Food
$10 x 5 = $50 Breakfast
$15 x 4= $60 Lunch
$25 x 4 = $100 Dinner
Misc
$50 x 2 = $100 - Girls Night Out
$1000 - Shopping Spree
$100 - Emergency Money
TOTAL: $2776.75 + $100 Emergency Money
Frank Sinatra performing the famous "New York, New York"
Just to get you in that New York mood (always works for me)!
