U.S. Trip: Five Days in New York
When you first arrive in New York have the feeling of being in a movie. Many of the corners of the world’s capital just named are etched in our minds because when you walk by them, you get the feeling of having seen them before.
Streets like Fifth Avenue or Brooklyn or landmarks such as Times Square and Central Park are familiar to all without most have visited the city earlier.
New York’s hustle, hustle, yellow cabs, people frantically walking the streets and often without a fixed course. New York is a lively city where people work during the day and night. In short, New York is the city that never sleeps.
Day 1: Making contact with the city
We landed at Newark Airport, the least known of the New York area, located in the state of New Jersey. From there you have the option of taking a train that takes you half an hour to midtown Manhattan or, for about 45 €, take a taxi to the center of the island. After eight hours of flying we opted for the taxi, with the advantage that we knew what we were going to pay from the beginning and tell you the price of the journey before, thus avoiding any shock take to make you start your journey on the wrong foot.
New York Taxi Driver
Our residence for five days was in midtown Manhattan, in the residential Greenwich Village, a bohemian area of ??low buildings where you can breathe the cool essence (as New Yorkers are constantly told) of the island. In the
Village is a young and intellectual, perhaps by the fact that the University of New York is located in this area. The neighborhood is bordered by Broadway to the east, the Hudson River to the west, south of Houston Street and 14th Street
north.
After a brief rest rooms and (I recommend you go to sleep as late as possible to quickly adapt to time zone) we went to take a walk around the apartment and discovered the delights of Soho and Little Italy. Soho, whose name means South of Houston Street (south of Houston Street), is one of the most expensive areas of Manhattan. To give you an idea, renting an apartment of about 40 square meters round between 2200 and 2500 €. Yes it is true that salaries are higher than in Spain, but the New York spends more than half of it in rental housing.
Yellow taxis are true emblems of New York
After the above figures many will think that the Soho is full of luxurious and ostentatious buildings. Nothing could be further from reality. The blocks are old and austere, in fact, many of them are former factories converted into lofts with exterior fire escapes, the more cinematic style. Soho became fashionable in the 60 and 70 when many bohemian artists set up their studies, but in recent years is one of the most in New York.
Eating Well in New York is not difficult but the prices are quite higher than in Spain. Yes, you can find almost all types of cuisine in the world. The first day we went for oriental cuisine, especially the Japanese, in a restaurant on Houston Street where we could enjoy a nice delicious sushi. But the biggest surprise to us we go to sleep. We had the good fortune to be staying at one of the tallest buildings in the Village, 250 Mercer Street, and yet we were not aware of the show we were about to watch from the terrace: the lighted skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan (Downtown).
Night view of Downtown
As the night progressed the lights on these buildings were going off and a constantly moving offices and shops.
Day 2: Central Park and Midtown
Woke up early to seize the day it would be quite complete. We had planned to visit the nearby Central Park and Fifth Avenue, so we could not waste time. To move faster transportation Manhattan is without doubt the metro. It costs about $ 2 each way but as we were going to take it more than once we came out cheaper to buy a bond that can save some money. Still, the New York subway is still quite expensive.
Central Park, New York Lung
During the day is safe, and although it looks pretty old, is a tourist attraction because it passes by people of all kinds. Now is penalized paint graffiti on it and even denounce those who do are rewarded financially with about $ 500. In New York there are over 20 underground lines, some stopping at all stations (local) and others only do so in the main (express), so we have to look which one can easily make it stop spending and an error of this kind in New York, you can make a big waste of time.
From the Village we took the subway and stop at Columbus Circle on the bottom just east of Central Park. This park is located in the center of the island of Manhattan and covers an area of ??345 hectares. To get an idea of ??the size of this park is located between 110 Street and 59, ie has a length of more than 50 streets.
Central Park is an ideal place for jogging, cycling or a long walk. When you enter the park like you’re in a lush forest and you forget you’re in the heart of one of the largest cities in the world. It is very
Recommended explored on foot, but you have other options more convenient to visit. We chose a curious means of transport, a kind of vehicle pedals. The driver’s name was Rodolfo, a New Yorker of Puerto Rican origin, who for 45 dollars and a funny Spanglish, we were explaining the history and most visited of the world’s most famous park.
