New York – A City That Never Sleeps!

After 2004 and 2008 I visited New York again in summer 2013. I can say that the city is really great and exciting at any time of the year.

During my last vacation in New York, I booked a private accommodation via AirBnB (affiliate link) centrally in Manhattan – only 5 minutes walk from Times Square.

The journey was relaxed – the car was parked in the suburb of Secaucus and then we took the train directly to Manhattan to the Pennstation.

And so a great weekend should start.

• Broadway and Times Square with the giant illuminated panels
• Where Darth Vader meets Mickey Mouse and Buzz Lighting
• How about riding a bike through New York?
• Where to find a glass elevator
• Recreation in the City Library
• Walking around the Highline Park
• Once at the command post of an aircraft carrier,

I quickly met my landlord and he showed me my accommodation – his apartment. In the evening I took the opportunity to visit Times Square again. A visit to the Times Squares is of course obligatory during the day with the many shops, but even more so in the evening when everything is brightly lit.

Broadway and Time Square

Near the Time Square is also Broadway with its many musicals and theatres (Broadway Tickets). It is advisable to check what you are playing before you go on holiday. Directly at Times Square you can also find many more or few famous comic figures, who can use the time between cartoons for a small tip and take photos with them. As I noticed, even Darth Vader had at least found a small job after the launch of his beloved Death Star in New York.

Eating in New York

On the recommendation of my host, I have certainly eaten the most delicious burger of recent years at the small chain 5napkinburger (www.5napkinburger.com). Reservation is recommended. On the firm plan I also had the visit of the sushi chain Todais, who unfortunately had closed their restaurant in New York at that time. Today there is a similar restaurant concept with the restaurant Ichiumi.

And so day one came to an end with a beer with my host. It was interesting to learn that he almost had to rent the apartment via AirBnb because of the horrendous rental prices in order to be able to live there at all. But how else can you stay more authentic in Manhattan, if not in a “real” appartment?

The next two days I explored New York by bike. It may sound weird at first, but New York is much more bike-friendly than many other cities. And with the dense, slow traffic, you can make even better progress.

Cycling in New York – CityBike

I can only recommend CityBike New York for this. Definitely a great experience. In the truest sense of the word. You drive through the city with a rental bike and can return it to about 100 places and pick it up. The costs are about 10, – Dollar per day (with Mastercard. no visas, one card / person for identification) very affordable. You start paying after 30 minutes driving time. Since the stations are very densely packed, it is easy to get through the city. Usually you don’t need more than 30 minutes from point of interest to point of interest. https://www.citibikenyc.com/

During my last visit I visited the Intrepid, an old aircraft carrier that has been converted into an aircraft museum. The Intrepid is located on the east side of Manhattan. In addition to many fighter jets you can now also see a space shuttle. Storm Sandy had damaged the shuttle during my visit. http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/ Here you can also print a quartet here.

Of course you can shop everywhere in New York. If the choice of shops is not enough, you can really get off to the second largest mall in America near New York – only about 1 hour drive from NY. Mall of America The visit to the mall would be to much for one weekend.

View on Manhattan

Back to Manhattan and up high. If you want to get an overview of the Manhattan, I can recommend the Empir

Bibo in Central Park

e-State-Building, which offers a magnificent panoramic view over Manhattan. Alternatively, the Rockefeller Center with the “Top of the Rock” is not less spectacular.  In my opinion, the visit is still worthwhile in the evenings, because you look at the whole of Manhattan to the south (no panoramic view). The elevator is already very interesting with the lighting in the elevator shaft upwards.

MOMA and Guggenheim Museum

Art lovers can of course visit the Guggenheim Museum or MOMA. In many places I lacked the necessary understanding of art (at a

previous visit already determined) and so I rather made a detour with my city bike to the Central Park for a wonderful ice cream and talked to Bibo.

Back on the way through Manhattan in southern direction you can also pass the Grand Central Station and the City Library. Both buildings are absolutely worth seeing and especially the reading rooms of the library have a very special atmosphere. They are already venerable halls.

In addition to the many street food stalls in New York, there is also a wide range of food halls to choose from (Here is a selection of Food Halls).

South of Manhattan

The newer Highline Park in southern Manhattan is also highly recommended. This park has been superbly converted from an old elevated railway into a park. You go for a walk between the skyscrapers. There are several points of entry into the Highline Park. (Highline Park). I liked the park very much and it really seemed like an oasis in the big city to me.

Arriving in the south of Manhattan I visited the Ground Zero memorial site. It is an oppressive place and as a monument very well done. One can only hope that the monument will lead to the right thoughts. Directly next door with the “One World Center” has already been created a further big building!

Not far away is Wall Street and the southern end of Manhattan with Battery Park. From there the ferries go to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I had already visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on previous visits. If you have more than one weekend, I recommend it. Even if it’s a bit of a digression – whoever comes from Northern Germany should take the time beforehand and visit the museum “Das Auswandererhaus” (Emmigrant house) in Bremerhaven. With the visit to Ellis Island, the “emigration” becomes complete.

The way back to my apartment I drove in style with the CityBike bikes at the long bike path on the west side of Manhattan.

Brooklyn Bridge

Alternatively, of course, the eastern side is also a good place to get to the famous Brooklyn Bridge.

A few kilometres further north, you can also cross the East River by cable car.

All in all, of course, a weekend is far too short for one of the world’s liveliest cities. I think New York is great! I was able to experience different things with every visit – and I was certainly not there for the last time. Maybe the Trump Tower will be one of the most visited destinations in the city in the future? I wasn’t so convinced by the building… maybe it’s so good that the UNO is pretty close to Donald.

What do you associate with New York and what are your greatest memories of the city?

Here you can have a look at the private accommodations at AirBnB (Affiliate Link). Staying more authentic in the city is not possible.

After the good AirBnB experience I started to rent vacation apartments privately (e. g. on an old estate in Sicily overlooking Etna or Villa Vista in Torrox near Alhambra) instead of spending my holidays exclusively in hotels or traveling “all-inclusive”, which can of course also be comfortable (e. g. the four days in Kusadasi in Turkey or just recently on Gran Canaria with the luxury hotel Lopesan Villa Conde).