Any New Yorkers Here? Advice Please.

[Contrarian]

Not bad bump timing actually. My daughter wants to go to Graceland and have a look in New York on the way home. I am planning to do that soon.

I gather it's a hotbed of crime since the Giuliani days?

NYC would no longer be a place I would personally want to visit. It's always been very expensive to go there (yes I have been, but back in the 80's) and now with immigrants living on the streets and DA's who release criminals right back after committing crimes it just doesn't sound fun.

Tucker Carlson did a quick video of the Moscow subway which is clean, beautiful and safe compared to NYC where a mentally ill person might try to push you onto the tracks, besides the criminal element which might try to rob you. 


https://www.yahoo.com/news/nyc-migrants-consume-drugs-alcohol-090005804.html


Illegal immigrants kick and beat NYC Police officers. 7 were arrested but then there were released without paying bail by a liberal DA. 

https://nypost.com/2024/01/30/metro/cops-beaten-by-rowdy-migrant-mob-in-caught-on-video-assault-near-times-square-and-suspects-later-freed-without-bail/


And here is video of a couple of these thugs who assaulted the Police, giving America the middle finger. Such wonderful "cultural enrichment".

https://www.foxnews.com/us/illegal-migrant-flips-middle-fingers-charged-attacking-nypd-times-square


If you wish to stop somewhere on the way back from Graceland I would suggest there are nicer warmer places in South Carolina or Florida. Enjoy your trip. 


https://www.travelsc.com/cities-to-visit-in-south-carolina/

[Contrarian]

Not bad bump timing actually. My daughter wants to go to Graceland and have a look in New York on the way home. I am planning to do that soon.

I gather it's a hotbed of crime since the Giuliani days?

NYC would no longer be a place I would personally want to visit. It's always been very expensive to go there (yes I have been, but back in the 80's) and now with immigrants living on the streets and DA's who release criminals right back after committing crimes it just doesn't sound fun.

Tucker Carlson did a quick video of the Moscow subway which is clean, beautiful and safe compared to NYC where a mentally ill person might try to push you onto the tracks, besides the criminal element which might try to rob you. 


https://www.yahoo.com/news/nyc-migrants-consume-drugs-alcohol-090005804.html


Illegal immigrants kick and beat NYC Police officers. 7 were arrested but then there were released without paying bail by a liberal DA. 

https://nypost.com/2024/01/30/metro/cops-beaten-by-rowdy-migrant-mob-in-caught-on-video-assault-near-times-square-and-suspects-later-freed-without-bail/


And here is video of a couple of these thugs who assaulted the Police, giving America the middle finger. Such wonderful "cultural enrichment".

https://www.foxnews.com/us/illegal-migrant-flips-middle-fingers-charged-attacking-nypd-times-square


If you wish to stop somewhere on the way back from Graceland I would suggest there are nicer warmer places in South Carolina or Florida. Enjoy your trip. 


https://www.travelsc.com/cities-to-visit-in-south-carolina/

I like this site because it gives you a map of all the best cities to visit in SC and many of them are on the Atlantic ocean, such as Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and Charleston which is a top place for those who like excellent food as well as historical places. Never been but thought someday would sure like to visit.

https://www.touropia.com/best-cities-in-south-carolina/


Site about Charleston and some of the best places to visit.


https://www.touropia.com/best-things-to-do-in-charleston-sc/


This is a nice little site, I would use it also to look at Graceland and NYC if that is where one still wishes to visit.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-places-to-visit-in-south-carolina

[Contrarian]

Graceland and Memphis, Tennesee.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/memphis/attractions/graceland/a/poi-sig/411310/362227

[Manny]

I first started this topic 14 years ago! For one reason or another, it never came off till recently. I'd not been to NYC since about 2004, so I was looking forward to going back and doing some of the stuff I didn't do the first time. My daughter was very eager to see it too, so we used it as a stop off on the way home from Memphis (thoughts on Memphis >>here<<).

NYC would no longer be a place I would personally want to visit. It's always been very expensive to go there (yes I have been, but back in the 80's) and now with immigrants living on the streets and DA's who release criminals right back after committing crimes it just doesn't sound fun.

It's more expensive than Hong Kong. 

I'll put some thoughts about NYC and a few photos up.

[Manny]

So, five nights in New York.

I put a few short videos on Twitter >>here<< - nothing earth-shattering, we all know what NYC looks like.

I got an AA flight from Memphis to LaGuardia. Again, I found both airports super efficient as I did Atlanta. I got us seats on row one, as you do. I like a view into the cockpit.



I decided to stay in midtown, the logic being it's easy to get uptown and downtown from the middle. As it was easter weekend and I didn't book early, all the places I fancied to stay were booked up or charging the earth. I ended up in the IHG Even Hotel, not much to say about that really. Adequate, over £200 a night and I'd probably choose somewhere better given a choice.

