New York City, NY: 10 - 16 November 2019



We finally found affordable lodging that will allow you to stay within 2 blocks of Times Square in New York City.  The St. James Hotel located 109 W. 45TH ST., New York, NY, 10036.  We stayed 6 nights for  $85.00 a night.  It was not a hotel with a lot of bells and whistles but  the room was quiet, clean and had a huge bathroom with free Wi-Fi.  We had stayed in NY before but always had to stay outside Manhattan and ride the subway in and out.  Being that close made daily wandering around the city a lot easier.

There is so much to do if you are there when the weather is cooperating.  We had mostly sunny weather and high in the 40's daily.  Dress warm and get some good walking shoes.   We were there during Veteran's Day and got to watch the NYC Veteran's Day parade.  So much patriotism on display made for a great day.








Some of the must sees are:
Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty.  We got tickets online prior to arriving for the Statue of Liberty pedestal and Ellis Island stops.  It was very affordable at $18.50 a person and you can stay until the last ferry run for the evening.  If you are a history buff you will love the Ellis Island tour of the immigration system as it looked in the early 1900s

 
Liberty Bike built by OCC on display at Statue of Liberty

View from pedestal






Ellis Island immigration museum


A daily walk through Central Park.  Best to enter the park from the subway stop on the west side.  The southern section of the park is probably the best to visit.  It gets a bit remote and sparse in the northern half.  Depending on the weather you will see quite a few street shows from folks that have some very unique talents.  While up on the west side of Central Park you can visit the "Tom's Restaurant" made famous by the Seinfeld TV series.  Really good food and a neat point of interest


Visit Little Italy, specifically Mulberry Street, in southern Manhattan for the best Italian food served in a very authentic setting.  While you are there make a stroll through Chinatown just south of Little Italy.  Be prepared to be surrounded by street peddlers who are selling all kinds of items.  We like to stop at some of the Chinese food places.


Times Square is a great visual site if you have never saw it before but it is not a place to spend a lot of time due to all the commercialism and all the tourists taking selfies, including us lol.


Had to stop at Cake Boss Bakery for sweets
 Coney Island is well worth the lengthy subway ride through Brooklyn.  The rides are old school and the boardwalk is nostalgic.  We were there during the off season but do image it would be a really nice trip when its open.  The amusement park runs right along the beach which is unique.





 
Jennifer being such a rebel

The subway is the best way to get around and not too hard master once you learn the ending points of each line and understand that almost all of them are uptown or downtown bound.  There is only a couple that travel east/west.  The Queens line is an interesting ride if you want to see the diversity of the city.  Some have said they were leery of riding the NYC subway but we have never had an issue and everyone has been great to deal with.

Next stop..cruise to southern caribbean


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