October 5-8, 2012 --- Nathan and I planned to visit New York City about a month before our actual travel date. It was during the fall break, and Nathan had about a week off, so we decided that a New York trip would fit our schedule.
Day 1
We decided to take a train instead of driving because the train tickets were cheap, and it was faster and more convenient than driving. We drove to the Lancaster train station and parked there for $5/day. The train left around 9:30 a.m. and it took us only 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to NY Penn Station. It was my first time riding a train in the U.S., and I was very impressed how comfortable it was.Once we got to NY Penn Station, we found our way out to the metro. Nathan and I decided to buy the unlimited-ride metro cards, which was $29/card and can be used up to 7 days. The metro system in NYC is very complicated, and the metro stations are kind of run-down and need a lot of improvement. We took the one that led to Columbus Circle, where our hostel was located.
Most hotels or hostels in NYC cost over $200 a night, and you still have to share a bathroom. Nathan and I decided to stay at the West Side YMCA because it was clean, safe, and affordable. Nathan and I had to check in early, and the staff was very friendly and didn't charge us a single penny. We got a room on the renovated floor #12 for $120/night. The room was tiny with a bulk bed, desk, TV, and closet. The shared bathrooms were very clean and big and gave a lot of privacy. It was comfortable enough and sufficient since we only needed a room to sleep at night. The location is unbeatable--- we were just across the street from Central Park and a few minutes from the metro station. You can also leave your luggage there for $1/piece if you have to check out long before your flight/train departure.
As soon as we got our stuff in the hostel room, we went straight to Rockefeller Center to buy a NY City Pass. It was $89 per person, and it allowed us to visit 6 major tourist sites of New York (Empire State Building, American Museum of Natural History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Top of The Rock, and Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island). I highly recommend buying this pass if you want to visit those places because it is cheaper than getting a regular pass for each place, and you can skip the ticket lines.
At the Rockefeller Center, we got a schedule to get on and elevator to the Top of The Rock Observation Deck at 4:30 p.m., so Nathan and I just walked to St. Patrick's Cathedral and Times Square while waiting for our turn.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral was under renovation when we visited. The outside was completely covered, but the inside was gorgeous!
Times Square
There were a ton of people here waiting in lines to get discount Broadway Shows tickets. We didn't really spend much time here.
Top of The Rock
This is one of my favorite places, even better than the Empire State Building, to get the outstanding view of NYC. The waiting line wasn't too bad either since they scheduled each individual a specific time to visit the top. We spent about half an hour to circle around the top and got 360-degree views.
Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge
Originally I planned to visit Brooklyn Bridge the next day, but the weather was nice and we had a lot of time before dinner, so we just went straight there after Top of The Rock. There were two lanes on the bridge, one for bikers and one for walkers, so be careful and watch out for the fast bikes.
Nathan and I took the metro to the Brooklyn side of the bridge and walked on the bridge toward the Manhattan side. It was a gorgeous day, and we could see the Statue of Liberty from a distance. The Manhattan Bridge is just next by, and the view of Manhattan was charming. There were a lot of people taking an evening jog or walking on the bridge, as well as tourists strolling up and down.
The Empire State Building
Because it was the only warm, clear day of our trip, we decided to do a lot of outdoor and top-of-the-building observation stuff on our first day in NYC. After seeing NYC in the daylight at Top of The Rock, we went to the Empire State Building to see NYC light up at night.
It was the worst wait I have ever endured. We probably stood in line for an hour and a half to get on an elevator to the observation deck. Moreover, the elevator only took us to the 80th floor, and we had to either wait in line for a second trip on the elevator or walk up the steps for 6 floors to the observation deck. Nathan and I just walked up steps because it was faster than waiting in line...
The view of NYC at night was stunning! We also got an audio tour to learn about NYC and Manhattan, but I was too tired to listen to it. Nathan, on the other hand, listened to every single section, and he seemed to like it.
Day 2
The Statue of Liberty
Our second day's mission was to visit the Statue of Liberty. We left our hostel late in the morning and took a metro to Battery Park to board a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. The waiting line was very long but steadily moved, so we were on the boat within half an hour.
The ferry went straight to the Statue of Liberty first and then to Ellis Island, and if you sit in the back of the boat, you will get the best view of Manhattan as the boat leaves the shore.
The Statue of Liberty was very impressive when we saw it close up. Too bad they were renovating the Crown when we visited, so we couldn't go up to the top of the statue. There was a free audio tour provided, but Nathan and I didn't know about it, so we just walked around the statue and breathed in the fresh air.
