The Best of New York City

New York City is filled with so many activities for people of all ages and interests. I personally enjoy the good food and Broadway delights of this wonderful city. This city is full of history, culture and excitement all rolled into one. New York City is great for solo or family travel. If you ask me, it is nice to visit New York City anytime of the year. Between April and early June, comfortable spring weather with a nice breeze. Although temperatures can be a slightly below average in the spring time, the weather is generally sunny and cool making it perfect for nice walks around the city. The summer months, late June to early September, you may feel the summer heat, but NYC has a pretty good public transportation system that can get you from Midtown to Downtown in less than 30 minutes. Winter months can be bitter cold with sub zero temperatures and fierce winter breeze. But seeing snow in this modern, bustling city maybe a site to remember.

Millions of pass through this one of a kind district just to admire and go through this busy area of the city admiring the glitzy billboard ads. This is one place that everyone passes by at least once in their lifetime, so take the time to really enjoy the sight and sound of this unique square. This area can get really annoying quick, especially if you are not used to living in an area where there are literally millions of tourists each day. The busiest part of Time Square is usually at night when all the Broadway shows pretty much end at the same time. A sea of people will flood the already crowded space, and it can be a very enjoyable feeling. I stayed at the Millennium Hotel, which was a 3 minute walk to the Shubert Theatre, it took me about 20 minutes to walk back from the Shubert Theatre to the hotel. It happens that there was ongoing construction right in the middle of Times Square, which made foot traffic even more worse. If you get frustrated, just stand in the middle of Times Square and take a long deep breathe, thanking that you are just a tourist in this great city!

Totto Ramen is one of those ramen joints that you find hipsters go to before a night of more drinking. Totto Ramen is somewhat of an underground type restaurant that only seat a handful of people, but it is worth the wait. The wait, I might add is just ridiculous. People begin to queue up when they open at 5pm. After you savor a bowl of ramen you will know if it was worth the wait. I would recommend coming to this joint with one or two people, that way you get seated faster. If your party is greater than 4, I would recommend that you go to the Totto Ramen on 52nd street (MidTown) Sitting at the bar area is really where all the action happens. Although there are rumors that the Totto Ramen in Hell's Kitchen is the best one in the city! When you're next in line to be seated, the hostess will give you a menu. Don't waste time, really study the menu because once you're seated the waiter or waitress will ask you in you're ready in 30 seconds. There is not much on their menu, you have the basic Ramen broths, like Miso, Tonkotsu and Shio Ramen. Pretty much you will need to know what toppings are available and which toppings you desire.I ended up getting the Tonkotsu with poached egg, mushrooms and nori. That first bite of the noodles you can taste the freshness of the noodles, cooked to perfect (al- dente) and the broth full of pork flavor.

Ipudo located in Hell's Kitchen area, NYC. Not only do they serve Ramen, but there are other great Japanese dishes offered on their simple menu. Looking around the restaurant, most people ordered Ramen with a side of pork buns. I would say that this is more of an upscale, romantic type of ramen restaurant, so if you want cheap and good ramen, Totto Ramen is really not a bad choice. A particular drink I had at Ipudo is there peach flavored jelly saki. This was a slightly sweeter drink with very little taste of alcohol, but it is really worth the try. The waitress informed us that this was a seasonal drink. Kanpai!

Ootya, this is a must visit restaurant in NYC. Unless you go there before 5:00 (restaurant opens at 5:00pm) you are looking at a 1-2 hour wait time. My family and I got to the Times Square location around 5:35pm and we were already looking at one hour wait time. We were 45 minutes into the waiting period, the party before us was called in, but the hostess told them to wait for 5 minutes, but the 5 minutes turned into close to 25 minutes before the party of 3 were led to their seats. Hoping that we would not have to wait for 30 minutes after being called up by the hostess, and yes we did end up waiting for an extra 20 minutes after being called up. The restaurant is known for their Japanese set meals, so study the menu before you head to the restaurant. Great ambiance and friendly staff! It is a must try on your restaurant list!

There are so many different shows on and off Broadway to choose from that it can be hard to decide which musical or play to see. You have the classic ones like The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia (closing in Sept 2015) and Les Miserables. Then you have the newer musicals that opened up from Finding Neverland to An American in Paris to the Tony Award winner Fun House.

