I have a feeling most of us Madisonites took time to glance at this article with the idea you might find some help in determining where your next vacation or holiday spot should be. Somewhere warm? Somewhere cold?  What activities could be planned for me there? If this was a game show, I would be able to “bomp” you at this point. Wrong! Not in this article, not today. What I want to do is share with you my favorite vacation destination. Its name is New York City, New York! Since the age of 17, I have flown to NYC every two years without fail. I find the city utterly enchanting. I never run out of things to do and places to see.

 If you are flying into the city there are three main airports in the area. Newark Airport, JFK International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport. I’ve found that landing at LaGuardia provides you with the shortest distance from an airport into the heart of NYC. The cab fare from there is right around $30 (if you’re splitting a cab with family or friends, even less) and takes less than 30 minutes.

The motels are a little spendy if you want to stay on the Great White Way (the portion of Broadway in Midtown Manhattan that houses the theatre district) but if you’re willing to stray a bit from this piece of real estate some great deals are available. I have stayed at the Milford Plaza on most of my trips. It is smaller than most (read – more affordable) and is within walking distance of any of the theatres and other great sites. They have a super friendly staff and their concierge will help you get around to anywhere you want to go.    

When you get hungry you have choices that vary from the corner food vendor with hotdogs and pretzels to some of the best casual and formal dining establishments in the world. My favorite, hands down, is a pizza joint called La Familia, located just north of Times Square on Broadway. Their pies are to die for!

Now, on to the sites. First, I always reflect on our history on my visit to the Statue of Liberty (Lady Liberty to those of us who have made 15 trips to see her).  Then I ponder at St. Paul’s Church, left standing next to the demolished World Trade Towers at Ground Zero. I mull over which of the fabulous Broadway shows I should see for the first time or consider going back to Aida for the fourth time. I contemplate a trip back to gritty Chinatown every time I’m there, or decide if I instead want to do more upscale shopping in SoHo or Little Italy. There are always the tours of the harbor by both speed boat (now that was worth the trip) and ferry and don’t forget about Radio City Music Hall and their memorable Christmas show. 

Now in case you think my trips are full of all the standard tourist stops with all the standard tourist goings-on, I have just a few stories to share. There was the time I was introducing my 12-year-old daughter to NYC at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She stuck her finger in a bull’s nose that was on display and set off a sensor and ensuing alarm. I can’t forget the polar bears at the Central Park Zoo who found their way into and out of those regular plastic bins you find at any discount store. Now that’s entertainment! How about the carousel ride that my Mom and I took, reminiscing about the first such ride she had taken as a young girl almost 50 years before. Finally, I will never forget going to Mama Mia’s Restaurant (then in the basement of the Milford) and being asked to dance by a foreign sheik whose bodyguards would not take no for an answer (I did remind him of his daughter after all). 

So here’s to another vacation or holiday trip to the Big Apple for me and all of you who want to see what I would call the beauty and the beast all rolled into one.