New York City!

Welcome to New York City, the only city in the world where you can have a good time besides Las Vegas (according to Dennis Rodman on The Celebrity Apprentice).
Here’s my review of the city and some tips I picked up after my first visit to the big apple:

From the Airport
If you’re traveling alone, it may be feasible to take one of the many shuttle services offered at the airport. However, if there’s 2 or more in your group, you might as well take a cab. With groups, cabs end up being only slightly more expensive but offer superior service, comfort, and efficiency. Alternately, and for significantly less cost, take public transportation from the airport to the subway/bus system (see example). Shuttles cram you in (literally) and tend to drive all over the city before dropping you at your location (and are a bit non-verbal about where they stop).

To the Hotel
The Benjamin Hotel offered my parents and I a luxurious stay with impeccable customer service. Though I cannot compare The Benjamin to other New York hotels (if you can, please leave a comment below!), when matched up to my normal temporary housing of 1st Interstate Inns and Super 8 Motels, The Benjamin certainly earned it’s reputation as a four star luxury hotel. Rooms have large, flatscreen tvs; kitchenette with pricey mini-bar; high ceilings; office/work center with printer/fax machine and high speed LAN or WIFI (though you’ll pay $13/day to use it); and a pillow menu offering about a dozen different choices of pillows including a water pillow, hypo-allergenic, buckwheat hull, candy-cane (shaped), anti-snore, memory foam, and gelly neck-roll. Wherever you stay in Manhattan, use the door-man and concierge for directions and inside tips on what’s good nearby.

Around Town
The best decision you might make is dolling out the $25 for an 7-day unlimited subway pass. Don’t get roped into a “scenic bus tour” for $50/day and avoid anyone on the street offering to “show you around.” The subway is cheap, fast and efficient (usually), and you’ll get to know the city much better. The subway will also offer a sampling of the literally-underground music scene: emos crying on a guitar, family-style a capella, crazy guys playing homemade instruments, and maybe even The Ebony Hillbillies. The subway system wasn’t as confusing as it has been made out to be in lore, but if you’re directionally inept try using the “public transit” view on Google Maps. Also be advised of the difference between a “local” train and an “express,” the express doesn’t stop at every stop. The best advice: follow the signs!

NBC vs. Empire State Building
Unless you want to wait in line for an hour only to be told that an additional two hour wait looms on the other side of the metal detectors, don’t go to the Empire State Building. Instead, save your time, your $20, and your sanity, and head on over to the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of the GE building in Rockefeller Plaza.  The drinks are pricey ($21 for a Grey Goose Martini, dirty), but the elevator ride is free, there’s no line, the service is impeccable, and you can sit and watch the city for as long as you’d like. Sometimes they charge a cover on “select Friday and Saturday nights,” so call ahead to avoid unexpected costs.

Lady Liberty/Ellis Island
As long as you buy your tickets in advance and bite the bullet during the hellacious line to get through security and then onto the boat, the trip to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is well worth it. The ferries give you a scenic circular route to the island and you can stay on the islands as long as you like. The elegance of Lady Liberty is much more profound when you’re standing beneath her watchful gaze, much more meaningful when you see the size and beauty of this monument. Though the audio tour for Liberty Island is useless (unless you want to hear someone drone on about how beautiful the statue is), the audio tour for Ellis Island was worth the extra $5. The Ellis Island Museum is well put together as well as quite informative.

The Best of the Rest
There are volumes and volumes of guide books written on New York. If you want to get in-depth, go to Barnes and Noble and pick up the latest edition of Frommer’s travel guide. Here’s my short list of the best of the rest:

• Brooklyn Bridge – Take a short, pleasant walk across one of the first suspension bridges in North America.  You’ll know you’re near the end when you start smelling delicious NY pizza. Stay on the correct side of the walkway or you might encounter a bike!
• Village Vanguard – Though you can buy tickets to the show in advance, the preferred method to get into this infamous jazz club is to call ahead and get on the list. $35 cover includes a $10 drink credit (worth 1 watered down cocktail + tip). Get there early for a good seat and stay for a second set if you’d like but you’ll have to pay the one drink minimum.
• World Trade Center site – Jaw dropping and emotional. “Wow,” is about all I can say about this location. Don’t neglect to see it.
• Central Park – A day spent here is a day well spent. Walk around to find all the hidden gems and culture that are scattered throughout the park, it’s so much more than a giant rectangle of grass.
• Rockefeller Center and Times Square – Rockefeller Center is the large and luxurious home of NBC, Times Square houses all the Broadway shows that eventually tour the country. Worth the visit but not for too long, they’re both tourist traps.

More NYC photos.