|
|
Welcome to the city that never sleeps
Our time in Philadelphia had come to an end, and we were giddy for our next adventure in the biggest city our country has to offer: New York City.
Just as we had gotten from Newark to Philadelphia, we used Lyft to get to NYC — traveler tip: Lyft throughout our trip was constantly cheaper than Uber. Our Lyft driver told us this was the first time he was making a long distance trip, as the drive was expected to be two hours, but, after getting stuck in traffic and missing a couple of exits, it took at least an extra half hour.
We finally arrived at our hotel, which was the Paper Factory Hotel in Long Island City. It was a former paper factory — who would have thought, with a name like that — and part of it was still under construction as it is relatively new to the area. But it was still a great place to stay; it had an outdoor patio area, breakfast in the mornings, the rooms were very nice and there was subway access right across the street (more on that later). And it was all pretty affordable for New York City standards.
As great as the hotel was, we got there too early before our check in time so we had to wait to get to our rooms. The man at the front desk took our bags into the storage room and recommended a great place to go get some food. We went to Bean's and Lager, which had some amazing food, including some amazing blueberry pancakes, as well as bottomless Mimosas/Bloody Mary's/Bellinis (champagne and peach juice).
Just as we had gotten from Newark to Philadelphia, we used Lyft to get to NYC — traveler tip: Lyft throughout our trip was constantly cheaper than Uber. Our Lyft driver told us this was the first time he was making a long distance trip, as the drive was expected to be two hours, but, after getting stuck in traffic and missing a couple of exits, it took at least an extra half hour.
We finally arrived at our hotel, which was the Paper Factory Hotel in Long Island City. It was a former paper factory — who would have thought, with a name like that — and part of it was still under construction as it is relatively new to the area. But it was still a great place to stay; it had an outdoor patio area, breakfast in the mornings, the rooms were very nice and there was subway access right across the street (more on that later). And it was all pretty affordable for New York City standards.
As great as the hotel was, we got there too early before our check in time so we had to wait to get to our rooms. The man at the front desk took our bags into the storage room and recommended a great place to go get some food. We went to Bean's and Lager, which had some amazing food, including some amazing blueberry pancakes, as well as bottomless Mimosas/Bloody Mary's/Bellinis (champagne and peach juice).
Bean's and Lager had a nice outdoor area, so it was nice to enjoy the beautiful weather we had. The bottomless drinks only last two hours after you get there, so we made sure to stay the full two hours and get our money's worth. All in all, it was a great start to our visit to NYC.
We finally checked into our room and got settled in. We wanted to check out some things around the area, and we saw a pretty decent sized park not too far from us — Gantry State Plaza park, not the enormous Central Park (again, more on that later).
Gantry was right on the East River with the Manhattan skyline just on the other side. It was a beautiful scene, especially as the sun was setting and the bright lights of the city began to take over.
The park was a great place to spend a relaxing evening. There were big wooden beach-like chairs, some hammocks, and other place to lounge around and take in the view.
We stayed in the park until nightfall and decided it was time to try some of that famous New York style pizza and found a spot near us that had good reviews called sLICe. It was a small establishment that had some outdoor seating in the back. It was a cool little spot, where two slices and a drink costs less than $10.
This is when we experienced our first mishap on the subway: We went to the side of the station that was heading East when we wanted to go West. Our MetroCard — which we highly recommend getting one for anyone visiting; we got unlimited subway rides for a week for just $33 — cannot be swiped again within 18 minutes of the first swipe. So, when we went to the correct station, we could not get in because we had just swiped our cards at the other station!
The assumption is that policy hopes to keep people from swiping their card and then passing it back to be used again, which makes sense. So, to kill time, we found a bar right by the station.
P J Leahy's was a small establishment, but it was a good time. The bartender was friendly and the beers weren't as expensive as we expected, $6 for a craft beer. We ended up staying there for a couple rounds before heading back to our hotel. It was on our way back that we experience subway "mishap" number two.
We downloaded an app — "Citymapper", which was very helpful and is recommended —which told us that the subway was two minutes away as we were walking out of the bar. In a rush, we got down to the station as the train pulled up. Ben and Nate got through, but I could not get my card to swipe.
