John Cummings
TUG Lifetime Member
Days 10-16: We moved from the Michelangelo Hotel to the Manhattan Club. They gave us a late checkout at the Michelangelo. The Manhattan Club is only 5 blocks away but we took a taxi as we weren't about to carry our baggage. We checked in to the Manhattan Club at 2:30 pm. The person who checked us in was Jerry who is a very nice young man. He found us a unit on the 23rd floor with a terrific view. Jerry was very helpful throughout our stay there. The unit was quite nice but the furniture is very uncomfortable. especially after the Michelangelo which is very elegantly furnished and very comfortable.
The next week we did the 48 hour "Hop On Hop Off" all tours. There are 4 tours: Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, and the Night tour. Each tour is 2-3 hours. Basically you buy a 48 hour pass that allows you to get on and off wherever you want. It is a guided tour so you will learn about the city. I strongly recommend buying the "All Tours" which includes the 4 tours rather than just a single tour. It costs only $10.00 more than a single tour. What we did was to stay on the bus throughout the tour and note places that we wanted to stop at so we could take the bus again to those places. I heartily recommend these tours as a great way to see the city.
We went to two Broadway shows, Chicago and The Damn Yankees. They were both excellent. The quality of the productions was much higher than I have seen in other cities. You can get a discount on some of the shows ( i.e. Chicago ) from the concierge at the Manhattan Club. I bought our tickets directly at the Box office for both shows.
There was a street fair on Sunday on 7th Avenue right out the door from the Manhattan Club. This is not a regular affair and only happens every so often. My wife had a great time and I ate the best carne asada burrito ever at the street fair. Unfortunately they do not have any other outlet and only sell at the street fairs. Who would have thought I would get great Mexican food in NYC, more about that later. We ate dinner at the Red Eye Grill across the street. The food was great and excellent service. I had one of the best New York cut steaks that I have ever eaten. We ate a couple more times at the Carnegie Deli. We also tried the Stage Deli which is a block from the Carnegie Deli. We were very disappointed in it. People told us afterward that they were riding on their previous reputation and had really gone down hill. We also ate breakfast at the famous "Norma's" ( home of the $1,000.00 omelet )in the Park Meridian. The food was great.
Now some more about Mexican food in NYC. Jerry at the Manhattan Club suggested that we try "Rosa Mexicana" on 62nd St. It is an upscale Mexican restaurant and does not serve the usual tacos, enchiladas etc. It was packed when we got there so we had to wait. There was no place to sit. I can't stand for long periods of time so the hostess went upstairs and brought me a chair to sit on. The manager than took us though the back way to the service elevator and escorted us to our table and then brought us back down. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was superb.
The rest of the time we just enjoyed walking around. The Manhattan club booked a private car for us to go to the JFK airport. It costs $70.00 but is well worth it as it was a very comfortable car and the driver gave us a private tour of Queens on our way to the airport.
Observations: NYC is a fabulous place to visit. This was our most memorable trip ever. NYC is an eaters paradise. We had some of the best meals and service we have ever had. The New Yorkers are great people. I have never had so many people that were so helpful and kind. this was from the people on the street that we asked info from, to the Subway employee that helped us navigate the subway to the store owner that walked us to Norma's restaurant because we couldn't find it. Everybody was very helpful including the taxi drivers. We felt very safe everywhere we went and saw very few beggars or homeless people. The city is overwhelming with skyscrapers as far as the eye can see in all directions. It was just a truly exciting enjoyable experience and we can't wait to go back. There are still many things that we haven't done yet, such as go up the Empire State building, so we have lots to look forward to.
Recommendations: Restaurants - Ben Benson's Steakhouse, Carnegie Deli, Red Eye Grill, Rosa Mexicana, Norma's. Tours - NYC Waterways 90 minute boat tour and the "Hop On Hop Off" all tours. Tours are very cheap in NYC as there is so much competition. Hotel - Michelangelo.
The next week we did the 48 hour "Hop On Hop Off" all tours. There are 4 tours: Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, and the Night tour. Each tour is 2-3 hours. Basically you buy a 48 hour pass that allows you to get on and off wherever you want. It is a guided tour so you will learn about the city. I strongly recommend buying the "All Tours" which includes the 4 tours rather than just a single tour. It costs only $10.00 more than a single tour. What we did was to stay on the bus throughout the tour and note places that we wanted to stop at so we could take the bus again to those places. I heartily recommend these tours as a great way to see the city.
We went to two Broadway shows, Chicago and The Damn Yankees. They were both excellent. The quality of the productions was much higher than I have seen in other cities. You can get a discount on some of the shows ( i.e. Chicago ) from the concierge at the Manhattan Club. I bought our tickets directly at the Box office for both shows.
There was a street fair on Sunday on 7th Avenue right out the door from the Manhattan Club. This is not a regular affair and only happens every so often. My wife had a great time and I ate the best carne asada burrito ever at the street fair. Unfortunately they do not have any other outlet and only sell at the street fairs. Who would have thought I would get great Mexican food in NYC, more about that later. We ate dinner at the Red Eye Grill across the street. The food was great and excellent service. I had one of the best New York cut steaks that I have ever eaten. We ate a couple more times at the Carnegie Deli. We also tried the Stage Deli which is a block from the Carnegie Deli. We were very disappointed in it. People told us afterward that they were riding on their previous reputation and had really gone down hill. We also ate breakfast at the famous "Norma's" ( home of the $1,000.00 omelet )in the Park Meridian. The food was great.
Now some more about Mexican food in NYC. Jerry at the Manhattan Club suggested that we try "Rosa Mexicana" on 62nd St. It is an upscale Mexican restaurant and does not serve the usual tacos, enchiladas etc. It was packed when we got there so we had to wait. There was no place to sit. I can't stand for long periods of time so the hostess went upstairs and brought me a chair to sit on. The manager than took us though the back way to the service elevator and escorted us to our table and then brought us back down. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was superb.
The rest of the time we just enjoyed walking around. The Manhattan club booked a private car for us to go to the JFK airport. It costs $70.00 but is well worth it as it was a very comfortable car and the driver gave us a private tour of Queens on our way to the airport.
Observations: NYC is a fabulous place to visit. This was our most memorable trip ever. NYC is an eaters paradise. We had some of the best meals and service we have ever had. The New Yorkers are great people. I have never had so many people that were so helpful and kind. this was from the people on the street that we asked info from, to the Subway employee that helped us navigate the subway to the store owner that walked us to Norma's restaurant because we couldn't find it. Everybody was very helpful including the taxi drivers. We felt very safe everywhere we went and saw very few beggars or homeless people. The city is overwhelming with skyscrapers as far as the eye can see in all directions. It was just a truly exciting enjoyable experience and we can't wait to go back. There are still many things that we haven't done yet, such as go up the Empire State building, so we have lots to look forward to.
Recommendations: Restaurants - Ben Benson's Steakhouse, Carnegie Deli, Red Eye Grill, Rosa Mexicana, Norma's. Tours - NYC Waterways 90 minute boat tour and the "Hop On Hop Off" all tours. Tours are very cheap in NYC as there is so much competition. Hotel - Michelangelo.
