New York City June 2016

New York, NY USA, 06.02.2016

I love New York City. This is my 7th trip there and honestly every time I go, I see something I havent seen before. The city is not geographically that large if you are just talking about Manhattan.

However Manhattan is so diverse and the neighborhoods so distinctive that even after 7 trips, I still really have not seen whole swaths of the island some areas I've seen, I don't know well. On this trip, I managed to see more of the Financial District than I've ever seen (this despite staying in that area for 3 days a few years ago). I saw for the first time on Trip 7: The "Bull", Wall Street, Stone Street area, The Bowery, more of the East Village, a lot more of Soho, the entire Hudson Square area and western edge of Greenwich Village, Turtle Bay, and the Flat Iron district.

This also marks the first trip that I did not see one bit of Midtown, Times Square, or Central Park and the surrounding areas. That's how much there is to see. I can spend 4 days and miss all those areas. To date, I still have never been to the Upper East Side, only seen scant parts of the Upper West side and only a cursory trip through Harlem at 125th street. I've really seen very little above 59th street in reality. Don't even get me started on the other bureaus. I've seen a lot of Queens but I suspect I still don't know nearly enough. Only a couple quick trips to Brooklyn and never been to the Bronx or Staten Island. So a lot of the city left to explore (which is great as it gives me plenty of reasons to return and explore).

New York City is almost like a playground. You go and just wander the streets to see whats around the next corner. It never ceases to amaze and I am never bored. The energy on the streets and from the people is unparalleled in the world (from what I've seen of it thus far). I love New York City in the dead cold of winter. I love New York City in the dead heat of summer. Raining, sunshine, you name it. I love that city. I love it so much that when I come home, every single time, I fall into a "malaise" that just sort of hangs over me. I love it so much that when I get to JFK and get off the plane, I get almost giddy. I love the subway and the fact that I can go anywhere without a car. I love the food. I love the people of the city, the parks, the diversity, the craziness, the awesome beauty and history of the place. What's there NOT to love?

I don't know if I could ever live there full time but I would prefer to travel there at least once a quarter if I can make it work financially.

My first night in NYC, I enjoyed a great meal at L'Apicio in the East Village. I literally just wandered into this place while walking through the Bowery district into the East Village. It's a beautiful restaurant and the bar is staffed with great people. The bartender in particular was so warm and welcoming. She saw me sitting alone so struck up a welcome conversation with me that made the experience so much better for me. The food, was equally, amazing. I tried the octopus appetizer. Not the best I've ever had but certainly NYCJune1603well prepapred. What really kicked into high gear for me was that chicken entree. The roasted chicken with fennel, spring onion and lemon. It's $28 but worth every penny. It may very well be the BEST chicken entree I've ever eaten. It's a tall order but it's just that good. It was a large portion too and I ate every bite. Very crispy on the outside, moist on the inside and incredibly flavorful, you really cant ask for a better preparation of chicken. For dessert, although I was stuffed, I just had to see what they would do with a tiramisu (my favorite dish). Man, it was amazing. I wont say its the BEST i've ever had since I've had so many in so many cities. Also I was so stuffed when I ate it. I'll have to try it once (or twice) more to be sure. Definitely in the top 3. Highly recommend this restaurant for the food, if nothing else.

Other than a quick walk around the neighborhood, I pretty much turned in early on the first night. My room at the Bowery House was $69/night. It is a hostel. And it is a VERY small room. But that's the point. I would guess about 8ft by 5ft at best was the size of the entire room. No elevators, shared showers, baths, no ceilings, and iffy A/C. I made it work though. Determined to keep my cost to a minimum on this trip. I love NYC but it's expensive. The less I can spend the more I can return for more trips.

Day two I took a subway to Brooklyn for a coffee conference in Industry City. I spent the first few hours walking around there and listening to some seminars. Afterward, I decided to go to a networking event at the World Bar by the UN building. It was hosted by the New York Social Network. Odd to be an out of towner at a local's networking event but I was determined to meet new people in NYC. I strongly believe that solo trips are only as good as the connections we make. I had a GREAT time. Just talking and mingling with people at the bar. I found it surprisingly easy to find people to talk to. It was not really "me" as I normally am. I find networking at home in Las Vegas to be tedious. In New york everyone had interesting backgrounds and fascinating situations. Talking to a New York lawyer is exciting in of itself to me. I ended up going to a bar with a bunch of people I met and drinking late into the night. No need to drive after all! What a highlight of my trip. I don't know if I'll ever run into those guys again but even if I don't, it was a high water mark for what is possible if I put myself out there.

On Day three, I hit the financial district area hard. I got to see a lot of new areas, including Stone Street, the Flat Iron district and ended up walking through the southern part of Wall Street up to Grand Central. Ironically, in addition to missing the entire mid-town area and basically everything north of 42nd on this trip, I also did not make it to Chinatown at all either on this trip. Just not enough time. Sigh. I spent some time with friends watching Game Of Thrones on Sunday night in Queens and enjoying a great meal on a very rainy night.

The last day, I was scheduled to depart at 5pm so (of course) crammed in as much as I could before my flight. I had breakfast at my favorite breakfast spot at Balthazar in Soho. Then focused on seeing as much of the West side as I could this trip. I walked to the west end of Soho and into Hudson Square, and then north to the West Village and east back to Greenwich village. I enjoyed amazing jazz music at Washington Square park (my second favorite park in Manhattan). I love that area. NYU's campus overlooks the park. Can you imagine what it must be like to go to school in the heart of Manhattan with Greenwich Village as your playground? Those kids don't know what they have!

After enjoying great music on a sunny Monday afternoon (not even the weekend), I took the subway back down to Wall Street so I could try Delmonico's famous steak burger. It was great! Well worth the trip to Wall Street. Fascinating being in the financial district on a Monday. After that, it was time to head back to Soho to grab my bags from the hotel and head to JFK. On the way, I tried Eileen's special cheesecake store. And man was it GREAT! Decadent and exactly the quality of cheesecake I would expect in NYC. Deciding to do things CHEAP this trip meant skipping the $50 taxi ride to JFK and instead spending the $7.50 subway fare to JFK instead. That ride is LONG. At least 90 minutes and you get the full tour through Queens to get there. Definitely not a ride I'd suggest for a NYC first timer. Just get a taxi. If you're traveling light and comfortable with a long subway ride with a very diverse crowd, then the J train from Jamaica station will take you directly to Lower Manhattan. I cant wait until my next trip!

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