I look up, and see the guys on the train, waving me towards them and encouraging me to successfully swipe my card. I look down and swipe two more times, realizing that in my haste I'm going too fast. I slowly swipe the card and it goes through! I look up again to see the doors closed and a bewildered look upon the guys face as the train pulls away.
Luckily, it was only 10 minutes until the next train came to the station, and the guys were nice enough to wait until I got to our station, and then we finally walked to our hotel.
We had a tour at 10 a.m. looming, so we got some rest underneath the classic painting of "The Creation of Adam," dog version.
Real New York
We booked our tour through Real New York Tours (https://realnewyorktours.com/) and chose the NYC In A Day tour, which lasts about six hours and hits several of the major spots in Manhattan — Time Square, Central Park, Greenwhich Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, Wall Street, and the 9/11 Memorial site (we did not go in the museum on this tour, but we did later. Keep reading and check it out).
The tour costs $80 and you need a MetroCard, as you take the subway quite a bit. Also, make sure you have your walking shoes. I think we finished with roughly 30,000 steps and 14 miles on the day.
Our tour guide was named Trey, and he has been living in the city for about 20-some years. The tour was more on the informal side, but you could tell Trey knew where he wanted to take the group — there were eight of us — and he really knew a lot about the city and its history.
We started in Time Square, and while the giant advertisements, Broadway theaters, and fun stores (like the M&M's store) are fun, it was also very commercialized. It makes sense and it's not all bad, but apparently New Yorkers HATE Time Square because of all the tourism. Trey told us horror stories of a million people being cramped in the few blocks that make up the square for New Year's Eve. He said people show up early in the morning and can't leave without giving up their spots. Some have even reportedly worn adult diapers so they don't have to leave their spot to go to the bathroom!
After Time Square, we made our way to Little Italy and Chinatown, which are right next to each other. According to Trey, Little Italy used to cover more space than it currently does — it's about two blocks by two blocks — but Chinatown has overtaken much of it.
As we moved from Little Italy to Chinatown, Trey told us about the gang violence that happened in the early 1900s. There was even a street commonly known as the Bloody Angle because of all the bloodshed.
Our tour then took us to Wall Street, where we saw the New York Stock Exchange building and learned the history behind the naming of Wall Street — shockingly, there used to be a wall built in the street's place, before it was torn down and made into a road known as, Wall Street. Go figure.
We stopped to see the monument at Alexander Hamilton's grave before heading to the 9/11 Memorial. This was very cool. There are two huge square fountains in place of where the Twin Towers stood, and inscribed on the edges of the fountains are all the names of the people that died on September 11. A rose is placed in the name to commemorate the birthday of the perished.
We didn't go into the museum during the tour, but we did later so be sure to keep reading.
We took the subway to Greenwich Village and got some lunch before we continued the tour. Trey showed us the places around the area to grab a bite and gave all the people on the tour about 40 minutes to go where they wanted. We were told that Dos Toros Taqueria had NYC's best burrito then got dessert at Pasticceria Rocco, which was rumored to have NYC's best cannoli. We definitely understood why both statements have been made.
After lunch, our group reconvened and made our way through Greenwich Village. Trey showed us some iconic buildings, like Jon Lennon's place (which was also where he was shot) as well the building used to film the outside of the apartment complex in the show "Friends."
We even got to see the smallest building in the city!
The final leg of our tour took us through Central Park. The park takes up 1.3 square miles of Manhattan, and in a city nicknamed the "concrete jungle," it's nice to visit one area where you can enjoy some form of nature.
There are walking trails throughout the park, as well as large open areas for people to enjoy and relax. We walked by a couple bodies of water, including one that Jerry Seinfield's place of residence overlooks (the photo below), and you can rent small boats to hop in and paddle around the lake.
We were in the park for roughly an hour, but you spend a larger part of the day just enjoying all it had to offer. (That's Trey in the photo)
Before we booked the tour, we were a little worried whether or not we'd have enough time to finish it and then head to the Yankees game. Fortunately, Trey said he was going to the game, so we knew he wouldn't let us miss the game.
We thanked Trey for the awesome day and the insightful tour and parted ways, as we set out for the Bronx.
The tour costs $80 and you need a MetroCard, as you take the subway quite a bit. Also, make sure you have your walking shoes. I think we finished with roughly 30,000 steps and 14 miles on the day.
