So many things to do and so little time to do it all in.  New York City is definitely the city that never sleeps or slows down.  From traffic to crowds, they all move fast. 

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Traffic
Our first cab ride from the train station to our hotel was an eventful one.  Traffic was bumper to bumper on a Friday, but it didn't seem to bother our taxi driver.  He drove through streets barely big enough for a car to fit down and made maneuvers I'm still in shock over.  All while avoiding pedestrians who cross the street whenever there's an opening and bicyclists swerving in and out of traffic.  A harrowing welcome to New York City.

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Chinatown/Little Italy
Since our hotel was located near  Chinatown and Little Italy, we checked in and walked down the streets.  You can get anything, from designer hand bags, watches and jewelry to fresh seafood and fruit.

In addition to the shops, tables were set up along both sides of the street with people walking around whispering, 'hand bags, watches, Rolex, Gucci.'  You hear it every 5 steps.  If you're looking for designer knockoffs, that's the place to be.

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Wolfgange's
Friday night dinner was at the famous Wolfgang Puck's Steakhouse in Greenwich.  Although I love steak, I love seafood even more.  We ordered a platter after seeing one on a table nearby but I didn't realize it included fresh raw oysters.  You only live once, so why not.  It was easy to suck out of the shell.  It was a little more difficult to swallow the slimy mass.  At least I can say I've tried oysters.  The steak, on the other hand, was the best I've ever had in my life.  It melted in in your mouth.  We even took some home and had it for a midnight snack.

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Subway
The subway system in New York City is the most confusing thing I've ever navigated.  Oh it sounds easy.  Just take the E train downtown and get off at the World Trade Center stop, according to our very helpful concierge.  But when there is construction on the E train, it makes it even more difficult to get around.  At one point, we were in Brooklyn, on our way to Coney Island.  After being lost underground for an hour and a half, we just skipped the 9/11 memorial and took the E train uptown to Times Square.   And we weren't the only tourists lost.  We ran into someone else who just ended up following us to get back above ground.

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Times Square
Times Square was everything I dreamed and more.  From the tall buildings, the billboards, the vendors and the people. We stopped into the Hard Rock Cafe, Hershey's and The Disney Store, where Tadpole just had to take my picture in Pluto's dog house. I also ran into Elmo and a number of other cartoon characters walking around, as well as the frozen man.  He was so convincing.  Check out the video we took before having trouble shutting it off to take the picture. A few steps later was a band playing live music I also recorded a bit of.

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Rock of Ages
You can't go to New York City and not take in a Broadway play. We went to Rock of Ages Saturday afternoon.  I was concerned Tadpole wouldn't enjoy it since it was filled with music of the 80's.  I love the 80's, Tadpole not so much.  But it was not only fantastically musically, it was so funny.  At one point I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.  And Tadpole liked it too.

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Coyote Ugly
Times Square and a Broadway play were a must for our trip.  But I also had to make a stop at Coyote Ugly.  I loved the movie and just had to dance on the bar.  And dance I did.  Although it was much smaller than I imagined, it was still a blast.  A great way to end a weekend in New York City.

Next time, the 9/11 Memorial, Central Park, Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building will be on my to do list.  And now that we're more subway savvy, maybe we won't waste over a hour, lost underground. Or we'll just take a cab everywhere.

New York City was  a great place to visit, but I'd never want to live there.  Too much traffic, too many people and too high prices.  I look forward to returning, but I'm thankful for my back yard and slower pace.  Plus, who can afford to stay longer than a few days.  Check out video of Times Square and pictures from our trip.

 

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