(no subject)

[austin_tycho]

I have a chance to visit New York City. My best friend works for IBM, and he made some processor thingamablob work a lot faster so they love him and his wall of patents. Someone in New York wants him to go there in January for 3 weeks and... I dunno, show them the thingamablob. They're going to put him in the Radisson in Manhattan, and he's pushing for a big suite. He's pretty sure there will be a place to crash- if not an entire other bed in a couch, then at least a couch. I'd be on my own for most of the time. He's told me that if I pay for my flight, he'll let me crash with him in the suite for a few days, and even buy a couple of meals. I checked flights; it looks like I can get a round trip for under $200.

I've never been in love with the idea of NYC the way some people are, but I would like to see the place. I don't know squat about anything; my brother went a few years ago and saw the Statue of Liberty and went to the Guggenheim and did a few other things. I have no idea what I'd be able to easily do... how hard is it to figure out the subway system, how much are cabs, how much is walking an option- especially considering that it will be January! But I am really tempted. I'll give it a few days and see if my friend really would be willing to put me up, get me to and from the airport, and buy me a couple of meals- it seems like it might be a neat adventure.

Comments

[contentlove.livejournal.com]

You'll be staying in Manhattan, right? The subway is dead easy (I felt that way as a 12 year old on my own, let alone as an adult). There is a pretty good bus system. Cabs are expensive but they're handy, especially late night. Once you're in a given neighborhood, there is often great walking around to be done, as Manhattan is an extremely dense city.

You'd be able to easily do a lot of stuff, even on a fairly modest budget. You wouldn't be able to do expensive stuff, but that never stopped me from having fun even when I was dead broke if I had enough money to eat and move around the city. Really, amusing yourself in NYC is a winning proposition.

Note however that it can (not necessarily will though) be bitter cold in January. You'll want a hat that covers your ears, a good scarf and gloves in addition to a warm winter coat. Being cold will bum you out ;) But if you're dressed correctly, there is almost nothing more beautiful than walking across Central Park on a sparkling bright sunny winter day.

And no matter what your special interest, it's one of the best places in th world to shop for almost anything.

[contentlove.livejournal.com]

One more thing - if you want to get psyched (and better prepared) for your visit, do the following. Get yourself a Manhattan street map (that's a bookmark for an internet user). Start browsing the Village Voice, more for the events/locations. Do a little cross referencing with the map. What neighborhoods end up being flagged more, for things that interest you especially? What's coming up during the time you'll be visiting? Lots of clues there...

[idadebeautreux.livejournal.com]

Manhattan is pretty easy to navigate. Avenues run north and south, and are usually major routes. They are numbered from east to west (1st Ave on east edge of Manhattan, 5th is in the middle, 11th is on the west side). Streets run east and west, are generally smaller, and are numbered south to north. If you're on 15th St. you're much further south than if you were on 143rd St. Most streets are one way: all odd #s have traffic in one direction, all even #s go the other. The exception to this is Broadway, which runs NW to SE. I don't really know anything about being in the "artsy" areas of the south end of Manhattan (Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown) though.

Most of the museums are on what's called the Museum Mile, which is the region of 5th Avenue around Central Park, which runs from like 60th St. north to 100-something St. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is actually in Central Park, facing a lot of very swanky 5th Ave apartments near 80th St. Rockefeller Center is also on 5th Avenue, at the south end of Central Park. Radio City Music Hall is on the Avenue of the Americas (aka 6th Ave, I think). They're both around 50th/51st Streets.

Walking around isn't a problem, especially if you stay to the main routes. If you're looking to see the Flatiron Building, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Broadway and the stores on 5th Avenue, that's all in the same area, easy walking distance. It's about 30-40 blocks north to get to the museums. My friends and I walked from the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree to a bar on 3rd (about 50 blocks) in a pretty short period of time. (It was about 5 years ago now, so I don't remember exactly how long it took us!)

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

New York! The Met is my favorite place ever. I love it.

The subways are pretty easy, and you can walk everywhere. The city is fun. You should go!