Going to New York City was something we I wanted to do for a long time. Neither of us had ever been, but we didn't have a ton of money this year. So we decided to do it on a budget. We only had two days to stay in NYC so we made the most of it!
Our first view of NYC was outside the bus terminal. This is what Times Square looked like before they cleaned it up and added all the video screens. We then turned down 42nd street and walked towards Times Square. As we walked we saw a giant McDonald's, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and a couple movie theatres. Once in TS we were a little disoriented and couldn't find the TV screens. So we decided to go inside Hard Rock Cafe (one of the biggest) to look at the artifacts.
I make it a point to go into every Hard Rock when I'm am in a city that has one. I don't collect pins, I just take photos.
At the TS HRC you can't actually go in the dining room unless you have your name put in to eat. Otherwise they would have hundreds of people bothering the patrons.
From HRC we went down to Madison Square Garden. You can take a tour of The Garden for $15-20 per person. We chose to opt out since there wasn't anything to see inside at the current time. After MSG we stopped by Penn Station which we found out was just an underground train station with a mini mall inside.
After Penn Station we headed back to Times Square to meet T.D.'s former student (Tessa) that lives in Queens and works at Nickelodeon. We met her at Toys R Us in TS. It was awesome!
They had amazing displays, along with a 3 story ferris wheel which you could ride!
The cabs each had a different theme. My favorite was E.T. / Geoffrey the Giraffe and the Mr Potato Head car.
There was also a giant dinosaur that moved and roared near the Jurassic Park area. It was a little freaky. It looked at you when you walked past and it made you feel a little scared. We also saw a two foot remote control spider and a 12 foot tall Optimus Prime. They even had a big kids section where all the video games are.
One of the perks of having a former student that works at Nickelodeon is that it's owned by Viacom.
Viacom is in Times Square and Nickelodeon is on the 37th floor. We were able to go up in a skyscraper for FREE! This eliminated $25 we didn't have to spend to get a birds eye view of the city at the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock. Our tour guide Tessa explained to us that there isn't a "North and South" but "Uptown and Downtown" toward The Bronx (Central Park) is Uptown and towards Staten Island (Wall Street) is Downtown. That's also how you can know what direction the subway is going.
After leaving Viacom (and getting a tour of Nickelodeon's behind the scenes office building) we finally found all the video screens we were looking for and the "Times Square" view that was in our heads.
This is a view looking uptown.
From TS we headed to Fifth Ave where we passed Rockafeller Center, Saks Fifth Avenue and St. Patrick's Cathedral. T.D. observed "Oh, Saks Fifth Avenue is ON Fifth Avenue. Now I get it." I had to laugh, usually I say things like that.
St. Patrick's Cathedral is a beautiful church that actually had a wedding going on while we toured. It's free to walk around! Although we are not Catholic we certainly appreciate the grandeur of the cathedral. We moved on down 5th Ave, past Trump Tower, Gucci, Louis Vitton, Marc Jacobs, we stopped in Tiffany and Co. to look at the diamonds. Right before Central Park we went to FAO Schwartz. he big attraction there is the giant piano from BIG. I stood in line with a bunch of children and their parents to get my chance to play! T.D. made a video because he thought it was funny that it was myself and a bunch of children.
Click Here to my chopsticks video!
After FAO Schwartz, T.D. got to see "The Cube" that sits atop the Apple store on 5th Ave and the South corner of Central Park East. We strolled into Central Park and immediately realized what a necessity it is for the people of New York. It is a fantastic retreat for people who don't have room to run, have shade or even have a yard! We take for granted all the green space we have in the Midwest. We saw where a skating rink is in the winter (a carnival in the summer), ball parks and a small pond. People were picnicking, sunbathing, throwing frisbee, etc.
We started heading back downtown because we were getting a little hungry. We decided to head back towards Uptown/Broadway via the subway. Daily subway passes are only $8.00 and are good from first ride until 3am the next day. We stepped out on Broadway and I expected to see a long line of show marquees. Not the case. There is a "Theatre District" where all the theatres are located but they are not all together. The "Broadway Theatre" right now is showing
Promises Promises with Sean Hayes and Kristen Chenowith.
We were pretty hungry by this point and needed to eat good NYC Pizza. Across the street from the Ed Sullivan Theatre is a place called Ray's Pizza. Probably the best NYC Pizza I have ever eaten! I highly recommend it!
After Ray's we looked for some dessert and stopped by M&M world (Three stories of M&Ms) and Hershey World.
We continued to walk towards Uptown around the Theatre District and looked at the shows that were playing.
