THIRD TRIP - loved every minute!

Under a blanket of soft powdery snow.

Dressed in golden autumn hues.

And now adorned in leafy summer greens.

No matter what season, or how many times we return to NYC there is just soooooo much to see and do. How I envy all you residents!

This time was my third trip, and first driving up from VA. My husband and I were attending the Live Earth concert, so we opted to stay outside Manhattan in NJ close to Giants stadium. Yes we saved on hotel costs and parking but lost out on being able to pop back to our room for a rest/ change for dinner. A minor inconvenience that didn%26#39;t stop us from having a wonderful trip.

Day 1

Arrived at our hotel around noon. Was glad to get an early check-in. Dumped our bags and headed 50minutes north to Woodbury Commons - loved the location 鈥?didn鈥檛 expect its surroundings to be so pretty - forested hills enveloped in rain induced mist. Made me forget that we were in the midst of a shopping mecca!

It was July 4th and everyone seemed to have had the same idea - the place was overrun with shopaholics. It took us 40 minutes to find a parking space. The ordeal continued with loooooong lines for everything...from getting into stores, to ordering at the food court, to trial rooms - it was sheer madness. Was it worth the drive? Well the place is HUGE and u can find every brand. But IMO the deals were not that great, the merchandise was very limited, the styles were pretty dated. Plus you need lots of asprin and patience to brave the crowds.

As we left, the drizzle turned into a downpour. We opted to head back to the hotel and skipped venturing into NYC to see the Macy%26#39;s fireworks.

Day 2

Getting from NJ to NYC was a breeze. Much easier than I had anticipated. Our Hotel was in Carlstadt and the 161 bus took less than 20 minutes to get us to PABT.

We started the day by exploring the middle of Central Park 鈥?on previous visits we had only explored the southern portion up to the Ramble. This time we walked from the Dakota building, Strawberry fields, Swiss Cottage, Shakespeare Garden, Belvedere Castle, and then headed to the MET. Really enjoyed this new side of the Park. At the MET we spent several hours鈥?though we could have easily spent a week and still not covered it all. The European paintings section is under renovation till the end of the year, but they had a few pieces on display in the impressionist wing 鈥?my favourite period of art so I loved this part immensely.

Choosing which wings to see was hard 鈥?we began with the Egyptian wing which was breathtaking - espc the Temple. Also enjoyed the Greek/Roman sculptures, the African wing and the Modern Art section. The roof caf茅 had some interesting pieces and the views of the city and the park were equally eye catching. We also found that getting around the MET can be confusing despite the map and we got lost a couple of times, which was good in a way as we saw more sections than we intended. We bought a few prints from the gift shop (buy 3 get 1 free) and then headed for lunch.

Caf茅 Sabarsky 鈥?a tip from Bettina to another post 鈥?was a delightful place 鈥?live piano music, impeccable service, good food and excellent desserts. After a leisurely lunch we took the trolley/tram to Roosevelt Island. Surprisingly I hadn鈥檛 heard about Roosevelt Island on my last two visits. Just stumbled upon it this time on the TA forum when I was searching for July 4th fireworks vantage points. I鈥檓 glad I did as we enjoyed the experience and views on our way to and fro. We also did the 25cents island circle bus tour which gave us a good idea of the island鈥檚 past 鈥?prison and asylum right?

After this we did what we always do when visiting NYC 鈥?got our SOL fix by taking the Staten Island Ferry. Then visited Ground Zero 鈥?it looked different since our last visit in Nov 鈥?6. Seemed like a lot of photos and tributes had been removed. Even the Firehouse was enclosed in scaffolding.

For dinner we decided on Malaysian cuisine. We ate at Nyonya, the place was a bit cramped, and seemed to be quite popular. One bite and we agreed with the rave reviews 鈥?the food was delicious. We had Roti Canai, Beef Redang, Crab in aromatic spices and Coconut Ice cream. Every dish was excellent 鈥?infact amongst the best we鈥檝e sampled.

By the time we finished dinner it was late. Returning to NJ was fine. The night bus service is once every hour till 1am so we got the 12am bus. Though from the PABT subway entrance finding the NJ transit ticket counter and the respective gate is like navigating a looooong maze.

Day 3

Grand Central 鈥?had a crepe breakfast in the food hall, then walked around taking photos and admiring the architecture, chandeliers etc 鈥?hard to believe it鈥檚 a railway station. After that we took the subway to Brooklyn Bridge and followed GreenWhiteBlue鈥檚 guide to the 鈥榯鈥? Walked to Fulton Pier 鈥?it was just 11am and there were at least 40 people in line outside Grimaldi鈥檚 Pizzeria! We walked on towards the pier, admired the views 鈥?River Caf茅 looks so different in the day - took photos and then as we walked back to the bridge 鈥?the Grimaldi line had grown to 60!! Hope that pizza was worth the wait ;-)

It was VERY sunny and hot, but walking the Brooklyn Bridge was the highlight of the day. I regretted waiting this long to do it. We took lots of photos, read all the plaques and were wowed by the history and the views. Did note that pedestrians ignored posted signs and insisted on walking in the cycle lane.