Our tour guide was named Trey, and he has been living in the city for about 20-some years. The tour was more on the informal side, but you could tell Trey knew where he wanted to take the group — there were eight of us — and he really knew a lot about the city and its history.
We started in Time Square, and while the giant advertisements, Broadway theaters, and fun stores (like the M&M's store) are fun, it was also very commercialized. It makes sense and it's not all bad, but apparently New Yorkers HATE Time Square because of all the tourism. Trey told us horror stories of a million people being cramped in the few blocks that make up the square for New Year's Eve. He said people show up early in the morning and can't leave without giving up their spots. Some have even reportedly worn adult diapers so they don't have to leave their spot to go to the bathroom!
After Time Square, we made our way to Little Italy and Chinatown, which are right next to each other. According to Trey, Little Italy used to cover more space than it currently does — it's about two blocks by two blocks — but Chinatown has overtaken much of it.
As we moved from Little Italy to Chinatown, Trey told us about the gang violence that happened in the early 1900s. There was even a street commonly known as the Bloody Angle because of all the bloodshed.
Our tour then took us to Wall Street, where we saw the New York Stock Exchange building and learned the history behind the naming of Wall Street — shockingly, there used to be a wall built in the street's place, before it was torn down and made into a road known as, Wall Street. Go figure.
We stopped to see the monument at Alexander Hamilton's grave before heading to the 9/11 Memorial. This was very cool. There are two huge square fountains in place of where the Twin Towers stood, and inscribed on the edges of the fountains are all the names of the people that died on September 11. A rose is placed in the name to commemorate the birthday of the perished.
We didn't go into the museum during the tour, but we did later so be sure to keep reading.
We took the subway to Greenwich Village and got some lunch before we continued the tour. Trey showed us the places around the area to grab a bite and gave all the people on the tour about 40 minutes to go where they wanted. We were told that Dos Toros Taqueria had NYC's best burrito then got dessert at Pasticceria Rocco, which was rumored to have NYC's best cannoli. We definitely understood why both statements have been made.
After lunch, our group reconvened and made our way through Greenwich Village. Trey showed us some iconic buildings, like Jon Lennon's place (which was also where he was shot) as well the building used to film the outside of the apartment complex in the show "Friends."
We even got to see the smallest building in the city!
The final leg of our tour took us through Central Park. The park takes up 1.3 square miles of Manhattan, and in a city nicknamed the "concrete jungle," it's nice to visit one area where you can enjoy some form of nature.
There are walking trails throughout the park, as well as large open areas for people to enjoy and relax. We walked by a couple bodies of water, including one that Jerry Seinfield's place of residence overlooks (the photo below), and you can rent small boats to hop in and paddle around the lake.
We were in the park for roughly an hour, but you spend a larger part of the day just enjoying all it had to offer. (That's Trey in the photo)
Before we booked the tour, we were a little worried whether or not we'd have enough time to finish it and then head to the Yankees game. Fortunately, Trey said he was going to the game, so we knew he wouldn't let us miss the game.
We thanked Trey for the awesome day and the insightful tour and parted ways, as we set out for the Bronx.
The game
The subway took us a couple blocks from Yankee Stadium, and we got there in enough time to go get a drink. Trey told us about a bar across the street from the ballpark that had $4 beers; it was called the Dugout.
The bar had two main areas. The first was right when you walk in and was a smaller area, but when you walked around the back side of the bar, it opened up to a bigger room with some seating areas. This back room had one of the most brilliant additions to a bar we've ever seen: a walk-up Taco Bell window.
We were told that Monument Park — an area inside the stadium featuring busts of the greatest Yankees to ever don the pinstripes — closed an hour before the game started, so we went into the stadium about an hour and a half ahead of the first pitch. Unfortunately, the time we were told was apparently mistaken because the area had already closed by the time we got there.
Instead, we visited the team's Hall of Fame museum. While it was not the famous statues many see on TV, it was very cool to see game used memorabilia from Babe Ruth, Micky Mantle, Roger Marris, and Yogi Berra, just to name a few.
The game was Yankee-Red Sox, the greatest rivalry in baseball, and it was nationally televised as part of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. The crowd was intense, as was expected, and while our cheap seats sent us up into the nosebleeds of the stadium, the environment was still awesome.