The first thing that hit me on the streets was the smell of cannabis. It's literally everywhere. And I mean everywhere. It's hard to get away from the smell, in fact. The other thing you will smell is the homeless people, of which there are many.

The traffic is chronic and often just stationary. If you are going any place under a mile, you're better off walking.

My daughter had a whole list of touristy things she wanted to see and do, so we mostly did that stuff.

This caught my eye in Washington Square Park.



Similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. And also, the one in this video I took in North Korea.

We took the boat under the Brooklyn Bridge over to the Statue of Liberty. That's about as touristy as it gets I guess.





We went up Summit 1 in the Vanderbilt building. Its a good view of the city, if expensive for what it is. There's a wee video of that on the Twitter I linked.



And talking of money: One of the first things to hit me was the prices. Last time I went the dollar was probably $1.70 to the £. Now it's $1.25 or something. That coupled with the high prices/inflation there makes it very expensive. Breakfast for two in a random cafe, $60-80? A reasonable steakhouse $250+? Bloody hell. 

For me, spending in £s, it's more expensive than Hong Kong, and nothing like as nice.

[Manny]

We were looking around West Village one afternoon, and there on Perry St is the house they used for Carrie's apartment in Sex and the City.



With a Ukrainian flag on it. 

Personally, I'd not be making political statements or virtue signalling on a tourist attraction, but that's just me.

My daughter wanted to see a show on Broadway, so we took ourselves off to see Chicago. Which was really good.



No stroll down 5th would be complete without a visit to the home of MAGA.



And you have to go in and have the tourist photo, don't you? 



On the last day, I was in the hotel and I thought I felt a little shaking. It wasn't much, hardly anything really, and it soon passed. I thought maybe a little tremor, and thought no more about it. Then this popped up on my phone screen.



On Twitter everyone was going hysterical about the earthquake. For me it was a non-event. But later in the day, a guy in a store in Brooklyn told me all the boxes on his shelves were rattling and shaking.

We did other bits and pieces like cycling all around Central Park, 10km and over an hour in case you wondered.

One day I decided to try the subway to go downtown. I found it a bit unfathomable as the signage was inadequate, not many maps on the walls and if you don't have a mental map a resident would, you don't know which line heads up or down. I got on one, ended up going uptown when I wanted to go downtown. 

Inadequate signage aside, the subway was grubby and just like the one in London. Any subway in China, Russia and even North Korea would make any New Yorker embarrassed theirs is so bad.

I used a lot of Ubers to get around. Prices seem to vary wildly, must be the surge pricing. Sometimes it seems reasonable, sometimes not. Yellow cabs seemed similarly variable. We were flying back from JFK, and the only large Uber I could get was $170. I think they purposely stiff you to airports as they know you need it now. It's 12 miles and an hour away with the bad traffic. $14 a mile? Ye gods! I later found out I could have taken a helicopter for $200 each. That would have been more fun.

So in synopsis: I don't really want to add up what I spent, but it was probably £2000-£3000 over five days. For whatever reason, exchange rate or whatever, I found it eye-wateringly expensive and not especially good value. Hong Kong is cheaper and way nicer in every way. But hey, we had an experience, ticked all the tourist boxes and had some father/daughter time. As a final little spank, the hotel you paid upfront for wants $28 a night "city tax" when you check out. Another $140.

I very much doubt I'll ever go back. I think it's totally overrated and overpriced, transport is terrible as is the constant smell of cannabis and homeless people. I can't imagine why anyone would choose to live there. Give me Florida over NYC any day of the week. Florida is much more my vibe.

[AvHdB]

The ground in the North East sits more or less on bedrock. It ‘telegraph’s’ seismic ‘waves’ quite well as opposed to flaky California. Earthquakes in the east are rare but not unknown. *

What was annoying I travelled to NJ to help a client adjust and rehang there collection. After a cup of coffee having finished, I realized what was happening and 30 minutes latter got to repeat straightening (leveling) all the work again.

*I believe some east coast city was severally damaged in the early 18th century.

[Guile]

I've been to NY twice and never took a liking to the place.  Tried the subway once and as others mentioned it is much dirtier and suspect than other major cities.  London, Moscow and Hong Kong metros are way nicer.    I went to the local Chinatown there and found some decent grub, had my cousin take me to a proper NY deli.  Ate the real smoked meat sandwich.  But I too wouldn't want to live there.  It is not a walkable city like London or Moscow. 

[Markje]

Good trip Manny. Love the photo's too :-) I will not visit the USA any time soon, even though I have friends there in Texas and Kentucky.

[Manny]

I've always fancied Texas, actually. Probably a good place to do some horse riding too.

