"Start Spreading the News . . ."

Dale and I took a belated 30th anniversary trip to New York City recently. We had visited three times before. The first was about one year after our first date, so it would have been December 1979. Second was May 1980 (just before our wedding). Third was in 2006. Each of these prior visits was very brief. This most recent trip, we spent three full days exploring the city. From this experience, I offer the following tips for others who might want to take a similar trip:

1. Don't stay on Manhattan. With just a little checking on websites for national chains, you can locate a nice hotel at a significant savings. We stayed at the La Quinta Inn located in Long Island City. We were close enough that we could see the city to our west from the street in front of the hotel. Subway stations were about 2 blocks away in either direction. Cost for transport into the city was $2.15 (to any location served by the subway system). Time for transport ran around 10-15 minutes. For this "inconvenience" we saved over half in lodging expenses. Additionally, the hotel provided free continental breakfast. More savings.

2. Buy a guide book before going to NYC. Read the book. Lay out your plans before going. You will find lots of interesting things to see.

3. Three words -- Staten Island Ferry. Round trip took us about one hour. We were about 1/4 mile from Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Also had great views of the Manhattan skyline. Best of all, it was FREE, FREE, FREE. Seriously. For the cost of a subway ride (it is really too far to walk to get to the terminal) we walked aboard and enjoyed the ride. The boats are huge and the trip was smooth.

4. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. This was neat for several reasons. First, we started from the Brooklyn side (another subway ride got us there) and spent some time in DUMBO, a historic neighborhood dating to the mid 1800s. After lunch at Grimaldi's, an old fashioned coal fired pizza joint, we headed for the bridge. The walk takes about 1/2 hour and offers great views of Lower Manhattan and the nearby Manhattan Bridge.

5. Bite the bullet and go to a Broadway show. Do your research to choose one that fits your tastes. You can either stand in line at the TKTS booth and buy discount tickets or you can buy tickets in advance. A word of advice here -- the hot shows don't show up at the discount booth. Also, the discount tickets are unsold which means that they are typically not as good seating. If you want to get your choice, go online and buy your tickets in advance (for the really popular shows, buy them FAR in advance). If you are concerned that your travel plans might change, you can always pay an extra fee for trip insurance. Tickets aren't cheap, but the experience is amazing. Dale and I saw "Wicked." This story behind "The Wizard of Oz" was a fantastic show. Great music, great sets, great performers.

6. Times Square is a show all in itself. Just sitting on chairs and watching people milling around is fascinating. We saw lots of strange sights (people dressed in costumes, the Naked Cowboy, 2 Naked Cowgirls, etc).

7. The most important piece of advice? Wear comfortable shoes. Make sure they are broken in. Don't scrimp. New York is a concrete jungle, and all of the walking can be pretty rough on your feet. I think the only time we weren't on concrete was when walking across the Brooklyn Bridge which has a wooden slat walkway. After walking so much, the difference was instantly noticeable.

8. Museum of Modern Art -- On Fridays, it is free from 4pm to closing. We got there at around 4:30 and there was a pretty long line to get in. The line moved very quickly, and we were inside before 5. Start at the top floors where they have the permanent collections. We say Van Gough's Starry Night, several Picasso's, Diego Rivera, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Mondrian. Amazing art. We also saw some stuff that left us shaking our heads. Who would have thought that a large white canvas (that's right, a canvas with white paint on it) would merit a place in the MOMA? No accounting for personal taste, I suppose.

9. Central Park. There are several reasons to include a visit. First, you will be amazed that a serene, green expanse could exist in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. Just a short distance into the park and the noises of the city fade into the distance. Trust me. The relaxation and leisurely pace of a visit is well worth it.

10. Be open to try new things. There is a little bit of everything. Some of the "name" places are a bit overrated. For example, we have been up the Empire State Building in the past. This time, we went to Rockefeller Center and went to "Top of the Rock." The latter was cheaper, the lines shorter, the trip to the top quicker, and the view better. What can I say?

11. Once you figure out the basics of city navigation, it isn't too tough. The avenues run north and south. They are spaced pretty far apart. Thus, walking from 3rd avenue to 7th avenue (where you can find Times Square) is about a mile. The cross streets are quite a bit shorter. You will go around 20 blocks in a mile. Once you grasp this layout, finding your destinations is pretty simple. Just be prepared to walk a lot (and pay close attention to point 7 above).

12. Don't let the subway system intimidate you. With a little advance planning, you can easily get to the general area of the more far flung places that you want to visit. Fares are one price for any destination served by the system. That means that so long as you don't leave the system of trains, you can transfer to any train you want to reach you destination. I can give you an example of our second final day. We planned to ride the Staten Island Ferry which docks at the southernmost point of Manhattan. Our plan was to take the 7 train to Times Square and then transfer to the 1 train which would take us straight to the ferry terminal. Wouldn't you know that a mechanical failure required us to deboard the 7 and transfer to a train we hadn't ridden previously. A quick look at the tour book we bought before going (remember, I told you at point 2 above to buy one -- our included maps of the city in the front inside cover and a layout of the subway system in the back inside cover), and we were able to decide on the proper train to take to a different transfer point which got us to the same destination by a different route. Total cost? The same as the planned route - just $2.15 each.