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Published: October 14th 2011
Remember those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books where you determined what happened? The books where you, the hero or heroine, come to a stop in the plot and need to decide whether you flip to page 34 to open the secret door, or to page 58 to continue down the spiral staircase? Those books were the best! You are confronted with options from which you need to choose, which in turn lead to consequences… and then start again with another set of options.
But what does this have to do with NYC? Well, it’s the city where you can find everything and anything your heart desires, at any time, and likely in at least 1-2 variations. The multitude of choices is astounding! After all, where else is there a city that has huge 360° billboards shouting at you to “pick me, pick me!”? A visit to the Big Apple is like one of those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books – you create your own story and have to deal with the consequences that result from each choice you make. But, outside of the books, there’s no turning back and sneaking a peek at the other options to see if they
were better…
Chapter 1 – getting into Manhattan As we failed to book accommodation until 2 weeks before our trip, we ended up staying at the Days Inn in North Bergen, New Jersey. Although we arrived well after midnight, the next morning we awoke well rested as Asha slept through the night (cheer!) and were excited for our first day in NYC. But how to get to Manhattan? We had lots of options as we rented a car from the airport, and there was also a shuttle bus direct from the hotel. What did we do?
A. We took the shuttle bus. It was only $12 roundtrip per person and dropped you off right in Times Square.
B. We drove in. It was Sunday and we were told that it was possible to get free street parking, if you’re lucky. According to the GPS, it was only 10 minutes to midtown Manhattan.
C. We took the public bus. Although it would take longer, it was the cheapest option and convenient as the bus stop was only a 10 minute walk from the hotel.
D. We took the ferry across as we wanted to 
Go Stamps!
Asha sitting pretty in her very own seat on the plane. too bad the Stamps lostget a view of the city skyline. A little pricey but worth it for great pictures!
Did you guess Option C? That does seem like the obvious choice, doesn’t it? But nope, if you did, you were wrong! We actually opted for B and decided to drive in to Manhattan (incidentally we did Options A and D on the following days). Our rationale for driving? We were already paying for the rental car and the allure of a free transfer to NYC was impossible to resist. And, if we didn’t find street parking, we figured it couldn’t be that expensive to park in the city on a Sunday. Right?
With an optimistic attitude, we hopped in our car and set our GPS coordinates to Times Square. Navigating to the Lincoln Tunnel was fairly easy, but then the first unpleasant surprise was the toll. First off, that there was one… and secondly, seriously, $12? And then came the parking rates. No Sunday rates and it was $9.67 for half an hour! Gulp. Driving could be an expensive decision!
Chapter 2 – Where to park the car Driving in Manhattan was not fun. Cars were constantly honking at
The Parking Spot
Note the location of the sign post. us and Sidd almost got side-swiped at least two times. Combined with lots of traffic and construction, after 20 minutes, Husband was extremely irritable and just wanted to park the car… anywhere. Even in the expensive parkades. However, just as we were about to give up hope, we spotted an empty space! Husband carefully backed in and we soon realized why no one else had taken the spot – almost 2 ft. of our car was sticking out past the “No Standing” sign post. Hmm… free parking, but some concern about whether the car was parked legally. What to do?
A. Leave the car where it is and hope for the best. I vaguely recalled that in Calgary, there is some sort of rule that says that your car is parked legally so long as no more than 1/3 of it beyond the sign post. Logic dictates that this should also apply in NYC.
B. Continue to drive around in search of another street parking spot.
C. Park in a parkade. It’s worth it to pay for both peace of mind and to not waste precious time. We only had 2.5 days in NYC after all. Did you guess A? Yup, Sidd was so tired of driving by that point that he wanted nothing more to do with the car and was willing to take the risk that it might not be there when we returned. Also, did you
really think that he was that serious about paying over $50 for the pleasure of parking the car in a garage? We are talking about Sidd, remember?
Chapter 3 – To walk or not… The only real touristy thing that we wanted to do in NYC was to visit the World Trade Centre site and the 9/11 memorial. After passing through Times Square, we debated how to get there. It didn’t seem that far on the map and it was a beautiful day… what did we do?
