I Had No Idea...

When I was a kid, it wasn't unusual for me and some friends to head into New York City. When I visit Long Island nowadays, I always make sure I set aside a day to go into the city. You would think that, by now, I'd have my act together regarding New York City.

And you would be wrong.

We're going to be in the Big Apple for four days. New York is a big place, but four days is a lot of time to spend anywhere, and New York is no exception. But, man, preparing an itinerary for even two people is, at best, challenging.

Arriving at our hotel Thursday afternoon, we'll probably just kick around Times Square that evening (our hotel is on 44th Street). There's an awful lot to see in Times Square and, if you've never been there, put it on your bucket list. It's an overwhelming thing during the day, but it takes on an entirely different persona at night.

Times Square, smack dab in the middle of the greatest city in the world... (photo sourced from the web)

On Friday, we'll head out for our "hop on/hop off" tour. I've written about the virtues of these ad nauseum, so I won't do it here, except to say that, in a city like New York, it beats the pants off of paying for taxis or Uber.

Our Friday morning will take us into lower Manhattan. We definitely want to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. I've visited once before but, to be honest, it's a lot to take in and none of it is good. I liken it to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. It's someplace that every American, at some point in their lives, should visit.

Our day in lower Manhattan will also include Little Italy, Chinatown and Soho.

I also want us to have lunch at Katz's Deli on Houston (pronounced "HOW-stun"). Few things beat a good New York pastrami sandwich, and Katz's is renowned for theirs:

There are worse ways to spend $20... 
 (this picture was actually taken at the now defunct Carnegie Deli, but you get the idea)...

Our "hop on/hop off" bus includes a ferry tour around the tip of lower Manhattan, under the Brooklyn Bridge (which we also plan on walking) and the Manhattan Bridge before turning around and heading towards Liberty Island:

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The ferry offers a remarkably different vista of the city, which reinforces just how big Manhattan is.

Saturday morning will start early. Our plan is to concentrate on midtown. We'll check out Top Of The Rock, 5th Avenue, Grand Central Terminal, The Plaza and the Ritz-Carlton. After a drink at the Ritz we'll probably venture into Central Park, where we can visit Strawberry Fields and, on the East Side, The Dakota.

But the day will start at the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink. Ruthie's never been ice skating before so, for the first time, she might as well go big.

The skating rink at Rockefeller Center... (photo sourced from the web)

Sunday is going to include everything we'd wanted to do during the other days but didn't get a chance. This will likely include bouncing around here and there on subways all over the city, but it should be fun.

Mind you, eats and drinks will be liberally interspersed throughout our visit, from the aforementioned Katz's Deli to Rays Pizza over on 9th Avenue, we're definitely not going to go hungry...