Ellis Island Immigration Museum
After visiting the Statue of Liberty, we hopped on the ferry to the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island. Here we didn't forget to pick up the free audio tours and followed every single spot on the tour. It was a very nice museum, and I really enjoyed the tour.
Castle Clinton National Monument
After finishing our trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Nathan and I took the ferry back to Manhattan. As we got to Battery Park, I saw a historical site right next to the ferry terminal, so we decided to briefly check it out.
Castle Clinton was initially built as a fort to prevent British attack in 1812. Later it became a major immigration port, an aquarium, and now a ticket booth for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
NY Financial District and Union Square
Initially, Nathan and I planned to visit the 9/11 Memorial after our trip to the Statue of Liberty, but we didn't know that we had to get a free, time-restricted ticket before visiting, so we couldn't get inside of the memorial that day. Nathan decided that we should walked to the NY Stock Exchange and City Hall since they weren't far away.
At night, after our delicious dinner at a famous deli restaurant, we went to Union Square for a movie. I got movie tickets from Groupon, so we went to watch "Looper" on our free night.
Day 3
American Museum of Natural History
Our third day in NYC was cold and rainy, so it was perfect for visiting museums. We had a late start because we were exhausted from walking and standing in line, so we rested up and didn't leave the hostel till 11 a.m.
The first museum we visited was the American Museum of Natural History. It was about 14 small blocks from our hostel or 2 subway stations away, so Nathan and I decided to walk along Central Park to the museum.
The American Museum of Natural History is a great place for kids. Nathan and I spent most of our time on the second floor where I learned a lot about Central and South American People. We also got free tickets to see a film called "Creatures of Light" and went to see the exhibit about Dinosaurs on the 4th floor. This museum is huge, and you can spend a few days here to look at everything. Nathan and I have visited many museums, so we decided to see only a few things that we were interested in.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Frankly, I am not a big fan of modern art. However, MoMA has a famous collection of Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and many more on the 5th floor, so it's worth the visit.
Somehow my camera wasn't working right, so I didn't get a good photos of the famous paintings...
National September 11 Memorial and Museum
Nathan and I reserved a free online ticket scheduled to visit the 9/11 Memorial at 5:30 p.m., and we made it there just in time. The process was a little complicated. We had to go to a specific place to print out our ticket and then walk to the memorial site. There were so many ticket checkpoints, so we had to keep our tickets out at all times.
The 9/11 Memorial was amazing, yet sad. The names of the people who died at the site were carved on the memorial. There were two pools, a north pool and a south pool. We spent about half an hour circling around both pools and looked the new World Trade buildings under constructing.
Day 4
Central Park
Visiting Central Park was on the top of my list, and biking in Central Park was one of my dreams. After checking out from the hostel, Nathan and I just left our luggage there for $1/piece. Then we went straight to the bike rental shop that I had a reservation for 2 bikes from Groupon.
Unfortunately, if you want to bike in Central Park, you are allowed to bike only on the main one-way road around the park but not in any roads inside of the park. Nathan and I ended up walking our bikes more than riding them because there were so much more to see throughout the park.
My favorite part of the park is The Mall. It was very pretty, and I recognized it from many movies. The Belvedere Castle is also nice. I climbed up to the top of the castle and got a very good view of the park. Generally, biking in Central Park was fun, but I would rather walk around if I ever visit the park again.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the last museum and the last site we visited on this trip. In my opinion, it is the most interesting museum of all. Too bad we didn't really have enough time to see many exhibits because our train was leaving at 6:30 p.m. and we needed to be there early. Nathan and I decided to see a few things that we like or have rarely seen in other museums.
The Egyptian Art is an outstanding exhibit in the museum. We really enjoyed every single piece they had here. I have never seen as many mummies anywhere else. I also like the section for Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas because I wanted to learn more about them. Every single piece in this section startled me. I wish I could go back there again in the near future.
Our fun time in NYC finally came to the end. We went back to the YMCA to pick up our luggage and took the metro straight to NY Penn Station. Our train was scheduled to leave at 6:30 p.m., but it was half an hour late...
Nathan and I had a fascinatingly great time in NYC! There were a lot of tourists from everywhere around the world. We often heard about twenty different languages on the subway or at tourist sites. The New Yorkers were surprisingly friendlier than we expected. All the food was amazing. NYC is definitely a place to visit in a lifetime.... :-)