Once we crossed over to Manhattan we headed to Chinatown. Walked past all the faux handbags, perfumes, watches and made our way for lunch to New Green Bo 鈥?oh well we wanted to have Dim Sums and in my haste I got my wires crossed with Jing Fong. So we ended up at New Green Bo which was a huge disappointment. The Dim Sum menu was limited and the dumplings ranged from bland to average. The only good thing though about the 鈥榤ix up鈥?was that the restaurant is opposite the Chinatown Ice Cream factory 鈥?again WHY did we wait this long to visit. Loved the Almond Cookie ice cream 鈥?I鈥檓 drooling just thinking about it. We also tried Lychee, Peach and Mocha Chip 鈥?again ALL yummy. Just wish they had place to sit and enjoy our frozen treats.

Next we did a self-guided walking tour of West Village and Greenwich Village. Loved the brownstones, treed lined streets, sat in Washington Square park and listened to the musicians, stopped by Rocco鈥檚 for Cannoli, Baba Rum and Cappuccinos. Saw the FRIENDS building, the narrowest house, browsed through boutiques鈥as amused to see an army of tourists outside Magnolia Bakery. By now we were dead tired and my feet were killing me. It was 5pm鈥n a lark we decided to visit MOMA 鈥?completely forgetting that Friday evenings are free. Well the place was crowded, noisey and viewing anything was a feat. We were literally carried along with the crowds and I wondered how security kept track of things in the mayhem. We bought some more prints at the Gift Shop and guess what 鈥?prices were cheaper compared to the MET! The Van Gogh Starry Nights is 30$ in the MET and 17$ at MOMA. Hmm?

Then it was onto the MET just to pick up a few prints that my husband had the sudden urge to buy. By now my feet were like lead and I just wanted to get back to the hotel. Yep, I really kicked myself hard for staying out of Manhattan. We decided to skip our tapas dinner at Bouqeria, called and cancelled our reservations (shall sample their infamous Beer Sangrias the next time round Livetotravel). Then we headed back to NJ. Being a Friday night the bus line was looooong 鈥?I counted 73 passengers 鈥?not all were able to get on. Reached our hotel and for dinner...hold your breath... we had...try not to scream...White Castle burgers!!!

Day 4

Giants Stadium for the Live Earth concert 鈥?in the vein of green we car pooled to the stadium ferrying other hotel guests. We arrived early 鈥?10.30am for a 2.30 pm concert. The parking lot was bustling with tailgate parties, BBQ grills and people having a jolly time despite the sizzling heat. We visited the adjoining NJ State Fair which was open for concert ticket holders only 鈥?and in the spirit of things we sampled funnel cakes, curly fries and gyros before heading to our seats.

The concert was spectacular - 8.5 hrs of awesome music. We had a wonderful time though the sun almost gave me a heat stroke. Screamed myself hoarse, danced like crazy, had a hoot doing the Mexican wave over and over and over again. Oh must mention that the irony was a fuel-guzzling glider that patrolled the skies continuously with an anti-Gore message!

The post concert scene was crazy. Took us 2 hours to get out of the stadium and the route to our hotel was barricaded. Had to take a looooong detour. So much for trying to conserve gas;-)

So that sums up our 鈥榮ummer鈥?trip to NYC. Thanks to all the Forum contributors we had another memorable trip. And now we can鈥檛 wait to return again in another season.

THIRD TRIP - loved every minute!

You have got Amazing Energy!

You should arrange your next trip in late spring. If you time it right, you%26#39;ll see Central Park positively pastel with all the fruit trees in full blossom.

THIRD TRIP - loved every minute!

Interesting and detailed report. You certainly accomplished a great deal in a short time period. I always get lost in the Met and I have been there many, many times. When you were at Caf茅 Sabarsky, did you visit the Neue Galerie museum that it is in? Can you tell us more about the 25 cents Roosevelt Island tour bus. Do you get it at the tram entrance and how long does it take?

NYC10025,

By the time we were done with the MET it was 4pm so we skipped the Neue Museum. Have it penciled in for my next visit alongwith the Cloisters.

The 25 cents Roosevelt Island tour bus starts at the the tram entrance - Red bus - hard to miss. Its not really a tour, it%26#39;s the island transportation that loops around. So you have residents hop on and off. It%26#39;s about 20 minutes or so and gives you a good visual idea of the place - drove past multi-storied complexes, playgrounds filled with kids shooting hoops, baseball practice, a few shops (convenience stores, drycleaners, Chiropracters, Nail Salons etc). We didn%26#39;t get off and explore on foot though- the church looked interesting - but otherwise the island has a dark, brooding air to it. IMO its best seen from the bus;-)

Bettina,

Thanks for suggesting a visit in Spring. Am still on an NYC high and want to get back as soon as possible! Was wondering if around X%26#39;mas was a good time. Always wanted to see the store windows and the tree at 30 Rock. But will it be too busy and crowded? Will things be opened? Will Broadway shows be on?

You haven%26#39;t been for Christmas yet?!? Yes, it%26#39;s gorgeous. It%26#39;s also more crowded than you can imagine. I%26#39;ve had it take five minutes just to cross 5th Ave. It%26#39;s also crazy expensive. And yet, it%26#39;s amazing. So, yes, try for Christmas. It%26#39;s cheaper the first week in January. But, while lots of holiday decorations are still up, the holiday concerts are over, as is the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

So that%26#39;s two seasons to plan for!

That was a fun report to read.

Great report!

Christmas time would be a fun time to go there,,,to see all the lights and everything.