new york - first impressions

And now, for New York updates!

If I had to sum up my trip to New York in one word, that word would be "awesome".

Getting into the city took longer than I would have expected because 5 lanes of traffic have to condense down into two lanes in order to go through the Lincoln Tunnel, which caused huge delays. Once we finally arrived in the city itself, late on Friday night, I was nervous. It was obvious that this city was a lot different from DC, which is the only big city that I've ever lived in. All of the people, lights, and general craziness made me a bit uncomfortable, but that didn't last.

Our hotel was $200 a night, which really isn't bad considering we were right downtown, just a couple blocks from Times Square. The hotel had its own parking garage attached where we parked for free during the entirety of our stay. That was pretty amazing because we estimated parking for all four days would have cost us around $90.

Once we got settled into our room, we decided to wander about the general area for the rest of the night and see what we could see. We scoped out a couple diners close by (because we would have to eat eventually) as well as the local convenience and liquor stores (because drinking is fun), then headed off in search of fun and adventure, which is seemingly around every turn in that city.

We had dinner at a small burger place near our hotel that was recommended by Jeremiah and Autumn's Not For Tourists NYC book. Huge, delicious burgers and about 50 different kinds to select from, along with thick, creamy shakes. The restaurant did not serve alcohol, but we discovered after the fact that you were allowed to bring your own in and consume it with your meal. It was a cool place with so much character.

After dinner, we spent the remainder of the night just walking around Times Square. What a place! That part of the city was unlike anything I had seen in my time in DC or my trips to other big cities like Detroit, Chicago, or even LA. Every building had some form of flashing sign to draw your attention. Instead of looking up at windows into offices or the simple sides of buildings, I was looking up at giant TV screens that completely covered the building they were posted on. Even McDonald's had a bright flashing sign that gave off the impression that customers would get a show with their Big Mac.

As we wandered around the city, I think the thing that struck me the most was how cool every single bar we passed looked. Every one of them appeared the type of place that I would enjoy just sitting down and having a beer. As Jeremiah put it, "Matt, you aren't a serious drinker, but you taking your drinking seriously." I considered that a fantastic compliment. Also, I never once had a problem with anyone being rude, as the stereotype of New Yorkers would lead us to believe. I think on my first night in NY I witnessed more displays of people holding doors for others than I have in my entire time in DC. I wonder why that is.

Once we started getting tired (not of Times Square, just of walking and because it was 2am) we stopped at a 7-Eleven, picked up a couple six-packs, and retired to our room for the remainder of the evening. Coming from DC, where the whole city closes down at about the same time the metro stops running, it was awesome being in a city where everything is open 24 hours a day. We spent the rest of the night having a few drinks and being continually amazed by the fact that we were in New York city.

Stay tuned for day two. I'll try to post some pictures if I can get some from Jeremiah and Autumn.

Edit:
For those curious, we stayed at the Travel Inn.