Central Park Central Park was the exterior set of more than 800 films. Titles such as Kramer vs. Kramer, you have an e-mail, among many others, have been shot in this great urban lung. Along the walk we saw the place where the great chess player Bobby Fisher practiced the sport or the source of the television series Friends. One of the most iconic sites is the Strawberry Fields’, a tribute and in turn shrine dedicated to musician John Lennon situated directly opposite the building where he lived the last years of his life.
One of the most iconic sites is the”Strawberry Fields,”a tribute and in turn shrine dedicated to musician John Lennon situated directly opposite the building where he lived the last years of his life.
After our tour through Central Park we went to the Grand Army Plaza, located between Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, where stands the famous Plaza Hotel. There we really realized the enormity of New York high-rise concrete and glass as never seen, crowded streets, yellow taxis everywhere, people from every corner of the world … We were in Midtown. We started to walk on Fifth Avenue and saw the world’s most famous shops and also, why not say it, the more unaffordable for the pockets of most of humanity. Looked for jewelry Tiffany’s (Fifth Avenue at 57th Street) and we came to the memory of Holly unattainable desires, a character immortalized by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Traffic in Manhattan is continuing
Midtown and continue walking in the streets 51 between Fifth and Sixth Avenue stands the Rockefeller Center, shopping and entertainment major United States that encompasses 19 buildings interconectads by underground channels and can be accessed by subway . Down the Sixth Avenue at 42 street corner we came upon a place to rest and eat a snack, Bryant Park.
View of buildings in Midtown at the height of Bryant Park
This park, located just off the New York Public Library is a haven of peace and tranquility amid much buzz. After resting and fueling up on two typical sandwiches on our way down the street 42. Our destination was the Chrysler Building, a beautiful skyscraper in the 30′s, Art Deco New York emblem. The Chrysler had the honor to be, although only for one year, the tallest building in New York. You know what construction snatched this distinction? As one located ten blocks south and that was our next stop on our route through Midtown, the Empire State.
The Chrysler Building is the hallmark of Art Deco New York
The Empire State Building was built during the Great Depression. Some numbers that guarantee are as follows: 102 plants, 381 feet, 73 lifts and 1860 steps. From the street, the Empire is almost impossible with the look. In fact, one consequence of our tour of Midtown was a mild sore throat, and you spend much of the day looking up. With a visit to the Empire State, and after over an hour to queue up and make out some of the most incredible views of Manhattan, we completed our first full day in New York. At night, exhausted from walking, we chose to dine at a cozy Italian restaurant, of course, in Little Italy. Then we still had the strength to enjoy an exciting session of true and genuine blues at a club in Soho.
Day 3: Downtown Brooklyn
New York is not only Manhattan, but for many it would be. New York City is the merger of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island, totaling more than eight million people. Although the New York metropolitan area, the known tristate (consisting of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) is one of the most highly populated the planet with nearly 22 million people. The third day in the Big Apple got up later than expected result of the exhaustion of the previous two days and headed for Brooklyn, one of the five districts mentioned above. The day was gray and it was quite cold but this did not curb our desire to see the city. As there, we took the subway and got off at the City of New York (City Hall) located in the Downtown. From there we went walking to Brooklyn and walked across the famous bridge of the same name on the East River.
Brooklyn Bridge
When it opened in the late nineteenth century was, with 1800 meters, the longest suspension bridge in the world. Walking through it you can see the typical wiring and arches located in the towers that hold it. Below
cars pass through the top and pedestrians and bicycles. Upon arrival at Dumbo (an acronym in English means below the Manhattan Bridge) went to have a hot chocolate at Jacques Torres Chocolate, a
real treat for the senses. Our choice for lunch was one of the most genuine and relatives of the district, Bubby’s Brooklyn, where kids eat dinner free on Saturday night.
Back in Manhattan, and in the afternoon, we visited one of the most sad that we saw in New York, Ground Zero, a vast esplanade, now under construction, where the majestic Twin Towers located and which can still be see the consequences of terrorist brutality. Some buildings still retain some wounds around the brutal attack of September 2001. Ground Zero is a place of worship where all who visit shows his respect and that is
easy to see people with pent-up emotions that come to the place where their loved ones died. Today the Memorial is being built 9 / 11, will remember the victims of September 11th.
