Friday, April 8, 2011

Megabus - Philadelphia to New York City

We've taken Megabus a few times now and we pretty much knew what to expect on this trip.  The bus picks you up from the convenient 30th street station location in Philly, but also gives you the option of being picked up in Old City in front of the Independence Visitor's Center (right near the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall).  After a quick 2 hour ride, you'll be just 2 blocks away from Penn Station in New York, which will allow you to conveniently go to anywhere in NYC.

The bus for this trip is a double-decker bus, so it can accommodate more passengers than the typical Megabus for this popular route.  If you can catch the schedule early enough, you can book your trip for as low as $1/person.  While catching it this low may be difficult, you should more reasonably be able to find fares for less than $10/person round trip, which is a great deal.  Driving from Philadelphia to NYC by yourself will cost you more than that in tolls and gas, plus the parking you'll need to pay for.

For our trip, we did a quick Sunday trip leaving in the early morning and coming back to Philly at night.  By doing this, we were also able to park right in front of 30th street station for free all day making this a very easy and budget-friendly trip.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Docked on the West side of midtown Manhattan is the World War II era USS Intrepid.  This aircraft carrier turned museum is a hidden gem in New York City that unfortunately gets bypassed by many visitors.

The museum allows you to board the Intrepid and visit various decks, most significantly the Flight Deck and the Hangar Deck where you can see both how the ship worked, as well as the planes it supported.  In addition to seeing the Intrepid itself, there is a fully interactive exhibition space on the Hangar Deck that allows you to learn more about naval life in addition to sea, air and space.





In addition to the Intrepid, you'll also have the opportunity to go on a submarine, the USS Growler.  This very unique experience will allow you to see what life was like aboard a submarine, and even give you the opportunity to speak to someone who served on board an American naval submarine.  Be careful though if you're tall as the space is quite cramped.



Another exhibit that you can board is the Concorde, which used to make regular commercial runs across the Atlantic from NYC to London and Paris at speeds faster than the speed of sound.  While not as exciting as the other areas of the museum, poking your head into the cockpit will give you a perspective of a plane that most don't get to see.



General admission tickets are $22, although you can save a few bucks with a AAA discount.  You can also pay more if you'd like to experience some of their arcade-style rides.  One example is "G-Force" that will simulate being in a fighter jet.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Empire State Building

One of the most iconic skyscrapers in the world, if not the most iconic one, is the Empire State Building in midtown Manhattan.  Whenever one thinks of the New York City skyline, this building usually stands out in people's minds.  When it was originally built in 1931, it was the tallest building in the world, and retained that title for 40 years.

While viewing the building from the ground or from a distance is impressive, the best view is from the top.  You can go up to the 86th floor for $19.79 a person and get a gorgeous view of New York.  You can walk around the entire building so that you can see the city from all angles.  You should be cautioned though that it can get crowded up on this floor, so you'll need to have some patience to get a good viewing angle.

For an additional $15/person, you can go up to the top of the building on the 102nd floor.  Being higher up does give you a better angle on the city, especially when looking at Central Park.  However, you are indoors for this floor which gives it a different feel than the 86th floor.

Whether you're someone visiting New York City for the first time or a lifelong resident, getting a view of this city from the top is something definitely worth doing.