New York, New York

January 2013

New York in January is cold. But also beautiful and relatively quiet. I haven’t been a tourist in NYC since high school; suffice it to say that it was a looooong time ago. I’ve never ridden the subway. I’ve always had a per diem and someone else paying for the hotel. I’ve always taken the Acela.

This trip would be different. We left South Station early on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional. This is not the Acela, but it was in fact a more comfortable ride and much, much cheaper - $100 cheaper to be exact. It is a local route but all in all, it was only about 30 minutes longer than the Acela trip.

We stayed in midtown at the Hyatt 48 Lex . Superbly located two blocks from the 6 train and  three blocks to Grand Central Station, this boutique hotel is modern and comfortable, and the staff were super friendly and helpful. Our favorite feature was the Second Floor Parlor/Guest Lounge which offered coffee and continental breakfast in the morning and wine and cheese in the evenings.

Many bookstores and comic book shops were visited on this trip. Some highlights:

Book Off - 45^th Street at 6^th Ave. Buy and sell books, CDs/DVDs, comics, etc., here. Huge selection, great prices. I picked up a used box set of the Indian Jones series for under $30.

Jim Hanley Comics - Previously on 33^rd Street, new location 32 E. 32^nd Street.

Housing Works Bookstore Café - 126 Crosby. My new favorite bookstore. I love bookstore/cafes. This one is comfy, the coffee is good, and the book selection excellent. I could have spent a couple of hours there.

2013 is the 100^th anniversary of Grand Central Station. There are various activities happening throughout the year, including the Holiday Train Show.

More photos here.

New York City always comes off as a rough city, but I did not find it that way. I found it to be quite cultured and easy to navigate. The subways were clearly mapped out and easy to follow – they can take you almost anywhere you need to go or to at least within a few blocks. In milder weather, walking opens up even more options, like Central Park and the Hudson River Greenway. I’ll just have to save that for next time, along with the Intrepid and the Transportation Museum to name a few.