We are many things but 'bleh' is not one of them.

No problem, NYC will have over 51 million visitors this year and you cannot please everyone.

We must have been there at the same time Seznz. We were there for 21 days all up, had been to NYC previously five years ago but for three days only. We also used the Hop on Hop Off bus the first time, but got into using the subway this time. We love NYC, my DH especially loves Time Square, me I could take it or leave it. Did you see any Broadway shows? To me that is what New York is about. At least you have been there and done that now. I think like your experience with Melbourne if you go there for longer, you will come to love it.

@Golemtoo Hmm.. maybe having 51 million visitors a year is the problem! I am pretty sure that not every single one of those people liked the city... Like I said right at the beginning, these are my own opinions and I'm not going to apologise for that.

So anyway.. day 3 I headed back down to Battery Park and wandered around while my friend went to Century 21. We were just filling in time before meeting another friend back up at Times Square for dinner at Carmines and the play If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet. Have to admit, the main reason for going was because Jake Gyllenhaal was in it. The play was so-so but he was brilliant! Wandered back to our accommodation and passed our first Christmas window at Lord & Taylor.

Next day I did the uptown bus route which, whilst very cold meaning I hate to sit inside, was pretty cool. Got to go up to Harlem and see another different part of the city. I was quite excited to see the Apollo Theatre. Day 5 I ended up doing the Brooklyn loop, again another highlight. You couldn't get off the bus on this loop but it was really nice going through the Brooklyn Street. I had my first wow moment when I saw the Brooklyn Bridge - a real highlight. That night, I met my friend at 30 Rock and we headed to Radio City Music Hall for the Rockettes Show. To say it was brilliant is an understatement. It was a real highlight of the entire trip and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to see it. We walked back down to where we were staying via the Macy's Christmas windows. Oh yeah, the trip was up at Rockefeller Center - it would have been awesome to see it all lit up but I missed it by a few days.

Day 6 and I was on my own for the first time in two weeks. My friend was heading home and the next day I was heading to D.C & Philly for a few days. I decided to brave The Met... I have no words!! It was completely insane. Don't worry, that is a good thing. It was huge and I only managed to scrape the surface, but I got to see the Temple of Dendur, which is what I really wanted to see so that was the main thing.

Next day I headed to Penn Station for my Amtrak train to D.C and wasn't back in the city until 22nd Nov. Arrived back at Penn Station about 2pm on the day before Thanksgiving... umm yeah, great time to arrive.. haha. To say it was crowded is an understatement. Lets just say, there was a bit of a traffic jam on the escalator, which is not the best place for traffic jam! So I was back in the city and the first thing I noticed... car horns! I have to ask, what is the deal with NYC & car horns???? I mean what are people trying to get out of it?

Anyhoo.. I was meeting a friend about 5pmish and we were going to see the Thanksgiving parade balloons at the American Museum of Natural History. About 8pm we actually got to see them! There were just a few people around, which I expected I just didn't expect so many! We ended up only seeing half of them and then heading back to Midtown for a late meal. Next day was Thanksgiving and I had planned on going to the parade but I guess sleep thought a different thing.. ended up getting out of the house about 10.30ish and glimpsed some of the parade but ended up getting the subway down to Bowling Green and getting the Staten Island Ferry over to Staten Island funnily enough. Got off and just wandered around a little and get went back to Manhattan and walked up to Wall Street through the narrow street. Was interested to find that the NYSE frontage was actually on Broad Street, not Wall Street. Visited Trinity Church and came out to some kind of excitement. Not sure what was going on but there were a number of fire engines and cop cars. People in uniform was everywhere and so were people with their cameras. I still don't know what was going on but it was exciting none the less.

So in summary, no, I did not like NYC as a city but that is not to say I didn't have fun. I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't love this city and maybe @nelsonian is correct, maybe if I spend more time here I will grow to love it. I probably did the wrong thing and compared it to London, which I absolutely love. Maybe I should have just taken it for what it is, a city of giant proportions with noisy, narrow & crowded streets. Like I said at the beginning, I will be back but not for as long as I spent this time. There were things that I didn't did which I would have liked to have done so I know that I will be back.

