Spent 8 days in New York - My opinions..... Meh

Spent 8 days in New York - My opinions..... Meh

Author
Discussion

HannsG

Original Poster:

3,030 posts

133 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
Hi,

I went to New York to watch UFC 244 and go sightseeing. I normally travel alone or with wife and kids. Unless it's a stag then it's the lads.

Anyhow, did everything possible in the time frame and did pretty much all the main stuff apart from the MOMA. Which was a bit gutting to be honest.

Maybe I am not cut out for the city life and I am not short of a few pound, but £11 a pint for local beer? Having a laugh mate. Everyone seems to look super busy and really I got to the point where I though it was just a thing everyone felt like they had to do.

Yeah it's busy I get it, but cheer the fk up eh? Against my better judgement a mate of mine came along for the fight and it was his idea to do 8 days.

He had been four times already and wanted to go again. Fair enough.

Seeing him binge on dunkin donuts each morning and 99cents pizza each afternoon and at least three slices each night after a drinking session kinda got a bit meh. Then him moaning about why he was putting on serious weight was hilarious.

I decided to do four days myself and it got better.

Subway was easy with the metro card, Americans visiting the place out of state were brilliant to be fair and great banter was always had. Most places provided great service and food quality was for the most part inconsistent.

Is it a romantic city? I say not, nowhere near on par as some places in SE Asia, Venice, Paris. I could go on.

Is shopping cheap there? Not really. Century 21 was OK, but nothing like some people were saying in terms of savings.

Do I regret going? No. UFC was amazing and MSG as a stadium was brilliant. The city has a lot of culture obviously so it was interesting. And I did enjoy the walking. Did 28 miles in one day when I was there!!!

Would I go back? Maybe when my kids are in their teens and they will appreciate the sights.





Edited by HannsG on Sunday 17th November 10:37

Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area

7,010 posts

188 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
I love NY but I can easily see why many wouldn’t, it’s a huge and very busy, noisy and perhaps unfriendly place. What did you actually do while you were there? For me half the pleasure comes from just wandering around on foot all day covering many miles and getting a feel for the different areas.

HannsG

Original Poster:

3,030 posts

133 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area said:
I love NY but I can easily see why many wouldn’t, it’s a huge and very busy, noisy and perhaps unfriendly place. What did you actually do while you were there? For me half the pleasure comes from just wandering around on foot all day covering many miles and getting a feel for the different areas.
Totally the latter. I was out the door 8am each day and not back till very late evening. Brooklyn was an experience, especially the dangerous end! Did a lot of taking it in and so on. So that part I enjoyed. The consumer side not so much. I mean how much shopping can any sane person do?

Maybe I don't do to well with huge swells of people? And there were many in NY! It was an experience for sure. But I think having done NY I am a beach person at heart.

The Leaper

4,929 posts

205 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
I've been to NY many times mostly for business. I've always thought it is great to know you are going to go there, and just as great to know you'll be leaving reasonably soon after getting there.

By the way, IMO the best museum for art etc is The Frick Museum.

R.

MarkJS

1,513 posts

146 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
New York isn’t the most hospitable of places for sure, but I find it a hell of a lot friendlier than London.

In terms of prices these days, much of that is down to the extremely weak pound - which is nobody’s fault but our own.

hyphen

26,262 posts

89 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
HannsG said:
Hi,

I went to New York to watch UFC 244 and go sightseeing. I normally travel alone or with wife and kids. Unless it's a stag then it's the lads.

Anyhow, did everything possible in the time frame and did pretty much all the main stuff apart from the MOMA. Which was a bit gutting to be honest.

Maybe I am not cut out for the city life and I am not short of a few pound, but £11 a pint for local beer? Having a laugh mate. Everyone seems to look super busy and really I got to the point where I though it was just a thing everyone felt like they had to do.

Yeah it's busy I get it, but cheer the fk up eh? Against my better judgement a mate of mine came along for the fight and it was his idea to do 8 days.

He had been four times already and wanted to go again. Fair enough.

Seeing him binge on dunkin donuts each morning and 99cents pizza each afternoon and at least three slices each night after a drinking session kinda got a bit meh. Then him moaning about why he was putting on serious weight was hilarious.

