"Biting into the Big Apple" a New York City Travel Page by D_Shannon

I cashed in some airmiles and a free ticket I’d gotten for spending a hideous amount of time on the floor of the Minneapolis airport, and for $60 in taxes Penny and I were on our way to the big apple for a big weekend adventure.

We left late Thursday afternoon and arrived in Manhattan around 11pm. I’d managed to convince Penny that we should stay in a hostel instead of a hotel (actually, I think the listed hotel prices convinced her more than I did) and she’d booked us a room at “Jazz on the Town” a hotel/hostel/lounge combo just blocks from Fifth Avenue. We walked in and right away I knew this was going to be one hell of a trip. How many hostels have doormen, security guards, and ultra-modern furniture in their lobby? Hell, how many hostels even have a lobby? The room was tiny and smelt like a bad date but we hardly had time to notice. A quick change of clothes and the adventure began with a walk through Times Square.

Looking more like Vegas than New York, Times Square is a neon maze of tourists and street vendors selling knock-off Prada purses and photographic prints of the city. Pen and I were trying to ‘walk with a purpose,’ which mostly means we were trying not to gawk too much at the 7-story neon billboards that surrounded us. I had my first taste of NY street meat, took Penny’s picture in front of the Nasdaq ticker tape and the sign for Late Nite with David Letterman and then, ducking through a light rain, we made our way back to our hostel for a nightcap of red wine and a long conversation with a native New Yorker about the best and most exclusive restaurants in town and the benefits of outlet shopping in Jersey. It was after 3 a.m. by the time we pulled out the cot in our room and tried – in vain, mostly – to get some sleep.
For the rest of the story and photos, see my travelogues.