A. Like a true New Yorker, we flagged down a cab.
B. Walked. The 40-some blocks seemed doable.
C. Took the subway directly to the WTC site. Only one transfer and stopped directly in front. Right… like I could possibly fool you with Option A. I honestly can’t even remember the last time we took a cab (perhaps also because those rare times were after a night
Strawberry Fields
Asha learning about the legacy of John Lennon. out)! So that leaves walking and the subway. Did you guess Option B and think it was because Husband wanted to save the $2.50/person? Or did you guess Option C because Husband wanted to spare himself the pain of having to deal cranky, tired me?
Well, Husband was willing to risk having to give me a long foot rub and we walked. And walked. And walked. Those 40-some blocks? Let’s put more emphasis on the “some” and say that I didn’t realize that there were blocks south of 1st Street - many, in fact. And it didn’t help that we couldn’t find the darn WTC site until we literally circled all the way around it. Duh. So by the time we reached the WTC site, I definitely had some tired feet... But it wasn’t all that bad as we enjoyed a mini culinary tour of the world as we headed downtown. We sampled pork dumplings in Koreatown, then an amazing falafel in Soho, followed by an authentic NY pizza slice in Tribeca. All absolutely delicious, and better yet, very cheap!
Chapter 4 – the Hole in Wall Restaurant After discovering that it was not possible to visit
the 9/11 site without purchasing advance tickets, we decided to continue our marathon jaunt and venture further south to Battery Park. We wanted to show Asha the Statue of Liberty and then walk the pathway along the water to see the Brooklyn Bridge. I’m pretty sure she cared nothing for the Statue of Liberty (tiny speck in the distance), but she did enjoy her cereal and banana in Battery Park. Ditto Brooklyn Bridge, the view of which did nothing to change her mind about pears… yech – bad face!
All this feeding of Asha was making us hungry and we needed to find some food quick. After consulting the priceless “Cheap Eats NYC” iphone app, we decided to go to Chinatown and have some noodles. By this time it was dark and the area through which we were walking was not the most “touristy”. We located the right street and started to look at the store numbers to find the restaurant. Despite this, we walked right by it! Then, after doubling back and confirming that yes, it was indeed the right place, we hesitated…Picture a tiny narrow store with only 5 tables, a dingy tiled floor, uneven steps up
to the front door and bags of garbage piled on the sidewalk. Not the most appealing… But, on the other hand, the patrons were entirely Chinese so it must be good, authentic food, right? Should we risk stomach issues?
A. No – there were plenty of other cheap, more appealing Chinese restaurants. Sidd spends enough time in the bathroom.
B. Yes – the noodle soup was boiled so should kill off everything. This was probably a no-brainer. Option B, right? Yup, you bet. We each thoroughly enjoyed a bowl of steaming hot soup filled with made-to-order hand-pulled noodles and veggies/meat. It was delicious! And total cost of meal for 2 was under $10!
Chapter 5 – returning to the parking spot… the consequence of choosing Option A in Chapter 2 After proving that is really is possible to eat well in NYC for under $50 (for two!) and sampling a lamb burger, roasted cashews and bubble tea (yes, all this after the noodles) we were stuffed and ready to head home. I was also tired and looking forward to my foot rub! Opting for a more feet-friendly return journey, we hopped on the subway and managed to
find our way back to our parking spot. I must admit that while we had an awesome day in NYC, always at the back of our minds was whether our car was still there. So, it was with more than a little apprehension that we approached our parking spot – now was the moment of truth… what happened?
A. The car was gone and we had to spend 2 hours trying to figure out how to get to the impound lot to rescue the car.
B. The car was there, completely unscathed, despite buses passing mere inches away from the side-view mirror.
C. The car was there, but was now adorned with a ticket. So much for saving money! The answer? Well… we’ll keep this one a secret…
Prologue I must confess that before this trip, I was not a big fan of NYC. Maybe it was because of where we stayed, or the length of the journey to get into Manhattan, or the fact that I got very little sleep trying to see everything, or maybe it was just because the October weather was chilly. Regardless, whatever the difference with this trip to NYC, I was
totally hooked. It was so much fun showing Asha the sights, sounds and smells of the city and it was amazing to be able to choose from so many different options. I can’t wait to experience our next NYC adventure!
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Hani
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Awesome! And driving into NYC - you guys are courageous. And crazy. Love the photos. I went there a few years back, but you guys are doing the authentic trip.