I decided to do four days myself and it got better.

Subway was easy with the metro card, Americans visiting the place out of state were brilliant to be fair and great banter was always had. Most places provided great service and food quality was for the most part inconsistent.

Is it a romantic city? I say not, nowhere near on par as some places in SE Asia, Venice, Paris. I could go on.

Is shopping cheap there? Not really. Century 21 was OK, but nothing like some people were saying in terms of savings.

Do I regret going? No. UFC was amazing and MSG as a stadium was brilliant. The city has a lot of culture obviously so it was interesting. And I did enjoy the walking. Did 28 miles in one day when I was there!!!

Would I go back? Maybe when my kids are in their teens and they will appreciate the sights.





Edited by HannsG on Sunday 17th November 10:37
Facebook not working? I think that is where you are supposed to post cool, high quality, stories like this one.

hehe

sleepezy

1,773 posts

233 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
HannsG said:
Would I go back? Maybe when my kids are in their teens and they will appreciate the sights.
We did exactly that a couple of years ago - stayed near Central Park in a hotel with a roof top pool.

Started early, walked for miles each day (visited a lot of the touristy spots) and threw everyone in the pool late afternoon to cool off before going into Hell's Kitchen for a meal.

Great fun - ranks up there with one of my favourite holidays - only low point was when we gave the youngest his choice for a meal and ended up buying the most expensive, and one of the worst, pizzas ever on Times Square. Otherwise we found everything worked well and 'the locals' more than happy to help.

BaldOldMan

4,571 posts

63 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
The exchange are is against you at the moment.

Roll back a few year s when it was $2 = £1 and shopping was a lot more compelling - I remember buying a suitcase and pretty much everything in sight to put into it.....

visitinglondon

332 posts

188 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
HannsG said:
Hi,

I went to New York to watch UFC 244 and go sightseeing. I normally travel alone or with wife and kids. Unless it's a stag then it's the lads.

Anyhow, did everything possible in the time frame and did pretty much all the main stuff apart from the MOMA. Which was a bit gutting to be honest.

Maybe I am not cut out for the city life and I am not short of a few pound, but £11 a pint for local beer? Having a laugh mate. Everyone seems to look super busy and really I got to the point where I though it was just a thing everyone felt like they had to do.

Yeah it's busy I get it, but cheer the fk up eh? Against my better judgement a mate of mine came along for the fight and it was his idea to do 8 days.

He had been four times already and wanted to go again. Fair enough.

Seeing him binge on dunkin donuts each morning and 99cents pizza each afternoon and at least three slices each night after a drinking session kinda got a bit meh. Then him moaning about why he was putting on serious weight was hilarious.

I decided to do four days myself and it got better.

Subway was easy with the metro card, Americans visiting the place out of state were brilliant to be fair and great banter was always had. Most places provided great service and food quality was for the most part inconsistent.

Is it a romantic city? I say not, nowhere near on par as some places in SE Asia, Venice, Paris. I could go on.

Is shopping cheap there? Not really. Century 21 was OK, but nothing like some people were saying in terms of savings.

Do I regret going? No. UFC was amazing and MSG as a stadium was brilliant. The city has a lot of culture obviously so it was interesting. And I did enjoy the walking. Did 28 miles in one day when I was there!!!

Would I go back? Maybe when my kids are in their teens and they will appreciate the sights.





Edited by HannsG on Sunday 17th November 10:37
The first sentence of your post marks you out as a bit of a chav, so you’d probably be better off in one of those places with sun and no culture.

Have a look at Benidorm, Dubai or Las Vegas for your next trip - or Scotland if you want to go on a Stag smile

Wacky Racer

38,069 posts

246 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
quotequote all
We went to Coney Island for the day.

Climbing into a tiny carriage on a rickety big wheel, which must have been made in the 1920's I said to the attendant "Where's the seatbelt?"

He replied (chewing some gum) "Down there with the airbags" Guffaw......

