A Local in the Big Apple

If you are a first time visitor to the Big Apple, New York City, then I might be able to offer you a few local's insight. New York City is perhaps one of the most diverse cities in the world. This reason alone is why I still consider NYC the best place in the world; a place of cultural learning and of equal opportunities. Beside the multicultural scene of this city, everything is conveniently located steps away: restaurant, pharmacy, deli, bus stop, or subway.

Of the five boroughs in NYC, Manhattan is the best known. Manhattan is the center of the city and the New York metropolitan area. This borough alone is enough for a traveler to get a glimpse of what this city offers. Whether you are planning to travel luxuriously or on a budget, Manhattan offers various options harboring plenty of restaurants, shopping areas, shows, and attractions for all types of travelers.

Obviously there are tons of things to see in NYC, but if you have only a few days, I would recommend checking out the following:

Main attractions

Statue of Liberty:

No visit to NYC is complete without a visit to one of New York's most famous historical landmarks. There are ferries and cruises offering departures throughout the day from New York and New Jersey to Liberty Island. But for those who would be satisfied by simply getting a glimpse of the national monument from afar, I suggest you to take a stroll along the Battery Park City area located in lower Manhattan or take a free round trip ferry to Staten Island. (You can take the downtown #1 subway line to South Ferry or #4 or #5 subway lines to Bowling Green). If you choose to take the ferry, simply take the ferry to Staten Island and back because there is nothing to do in Staten Island. The 25 minutes one-way ferry ride is worthwhile offering you views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Governor's Island, and both New York and New Jersey's Harbor.   

Rockefeller Center Observation Deck:

Known as the Top of the Rock, Rockefeller Center Observation Deck would be the best place to check out an unobstructed view of NYC. Most visitors would probably visit the Empire State Building's Observatory, however, I think the Top of the Rock would be a better choice. Though the ticket price at Rockefeller ($21 per adult) might be ~$1 more than ESB's, you can actually see Empire State Building from the RCO deck and get a closer view of Central Park. If you visit during Christmas, you can also see one of the largest tree lights. It is definitely worth checking if you never seen a giant Christmas tree before. (Take the subway lines B, D, F, V to 47-50th Street Station).

Around this neighborhood:

After visiting the observation deck, you can take a walk along 5th ave and do some shopping. However, shopping along 5th avenue can be very expensive. Most famous brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany & Co., Henri Bendel, Bottega Veneta, Prada, and the likes are located here. For the budget travelers, you can walk south toward 34th Street/6th Ave to visit Macy's or for some less expensive shops. Otherwise, take a nice stroll in neighboring Central Park 

Chinatown/Little Italy:

If you never been to Asia or visited San Francisco's Chinatown, then you cannot miss NYC's Chinatown located in lower Manhattan. There is another Chinatown in Flushing, Queens worth mentioning, but should be visited by those who have the extra time or desire Taiwanese cuisine. (You can take the #7 subway line to Main St. Station in Queens - 50mins one way). Chinatown is worth visiting if you never experienced the Chinese culture and is the best gastronomical place for Cantonese food. There are also some great Vietnamese and Malaysian restaurants here. For budget travelers, Chinatown is also one of the places where you can purchase the cheapest food and groceries in Manhattan. Two reputable streets that I recommend to walk along are on Mott St. and Canal St. You can experience what Chinese culture is like by simply walking along those streets. There are plenty of Chinese stores for you to buy souvenirs and tons of Asian restaurants to choose from. One hidden mall is located inside 15 Elizabeth Street, a good place to buy cute Asian trinkets. And if steam shrimp dumplings with shark fin, roasted pork buns, egg tarts, beef rice noodle rolls or soy sauced chicken feet sounds intriguing to you, then one of the things you must do while you are in Chinatown is try the dim sums, Chinese tapas, which usually serves between 8am - 3pm in some restaurants.

Along the borders of Chinatown walking west along Canal Street or Grand Street, you can stop by Little Italy. Besides eating Italian food or getting a gelato, Little Italy is worth stopping by since it is close to Chinatown, and Soho, which is one of the best shopping areas in the city.

by subway to Chinatown:
Grand Street Station: B, D 
East Broadway Station: F

by subway to Chinatown/Little Italy:
Canal Street Station: 6, J, M, N, Q, R, W, Z

Soho/Noho Village:
The areas known as soho and noho, the famous fashion playgrounds, are my favorite destination to go shopping. This long section of shopping area stretches from Chinatown to 14th Street. If you are near Chinatown/Little Italy, you can walk toward Canal St. until you reach Broadway and head north. If you are near Union Square 14th Street, you can walk south on Broadway. Along Broadway and West Broadway, which is a parallel street from Broadway, harbor tons of low and high end boutique shops, department stores, and art stands. You can seriously spend the whole day doing some serious shopping here, as well as checking out the younger trendier crowd in town.   

