Advantages: A lot to see & do, has something to offer for everyone
Disadvantages: Too much to see and do, can be exhausting, expensive hotels

...A short summary This trip report will focus on the trip that my wife Nikki and I took to NYC in the period from July 5th - 11th 2004. I hope that this trip report can be of some use to other first time visitors to New York City. Please get in touch if you have any questions or comments. If you want to see my pictures from NYC please check out my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com. Prelude We have been talking about visiting NYC for many years now and we finally got a chance to see it when we took a family trip to the USA. We decided to first go to my sister in Ohio and spend a few days there. After this we would go to NYC and then go home to Norway from there. Like most others we felt that we knew the city a bit even if we hadn't been there before. After all, the city is portrayed in so many movies and TV series, it sort... Read review

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Advantages: 24 hour buzz
Disadvantages: Expensive

...I went to New York for three days as part of a longer trip around the States recently. It was my first visit, and I want to share with you what a great place it is. I flew American Airlines into JFK airport, landing at about 8 pm, knowing that I had at least an hours journey on the subway to where I was staying. This was a bit scary, as I was travelling alone. You hear plenty of horroh stories about the subway, and I have to admit to feeling a bit intimidated as I stood on the platform waiting for the train. When it arrived, however, I felt much more at ease, as there were other people on the train, who were just going about their normal lives. Taking the subway became something I enjoyed during my time in NY. The ratting is kind of reassuring, and it is a great opportunity to people watch! When I travel I like to try and get... Read review

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Advantages: Fantastic city, great sights and landmarks, shops!
Disadvantages: You may emigrate!!

...I was rummaging through the closets of my brain this morning trying to think what my next review would be about and it struck me that even though I have New York in my username, because I love the city with a passion, I have yet to write a review about it. So here it is! I have wanted to go to New York for as long as I can possibly remember. I think it may stem from watching lots of American films when I was a youngster (such as Home Alone) that centred around New York, particularly at Christmas time when it showed the big Christmas tree at Times Square etc. I was lucky enough as a child to be taken on lots of family holidays, and while they were lovely holidays, New York, or America for that fact, was never on the cards as a destination as nobody else in my family wanted to go there. So, it was always a case of 'when you're old... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap shopping, culture, fun!
Disadvantages: Can be stressful!

...INTRODUCTION I always thought of New York as one of those places everyone should visit once. So when I was offered the chance of a week’s free accommodation in Brooklyn, I took the opportunity for my one off visit. I was fairly certain I wouldn’t like the place enough to ever want to go there again. I don’t like cities. And from what I had heard, New York epitomised everything I hate about cities. Noisy, stressful, tacky and very, very large. But I booked my flights, packed my bags and decided to make the most of it. And much as I hate to admit it, New York proved me wrong. I loved it. I think part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was because I was shown round by some friends who lived there. So I am going to try to pass on some of the tips they gave me that made my stay so enjoyable. I will tell you about getting... Read review

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Advantages: Plenty to do and see.
Disadvantages: Crowds. Expensive.

...It took me 15 years to make it to New York City. Why? you ask. Well Len and I, being English, were concerned about being tourists and the safety issue. Well, we need not have worried. We were meeting family there. Prior to our flight, we phoned the hotel to see how much transportation to the hotel would be. They suggested a yellow cab, which would cost around $25-$30. Exchange rate $1.83 to the £. So we get outside of the airport and see the sign for yellow cabs. The gentleman there said to us, this is your cab. He gave us a yellow leaflet with Taxi information. Asked us which hotel, and pointed to the $22-$26 area. Well our cabbie didn't speak English, so we kind of felt like prisioners in the back of the taxi, with the glass panel in front of us. The ride took 45 minutes and with the $4 cost of the toll, came to $28... Read review

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Advantages: A totally unique experience, New York has everything
Disadvantages: In the summer it is a bit opressive

...Nothing can prepare you for the first time you see the majestic New York sky-line. Unusually me and my family drove into New York city as part of a tour of the East Coast of the USA last summer, and from around 20 miles away you cannot help but gaze at the world's most famous city. For those of you who will fly straight in and out, you will not experience this amazement, but the sheer wonder of staying in Manhattan is a once in a lifetime experience that should not be missed. I stayed for 4 nights, but for the full New York experience I would advise a week's stay in order to appreciate it fully. It is almost obligatory to visit the Empire State Building, World Trade Centre and of course the Statue of Liberty, which are all awesome sights. All of these attractions can be visited in conjunction with a Grey Line bus tour, in which you... Read review

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Advantages: Greatest city in the world, lots to do, great food
Disadvantages: Never want to leave

...Most people who visit New York love the experience, but their wallets love the experience less so. Having experienced the charme of New York as both a tourist and a 'local', I would like to give some suggestions of fun things to do in New York without having to remortage your house at the end of your vacation. This is a review in progress. I attempted to include as much as possible, but intend to add on from time to time. ATTRACTIONS - MANHATTAN VIEW FROM THE WATER New York offers several tourist attractions by which Manhattan can be viewed from the water, such as the Circle Line (3 hour trip around Manhattan island) and the Ellis Island Ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The downside to this is the price. If you are on a budget and are not desperate to stand on the same soil as the Statue of Liberty... Read review

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Advantages: Clean, nice rooms - amazing views from roof top balcony
Disadvantages: 24 Hour coffee bar was actually a vending machine!!

...My lovely husband booked a short stay in New York for my “surprise” 30th birthday. This was in 2002 and we went there at the beginning of October of that year. Just as a side note before I start the review of the hotel, the weather was fantastic and for much of the time we went out regularly in T-shirts. Anyway we stayed at The Bentley Hotel for the whole of our stay and overall we were impressed and enjoyed our time there. **ABOUT THE HOTEL** The Bentley is a 3 star hotel which was built in 1904 and last renovated in 2002, however I have a feeling some renovation may be going on now as the roof top restaurant has been closed until further notice. It has 197 rooms in total, which range in quality depending on which sort you book. We had a regular room but found this to be very satisfactory. There was plenty of room from... Read review

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Advantages: great mix
Disadvantages: none

..."This is an adventure into that downtown New York City vibe" ~ Armand Van Helden For me Armand Van Helden is a dance music legend, as a child of the nineties I grew up listening to his house and techno classics. He is thee man. This the guy responsible for making Tori Amos "Professional Widow" and The Sneeker Pimps "Spin Spin Sugar" massive hits. As well as producing some damn fine house records himself such as "You Don't Know Me" and "The Funk Phenomena". His artist albums have never failed to impress; he always tries something new and inventive. As a DJ he is a master of the decks with all the tricks up his sleeve, he can mix everything thing from house and techno to hiphop and ragga. If he's playing at a club he's still sure to be the hottest ticket in town. Armand started DJ-ing at the age of 15, he spent a lot of his childhood... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent direction, beautiful set, good story, superb soundtrack, high quality film
Disadvantages: One or two minor lapses in parts of the film

...Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York has finally been released. Its release date has moved from December 2001 to July 2001 and then to December 2002. Well Gangs of New York is finally here, so has it lived up to the hype and was it worth the wait? Absolutely. As the American Civil War rages, 19th Century New York is a violent and fierce place as rival gangs clash in their fight for New York’s Lower East Side. On one side – the brutal Bill The Butcher who leads the Nativists. And on the other, the Irish-Americans led by Amsterdam Vallon. Filmed on location in Italy Gangs of New York wonderfully recreates 19th Century New York. The set is simply beautiful and massive attention is clearly paid to every detail. Though nothing you see is computer generated – they built 19th Century New York from scratch and built a set over 2 miles long... Read review

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