By about 7pm the light of day was growing less and we wanted to see Times Square lit up. We were so hot and tired that we took a break in TS to people watch. We sat on the "steps" above the TKTS office. TKTS is a cheap way to watch a Broadway show.
You wait in line and they have Day Of Show tickets up to HALF OFF!
You may not get your favorite show, but it's a great way to save money and see an actual Broadway show while you are in NYC. While I was sitting on the steps I actually received a phone call from Tiffany Eckhardt!
This are a couple of my favorite NYC shots - Times Square at dusk!
After taking in TS for about a half hour we went in search of ice cream (we had pizza earlier in the day) to cool off. We found a Baskin Robbins close to Port Authority. We were saving the rest of the sight seeing for the next day. We caught the bus at PABT and headed back to NJ. After our 15 minute bus ride we were dropped off right in front of our hotel for a well needed break from walking! The hotel was nice and clean and a great price for $90 a night!
Day Two!
Tessa told us one of the greatest money saving tips! Take the Staten Island Ferry if you want to see a great view of the Statue of Liberty FOR FREE!
It takes you right past on a 20 minute ride. It gives you a great view of Lower Manhattan, New Jersey and Brooklyn. You can either stay on SI for a bit or you can get right back on the boat and go back to Manhattan. It saves you $30 per person vs. the "scenic boats." It won't take you TO the Statue or Ellis Island but is a great alternative for those on a budget. Allow about an hour for this trip. It is quite a humbling experience to realize people just a hundred years ago would arrive by boat and this is the first thing they see! Not knowing what to expect just hoping it will be better than the place they were coming from. Makes me very thankful to be an American!
After the Ferry we headed to grab a bagel for breakfast and stop by the New York Stock Exchange. (pictured at left) Then we swung by the NY Federal Reserve Bank and on to the WTC site.
I expected it to be a large hole in the ground, but they have started rebuilding. As we turned the corner we saw a fire engine and I said, oh they must be coming back from a run. I didn't realize that they were from Ladder 10. Their house is directly across from the WTC and they were the first to respond. Six of the 343 that lost their lives on 9/11 belonged to this house.
On the side of Ladder 10 is a Bronze Mural dedicated to all those who lost their lives and served on that day. It's very moving and many fire/police departments leave their patches in support and remembrance.
After WTC we headed back Uptown towards Greenwich Village (The Village), SoHo and Little Italy. We walked around Greenwich Village where NYU is. We strolled around the campus, which is definitely urban. Where we heard some girls complaining about living in the dorms vs. an apartment. To which we thought, in the middle of Manhattan - what's the difference?
When I think of The Village I think of the cast iron fire escapes and houses that look like this. We carried on through to SoHo, which is a boutique area "South of Houston street." Many little shops with very expensive items. I went in a second hand store that was all designer items. The cheapest thing inside was $200.
After window shopping, we headed towards Little Italy for some authentic lunch. The only part that is Italian is Mulberry Street between Canal and Broome. The rest is China Town. Every restaurant we passed men with very thick Italian accents asked us to look at their menu and come for a lunch special. We decided on Casa Bella for some Fetuccine, Ziti and Sangria.
This is a lunch that we splurged on. We did not expect the bottle of water to be $7.00 though so make sure to ask for tap water!
After a small gelato we jumped on the subway on Canal Street.
If you are looking for a knockoff
anything you will find it on Canal Street in ChinaTown! We headed uptown once again to see the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station and Madison Avenue.
The Great Hall of Grand Central is amazing!
It is painted blue and all of the astrological signs are represented. I also wanted to get a picture taken with the Madison Ave sign since one of my favorite shows is Mad Men. It's about an Advertising Agency in the 1960's on Madison Avenue. After Grand Central Station we headed back towards Port Authority to head back to our hotel.
Although we had already checked out, parking was free and we could park the rest of the day. We are very excited to return to NYC in the future. Maybe around Christmas time so we can see all the window displays!
New York City doesn't have to be an expensive vacation. Most of the city is just sightseeing and taking photos! All of it is absolutely free! The only money we spent was as follows - Subway daily passes $8 per person. Round trip shuttle from NJ $7 per person. Hotel - $90 Food/drink - about $90 total with a nice lunch. Also $12 for the turnpike up to NJ from PA. Total cost for 2 days in NYC? About $260!
My best tip - wear comfortable shoes, with gel insoles if possible. You will be walking A LOT!
Remember, ask the locals for tips and they are happy to help!
Next stop - Washington, D.C.!
The old chair rail has been removed and we are now taking up the carpet revealing hardwood floor.
