Visiting NYC in a few Weeks

[Skull Pilot]

you couldn't pay me enough to go to NYC again

I went once. it stunk, it was loud and impossible to get any any sleep and the people were all assholes

so have fun

 

[OldLady]

After we head to Hudson, we are toying with the idea of seeing Niagra Falls (from the Canadian side). Anyone been? Worth the trip? Do we need a passport if we’re driving?

I've been to Niagara Falls many times. Yes, you want to go to the Canadian side, so you need your passport. If you go in Spring/Summer/Fall, the parks are lovely. The Canadians know how to do things up right. There are a bazillion tourist shops and attractions and is fun for a day trip. We usually bought some sandwiches and ate at one of the parks, which are beautifully maintained. The falls itself is quite a ways from the side of the river where you view it. I mean, you can certainly see it, but you'll not be close enough to feel the drama. Therefore, it is absolutely worth it to take the Maid of the Mist, the boat that takes you right up to the falls and behind it. I LOVED it, went right up to the rail on the front of the boat, like a dog with its head out the window on a Sunday drive. They will give you a rain slicker and make sure you button it up tight or you will be walking around in wet clothes for a few hours afterwards. It is worth it. You can always put a dry shirt in the car if you're super prepared.
There is a way to walk down by a minor falls to the side of the Falls, called Bridal Veil falls, which is entered from the American side on Goat Island, if I remember correctly. I've never been down it myself.
Just pointing out, though, that Niagara Falls is about as far from the Hudson Valley as you can get and still be in New York State. A good five hour drive, anyway. Just warning you.

 

[OldLady]

After we head to Hudson, we are toying with the idea of seeing Niagra Falls (from the Canadian side). Anyone been? Worth the trip? Do we need a passport if we’re driving?

It is around a seven hour drive from NYC. Worth crossing off your bucket list. I think you need a passport but may get by with a drivers license and birth certificate

While there, you will be able to pay to see the falls from the side above the falls, from the side below the falls, from above, from below on a boat, from inside the falls, from Canada, from the US, at night.....by the time you leave, you are sick of them

The prevailing plan is to hit Cooperstown for 1-2 days then move on to Niagara. We’re crossing the freedom bridge then staying at one of the hotels in Canada facing the Horseshoe falls.

I noticed they put broccoli on their pizza in Canada. Is that some sort of attempt to be unique?

Cooperstown itself is worth maybe a day, but the area and Finger Lakes region is very scenic

Doesn't matter what Canadians put on their pizza, it still sucks. NYC pizza is the best...do your pizza pig out there

Did you ever have Concord grape pie while in the Finger Lakes region? It's horrid, but it's part of the experience.

 

[rightwinger]

After we head to Hudson, we are toying with the idea of seeing Niagra Falls (from the Canadian side). Anyone been? Worth the trip? Do we need a passport if we’re driving?

It is around a seven hour drive from NYC. Worth crossing off your bucket list. I think you need a passport but may get by with a drivers license and birth certificate

While there, you will be able to pay to see the falls from the side above the falls, from the side below the falls, from above, from below on a boat, from inside the falls, from Canada, from the US, at night.....by the time you leave, you are sick of them

The prevailing plan is to hit Cooperstown for 1-2 days then move on to Niagara. We’re crossing the freedom bridge then staying at one of the hotels in Canada facing the Horseshoe falls.

I noticed they put broccoli on their pizza in Canada. Is that some sort of attempt to be unique?

Cooperstown itself is worth maybe a day, but the area and Finger Lakes region is very scenic

Doesn't matter what Canadians put on their pizza, it still sucks. NYC pizza is the best...do your pizza pig out there

Did you ever have Concord grape pie while in the Finger Lakes region? It's horrid, but it's part of the experience.

No...but I did drink quite a bit of wine

 

[OldLady]

you couldn't pay me enough to go to NYC again

I went once. it stunk, it was loud and impossible to get any any sleep and the people were all assholes

so have fun

I'd like to see the 9/11 memorial and eat at Pete Luger, but I hear reservations are nearly impossible to get.

 

[ChrisL]

you couldn't pay me enough to go to NYC again

I went once. it stunk, it was loud and impossible to get any any sleep and the people were all assholes

so have fun

Sounds like USMB and you visit here!

 

[martybegan]

Need some on-site intel:

We’ll be heading up the Hudson River Valley and visiting West Point on one of the trips.

I see that there are multiple roads to take that all seem to wind up in the same area:

Can anyone compare/contrast the Taconic Parkway, I 87, and State Highway 9? Looks like 87 and 9 are the ones to take if you’re going to make stops along the way up to Hudson; the other seems to be the “express route”.

Any stunning insights into NYC we should look at

Thanks,

The Taconic is more scenic, and also more dangerous, lots of sharp curves. It's also the route to take if you want to be east of the Hudson.