Our seats were way up in highest section possible, but they weren't bad by any means. It was pretty cool to be able to take in the sight of Yankee Stadium in its entirety.
The ballpark had its fair share of food options, including its own Hard Rock Cafe. Nate got the traditional hot dog, I went to a concession stand called Bareburger and got the El Matador (a bison burger with jalapenos, lettuce, pico de gallo, and Habenero Mayo; yum), but Ben may have won the night with one of the wackier food items we've seen: bacon on a stick.
This edition of the rivalry featured two veteran pitchers dueling, Boston's David Price and New York's CC Sabathia. Both hurlers went at least six innings and neither gave up more than three earned runs. Heading into the seventh, Boston held a 3-2 lead.
And then it got crazy.
Rain started falling but the game continued on. The Boston offense tacked on three runs in the top of the frame, scoring on singles by Eduardo Nunez, Brock Holt, and Andrew Benentindi. After the Red Sox took a 8-2 lead in the top of the eighth — the big lead also led to the first noticeable physical altercation in the stands (we were surprised it took until the eighth) — the Yankees looked like they were going to get back into the game when they loaded the bases with no outs.
New York got a run on a balk, a ground out and a sacrifice fly but only had one hit in the frame. The Yankees pulled within 8-5 in the inning, but that was as close as they'd get. The Red Sox fended off the rain and the Evil Empire to avoid being swept in the series.
The bar had two main areas. The first was right when you walk in and was a smaller area, but when you walked around the back side of the bar, it opened up to a bigger room with some seating areas. This back room had one of the most brilliant additions to a bar we've ever seen: a walk-up Taco Bell window.
We were told that Monument Park — an area inside the stadium featuring busts of the greatest Yankees to ever don the pinstripes — closed an hour before the game started, so we went into the stadium about an hour and a half ahead of the first pitch. Unfortunately, the time we were told was apparently mistaken because the area had already closed by the time we got there.
Instead, we visited the team's Hall of Fame museum. While it was not the famous statues many see on TV, it was very cool to see game used memorabilia from Babe Ruth, Micky Mantle, Roger Marris, and Yogi Berra, just to name a few.
The game was Yankee-Red Sox, the greatest rivalry in baseball, and it was nationally televised as part of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. The crowd was intense, as was expected, and while our cheap seats sent us up into the nosebleeds of the stadium, the environment was still awesome.
Our seats were way up in highest section possible, but they weren't bad by any means. It was pretty cool to be able to take in the sight of Yankee Stadium in its entirety.
The ballpark had its fair share of food options, including its own Hard Rock Cafe. Nate got the traditional hot dog, I went to a concession stand called Bareburger and got the El Matador (a bison burger with jalapenos, lettuce, pico de gallo, and Habenero Mayo; yum), but Ben may have won the night with one of the wackier food items we've seen: bacon on a stick.
This edition of the rivalry featured two veteran pitchers dueling, Boston's David Price and New York's CC Sabathia. Both hurlers went at least six innings and neither gave up more than three earned runs. Heading into the seventh, Boston held a 3-2 lead.
And then it got crazy.
Rain started falling but the game continued on. The Boston offense tacked on three runs in the top of the frame, scoring on singles by Eduardo Nunez, Brock Holt, and Andrew Benentindi. After the Red Sox took a 8-2 lead in the top of the eighth — the big lead also led to the first noticeable physical altercation in the stands (we were surprised it took until the eighth) — the Yankees looked like they were going to get back into the game when they loaded the bases with no outs.
New York got a run on a balk, a ground out and a sacrifice fly but only had one hit in the frame. The Yankees pulled within 8-5 in the inning, but that was as close as they'd get. The Red Sox fended off the rain and the Evil Empire to avoid being swept in the series.
Postgame
After the game was over, we met up with our friend Michael, who was living near the city and stopped by to visit. We tried going back to the Dugout bar, but Michael had just gotten off the train and met us outside the stadium with his backpack, and the bar was going to charge a fee for holding it at the front, as backpacks are not allowed. So, instead of paying the fee, we went back to our hotel in Queens, picking up some beers from a gas station along the way, and we prepared for our second full day in the Big Apple.
New York's finest
We wanted to try and visit as many attractions as we could through our City Pass. And our first stops were the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
The City Pass covers the cost of the ferry ride to each island, but it does not get you inside of the Statue or pay for anything on Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty was cool to see, but it would have been a better trip if we would have gotten to go inside and look around.
