In this first of many blogs about my trip to New York City, I will touch on some of the good and some of the bad things about traveling to Manhattan. Trust me even though there are some negatives, my experience was 99% good and I cannot wait to go back.

The Good things ...
1) Walking. Everything is withing a good walks distance. Yes if you go from uptown to low Manhattan you will be real tired, but usually everything is within distance. Get a hotel in or near Times Square, it is very centrally located and provides good access to Macy's, Downtown and also the American Museum of Natural History Near Central Park.

2) The Food. Street vendors selling hot dogs, Shish Kabobs, Bagels, Soda, or Gyros. The national chains like Fridays, Applebees, etc that we are all familiar with. The unforgettable dining experiences, food made by chefs that takes your breath away. And those NYC staples, those small mom and pop restaurants that have everything you have ever wanted.

3) NBC, I have to admit I get what they Mean now by 30 Rock. Funny thing, we always seemed to end up at Rockerfeller plaza. We would be exploring and bam you look up and there is that christmas tree. Amazing

4) Flagship Stores. I have to admit that I like things big. I am not one for that small out ofthe way bookstore. I want the multi level Barnes and Noble with 100,000 square feet of space. New York City has them all. From FAO Schwartz to Toys r Us to Disny to Apple. All of the biggest, best stores are in NYC.

5) History. NYC was the center of our government for over a year. George Washington was sworn in, in New york City. From The Stock Market, to 9-11. there is so much history here.

6) Times Square, you have to stand there in the middle of it to belive it. TV does not do it Justice, trust me.

Some of the bad ...
1) Expensive. Yes your gonna pay and pay and pay. NYC is an expensive place if your not carefull. So do a little research before you go.

2) Dirty. New York has ben around for a long time (in USA Standards) so thereis a little grime here and there, and there is also some not so pleasent people on the streets. Sometimes your htoels can be a little out of sorts and dirty also. So be careful.

3) Crowded. Yes we went at the busyest time and it was crowded. You have not seen a crowd until your shoulder to shoulder with 10,000 people walking through Times Square.

4) The Potty. I have a seven, excuse me she just had a birthday sorry J., 8 year old that knows the exact time when not to go to the bathroom. They are scarse, tough to find and always a line. Remember that this is the biggest city in the world, there are lots of people her. I just wish they would build more bathrooms.

I know there is more but that is for another Blog. Check back again when I go deeper into this trip of mine. Happy New Year.