The New York City Traveler

Last Sunday morning I found myself stranded in Dallas needing desperately to get to New York by Monday morning.  My options were very limited and I ended up flying into Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). 
I spent the entire 2+ hour flight from Dallas to Philly worrying about how I was going to make it through three states as the day was quickly turning to night.  After a little research on the ground, I was amazed to find that getting from Philadelphia to Manhattan (even on a Sunday night) is a breeze! 
Most of the options below begin with the SEPTA …read more

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This past weekend I finally had the opportunity to take the BoltBus (which I have covered extensively here and here) from Boston to New York!  I didn’t get one of the “as advertised” $1 fares, mine was $15 due to my lack of planning and having to purchase the ticket as the last minute.
I won’t rehash my entire 4 hour journey but it did go something like this:  Boarded, sat down, plugged in laptop to the a/c outlet, connected to the free   Wi-Fi, and 4hr 30min later I found myself in the middle of Manhattan.  All in all, …read more

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New York can be a very daunting city to get to know. There are numerous tour companies that take visitors from tourist attraction-to-tourist attraction. Visitors often spend days in the city and leave without ever seeing anything beyond Times Square and the Statue of Liberty. If you really want to get to know New York City, from the perspective of a New Yorker, take a walking tour with Big Apple Greeter.
Big Apple Greeter offers free private walking tours of New York neighborhoods. You choose the neighborhood and Big Apple Greeters matches you with a volunteer Greeter …read more

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Just last month, the BoltBus started service between New York and Washington D.C. and it looks like business has been good for the Greyhound company; next week they will begin service to Boston.
There will be six daily trips between the two cities with departures from New York at 7am, 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, and 5:30pm.  All buses to Boston depart from near Penn Station at 34th Street and 8th Avenue (map) at the northwest corner of the intersection, in front of the Tick Tick Diner.
Fares are for sale using first-come, first-served incentives.  There will be a limited number of …read more

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It’s Wednesday night and you need a table at the famed French brasserie Balthazar for 2 this Friday.  Or perhaps you just got into Manhattan for a trip and you want a table for 4 at the celeb hot spot Nobu.  In the often cut-throat restaurant scene in New York, unless your name is Michael Bloomberg or Rupert Murdoch, your chances are zero-to-none that you could get a reservation… until now. 
TableXchange, a third-party online site, offers diners a platform on which they can purchase and sell their reservations to top-notch New York City restaurants.  Most reservations go for a …read more

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If you travel frequently between New York and Washington DC, you have a new transportation option.  Boltbus, a division of Greyhound Lines Inc., will begin operating Thursday, March 27, making daily trips between DC and Manhattan. 
The new Boltbus will run between Metro Center at 11th and G Street NW in DC and two stops in New York City — near Penn Station at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue and in south Manhattan at 6th Avenue and Canal Street.
Boltbus is using first-come-first-serve incentives to lure customers into purchasing tickets early.  The tickets are available online and fares start at only …read more

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I am always up for adventure in my life. Cliff diving in Mexico, swimming with sharks in Thailand, taking a shoddy ferry across a very turbulent Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco, and so many more questionable things that I shouldn’t share because my mother reads this site. Last week I decided to let my adventurous streak continue and forgo the Delta Shuttle and the high-speed Amtrak and instead hop the the well-known Chinatown bus from New York to Boston.
Fung Wah Transportation Inc. is the original Chinatown bus service. Founded in 1997, Fung Wah was …read more

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The Carnegie Deli is an attraction all on its own.  According to the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau it is one of the most visited restaurants in Manhattan.  But why?  Yes, the pastrami sandwiches are bigger than your head…. but are they really worth the $15 price tag?  Or the fact that you will wait at least 30 minutes before being seated?  Or the extra-surly service that is always included?  I really believe that the Carnegie Deli is like Paris Hilton… famous for being famous. 
In my opinion, any deli that has opened branches in Las Vegas at …read more

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Taking a cab in New York City can be a new, and sometimes daunting, experience for travelers to The Big Apple.  With just a few pointers, you can be cruising the streets of Manhattan in the back of a taxi in no time. 
It always seems that there are never taxis available when you need them, though this has not always been the case.  The Haas Act of 1937 restricted the number of cabs in the city from 20,000 to 12,000.  Can you imagine 20,000 cabs in 1937?  The act also introduced the medallion system which improved service and increased …read more

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When flying into New York from an international destination I prefer to fly into Newark International Airport (EWR) as opposed to JFK Airport. The customs and immigration process seems much smoother and faster at Newark and the airport size is more manageable.
AirTran EWR-to-NJ Transit (or PATH): Inexpensive
The AirTrain at Newark International Airport will take you to the Newark Liberty International Airport train station where you can catch a train to Manhattan. The cost of the AirTrain is included in the price of the NJ Transit ticket. You will need to show the ticket before entering through …read more

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