They say that happiness is not real if it is not shared! Well, I have been the happiest person in the world sharing my corners, my day to day, my New York, my Huntington, my friends, my acquaintances, even my secrets, my hatreds and my fears… in short, my life.
When I saw their eyes open when they admired the daily spectacle, the stressful trajine of New Yorkers in Manhattan. When their palpitations rose vertiginous when they first saw an NBA show, they got into a taxi (and more so if the taxi driver felt like the protagonist of Transporter or Taxi Driver) or tried to enter a subway that didn't fit a tiny needle (it cost us three trains to reach 54th street). When the neck did not give more than if when they contemplated how infinite the skyscrapers become. When they ran with a nervous laugh crossing the traffic lights, or in red or in their last seconds ... When their eyes were filled with lights when they toured the streets, fields, villages of Long Island. When they kept quiet and just watched. When they made themselves understood in a language that is almost unknown to them ... and they ended up chattering something rather similar to the "Esperanto", but I assure you they got it all !! When they finished up the noses of Muffins and hamburgers. When at the end of the day you saw how their eyes were closed, they took off the shoes of the pain of feet that they endured and yawned silently asking for a bed in which to leave all the accumulated fatigue ...
And for all this, THANK YOU! Thank you for helping me discover what was imperceptible to me: The reality of my happiness here in New York.
After everything shared, experienced and enjoyed ... here I leave the first volume of DESVISTIENDO NEW YORK! Why I will reveal all her secrets, from when we get up until we sleep with her ... while she is still not sleeping, preparing new surprises, emotions and that I, with an insatiable curiosity by nature, will seduce her to uncover her deepest charms and you, like me, can taste, feel, experience ... the same passion that each of its buildings, streets, parks, museums, events ...
All for you….
DAY 0: The arrival.
It is very important to have prepared the transport that will take you from the airport to the hotel, apartment or any other that you have chosen as accommodation. Of course you have public transport ... and very effective! But the hustle and bustle of the suitcases makes it a bit of a pain.
I hired a limousine! Yes, for us the Spaniards of the town, or at least I consider myself such ... it sounds like the super lujazo, but here, it is still a common and affordable means of transport!
There are countless companies that offer the collection and transport service. Most of them with physical offices in NY and online booking service. After checking a few I chose the most affordable ... and the truth is that a 10 in its service: Airport Transfers of New York http://www.airporttransfersny.com/
My experience:
They did not know anything, moreover, they thought that on the day of their arrival I would be working and we would meet at the hotel ... but no, no! That day my holidays began. I took the train and stood in Terminal 8 of the JFK where his flight arrived. When I found the driver with the sign announcing Mr. Miquel Panades' pick-up, I asked him if he would let me wait for them inside the limo ...
So it was! You cannot imagine her astonished face ... first by the huge limousine and second by meeting three months later with her daughter inside her.
It depends on your flight schedule, you can do more or less ... I advise you not to stress, you still have many days left and they will be very tiring! You can make a small walk to the block where your hotel is located, it will help you to get a very first idea of Manhattan ... you will discover its first smells, its colors, sounds, its people. But if you have time, you win and the jet lag still does not beat you ... go to Times Square and feel the spooky light pollution that all its screens give off.
And above all, rest !!
DAY 1: Today we have to discover Chelsea.
The jet lag will make you early, but it's going well ... because there is much to see and discover and very little time ... so prepare a good breakfast, either at the hotel or at any Starbucks or deli that you have nearby, if it can be in a Bakery .... much better! But beware! You still have many days left and not only accumulates tiredness ... but also many calories. This is America!!
With the stomach half full take the subway that leaves you in the 23st (Flatiron District, Chelsea). The yellow lines N and R leave you there directly.
Upon leaving you will find the Flatiron Building. Impress as the "iron building" crowns the corner of E 23rd Street with 5th Avenue. It was one of the first skyscrapers in the city ...
Right next door, if you walk north on 5th Avenue you will find the Eataly Market. Speechless! A market dedicated 100% to Italian food and products. As a good European and lover of the Mediterranean diet ... I love it !! There you will find cheese, ham and real medium bread, I am sorry to be of “morro fi” but here all these products leave a lot to be desired… well, there is authentic pasta, authentic coffee, authentic oil… meat, fish… etc, etc. Mandatory stop !!
Stop at 14th Street and head to Union Square. If you can agree, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays they make a well-known market in the city where farmers and farmers sell their fresh and fresh produce from the land ... or from the oven! It is the Union Square Green market:
Do not forget to visit the Max Brenner chocolate shop http://www.maxbrenner.com/ at 841 Broadway (between 13th and 14th Streets) ... see if you are able to resist!
To end the morning and stop to eat something I propose a walk on 14th street where it does not have much charm but if you go west, it will take you to the Meatpacking District.
We stopped to eat at The Diner (44 9th Avenue). As the name implies, a Diner where you can get any fast food dish ... and of good quality! http://www.thedinernyc.com/
Right next to it is the Chelsea Market (75 9th Avenue). A market of restaurants, supermarkets, shops and delicatessens… soooo posh and an expensive tad, but it is spectacular how they maintain the structure of the old slaughterhouses making it a super Cool place !!
Continue down the fifth avenue where you will find lots of stores such as: Victorias’s Secret, Uniqlo, Zara, H&M, American Eagle, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie… impossible to resist.
We always end up in it…
To end the morning and stop to eat something I propose a walk on 14th street where it does not have much charm but if you go west, it will take you to the Meatpacking District.
We stopped to eat at The Diner (44 9th Avenue). As the name implies, a Diner where you can get any fast food dish ... and of good quality! http://www.thedinernyc.com/
Right next to it is the Chelsea Market (75 9th Avenue). A market of restaurants, supermarkets, shops and delicatessens… soooo posh and an expensive tad, but it is spectacular how they maintain the structure of the old slaughterhouses making it a super Cool place !!
In the afternoon and to lower the food a little, the best way to do it is to walk through the High Line Park. A park elevated above the streets of New York that begins at W 30th Street and ends at Ganesvoort Street (near 12th street).
This is built on some old train tracks and the views you have from it are really spectacular. See Manhattan from another point of view ... as if you were seeing another city and its entire journey surrounded by greenery, rusty train tracks, modern buildings and half-collapsed buildings ... make it an indescribable artistic show !!
When the night starts, here it comes to be around 6.00, and your feet really start to hurt! Take the subway that leaves you at Rockfeller Center, orange line B-D-F-M. There you have the famous skating rink and the monumental 40-meter Christmas tree that open at the end of the month and climb to the Top of the Rock (255 West 43rd Street).
The views from the 70th floor of one of the highest towers in NY and home of the American television network NBC, are priceless ... well $ 25 but I assure you they are worth it.
Live the experience of feeling New York at your feet:
As we still had a little energy left, we decided to go to dinner at the best restaurant in all of Broadway: Ellen’s Stardust (1650 Broadway) http://www.ellensstardustdiner.com/.
A restaurant turned musical. The waiters while they serve you food sing! A super fun and entertaining show ... and with a very artistic service!
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