[Bodine]

..That coupled with the high prices/inflation there makes it very expensive. Breakfast for two in a random cafe, $60-80? A reasonable steakhouse $250+? Bloody hell. 

For me, spending in £s, it's more expensive than Hong Kong, and nothing like as nice.

Good trip report, Manny.

I chuckle when I read that tidbit. Shame on us actually. Where we are, that $60-$80.00 is for the most part the average cost for our breakfast in place decent and above the casual iHop or Dennys.

Wifey and I are not so kitchen virtuoso so we end up mostly dining out. $200-250.00, again, is a good price for an average steak dinner (Morton's, Larsens, MEAT, Lawry's, FOGO du Chao). Normal dinner still runs in $150.00 range for us.

I'm surprise for Manhattan. I thought they'd be a bit more expensive than us. At least it was when we were there in 2008.

I've always fancied Texas, actually. Probably a good place to do some horse riding too.

Wifey took riding lessons for about a year and half. She got fairly good with it, too. We planned to take this round-up trip a few years ago until she found out she was pregnant. If you ride, or is thinking of doing something adventurous and 'fun' to do, then book a trip and do this...

Sombrero Ranches: They have a trip between April 30 - May 6, 2024.

[Manny]

I do ride, I had horses as a kid, but I dunno if I'm up to a 4 day session, presumably camping out. 

The prices I mentioned, are without the tips everyone expects, of course. Tipping in the US is a whole other topic in itself.

Something else I forgot to mention, it seems like up to 20% of people in Manhatten are Chinese (or of Chinese appearance, maybe Japanese, Korean, etc). A bloke in China once joked to me that China would never need to invade the US when they can just buy it.

[B.B.]

I've always fancied Texas, actually. Probably a good place to do some horse riding too.

I love love LOVE Ft. Worth.  It's like the 80s.  Everyone is nice and the girls look normal.  The "baseball cap with a ponytail out the back paired with aviator sunglasses".  Que hermosa.

Something else I forgot to mention, it seems like up to 20% of people in Manhatten are Chinese (or of Chinese appearance, maybe Japanese, Korean, etc). A bloke in China once joked to me that China would never need to invade the US when they can just buy it.

Yep, the Japanese used to say that, too.  We're still waiting for them to foreclose on the Washington Monument, but it hasn't happened yet. 

B/B

[Manny]

I've always fancied Texas, actually. Probably a good place to do some horse riding too.

I love love LOVE Ft. Worth.  It's like the 80s.  Everyone is nice and the girls look normal.  The "baseball cap with a ponytail out the back paired with aviator sunglasses".  Que hermosa.

I think you've just sold me the idea of a trip to Fort Worth already. 

I was thinking for my next foray over the pond I might do something where there's some horse riding and a bit of western stuff going on, and then some time in FL. 

Speaking of women, I did note a difference between Memphis and NY. There are slim pickings in Memphis. There's more slimmer and decent-looking women in NY, but I suppose that is to be expected in a big city. Although that said, I was earwigging the odd conversation between women when out and about and I got a hint of the attitude/entitlement some speak of. But on the feminist thing everyone talks about, I did open a door for a presentable-looking woman in a gentlemanly manner as you do, and she scowled at me like I was something she wiped off her shoe.    Even in an elevator, I was travelling down with a woman, when the doors opened, I gestured her to go first, again as you do, and she wouldn't.    You don't get so much of that in Europe.

[B.B.]

I think you've just sold me the idea of a trip to Fort Worth already. 

I was there visiting friends and we tailgated before the TCU game and if aliens had come down and landed in the parking lot they would have thought that Texas women were all young, blonde, fit and sexy.  There was LOADS of eye candy.  It's the South, so everyone is polite.

I was thinking for my next foray over the pond I might do something where there's some horse riding and a bit of western stuff going on, and then some time in FL. 

If you make it to SoFla, I'm in West Palm about an hour or so north of Miami.

Speaking of women, I did note a difference between Memphis and NY. There are slim pickings in Memphis. There's more slimmer and decent-looking women in NY, but I suppose that is to be expected in a big city.

There's a lot of competition in NYC because it's so expensive to live there and contrary to what Gens Y&Z girls think they are "entitled" to not everyone makes $500K/yr.   

Although that said, I was earwigging the odd conversation between women when out and about and I got a hint of the attitude/entitlement some speak of. But on the feminist thing everyone talks about, I did open a door for a presentable-looking woman in a gentlemanly manner as you do, and she scowled at me like I was something she wiped off her shoe.    Even in an elevator, I was travelling down with a woman, when the doors opened, I gestured her to go first, again as you do, and she wouldn't.    You don't get so much of that in Europe.

IMO, European women, even in W. Europe, are more in touch with their femininity.  I view what happens in the states as a social effect of American-style capitalism, but it is how it is.  Ofc, some people are just c*nty bitches, you know?

B/B