Trip Report - Last Visit 1976

Last visitrd NYC in 1976 and I must admit - disliked just about everything about it. Age must impart some wisdom because I found the city to be a very nice place to visit just two weeks ago.

Brief trip report follows:

Day One (Friday) - arrived mid afternoon via AmTrak and followed advice given on the Forum and took a taxi(four family members) to the Blakely Hotel on West 55th Street. The Blakely met our needs by providing a two room suite with two queen beds and a daybed in the sitting room. Location was favorable with easy access to the subway and within walking distance to several of the city%26#39;s sights. Walked to the TOTR and spent around 3 hours there catching the sunset and also viewing Manhattan after dark. Highly recommended ! Make sure you stop and watch the three film clips (total 12 minutes) about the Rockefeller Center on your way up to the viewing area. Visited the ice skating rink, the ';plaza'; area and St. Patrick%26#39;s Cathedral after descending seventy stories. Strolled down Fifth Avenuw window shopping on the way to the obligatory night-time visit to see the lights of Times Square.

Day Two - Early start (8:30 a.m.) with OnBoard Tours-

good general overview tour of some of the major tourist sights, both historic and cultural. Jerry, a native New Yorker was an excellent guide displaying real pride in his city and an enjoyment in sharing it with others. After the tour we took advantage of the Metropolitan Museum of Art extended hours and spent over three hours admiring treasures of the ancient world and the American art section. Fabulous museum - try to have a ';game plan'; and prioritize the sections you would like to visit before entering.

Day Three - met the ';Slice of Brooklyn'; Tour at Union Square. Nice tour of Brooklyn%26#39;s neighborhoods with two stops to sample pizza. This tour came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. Met some very nice people on the tour from different areas of the U.S. After returning to Union Square just spent some time relaxing and enjoying the scene around the park.

Day Four - Shopping Day. Began at Century 21, ended up again window shopping on Fifth Avenue. Enjoyed a slice of Junior%26#39;s cheesecake at Grand Central Terminal in between.

Day Five - rode the subway to the Cloisters Museum - half the fun is getting there! The visit to this museum was the highlight of the trip for me. Incredible display of medieval art and architecture in a very peaceful setting. Having visited a similar museum (Cluny) in Paris, I was expecting much of the same - but in my opinion the Cloisters is superior.

Took the subway back, tranferred to a crosstown bus through Central Park for a return visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Much to our suprise, the St. Patrick%26#39;s Day Parade was still parading up Fifth Avenue when we arrived. Spent nearly an hour viewing the parade while enjoying hot dogs and pretzels purchased from a vendor%26#39;s cart. Spent another couple of hours in the Museum enjoying the company of VerMeer, Rembrandt, Monet and countless others. The parade was still ongoing when we left the Museum - incredible! I am so glad that we were able to experience this event while on our trip. That night went to the theatre and saw ';Jersey Boys'; which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Thanks to the members of the Forum for their advice, tips, and general wisdom which prepared us for our visit to NYC and made it very ejoyable for all.

Trip Report - Last Visit 1976

Wow, that is AWESOME! So, did you miss the graffiti?

;oP

How old are your kids and what did everyone else think? Where did you eat? (A very important question, as you know!)

Did you folks buy much at C21 or anywhere else?

Glad you got to see the St. Pat%26#39;s Day parade in such ideal weather.

Thanks for the happy recap. When%26#39;s your next visit?

Trip Report - Last Visit 1976

';Trip Report - Last Visit 1976';

Whew, I thought you were doing a trip report on your visit in 1976 !

: )

Very nice report--glad you came back after all these years!

I enjoyed your trip report very much. Glad to hear you enjoyed JERSEY BOYS. We have tickets for our July visit. Like QB, I%26#39;d love to hear about your food experiences! Thanks for sharing!! :D

FABULOUS report!! And on this trip you did the very RIGHT thing by taking the subway back to mid-town from the Cloisters.

With the parade going on, the M4 bus route would have been a mess.

Hopefully you%26#39;ll be back in less than 30 years and when you return and re-do the Cloisters, have a day or week metrocard and take the M4 bus back to the Met. Plenty of places to hop on and off and visit en route -- ask when you are planning that trip! Welcome Back

How do you think NYC today differs from 1976? I wasn%26#39;t born yet, so that%26#39;s why I ask. I%26#39;ve always lived in this area, so I%26#39;m curious. I imagine it was a lot dirtier and unsafe. That%26#39;s what it was like in the late 80s/early 90s when I was a little kid.

My first visit to NYC was in 1968 when I was 18 years old.

I had my pocket picked in Times Square by some little kids who shoved flowers in my pocket and then took them out along with some cash when I said I didn%26#39;t want them.

My friend and I stayed at the Schuyler hotel on

W.46th street for $10 a night.

We visited the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building but pretty much walked around scared the whole time we were there.

My next trip was 10 years later and with many more since its my favorite place to visit in the world.

Really? I didn%26#39;t think the late 60s were nearly as bad as it was in the 70s/80s/early 90s.

Obviously after 40 years the memories have faded but I do remember Times Square as a very scary place.

Also coming from a relatively small city at that time - Vancouver - to what was then the largest city in the world was a bit intimidating.

Fortunately we now have the crime in and traffic in Vancouver that makes us fearless to travel anywhere.

Some have asked about our food experience while in the City. I must admit that we are not very much interested in fine dining but do enjoy trying to experience ';local cuisine'; while travelling. We took advantage of the continental breakfast available at the hotel each morning. Typical fare, but a good selection of cereal, yogurt, bagels, muffins, etc.

One establishment we did frequent due to its close proximity to the hotel was Fluffy%26#39;s Cafe and Bakery.

No gourmet offerings here but good sandwiches and pasta bowls along with a nice selection of pasteries.

Very nice people work here. Another restaurant we tried less than a five minute walk from the hotel was La Bonne Soupe. Casual French fare with excellent service and reasonable prices. The ';Slice of Brooklyn'; tour provided our main meal on the day we visited the two pizza establishments. We enjoyed lunch at Junior%26#39;s in Grand Central Station one day.Several members of the Forum have mentioned MenuPages.com which is a great resource in locating restaurants by location , type, price, etc.