It was cool to see the rooms in the building on Ellis Island, where immigrants from the early years of our nation's history spent their first hours in the U.S. The rooms were marked and most of them had descriptions of what they were used for — like a medical examining room or even a courtroom. Ellis Island would be a great trip when you're with your family and want to find information on your ancestors' arrival to the United States. You do have the option to sign up for a 30-minute appointment with a member of the staff and they will attempt to find your relatives' documentation from their arrival to the island. It costs $7 and there is no guarantee that they will find anything, but it seemed like a fun option. However, we did not do it because there were three of us from different families, and with the other sites we wanted to see, we knew we had to get moving.
We grabbed some lunch at Steve's Pizza — two slices of New York style pizza and a water for $11 — and met back up with Michael, who had ventured elsewhere since he had already seen the Statue and Ellis Island. Our next stop was the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which was definitely a highlight of the trip.
The museum goes underground, into the base of where the Twin Towers used to be. We highly recommend buying the audio tour option, which lets you select audio clips pertaining to the exhibits you are viewing.
As you embark on the self-guided tour, you work your way through the events that led up to the attacks, and then chronologically revisit the moments of the day. It's powerful, heart-wrenching, and absolutely worth spending a few hours of your trip there.
There are definitely some intense parts of the museum that may not be for everyone. There are rooms you can go into that play recordings of people reliving their experience. Some clips are voicemails from people that were able to reach out to loved ones from the plane. Those areas are clearly marked and anyone that does not wish to experience that part of the museum can move past them. We soaked up all the material we could, shed a few tears, and were very pleased with the way the museum presented all of the events that unfolded on that tragic day.
Time to unwind
After our experience at the museum, it was already time to get some dinner and transition from such a powerfully emotional scene to a more relaxing, fun environment. Near our hotel, there was a Mexican restaurant called Juquila Kitchen and Bar.
They start you off with some chips and a couple different kinds of dips. We had some great drinks, amazing fajitas, and left the restaurant full and satisfied.
Across the street from the restaurant was a pub called Dutch Kills Centraal. We stopped by for a couple of drinks, with craft beers being mostly what was available. The bar was very neat, and nearly all of it was made from polished wood — the tables, chairs, stools, etc. We only slightly jokingly thought that the establishment was run by some type of mafia organization, as it had a very European feel to it but was clearly trying very hard to fit in by playing a ton of classic rock music.
After a couple of beers, we made the short jaunt back to our hotel, where we got ready for another big day in the Big Apple.
Ratings
We'll display our ratings after Part II of our New York trip. Having two stadiums in one city causes us to take a little different of an approach to our rating system. Be sure to check back soon for the second NYC posting, which will feature more fun in the concrete jungle, as well as our visit to Citi Field to see the Mets. And below you can see a reminder of how our stadiums have stacked up against each other thus far.
| Rank | Stadium | Rating |
| 1. | Petco Park (Padres) | 8.9 |
| 2. | Sun Trust Park (Braves) | 8.4 |
| 3. | Wrigley Filed II (Cubs) | 8.4 |
| 4. | Marlins Park (Marlins) | 8.4 |
| 5. | Kauffman Stadium (Royals) | 8.4 |
| 6. | Target Field (Twins) | 8.3 |
| 6. | Citizens Bank Park (Phillies) | 8.3 |
| 7. | Angels Stadium (Angels) | 8.3 |
| 8. | U.S. Cellular (White Sox) | 8.3 |
| 9. | Wrigley Field (Cubs) | 8.3 |
| 10. | Busch Stadium (Cardinals) | 8.3 |
| 11. | Chase Field (Diamondbacks) | 8.2 |
| 12. | Miller Park (Brewers) | 7.2 |
| 13. | Rogers Centre (Blue Jays) | 7.1 |
| 14. | Coors Field (Rockies) | 7.1 |
| 15. | Comerica Park (Tigers) | 6.4 |
| 16. | Dodger Stadium (Dodgers) | 6.2 |
| 17. | Tropicana Field (Rays) | 6.1 |
On deck
Next up, we’ll post our adventure to Citi Field where we saw New York Mets. Also like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, @MLBjourneymen, and check out our Instagram account, mlbjourneymen.