Time Square on 42nd Street:
A city does not feel like a city if you do not visit Time Square. Though it can be viewed as a tourist trap and an extremely crowded place, Time Square is a must see if you never been to a city before. I suggest visiting this area during the night time. The scene is astonishing, huge animated neon lights and television screens screams out at you. The Broadway theater district is also located here if you want to check out a show. (Unless it is popular, cheaper same-day shows can be purchased at the TKTS Discount Booth on 47th. However, the one located at South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan is a lot less crowded). Despite the crowd, I would visit this area because here you can experience how it feels to be in a city that never sleeps.  

Museums/Galleries:

If you like the arts or prefer to stay indoors during a rainy or cold day, then visiting museums is a good way to fill up the time. I would recommend The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) on 53rd Street or The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art on 82nd Street and 5th Ave.

If visiting galleries is more of your thing, then visit the Chelsea area around 9th-11th Ave between 20th Street and 23rd Street. Galleries filled with pieces of unique and upcoming talents occupy this area, as well as standing constructions of modern architecture resembling those of Copenhagen. Whitney Museum is scheduled to build a new museum around the area as well, but it would not be done until 2015. After visiting the galleries, you should visit the Chelsea Market, a gourmand's mecca, on 9th Ave between 15th-16th Street. The Thai restaurant inside is one of the best ones I have eaten in the city. It is reasonably priced and delicious. If you can splurge, Morimoto, Buddhakan, Pastis, and Macelleria is within walking distance. Food Channel is also located there. Two blocks away is also the Meat Packing District, which has become one of the trendiest places to go for brunch and a night out in the city. 


Bleeker Street:
Besides 5th avenue and Soho/Noho village, I also like to walk along Bleeker Street because it is less crowded and a great stroll by the West Village. Walking along Bleeker Street you will see plenty of boutique shops and great eateries. Marc Jacobs, Juicy, Coach, Ralph Lauren, and Intermix to name a few of the shops. John's Pizzeria at Bleeker and Keste Pizza and Wine are two of my favorite places to grab a pie of pizza. If you have a sweet tooth, the famous Magnolia Bakery is also located along Bleeker Street. The best thing is: from Bank Street you can walk along Bleeker Street toward Broadway to continue with more shopping.

Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine

I thrive when I am outdoors with nature. I love to hike, trek, and climb. There is something about being in the woods surrounded by mountains and streams, and reaching to the top of a mountain or cliff that pacifies me and generates an inexplicable freedom and inner joy. After an awe-inspiring hike in Kauai, Hawaii in 2007, I had made a life's goal in 2009 to travel and hike some of the most beautiful places in the world. One destination came to mind was Mt. Kilimanjaro. But I needed to train myself, so I began small and headed to Acadia National Park in Maine.

Brewer, Maine

On this trip, I traveled with a buddy of mine during the week of July 4th. Traveling with someone is always a good way to cut expenses. Sticking to a budget given the holiday weekend, I tried to go online to find affordable hotel, car rental, and flight rates. I usually use kayak or travelzoo to help me locate the best deals. I found a cheaper flight flying in to Bangor, Maine than to the local Bar Harbor Airport. It is usually cheaper to fly in to an international airport because of the wider options. Geographically, Brewer and Ellsworth are towns between the Bangor airport and Bar Harbor, with Brewer closer to the airport. I found that booking hotels at Ellsworth was cheaper than at Bar Harbor, and it was cheapest at Brewer. Despite the lack of activities in Brewer, we booked a few nights at Vacationland Inn at 453 Wilson Street because of the rates. The inn was not a 4 star hotel, but resembled those of Comfort Inns or Quality Inns. The main thing is that the inn did its job offering comfortable beds with clean sheets. Driving distance from the inn to Acadia took 1 hr 15mins but to me that was not a huge inconvenience. 