Fckitdriveon

1,033 posts

89 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all

I lived in nyc between 2008 and 2009, so alittle over a year, remember taking a job and short notice and arriving 2 days before Xmas, knowing no one and having no where to stay, sh*tting myself on the flight to jfk.
I got the bus to grand central and a lovely lady helped me a find A hostel for a few nights until my accommodation was sorted, found my way to the hostel and went out the back for a smoke, bumped into 2 Ozzy girls and ended up in the Irish bar next door we had great night , it started off 18months or so of what was a brilliant time of my life.

The accent helped with the ladies and I made some friends with the locals and a couple of ex pats who I m still in touch with today.

Loved the city , lived in Hell’s Kitchen midtown for 6 or so months and then moved to greenpoint in Brooklyn, what was a quiet leafy polish neighbourhood.

Never really did much of the tourist stuff which I kind of regret, I always meant too, but I had the, I can anytime attitude and never did.

It was around 2 dollars to the pound then and I first thought everything was so cheap and went on abit of a shopping rampage, being daft and forgetting I was now earning in dollars.

How it compares with Nyc of today, I couldn’t say, and going as a tourist is entirely a different kettle of fish, I’ve had friends visit and all loved the place but I guess They did 4-5 days and filled their days with sight seeing and shopping.

I Ve always wanted to go back to visit but only managed with work a couple of times, and it felt very different, hotel for a couple of days , definitely didn’t feel the ‘authentic’ Nyc experience that I remember but then it was never going to I suppose.

Definitely a Special city, to me anyway.


Antony Moxey

7,983 posts

218 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all
HannsG said:
Is it a romantic city? I say not, nowhere near on par as some places in SE Asia, Venice, Paris. I could go on.
I’d say New York was far more romantic a City than Paris - been to Paris a number of times and dislike it more each time, I find it filthy with, ironically as we’re comparing it to New York, graffiti everywhere. Also my wife said she felt far safer in New York than she did in Paris, especially on public transport.

I’d revisit New York in a heartbeat, we had a fantastic time when we were there with every turn recognisable from a film or TV show, and the kids loved it too, particularly as it snowed when we were there (our plane landed the day after Sully landed his on the Hudson River).

stuartmmcfc

8,653 posts

191 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all
We spent a week there last month and I’d say it was one of the best holidays I’d ever had.
Spent a fortune, saw 3 Broadway shows, saw all the sites etc.
Two points - my teenagers didn’t really appreciate the sights and museums
Secondly, as a wheelchair traveller, it was much more wheelchair friendly than London and people actually talked to me rather than than my companion and people were constantly apologising for getting in my way.
Small but very important thing to my enjoyment.

Pinoyuk

422 posts

55 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all
Manhattan is far safer than Paris. Jesus, Paris in certain parts can make Dalston look safe !

For me it was the Muslim shop keepers in “NY” that spoilt it .Rude pig ignorant buggers. I use to spend a fortune in B&H (cameras) The Jews sure know how to sell ! You just had to go with their flow . Food wise it was ok. NY state is a whole different kettle of water .Really nice and a lot cheaper .

Crumpet

3,872 posts

179 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all
I’ll echo the other posters who say NYC feels much safer than Paris. Paris is a filthy sthole and the locals make New Yorkers seem friendly!

New York is dirty, smelly, noisy, expensive, too hot in summer, too cold in winter and full of rude, abrupt people. Try having to deal with New York Air Traffic Control and it adds another few digits to the blood pressure - utter wkers at times!

Despite that, it’s probably top three in my list of favourite destinations. There’s just something about the place that, for a few days at least, makes it special. I love sitting in an Irish pub with a few IPAs and some wings!

AdeTuono

7,233 posts

226 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all
visitinglondon said:
HannsG said:
Hi,

I went to New York to watch UFC 244 and go sightseeing. I normally travel alone or with wife and kids. Unless it's a stag then it's the lads.

Anyhow, did everything possible in the time frame and did pretty much all the main stuff apart from the MOMA. Which was a bit gutting to be honest.

Maybe I am not cut out for the city life and I am not short of a few pound, but £11 a pint for local beer? Having a laugh mate. Everyone seems to look super busy and really I got to the point where I though it was just a thing everyone felt like they had to do.

Yeah it's busy I get it, but cheer the fk up eh? Against my better judgement a mate of mine came along for the fight and it was his idea to do 8 days.