Matilda is based on the beloved children's book by Rohald Dahl. I loved the book and saw the movie growing up. My friend had talked about Matlida the musical and how it was one of the musicals that he had wanted to see. I was not familiar with the songs and the cast of the show. On a business trip to Princeton, I made a stop in NYC to see Matilda. This is probably one of the popular shows that parents bring their kids to see, beside Lion King or Aladdin, also currently playing on Broadway. Matilda is playing at the Shubert Theatre, quite an intimate theatre. All seats in the theatre will give you a nice view of the stage. I love how there are blocks of alphabets scattered all of the theatre, it really made me feel like a kid again. The best seats would be in the orchestra or Mezzanine seating. This is an interactive type musical, where the actors would run throughout the theatre. My friend sat in the first row, which he described as a very exhausting show to sit through. Advise, don't sit in the first row, as it maybe hard to enjoy all elements of the show. The show opened with a birthday party number, immediately I found the show to be a bit annoying with all the kids dancing and singing on stage. But as the story goes on, Ms. Trunchbull appears and you start to sympathize for the children having to go through the horrors of Ms. Trunchbull. There are several memorable scenes and songs from this musical, Revolting Children and my personal favorite, When I Grow Up, it really brings me back to my childhood. Overall, a Tony awarding winning musical, must see when in NYC!

Now we hop over to jolly good England to visit the D'Ysquith family where we witness Monty Navarro wanting to inherit the D'Ysquith family fortune after learning that he is ninth in line to inherit the family fortune. There's love, laughter and most of all.. murder. It's A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre. This Tony Award winner for Best Musical is one of the most hilarious musical you will see on Broadway. The story opens up with Month Navarro writing his memoir, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. Basically, he recounts he eliminated the eight heirs before he claimed the D'Ysquith fortune. The audience is filled with older couples looking for a good old British laugh. I didn't find many younger adults or even children among the audiences. The songs are forgettable, pretty much the only drawback to the show. The costumes, set designs and jokes are very well done. If you like love, murder and most of all a non stop laughter, this is the show for you.

An American in Paris is one of the Tony Nominated musical for Best Musical, 2015 Tony Awards. I saw this show just months before the Tony awards were handed out, and I might have to add this was one unique musical you will ever see. It's a bit different from your conventional musical, it's a very dance driven. Not haven seen the movie with Gene Kelly, I really went into the show not knowing much, but it sets in Post World War II in Paris, well involving Americans. Well, I walked out of the theatre very satisfied. It was truly a treat because two of the main actors are professional ballet dancers. Robert Fairchild (NY Ballet) and Leanne Cope (Royal Ballet in London) does an amazing job telling the story through dance. The story is basically a romantic story of a young French girl studying ballet in Paris and an American GI, who decides to stay in Paris after the war as an artist. There's not much singing in this show, but for theatre goers, they will appreciate the world of ballet. Majority of the audience members were older couples, who grew up with Gene Kelly and is familiar with Gershwin's work. Surprisingly, there were many French people in the audience. One thing you have to know, before the curtain goes down, the older audience members are already out of their seats running towards the door. My guess is, they are looking for toilets. Overall, this a beautiful and moving tale of love and romance told through song and most of all, ballet.

Disney's Aladdin has been playing on Broadway for several years now, but it's still a packed show.Like any Disney attractions, there was a long wait just to go into the theatre. Similar to the Disney theme parks, there are a lot of excited and screaming children in the audience, and some even dressed up as princesses. If you are familiar with the Disney animated film, it is very easy to follow the story. I found the beginning to be a bit on the boring side, and that was not until the Genie, played by Tony award winner James Monore Igelhart. He was truly the heart and soul of the show. At that point that was when I "woke" and started paying attention to the show. There's another treat, Johnathan Freeman was the original voice of Jafar in the animated classic. Overall, this is a very Disney production, they really go all out on the costumes, set designs, and effects to make this show more magical. If you have kids, or you love the animated classic, this is a show for you. Though the prices are a bit up there.

I love New York City, it's probably one of the best cities in the United States. There is too much to do and see in this bustling city. Greenwich Village is a nice area to visit for those who have never been to NYC before. This area is home to the Washington Monument and New York University. If you are familiar with the hit FOX television, Glee, Washington Square Park was used as a backdrop for one of the episodes. The New York Public Library is another point of interest, where the original Ghostbusters battled ghosts in the original film. The 9/11 memorial and Museum is a can't miss attraction, as it offers more information and accounts on that very day.

If you're in the city for 1 day, a great way to get around the city would be to purchase a 24 hour day pass, which allows you to visit museums and other attractions listed on the brochure. This way you do not have to queue for tickets and more visits to monuments and museums can be accomplished through the New York City Pass. Hop on Hop Off bus is another great way to see the city if time is limited. Choosing this option will allow you to see the city in great comfort and get off at any listed attractions of your liking.

Happy Travels!