Freeport, Maine

If your plane arrives around noon like ours did, one of the options you could do is drive straight to the outlets in Freeport. I am a fan of outdoor clothing brands and being in Maine, I could not pass the opportunity of stopping by the Patagonia, North Face, and LL Bean outlets at Freeport. Despite the 2hrs drive one way, I returned with glee and giggles. The amazing bargains were definitely worth the trip.

by car:

From Bangor Int'l Airport, take I-295 to exit 22. Proceed to Route 1, which is Maine Street

Bar Harbor, Maine

Only minutes away from Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor is a good place to spend your past time and grab a bite while you are in the area. There is really nothing to eat once you are in the park, besides at Jordon Pond House. Bar Harbor is also home to US's eighth oldest golf course. The most happening section is on Main Street. Stroll along Main Street and you will find a number of boutique shops, restaurants, and rental places to choose from. And if you are in New England area, you have to try the seafood. My friend and I stopped by Galyn's Restaurant on Main St. for dinner and had one of the freshest fish and lobster platters ever! Another cool thing to do at Bar Harbor, however, dependant on the tides, is to walk from Bridge Street to this natural gravel land bridge toward Bar Island.      

Acadia National Park

If you love nature, then Acadia, situated in Mount Desert Island, fits the bill. Though this state park is not as renowned as west coast's Yosemite, the northern pristine land provides worth mentioning breath-taking mountain, forest, and ocean views and shelters many plants and animals. There is an entrance fee ($10-$20 with vehicle depending on the month, $5pp - pedestrian, motorbike, bikes, during late spring thru early autumn. FYI: You can also purchase an annual pass for $80 that enables you to access all the national parks in the US). As like those of most park environments, there are many outdoor activities to choose from at Acadia. You can hike, bike, fish, climb, swim, do a scenic drive, join a tour, whale watch, etc.       

Scenic view along the North Ridge trail.

Backdrop of Bar Island, Sheep Porcupine Island, Bald Porcupine Island, Burnt Porcupine Island, and Long Porcupine Island along the South Ridge trail.

In Acadia, there are 125miles of hiking trails to choose from, ranging from easy to strenuous. I decided to hike on the tallest mountain, Cadillac Mountain - 1,350ft, on the US Atlantic coast: hiked up the Cadillac North Ridge Trail (moderate) and came back down on the Cadillac South Ridge Trail (strenuous). The estimated time it took to finish the two trails was 7hrs at moderate pace, with 1.5hrs lunch break and photo snapping, and .5hrs wasted going in the wrong direction at the beginning. You can leave your car along the road at the beginning of the North Ridge Trail. Along these two trails I was able to cover every type of scenery I wanted to see; forest, mountains, water. In my opinion, anyone can hike the North Ridge, unless you have leg problems or seldom exercise. My friend rarely walks and she does not exercise, yet she did just fine. The South Ridge, however, is definitely an exercise hiking up or down. Because we left our car at the other end of the mountain, we could hop on Acadia's free shuttle buses back to the north side. But we just missed our last bus and had no choice but to hitch hike back to the other end. So before you decide to hike on any trails and your car is parked elsewhere, make sure to check the bus schedules! Though we were lucky to have a nice couple offer us a free lift, I would not recommend hitch hiking for obvious safety reason. It is, however, entirely within your discretion. *Note: Also bring a light jacket or windbreaker because it can get windy at the top.

If biking is something you rather do, then you can also rent bikes at the bike shops in Bar Harbor. We went biking the following day and rented from Acadia Bike on 48 Cottage Street. The equipment was great and rates were reasonable. If you book online it costs $20per day, $22 otherwise. You can opt for 1/2 day which costs $16 or multiday for $17. The bike rental place also offers a map of the various biking trails. There are 55 miles of carriage trails that lace through the park. I would not suggest biking the whole Park Loop Road (27miles, 3-4hrs) unless you are in shape, have time to kill, and not intimidated with some car traffic. I saw a few brazen individuals biking uphill along the road and all I could think of were "wow" and "I'm glad I'm in my car". My friend and I chose to bike a section of the Park Loop Road trail given the amount of time we had, for real. Driving along the Park Loop Road is incredible and highly recommended.

Lovely Nantucket

A home in Siasconset.

Leave worries behind, need some alone time or a bit of fresh air, then try to hop on the ferry to Nantucket while you are in Cape Cod, MA. Nantucket, an island 30 miles south of Cape Cod, is endowed with charming buildings, cobblestone streets, and if you leave the historical downtown area, you will see wealthy residential homes, scenic ocean views, and bike trails snaking all over the island. I went to Nantucket as a side trip and instantly fell in love with the mini version of Martha's Vineyard. Uncrowded, quaint, and serene, Nantucket can be a great place for some time of reflection.  

