New York City
New York city scape from the Little Island
Overview/Overall impression
We have been to New York three times and just love it. You do have to watch yourself and pay attention to your surroundings, especially in the subway, but it feels safe enough. There is so much to do, see, and EAT! New York is a big conglomerate of cultures and areas of town with completely different vibes.
quick bits
| Language | Currency |
|---|---|
| English | US Dollars |
| Power Outlets | Visa |
| Type A/B | It depends. Visit https://travel.state.gov for more info |
Getting around (transportation)
Airports:
Newark Liberty Airport serves as a bustling gateway for travelers seeking direct access to New York City. Upon arrival, we navigated the airport seamlessly. Starting from the AirTrain station, we rode the train to the Airport RailLink Station (see first image below on the left for map), allowing us to avoid the common congestion.
Descending to baggage claim, we followed the signs leading to the large “N.J.” letters, visually guiding us towards Duncan Donuts for a quick refuel before our journey (see second image below for the “N.J.” letters). After grabbing a coffee, we turned left out of the doors, took a right, and headed towards zone 15 (see third pic below to see how easy it is to spot zone 15 and the green shuttle bus). This pivotal stop was waiting to whisk us away to the train station via a convenient shuttle.
Upon disembarking at the shuttle’s final stop, we made our way to the last set of doors, easily recognized by a large pole and helpful numbered indicators (see last pic on the right below). This straightforward route led us efficiently to our next phase—purchasing our tickets to Penn Station in NYC. For those accustomed to navigating transportation systems, the kiosk video shown below the four imagee provides a clear visual guide, ensuring that even first-timers can find their way with confidence. It costs (in 2024) $16.50 per person for the one-way ticket to NYC.
John F Kennedy Airport is huge but is still very easy to navigate. Make your way through the airport and follow signs to the AirTrain to get to Jamaica Station. From Jamaica Station just hop on the blue E train to get to Manhattan. Sorry I didn’t go through this airport at all on our most recent trip and have no earlier photos to share.
Train:
Bus:
Taxi:
RideShare:
Where to stay
For our most recent stay, in Manhattan, we were at the Hilton Club: The Quinn New York right by Central Park. It was a beautiful place and close to everything. Would highly recommend.
We have also stayed in Flushing. My husband, being Chinese, we love the Asian vibe of Flushing and all the terrific food! In Flushing, we stayed at the Hyatt Place Flushing/LaGuardia Airport hotel. This was also a great stay. The beds were comfortable. Breakfast was provided and pretty good.
Things to do
High Line Park/Chelsea District (free): After a lovely walk on the High Line Park which was once a freight train line that was going to be demolished but was saved and turned into a park in the sky. It is beautifully remastered and a lovely walk. There are elevators or stairs to access this unique park at four locations along the park. At the end of the park is the Chelsea district which is a lovely place to visit. Here is the Starbucks Reserve Roastery which is a fun visit for coffee lovers. In 2024, at our last visit, there was a beautiful display featuring a herd of bamboo elephants that are a majestic sight to see.
VERY FRESH NOODLES is a great handmade noodle place to visit when you are here in the Chelsea district. It is not a full-blown restaurant where you get seated and waited on. It is more of a small noodle shop with about 10 seats along a bar where you can watch them pull the noodles as orders come in. If it is full you may have to take your noodles to a bench on the High Line (which would be awesome) but if you are able to find a seat you can watch them as you eat!
Little Island (free): When you near the end of High Line Park, just past Pier 57, there is a little man-made island appropriately named “Little Island”. Such a beautiful little park. You can walk to the apex of the park and are welcomed with a beautiful view of Jersey with the Statue of Liberty in the far distance. We visited at night and it was breathtaking then so I can only imagine the view in the bright sunlight.
Little Italy (free): Since a huge part of New York is its Italian heritage this is a must-visit. It neighbors Chinatown so you can easily visit both in one afternoon. Great little shops and a ton of great places to eat!
Chinatown (free): There is always a lot of activity in various Chinatowns across the country, this is no exception. Amazing food and shops all around. Visit Columbus Park and watch some of the intense games the elderly especially enjoy. On average there will be between 5-10 games being played (with real stakes). We stopped at Royal Seafood for Dim Sum one mid-morning. Be prepared to share a table with people you do not know as there is a large crowd that enjoy this gem. We were seated with three elderly Chinese gentlemen who were engaged in deep conversation in Cantonese. The food was good. One cannot go to Chinatown and not seek out a bakery! We visited Fay Da Bakery and were not disappointed. I love cream buns and they were excellent.
Central Park (free): Everyone knows this iconic park. What everyone might not know is the many amazing sites and things to do that are free. Heckscher Playground where scenes from Elf and the snowball fights were shot, the Mall which has been in many iconic movies, Wollman Rink where you can watch people skate or skate yourself, and the Bethesda Terrace with amazing architecture and sometimes you will be treated to a singer making use of the spectacular acoustics. Bow Bridge is a great place to take some memorable pictures. Seek out the Belvadere Castle to see some great views.
Broadway shows (varying fees for entry):
While in NY in Fall 2024, we saw three amazing shows: Sunset Blvd, MJ, and Wicked. Sunset Blvd was my favorite. Nicole Scherzinger was simply amazing, her voice! She played a crazy woman with a lot of pizzazz and great facial expressions. The way Sunset Blvd was done by the 3-5 main actors was also unique in that they had camera people coming out on stage and getting close-ups of their faces, which was perfect. Just loved it.
Dumbo (free): An area of NY on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a quaint area with lots of shops and eateries. The view of the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge are beautiful and make for wonderful backdrops for photos. A lovely place to visit.
Brooklyn Bridge (free): This is both a bridge for vehicles, but on the uppermost part, it is a pedestrian bridge. The views of Long Island and the NY landscape are unparallelled from this vantage point. It takes approximately a half hour to cross over the bridge at a leisurely pace.
Hoboken (free): Such a quaint and fun place to visit. If you love little boutique shops this is the place to go. There is also the original Carlo’s Bakery here with delicious treats.
Time Square (free): We have all seen Time Square on the big screen, and the real deal does not disappoint. It is a great place to check out both during the day as well as at night when all the lights and magic of New York is in full swing.