All in all, my first visit to NYC was a success and I am glad I went during autumn, which is my favourite season.

@Golemtoo Hmm.. maybe having 51 million visitors a year is the problem! I am pretty sure that not every single one of those people liked the city... Like I said right at the beginning, these are my own opinions and I'm not going to apologise for that.

____

I did not ask for an apology nor did I offer a defense.

A very entertaining read! Thanks for sharing!

Sesnz,you are quite lucky that you found NYC ho hum as I have to confess when you catch the New York bug it is something which you can't shake off! Count yourself lucky you escaped this debilitating disease.

Seznz, on our first trip to NYC we took the Amtrak from the Baltimore. When we stepped out of Penn Station the first thing we saw and heard were the yellow taxi cabs, and the horns honking, just like you see in the movies. We couldn't believe we were actually in New York City.

What were the bad parts? The Veteran's Day parade "did not disappoint", the HoHo bus was "brilliant", the view from TOTR was "pretty cool", Times Square was "crazy" ( which could mean good-crazy or bad-crazy ), Jake Gyllenhall lived up to expectations, the Brooklyn loop was a "highlight", the Rockettes were brilliant, the Met was "insane" (a good thing in this case).....

So - NYC is what you expected and you didn'n t like it. Saying it is loud, crowded, busy etc - is just a correct description of what it is. Expecting it to be anything else is just silly. (Although most areas are less frantic than Times Square.)

I know why I didn't like Madrid: 1) it seemed more like Chicago than I had envisaged (or liek other Spanish cities) and 2 )it was hot as hell - I wasn't expecting 99 degrees at the end of April.

>>So - NYC is what you expected and you didn'n t like it. Saying it is loud, crowded, busy etc - is just a correct description of what it is. Expecting it to be anything else is just silly. <<

No, to the contrary he said he didn't know if he'd love it or not. Turns out he was indifferent and then went on to describe the things he did enjoy about his visit there.

Why are you picking this guy apart?

Your photo from the Top of the Rock is awesome.

Hubby and I went to DC and NYC this past spring. We found out that we children of the suburbs really liked the city! It's like, when we see pictures of NYC on tv, we fell a little homesick. Does that make sense?

We're hoping to go to Boston in the next year or two, and want a multi day layover in NYC first!

New York means differenrt things to different people but since it has been in tens of 1000's of movies and TV shows there is a familiarity about it.

sf7303 - lol. I was thinking the same thing.

Seznz - great shot from Top of the Rock.

Dear Sez-loud, crowded, claustrophobic, overwhelming. You nailed it. Incidentally, I saw you at the corner of Broadway and 42nd one afternoon and you had one big grin on your face and again on Hudson Street-same grin. Admit it. You were having a great time.

Enjoyed reading the trip report.

I can actually understand the notion of being underwhelmed or put off by a city while still having a good time there. Atlanta comes to mind immediately -- it's not an appetizing or attractive city, but there's a lot of good stuff to see and do there as well as several worthy eateries to patronize.

NYC isn't a place that I've ever found underwhelming or off-putting. In fact, the first time or so there I actually found it overwhelming. But once I got a feel for the place, I've got to say I love it. Like Paris and London and a clutch of other cities, it's truly a world-class destination.

Seznz, I can relate to the claustrophobic part—my first 2 visits were with business and in an area with nothing but skyscrapers and no sun. When my husband and I returned as older tourists, we had a different reaction.

Your first shot is outstanding! The first I’ve ever seen with the viewer thing actually in it. Very effective.

I saw Times Square on a trip prior to the one with hub and had the same reaction as you. Hub did also. Yes, the horn-blowing is interesting. My recollection is that one doesn’t do it in London unless it’s a dire thing. We also noticed the difference between Rome and Barcelona where the second has a sound level enforcement that makes all the difference.

It sounds like you hit some good places. And I agree with obxgirl—no one has the right to pick on your opinion. I’m off to see if you did DC or Philly TRs.

And I agree with obxgirl—no one has the right to pick on your opinion.

I'll try and remember that for other matters.