I-87 is the express route west of the Hudson, it also has rest areas if you don't feel like playing "find the bathroom" on the smaller highways.

Some people also use 684 east of the hudson to go north/south, but it ends at 84.

never really driven 9, but it's probably a really really local road.

 

[rightwinger]

Need some on-site intel:

We’ll be heading up the Hudson River Valley and visiting West Point on one of the trips.

I see that there are multiple roads to take that all seem to wind up in the same area:

Can anyone compare/contrast the Taconic Parkway, I 87, and State Highway 9? Looks like 87 and 9 are the ones to take if you’re going to make stops along the way up to Hudson; the other seems to be the “express route”.

Any stunning insights into NYC we should look at

Thanks,

The Taconic is more scenic, and also more dangerous, lots of sharp curves. It's also the route to take if you want to be east of the Hudson.

I-87 is the express route west of the Hudson, it also has rest areas if you don't feel like playing "find the bathroom" on the smaller highways.

Some people also use 684 east of the hudson to go north/south, but it ends at 84.

never really driven 9, but it's probably a really really local road.

Rte 9 has traffic lights about every mile

 

[martybegan]

Need some on-site intel:

We’ll be heading up the Hudson River Valley and visiting West Point on one of the trips.

I see that there are multiple roads to take that all seem to wind up in the same area:

Can anyone compare/contrast the Taconic Parkway, I 87, and State Highway 9? Looks like 87 and 9 are the ones to take if you’re going to make stops along the way up to Hudson; the other seems to be the “express route”.

Any stunning insights into NYC we should look at

Thanks,

The Taconic is more scenic, and also more dangerous, lots of sharp curves. It's also the route to take if you want to be east of the Hudson.

I-87 is the express route west of the Hudson, it also has rest areas if you don't feel like playing "find the bathroom" on the smaller highways.

Some people also use 684 east of the hudson to go north/south, but it ends at 84.

never really driven 9, but it's probably a really really local road.

Rte 9 has traffic lights about every mile

Figured as much.

 

[Skull Pilot]

you couldn't pay me enough to go to NYC again

I went once. it stunk, it was loud and impossible to get any any sleep and the people were all assholes

so have fun

Sounds like USMB and you visit here!

I can turn off my computer to shut you people up

Can't do that in the Rotten Apple

 

[candycorn]

On our way to see Waitress!

 

[candycorn]

Our trip to the NE almost didn't happen. I was in Vegas for a couple of days prior to taking off from Phoenix for Liberty Airport in NJ. They were supposed to bring just a bare amount of luggage with them so we could check two bags each and then carry on a small bag. Somehow they thought that meant 4 bags each (their pillows in one suitcase). So instead of flying from Vegas to PHX, we rented a car that gave us a very close rate to the air fare + baggage penalties on Southwest. Though I've lived here extensively, I've never had to return a car to the airport rental car area. It's not marked very well and I had to jump a curb to get to the lot. I was worried about damage to the SUV they gave us in Vegas!!! Turns out there was no big damage and we made our flight easily.

Once at EWR, I learned why the rec's and ratings for Advantage Rent-a-Ca were so low. After standing in line for what seemed like 20 minutes and not moving an inch, I walked over to the Dollar Rent-a-Car counter and got a nice Sonata for approximately the same rate. Driving through Manhattan wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be once you racheted up your own aggression. We saw a lot, missed a little, and made numerous invasions into the city. I found Brooklyn to be amazing. Good restaurants. The trip up-state was aborted for my group. The group we were traveling had plans to stay upstate near West point. We didn't. So they went on their way and we made it as far as Scarsdale. We found a great place to eat in White Plains and came back to the Hotel after the drive through Yonkers, White Plains, and a few other places.

 

[candycorn]

After a few days in NYC, we headed down 95 to the DC area to have dinner with some old friends. She lives about 1/2 way between Richmond and DC but was kind enough to come up to the Chantilly area to meet us. After supper, I got up early the next morning to tour the Hazy center of the Smithsonian. Not to inject politics into it but I wonder how many know that the Smithsonian got $840 Million (at least) in funding from Uncle Sam; about twice what Big Bird got. Whatever they got, they spent it well with displays too numerous to list here but there was an Air France Concorde, the Enola Gay, a Boeing 707, the Space Shuttle orbiter discovery, the CSM of Gemini 7 (where Lovell and Borman spent 2 weeks in space in a craft the size of a mini van, an F14 Tomcat, a Raptor, and of course the SR71. To top it off, free admission and simulators on site. The simulators are hard core…you can almost go totally upside down in them!!!!

Amazingly, the center also had some vintage aircraft from Japan and Germany and Russia on hand; highlighting their military prowess The Germans had this one plane that had a propeller in the front as well as in the back—facing 180 degrees away from the front one. Never saw anything like it.

