New York City

New York City – The sprawling metropolis, celebrated for its superheroes, destroyed regularly for our Hollywood amusement, notorious for its crime, and thoroughly crashed by yours truly.

In (less than) four days, I blitzed Manhattan, ferried the New York Harbor, was blinded by Broadway, shopped Fifth Avenue, and explored Central Park with the help of a good friend. This is the short version, with plenty of photos. The original post was approximately 8 pages long, and I'm almost positive the collective attention span of the Internet wouldn't hold out for 8 pages, myself included.

Impressions

Much to the contrary of the stereotype that everyone in New York is mean or rude, I did not encounter a single person that was any more mean or rude than they would be in any other city – just people in a constant rush. I would imagine if you go into the city knowing everyone will be mean to you, everyone will, indeed, be mean to you.

Street vendors will hand you pamphlets of all kinds, soliciting faith, souvenirs, and food on almost every corner. I even made small talk with a few of these people, and received a +3 in my social skills - and a book-bag full of papers.

Small shops, and restaurants are definitely mandatory for visitors. Forget eating at the Olive Garden on Broadway, hit up the small places; especially the Morning Star Restaurant, at 57th and 9th ave, which was the best breakfast I've had in my 23 years of experience.

The nickname "rats with wings" is often applied to pigeons, and I didn't realize exactly how literal that nickname was. Then, I saw flocks like this;



Also, every pigeon in the city was suffering from some kind of mange, completely unafraid of humans, and swarmed things as though they were rats.

Transportation

There are many ways to get around the city, and as with most things, some are better than others. The cheapest way to get around is by foot – but I will suggest anyone taking this approach wear good shoes, be it hiking boots or excellent tennis shoes. Trust my feet on this one, they wouldn't lie.

By walking, you'll certainly discover things you may, or may not have been looking for. Though, the term "foot traffic" is one I hadn't ever taken literally until visiting this city, where you can get stuck in rush hour traffic on the sidewalk.

Horse drawn carriages and bikes are the best way to get around Central Park, and the drivers of whichever mode of transportation are good for directions to just about anyplace you could imagine. You simply pick a horse, or cyclist, that fits your fancy and off you go.



Complete with nail polish – kind of.

Cabs are the preferred transport vessel of films that take place in NYC. I was tempted to hail a cab, just to say I'd done it once – then I remembered the website for the airport warning me that cabs have a tendency to charge your left liver and life savings to get you haphazardly from point A to point B.

Cabbies themselves are an interesting creature. Traffic laws seem to be suggestions rather than actual laws to them, they'll do everything but drive on the sidewalk to get a pedestrians attention, and there are more of them per capita in the city limits than Squirrels.

Subway trains are probably my personal favorites as far as public transportation goes. There is no traffic to speak of, the trains themselves move faster than anything else, and the graffiti under the city provides one with a view of sorts. I'd suggest taking the subway if you can stand claustrophobic conditions, as the Metro stations are very hot, and crowded.

Stuff

First and foremost, the Statue of Liberty, which has a line you'll wait in for a few hours to get to Ellis Island – or, like me, you could take the (free) Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan to, you guessed it, Staten Island. You'll get a clear view of the beautiful statue, quickly, and did I mention it's free?



The primary reason I chose to travel to NY in the first place, was Broadway - right next to the obscenely bright Times Square. It is a dream come true for any theater buff, with plays and musicals every night of the week, and the off chance to meet some of the cast after a show. The two shows I had the chance to see were Wicked, and Equus, and I would definitely like to go back for more, someday.



Aside from the lights and shows, Times Square has some...other attractions as well;



The Naked Cowboy.



New Yorks Finest, hard at work.

Fifth Avenue isn't as much for the super-rich as one might expect, just so long as you don't plan on wandering into Tiffany's, or Saks. There are plenty of different types of shops there, including the Disney World Store, with 3 floors of amazing Disney paraphernalia. Or, near Central Park on Fifth you can hit the famous FAO Schwartz toy store, and play on a giant piano keyboard, or peruse the selection of collectibles, toys, and candy.

With many different areas, a different atmosphere follows. Rockefeller Center was one of those with a calmer feel to it. You can take the tour to the top of the tower and overlook the city, or sit on the quiet terrace and enjoy lunch. The statues were beautiful, and I could almost picture the giant Christmas tree that is absent this time of year.



If you round a corner near Rockefeller Center, Nintendo fans will have a treat with the Nintendo World store, displaying a small memorial to forgotten Nintendo systems, and selling toys, plush, and games alike.



To find a whole new world within Manhattan, wander into Central Park for a few hours - find dense trees, lakes, and fountains to take the edge off the otherwise hectic city. The sound of honking cars is replaced by kids playing, and any display of bright lights is forgotten while watching or listening to street performers of every variety.





The Little Things

Being the type of person I am, I had high expectations in the geek aspect of this trip. I did get a chance to geek it up on Broadway, but there was something missing on the comic book front.

Batman, Spider-man, and Superman are supposed to be residents of this city, along side the sewer dwelling Ninja Turtles. I had credited this team of heroes for my not being mugged or harassed once; but had a hard time locating any of them.

I checked the sky;



I checked the sewers;



Then, when I least expected, I found Spider-man and Superman teamed up in the four-story Toys R Us in Times Square. Keeping those shoppers in line, and making sure T-rex doesn't eat any children. My trip was complete.







Now, imagine me, only busting ghosts at the New York Public library.