My companion at the time and I took the Hy-Line cruise from Hyannis to Nantucket. You can also fly in to Nantucket Memorial Airport. The ferry ride we took costs $75pp round trip. Once you arrive on the dock, you are within walking distance to the downtown area. On Main Street and its parallel streets erect boutique stores, restaurants, bike rental shops, and a whaling museum. And if you love sweets like I do, then you must stop by Aunt Leah's Fudge. There are a variety of flavors to choose from but all I can say is that the chocolate fudge that I gobbled up was simply heavenly! 

Sankaty Head Lighthouse

Getting around the island is best done with bikes. We rented bikes at Young's Bicycle Shop at 6 Broad Street for $20pp half day. Maps are provided at the bike shop. To see as much of Nantucket as we could in one day we decided on a bike route along Polpis Road. Along the way, we saw many residential homes with their own driveways, lots of green terrain, and the ocean from afar. As we approach the eastern shore, we saw the Sankaty Head Lighthouse, this beautiful red and white tower built in 1850 standing 70ft tall. Further along on Sankaty Road toward the Siasconset cottage area lie cute beach homes facing a breath-taking view of the Atlantic. And outside the window of every house practically showcased beautiful floral or flowerbeds. Overall, the time spend on this island was lovely and therapeutic: picturesque scenic views and a good work out from biking. Our leisure bike tour took about 3.5hrs round trip. If you do not want to work on your legs, there are also bus shuttles running throughout the island during the high seasons.     

Cape Cod During the Low Season

If you live in NY, Cape Cod, MA is one great weekend escape. You do not have to wait until summer to enjoy the pristine beaches and indulge in the freshest seafood. In fact, I went during a year around early May when the weather felt like winter. During the off-season, Cape Cod offers vast distance of untouched beaches and with less crowd and traffic, it can be a remedy to stress and provide some introspective time for self.

There are plenty of ways to get to Cape Cod, but in Cape Cod, the most convenient is by car. With my companion at the time, we headed out early in the morning to beat traffic and drove for about 4hrs from NYC. When you reach Cape Cod, it is fairly easy to navigate. There are only three primary roads traversing the narrow peninsula. US Route 6 runs through the center of the lower part of the cape, scenic Route 6A snakes along the northern shore, and MA Route 28 winds along the southern shore. There are several towns in Cape Cod, however, we only visited two, Hyannis and Provincetown.

Hyannis
We stayed in Hyannis, the primary location to hop on a ferry to Nantucket. The Cape Cod Potato Chip factory is also located here. Hyannis is one of the towns of Barnstable, MA and is located on the southern coast of the mid-cape. It takes about 30mins to drive from here to Provincetown located in the lower cape. I booked a few nights at Hyannis Harbor Hotel located on 213 Ocean Street and was disappointed with the room we had. We stayed in one of the inner corner rooms with a window facing the court. The room projected gloominess and had a small bathroom. Perhaps we could have requested a change of room, however, we let the issue slide since our time in the room would be minimal. The good thing about this hotel is the free parking space and the ferry to Nantucket being just few steps away. Moreover, one of the best clam houses I have ever eaten, Spanky's Clam Shack, is located a few blocks down. The price is incredibly good given the quality of food we had. If you plan on visiting Spanky's, you must get the steamers! The clams were huge, fresh, and the best I have ever eaten. The lobster roll and oysters were just as amazing. In fact, I believe anything you order here would please your soul.

Provincetown

Picking rocks along another beach in Cape Cod.

The most popular town, Provincetown, is located at the tip of the cape. As a result, hotel rates here are more expensive than other parts of the island. Pristine beaches and sand dunes surrounds this area, and the town drapes with gay and lesbian pride. This town attracts artist of all types resulting a number of great galleries. There are also many unique boutiques shops and fine restaurants to enjoy, a great way to spend the time when it is too cold to swim in the water. Race Point beach situated on the point of the cape is known to be extremely crowded during the summer. During off-season, however, the beach is empty with only the caw of seagulls and sounds of waves. Privacy, tranquility, the Atlantic Ocean, breathless work of mother nature's, what better way to embrace the entire beach to ourselves. For lunch, after reading up on some reviews about being a tourist trap, we initially thought of avoiding The Lobster Pot restaurant at 321 Commercial Street. But even without reading up about the place, one cannot miss the huge red sign on its building facade, which is a great marketing technique. Hungry and reminiscing the clams and lobsters we ate at Spanky's, we finally stopped at The Lobster Pot for lunch. The seafood turned out to be good, but price was higher and food fared poorer than that of Spanky's. I really enjoyed Provincetown and it is definitely a more happening area than at Hyannis.