Never been. My wife and I are going to visit friends in DC mid April and are thinking of heading to NYC for two nights. I want to see Ground Zero and some of the other landmarks, just trying to talk myself into it. I heard taking the double decker tour bus thing is a pretty good idea. This is a no brainer for some folks but I hate big city's. Obviously don't mind just visiting though.
Or you could not go and just go on message boards and talk about how much the North sucks for the rest of your life. Do yourself a favor and go.
Is it worth going? Yep. Fuck that bus though. I would just list things you wanted to do (especially food) and go.
I love NYC. But it's really a matter of personal preference. If you hate big cities, NYC is probably not for you. If you like having something to do every second of the day then it probably is for you.
The only reason I said that is because if you hate big cities, it is literally the biggest city. But I agree, it's worth going to.
Absolutely go. I suppose if you're just there for a few days the bus thing might be good. Otherwise I'd say just hike around.
went to visit my cousin in Harlem for a week in 98'ish B....would go back. saw this soccer team called Juventus?? play at the old giants stadium. great food & beautiful black women. take that trip trollin
Yeah, this was pretty much my thought on the situation. Ground zero is the main draw for me. Every time I watch a special about it on tv I pretty much tear up, can't imagine seeing it in person. I wouldn't say the North sucks. I've only been Maine and thought it was awesome, of course I was there for work and didn't get to much free time.
The OP is just a gigantic face palm. Seriously, how fucking sheltered do you have to be that you would even question whether it is a good place to visit? And taking a double decker bus, seriously? How about going to NY and experiencing it for what it is and not as some pathetic tourist riding on a bus like you are watching zoo animals in a safari? NY is not about being a tourist. It's about eating the greatest food, shopping in the best stores, going out to the best concerts, shows, clubs, bars, sporting events, etc., seeing a diversity of interesting cultures and people, and just hanging out. If you are going to ride around in a bus and view the spot where a building fell or look at another tall building or Broadway Marquis, you may as well just look at pictures or watch a video.
If that's the only reason you're going you will be severely disappointed. It looks like any other construction site you've ever seen at this point. Go see the statue of liberty, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, go see a show at Radio City, eat a sandwich at Katz Deli, go to Smalls Jazz Club in Soho, etc. I promise you that if you have a little bit of cash to spend, the trip will be worth it. It's definitely not cheap though.
I should of clarified. I hate the though of being in a giant city for more than a weekend. I just think it's a must for every American. Ground Zero/Statue of Liberty/Wall St./Times Square/Empire State Building.... what else I was there for two weeks this past fall, October to be specific. I was by myself so I spent alot of time just cruising the roads around Bangor. I spent probably 10 hours in the vehicle one Saturday. I met a ton of people from Nova Scotia too, seemed kind of weird.
Shopping? let me clarify, I wear Levi's. I leave the D & G to the queers. I'm not that sheltered either. All that shit you just mentioned besides bars, sports, and food have little interest to me and I fully planned on doing some of that stuff, just at night time.
"If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie I don't want to go If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie I'd just as soon stay home If they don't have a Grand Ole Opry Like they do in Tennessee Just send me to Hell or New York City It'd be about the same to me"
When I hear someone say shopping, I immediately asssume the worst, and that's clothes shopping. So the answer to your question is yes.
I need to just go. I live maybe 4 hours drive from it. In Florida, some people from NY go there to retire and say it's overrated. I absolutely agree its worth seeing so its just a question what we can see in how much time. We would take the train there when we go.
Whole thread is ridiculous. Go to NYC. Don't ride the tour bus, it'll be a waste of time. Experiencing the city as opposed to riding a damn bus is worth it. Driving into NYC for the first time and seeing the massive skyline will sure to be one of the most awe-striking moments of the trip.
Don't know how Central Park hasn't been mentioned yet, but go there. It was waaaaaay bigger than I thought it would be, and the view of the skyscrapers is ridiculous from the main lawn.
Coming from someone who is as diehard Chicago as one can be (born and somewhat raised there), NYC is and was the only city that made me think twice about Chicago not being the best city in the US.
When we went we stayed in the financial district which was right by the WTC. I'd recommend staying in the Homewood Suites there.
No it's not worth going. There is absolutely nothing of value in the country's largest city for one to see. I'd head to Mobile or someplace with a more profound cultural impact.
When I read head straight to Times Square I honestly was about to blow up on you, but I see what you did there.
Truth. The best part about it for me was this guy screaming at the top of his lungs, "Anybody need any stolen shit"
It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 Train to the ballpark looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing... The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?"
I think for a tourist the best way to experience Times Square is to go there for about an hour just to walk around and take a few pictures. There really isn't anywhere in this country like Times Square, so its worth for a tourist to see....briefly.
Exactly. It's unique as hell. Only other place that's remotely similar is the intersection of Hollywood and Highland in LA and that's not nearly the amount of visual and sensory overload that you'll experience in Times Square. Go, look around, say "ooooh" to all the flashy lights and billboards and then run over the dumbass tourists that are congesting the sidewalks in your hurry to get the hell out of there.
I've been a few times and it's pretty sweet, but I don't understand the enormous slobbing of the knob that it gets. Before anyone says anything, I stayed with some of my buddies from Bronxville for like five days. We went into the city and ate some legit pizza and sushi, went to a Yankees game in the new stadium, and had drinks 50 floors up on his dad's office balcony in the financial district, went out to bars in the city, etc.... It was fun no doubt (drug scene was insane), but I mean I didn't think that stuff was any sweeter just because it's in New York. You can get alot of that in an average sized city like Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, DC, etc... *in no way am I saying New York sucks,(it's pretty sweet) but it's way overrated by many
A great place to visit but having commuted through Times Square and Penn Station every day for a while....I'm sick of it.
Haha, are you this board's resident drug tourist? I already asked you about tripping at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam -- any good stories to share from NYC?
While I hate big cities and much of what NYC is famous for doesn't really appeal to me I still want to visit it atleast once in my life. I am a big history buff and NYC is full of it. Would love to spend a week there just checking out the historical sites. Ellis Island, Federal Hall Memorial, Castle Clinton, etc plus check out all the museums and such. Not really interested in the nightlife, famous restaurants, Broadway, and shit like that. Would also love to visit Boston atleast once