After a few minutes of reflection we continue our journey towards the World Financial Center, the Hudson River and sat down at Battery Park to rest a few minutes and see how much Ferries depart and dock constantly on the island of Manhattan. Back, we had a little time for shopping in the crowded store Century 21, opposite Ground Zero, where after much digging can find a bargain.
Band in a performance right in Harlem
Back at the apartment we went through Chinatown, undoubtedly one of the most illustrious of Manhattan. Canal Street, the main artery of Chinatown, is full of stalls selling the most perfect imitations of the big brands. It is curious that this was the place where we saw more buying Spanish, perhaps because it was cheaper than other shops or perhaps to compensate their desire to appear. Back to the Village on Broadway breathe the purest essence of Manhattan with shops of all kinds, people with more varied clothing, incessant traffic … It is very interesting that New York is full of places where, for a reasonable price, I do the manicure and pedicure or give you a relaxing massage. After walking a few days do not miss the opportunity to take a deserved rest. At night we went to sample the delights of Mexican food in a restaurant in Chelsea settled and closed the day with an exciting live performance at one of the many nightclubs in the West Village.
Day 4: The Cloisters
The fourth day we woke up in New York we felt we had been there more than a month. As it was a good day, we recommend paying a visit to The Cloisters, the only museum dedicated to medieval art in the United States. Belonging to MOMA, in The Cloisters can see authentic cloisters brought from Spain and France. Besides having a great artistic value, it is worth visiting the museum because it is in a privileged area northeast of Manhattan, in the Ford Tyron Park, a large green area from which you can see unique views of the Hudson River, the Harlem and Central Park. Midtown back to visit one of the most popular and illuminated from New York, Times Square. This square is triangular and is spectacular both day and night. The flashes of light and color given off by numerous print ads and billboards are impressive.
The Profession
From Times Square to our next destination was the MOMA (Museum of Modern Arts) located at Calle 53 and sanctuary of modern art. In this place houses works by artists such as Pollock, Warhol, Picasso, Kandinsky and Hopper. In New York there are plenty of museums like the Metropolitan, the Natural History Museum or the Guggenheim, but would require a long stay if he wanted to visit them all. After eating a tasty but short-lived hot dog in front of the MOMA (New York there are plenty of stalls selling the typical hot dog) went to the street 42 where it meets the Hudson River. There, for $ 25 per person, we take a boat around the southern part of the island of Manhattan. Since the boat had a different view of the unique skyline of the island when the sun is taking reddish as the evening progresses.
Sunset in Manhattan
We spotted the neighborhood of Tribeca and the Rockefeller Park, but perhaps we drew more attention was directly opposite the island of Manhattan, one of the most celebrated monuments of the United States of America, the Statue of Liberty. To be honest we thought it would be much larger perhaps because we did not see up close. The boat that we could not stop on the island, contrary to those who depart from Battery Park in Manhattan or from Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Next to this island is Ellis Island, where he landed more than twelve million immigrants who wanted to enter the United States between 1892 and 1924 and now houses an interesting museum.
Brooklyn Bridge view from the East River
We left the Hudson River and began to climb the East River. We passed under the bridges of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg to reach the other end of the road 42, where stands the imposing building that houses the headquarters of the United Nations. On the way back, at night, we saw the Port of New York and all enlightened Manhatttan from the water, a true wonder to behold. That night we chose to taste the typical kitchen and reserve a table at a Steak House (in Spanish would be something like steak house) and tasted an unparalleled American beef roast with potatoes Ohio. Then we go by the most fashionable district of New York, the Meat Packing District, where
Today there is all the beautiful people quoted in New York.
Day 5: Back to Barcelona
The morning of the last day of stay in New York was spent making some shopping and visit some of the most popular shopping malls of the city as Bloomingdales, Columbus Circle or Macy’s. In the New York store is almost impossible to not find your size no matter how small or large they may be. We walked back down Broadway and up to the junction between it and the Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street, where one of the most interesting and ancient buildings in New York, the Fuller Building, better known as Flatiron so called because it appeared on the plates of the time.
Downtown Sunset
Back to the Greenwich Village crossed several emblematic places in the area like Union Square or Washington Square Park before going to eat some delicious hamburgers and return to the apartment to pack. Our trip to New York was over but our fascination with this city had only just begun.
Getting there
Many airlines have direct flights between Spain and New York. Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Iberia, American Airlines, among others.