Later that day, we hit DC and saw the national archives display of the founding documents. They need to be put on a wall somewhere and re-transcribed so they can be, you know, read. I know I was looking at history there and what have you but the documents were in such bad shape, they should really be retired as a service to them. The Archives themselves would be better spent as the focus of the entire trip but I think it was well worth it.

 

[candycorn]

Just to finish the topic….

The following morning, we got on the freeway, found a convienent Chik-Fil-A that had eluded us the previous day and took off for Niagara Falls. We hit Gettysburg. I will return. I want to re-read the great novel, The Killer Angels once more before going back. I could have spent the entire vacation there. One should always remember what a great service the National Parks are… After watching the film and viewing the Cyclorama, we made our way to the Turnpike. SIRI sent us on a route that was at least 50 miles out of the way it turns out. We could have gone back to Carlisle and made better time to suburban Pittsburgh. What was even worse was that the delay put us in the middle of a hail storm on the Turnpike. The next day, off we went to Niagara Falls. The crossing into Canada was fine. Making it to the Falls was wonderful. Once there on the Canadian side, it was grotesque. There are wax museums, casinos, a TGI Fridays, an IHOP, all right there at the Falls. America does a much better job taking care of it’s natural wonders. Canada should be admonished for it. The Hotel (Embassy Suites) that offered us a “falls view” room was a bust; our “view” was standing in front of the window and turning extreme south with your head. The restaurants were overpriced.

Flying home wasn’t bad all things considered. We laid over at Midway before catching a late flight home.

Great places to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there….

 

[rightwinger]

Just to finish the topic….

The following morning, we got on the freeway, found a convienent Chik-Fil-A that had eluded us the previous day and took off for Niagara Falls. We hit Gettysburg. I will return. I want to re-read the great novel, The Killer Angels once more before going back. I could have spent the entire vacation there. One should always remember what a great service the National Parks are… After watching the film and viewing the Cyclorama, we made our way to the Turnpike. SIRI sent us on a route that was at least 50 miles out of the way it turns out. We could have gone back to Carlisle and made better time to suburban Pittsburgh. What was even worse was that the delay put us in the middle of a hail storm on the Turnpike. The next day, off we went to Niagara Falls. The crossing into Canada was fine. Making it to the Falls was wonderful. Once there on the Canadian side, it was grotesque. There are wax museums, casinos, a TGI Fridays, an IHOP, all right there at the Falls. America does a much better job taking care of it’s natural wonders. Canada should be admonished for it. The Hotel (Embassy Suites) that offered us a “falls view” room was a bust; our “view” was standing in front of the window and turning extreme south with your head. The restaurants were overpriced.

Flying home wasn’t bad all things considered. We laid over at Midway before catching a late flight home.

View attachment 125919 Great places to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there….

Little Round Top
Nice place to see the battlefield, there was a massacre all around there

What I hated about Niagara Falls was what they charged you to park and the way they nickel and dime you. The city is very tacky. We did eat at a restaurant that was maybe 30-40 feet from the edge of the falls. That was pretty cool

 

[candycorn]

Just to finish the topic….

The following morning, we got on the freeway, found a convienent Chik-Fil-A that had eluded us the previous day and took off for Niagara Falls. We hit Gettysburg. I will return. I want to re-read the great novel, The Killer Angels once more before going back. I could have spent the entire vacation there. One should always remember what a great service the National Parks are… After watching the film and viewing the Cyclorama, we made our way to the Turnpike. SIRI sent us on a route that was at least 50 miles out of the way it turns out. We could have gone back to Carlisle and made better time to suburban Pittsburgh. What was even worse was that the delay put us in the middle of a hail storm on the Turnpike. The next day, off we went to Niagara Falls. The crossing into Canada was fine. Making it to the Falls was wonderful. Once there on the Canadian side, it was grotesque. There are wax museums, casinos, a TGI Fridays, an IHOP, all right there at the Falls. America does a much better job taking care of it’s natural wonders. Canada should be admonished for it. The Hotel (Embassy Suites) that offered us a “falls view” room was a bust; our “view” was standing in front of the window and turning extreme south with your head. The restaurants were overpriced.

Flying home wasn’t bad all things considered. We laid over at Midway before catching a late flight home.

View attachment 125919 Great places to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there….

Little Round Top
Nice place to see the battlefield, there was a massacre all around there

What I hated about Niagara Falls was what they charged you to park and the way they nickel and dime you. The city is very tacky. We did eat at a restaurant that was maybe 30-40 feet from the edge of the falls. That was pretty cool

Both of us had soft drinks at the TGI Fridays in the hotel. $12.00 Tacky is the perfect definition. The American side looked a lot more “respectful” to the surroundings.

 

[OldLady]

Sorry you didn't like Niagara Falls. Long ride to be disappointed! I have been seeing it since I was a preschooler, so to me the "tacky" is part of the charm and I don't even think about it. It's like an amusement park of a town.