He had been four times already and wanted to go again. Fair enough.

Seeing him binge on dunkin donuts each morning and 99cents pizza each afternoon and at least three slices each night after a drinking session kinda got a bit meh. Then him moaning about why he was putting on serious weight was hilarious.

I decided to do four days myself and it got better.

Subway was easy with the metro card, Americans visiting the place out of state were brilliant to be fair and great banter was always had. Most places provided great service and food quality was for the most part inconsistent.

Is it a romantic city? I say not, nowhere near on par as some places in SE Asia, Venice, Paris. I could go on.

Is shopping cheap there? Not really. Century 21 was OK, but nothing like some people were saying in terms of savings.

Do I regret going? No. UFC was amazing and MSG as a stadium was brilliant. The city has a lot of culture obviously so it was interesting. And I did enjoy the walking. Did 28 miles in one day when I was there!!!

Would I go back? Maybe when my kids are in their teens and they will appreciate the sights.





Edited by HannsG on Sunday 17th November 10:37
The first sentence of your post marks you out as a bit of a chav, so you’d probably be better off in one of those places with sun and no culture.

Have a look at Benidorm, Dubai or Las Vegas for your next trip - or Scotland if you want to go on a Stag smile

75Black

720 posts

81 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all
I went to New York this year for the first time for a week which including an overnight stay in Washington DC with my dad in March, loved it and am going back again in 4 months time with my brother this time round.

Missed out on the the Intrepid museum last time, but the St Paddys Day parade was great, along with the usual sights, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, natural history museum etc.

RDMcG

19,073 posts

206 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all
Fairly regular stop for me. Some of the best restaurants and bars on the planet. One of my favourite cities in the world ( the others are London,Berlin and Singapore).

It has energy to spare ,superb theatre, sensational museums and always something new.

Of little interest automotively of course. I sometimes drive in but dump my car at hotel until I am ready to leave.

Definitely not for everyone and a bad place for a bargain holiday.

stuartmmcfc

8,653 posts

191 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all
Don’t forget the ground zero museum which is great but very sobering.

supercommuter

2,169 posts

101 months

Monday 18th November 2019
quotequote all
AdeTuono said:
visitinglondon said:
HannsG said:
Hi,

I went to New York to watch UFC 244 and go sightseeing. I normally travel alone or with wife and kids. Unless it's a stag then it's the lads.

Anyhow, did everything possible in the time frame and did pretty much all the main stuff apart from the MOMA. Which was a bit gutting to be honest.

Maybe I am not cut out for the city life and I am not short of a few pound, but £11 a pint for local beer? Having a laugh mate. Everyone seems to look super busy and really I got to the point where I though it was just a thing everyone felt like they had to do.

Yeah it's busy I get it, but cheer the fk up eh? Against my better judgement a mate of mine came along for the fight and it was his idea to do 8 days.

He had been four times already and wanted to go again. Fair enough.

Seeing him binge on dunkin donuts each morning and 99cents pizza each afternoon and at least three slices each night after a drinking session kinda got a bit meh. Then him moaning about why he was putting on serious weight was hilarious.

I decided to do four days myself and it got better.

Subway was easy with the metro card, Americans visiting the place out of state were brilliant to be fair and great banter was always had. Most places provided great service and food quality was for the most part inconsistent.

Is it a romantic city? I say not, nowhere near on par as some places in SE Asia, Venice, Paris. I could go on.

Is shopping cheap there? Not really. Century 21 was OK, but nothing like some people were saying in terms of savings.

Do I regret going? No. UFC was amazing and MSG as a stadium was brilliant. The city has a lot of culture obviously so it was interesting. And I did enjoy the walking. Did 28 miles in one day when I was there!!!

Would I go back? Maybe when my kids are in their teens and they will appreciate the sights.





Edited by HannsG on Sunday 17th November 10:37
The first sentence of your post marks you out as a bit of a chav, so you’d probably be better off in one of those places with sun and no culture.

Have a look at Benidorm, Dubai or Las Vegas for your next trip - or Scotland if you want to go on a Stag smile
Because he likes UFC and mentioned going on a stag?