“New York City is over the top, showy, flashy, artsy, full of creative energy,” Heather Green-Oliver, a web professional in Greater Sudbury, said. “There is an energy there like nowhere else.”
Green-Oliver and friends drove to NYC in January 2007, and returned on the second trip by air, flying to the city’s La Guardia airport in April 2009. Both times they stayed in the mid-town area of Manhattan.
She said there are advantages to either time period.
“In January, there are few lineups, and during restaurant week (in late January) you can get deals of up to 50 per cent on meals. In April, it is spring, the weather is much improved. But many more people are there. There are lineups for most tourist locations.”
New York City is over the top, showy, flashy, artsy, full of creative energy.
Heather Green-Oliver,
Greater Sudbury web professional
“It was very bright when we came out of the tunnel. People were walking all around the car. Cyclists were the worst, though. They would run red lights or whip up onto the sidewalks.”
After a while, Green-Oliver said she became accustomed to driving there. “I think if you can drive in New York City, you can drive anywhere,” she said, with a laugh.
Once in Manhattan, Green-Oliver and her friends booked into the La Quinta Hotel.“We only booked ahead about a month, as the trip was last minute. We paid under $100 a night.”
On their second jaunt, the friends went more upscale but still managed to get a deal through contacts in the city. “It helps to go in the middle of the week as rooms are less expensive than the weekend,” she said.
Green-Oliver said there was no end to the possibilities of things to do in the city. The group checked out a Supernova concert at the Radio City Music Hall in upper Manhattan.
“It is really a grand place. It is a historical building. The acoustics were superb.”
Green-Oliver had tips for NYC shoppers.
“Prices in lower Manhattan were much cheaper than in upper Manhattan. T-shirts with I Love New York on them sold for $20 each in upper Manhattan, but were discounted to 10 for $20 in lower Manhattan.”
Though the group walked into the block-long Macy’s department store, Green-Oliver said they found it was too expensive for their budgets.
Greater Sudbury resident Heather Green-Oliver visited a memorial for Beatles’ member John Lennon while in New York. Photo by Tina Beckerton.
Green-Oliver said she adored the renowned NYC sites, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park.
She said she also enjoyed seeing a memorial to former Beatles member John Lennon, and stood across the street from the Dakota Apartments, where he lived with Yoko Ono before he was shot and killed.
“I was told Yoko still lives there in the original apartment.”
Even watching people was entertaining.
“We sat outside on the steps of a library at Central Park and just watched the people talking and walking by,” she said.
Everything was an adventure in the city, particularly taking a ride in a cab.
“The first time I took a cab, I had to hide my eyes and cringe. They drove so fast, cutting off other traffic. No one follows rules of the road. They honk their horns for no good reason.”
Ground zero, where the twin towers were destroyed in 2001, was a haunting experience.
“There is a tribute centre across from the site. I found it very emotional when I went inside, seeing the photos of those still missing, and hearing the audio — the newscasts and voices of the relatives.”
She said she was so moved by the exhibit, “the (ground zero) staff thought I had relatives who had died there.”
Green-Oliver tries to get back to the city every couple years with her friends, and said there’s always more to see. “There’s lots left on our list of things to do.”
