New York City may be huge, but you will feel like a local if you follow this action-packed travel itinerary. From the Met and Broadway to underground restaurants and elevated hiking trails, head to NYC for your next weekend getaway.
My wife Carrie and I drive up early Saturday morning to the Big Apple. We park at Secaucus Junction NJ transit ($40 for the weekend) — then we hop on the train to Penn Station for $3 per person. We like this method of travel because there is no traffic on the drive up. It’s also a safe parking area and the train only stops at Penn Station, so there is no fear of getting off at the wrong stop.
TIP: Once you arrive at Penn Station, remember you are a tourist and enjoy yourself. People living in NYC can tell you are visiting from a mile away, so embrace it, ask questions and don’t buy anything on the street from men with iPads.
Your first stop should be your hotel, to drop your luggage. They will hold your belongings if your room isn’t ready yet. Hotel Mela and Sofitel offer comfortable rooms within a few blocks of Penn Station, Times Square and Broadway. These are ideal hotels because after the day we have planned, a short trip to bed is a wonderful relief.
We prefer to walk but depending on the weather we hail a Yellow Cab. I think I could even give Costanza a run for his money. You can pay and tip with a credit card at the kiosk in the back seat of the car. We make our way to Central Park Zoo to begin our walk through the park. Our destination is the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) — the cost approximately $25 per person.
The walk is enjoyable but be aware it is about 2 miles from the Times Square area to the museum and the museum is enormous inside. For non-walkers, you may want to take a cab. The Met is a maze of art ranging from the works of Monet and Picasso to complete ancient Egyptian ruins. We have walked around for hours and barely scratched the surface.
You’ll be hungry when you leave and if you are up for a bite on the street there are plenty of vendors around. One we ran into and enjoyed was Tony Dragon’s Grille. Another great place if you are not into food trucks is, Jackson Hole. The burgers are amazing, and the restaurant is down basement steps, which makes you feel like you are a seasoned traveler who knows their way around in the big city.
If you are into the outdoors at all, you may want to take a slight detour and visit the Beretta Gallery. The unassuming store front leads shoppers inside to a three-floor gallery of casual and camp style clothing. Take the elevator to the third floor and you find yourself in a gunsmith shop like no other. There you find yourself surrounded by over and under shotguns for clay and wing shooting. They range in price from $10,000 to over $150,000 and are custom fitted by the onsite gunsmith. A shotgun which belonged to Earnest Hemingway is on display in the center of the gallery.
Yes, I look regal, and yes that is a dress in a gun store window.
In the evening you should head to a Broadway show. I’ve been to quite a few now and highly recommend, Chicago, The Parisian Woman and Wicked. We purchase our tickets direct from the box office on the day of the show. You can do this after 11 a.m. at almost all of the theaters and avoid extra fees online or in Times Square.
You’ll need to grab dinner after the show, so head to Burger and Lobster. It’s a few blocks from the hotels mentioned above and you’ll get an excellent meal for under $60 for two people.
With your appetite filled and a day of excitement behind you, it is time to experience Times Square. The bright lights, constant motion and droves of tourists make this an exciting place to shop and enjoy a late evening.
On Sunday morning in NYC you may think the rapture occurred and left just you and a few Starbucks baristas on earth. The city is quiet, and this is the time I enjoy the most.
Leave your bags at the hotel to pick them up later. Put on your walking shoes, grab a coffee and head to the High Line. The High Line is a hiking trail on what used to be the elevated rail line running through the city. You begin in Hell’s Kitchen surrounded by skyscrapers. Then you weave your way south through the kitschy town homes of Chelsea.
We usually take a cab to Times Square, grab breakfast from Toasties, and head back to the hotel to pick up our belongings. We take one more cab ride to Penn station. Then the city is behind us as we make our way back to the rolling farm fields of Strasburg, PA.
New places like NYC can be overwhelming for first time visitors. Have no fear, the city is built for you. With this travel plan and a fully charged iPhone, you will feel like a local in no time at all.
Richard Elliott's Travel Blog 