Hi guys!!!!! This is my final entry on our New York City trip already!!!!!

As always, I will publish a final overview on my trip in case friends want to use whatever little information I can share for their own holiday! Sorry if this isn't interesting for you! Maybe you should go and read a book for entertainment.

Our Travel Dates

6 May 2015 to 14 May 2015

Flight Itinerary & Journey Duration

Singapore to New York
Singapore to Dubai: 7 hours 30 minutes

Transit in Dubai: 2 hours

Dubai to New York: 13 hours 35 minutes

New York to Singapore

Singapore to Dubai: 12 hours 50 minutes

Transit in Dubai: 8 hours

Dubai to New York: 7 hours 35 minutes

Time Difference

Exactly 12 hours behind Singapore local time

Weather During Our Stay

Super chilly for first 4 days, sunny with cold wind the next 3 days, then back to super chilly for last 2 days. I was expecting sunny weather throughout our trip since it was nearing summer but the chilly weather for the first few days and last 2 days was a pleasant surprise, especially for my polar bear Saliheen!

Why We Chose to Travel to New York City (And why we DIY-ed!)

We wanted to jejak United States together at least once before we start a family! Our initial plan was to go to Canada then Washington, Boston and New York City with a tour agency but since their NYC itinerary was limited, we decided to go to NYC on our own. NO FREAKING REGRETS. Probably because NYC is an English-speaking city and the transportation system is easy to understand and use. This is unlike our our Eastern Europe holiday last year which we went on via a travel agency - tak kuasa nyah nak berbual ayam itik.

Where did We Stay at in New York City

We considered ROW NYC, Yotel Hotel and Hotel Edison but Night Hotel Times Square was the one that caught our eyes and hearts. Mainly because it was the cheapest la HAHAHA. I'd like to stress that we stayed at Night Hotel Times Square eh, which is at 157 West 47th Street! Not Night Hotel, which is a DIFFERENT hotel located one street down.

Saliheen and I LOVE the hotel that we stayed at in NYC. The room is super small but cosy and the location was seriously the absolute best part!!! It is located right next to Times Square so it is less than 1 minute walking distance to the heart of everything, can you believe it!!!!! Explains why we were in Times Square almost every night hahaha. There was also a 24-hour deli beside our hotel, which we masuk everyday for breakfast and some suppers. 

Someone (who has been to NYC) warned me against taking a hotel near/in Times Square because of the traffic and human noise but honestly, Saliheen and I weren't bothered by it at all and slept like logs every night. You get used to the constant honking noises after 24 hours! Cheh wah, dah macam true New Yorker siol lolol.

We did not opt to stay in an AirBNB apartment because the ones we were interested in cost only slightly lesser than the cheapest hotel in the heart of Times Square + all of them were located away from the Times Square area so staying in an AirBNB in NYC just didn't interest us. (This is based on our own preference and requirements, of course!)

Which Attractions did We Visit in New York City

You can read my blog entries on the different activities that we did in NYC by clicking the links below:

Day 1 - Times Square, The Lion King on Broadway

Day 2 - Chelsea Market, The High Line, Soho, Flatiron Building & Henley Vaporium

Day 3 - Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM, Fifth Avenue, Apple Store, FAO Schwarz, Niketown, Momofuku Milk Bar

Day 4 - New York Water Taxi Ride, Jane's Carousel, Coney Island, Madame Tussauds NYC

Day 5 - Empire State Building, Green Fleamarket, Shake Shack, Central Park, American Museum of Natural History, Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Centre), Magnolia Bakery

Day 6 - Grand Central Terminal, Junior's Cheesecake, Liberty Helicopters, United Nations Headquarters

Day 7 - Museum of Modern Art, Little Italy, Chinatown and Soho Walking Tour

Day 8 - Liberty Island (Statue of Liberty), Ground Zero, 9/11 Tribute Center, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge

Day 9 - The Halal Guys foodcart, Dubai International Airport Hotel

Availability of Halal Food

AVAILABLE IN ABUNDANCE! On top of the famous The Halal Guys foodcart, there were tons of other Halal food-carts scattered all over the city, all trying to cash in on The Halal Guys fame haha. Most of them have sub-par standard though, but kalau dah nak makanan halal and you are not anywhere near The Halal Guys food-cart then jadi la kan. 

Unless of course, you are the sort who mati mati nak official certification from MUIS and tak nak percaya affirmation/the Halal signs hung up by fellow Muslims in other countries, then terpaksa la you makan sayur sahaje. Kalau sayur in other countries pun you nak insist on Halal certification by MUIS maka terpaksa la you kebulur atau duduk di rumah sahaje.....

Transportation Around New York City

We travelled all over the city via their subway! The system looks confusing and intimidating at first but after you figure it out, trust me - it is easy. Especially if you have the Metrocard on hand! We got the 7-day Metrocard with unlimited rides, just swipe and go. We used this guide as a starting point to understand NYC's subway system - please learn about the subway's Uptown/Downtown difference (If you get on the wrong train, NO such thing as dropping off and going to the train opposite to go back to where you came from... not like the train system in Singapore!) as well as the difference in express trains (white dots) or local trains (black dots). 

We also travelled via East River Ferry, New York Water Taxi and Statue Liberty Cruises to visit Brooklyn and Liberty Island. It was nice to see NYC via the rivers but not  necessary if you don't want to pay for it (There's always the free Staten Island Ferry!) Can walk down the Brooklyn Bridge if you want to see the Manhattan skyline instead.

As for our journeys to and fro the JFK airport and our hotel in Times Square, we opted to take cab and pay a flat rate of USD60 + USD10 tip per trip instead of taking the public bus or train because we didn't want too much hassle, especially after 23 hours of travelling! The cab rides took about 45 minutes, depending on traffic. 

There is also the NYC Airporter which travels to the city but you'll have to drop off at one of their designated spots and then walk to your hotel (Port Authority is the closest if you're staying in Times Square). It's cheaper at USD16.00 per pax for a 1-way trip though so if you don't mind a little bit of walking then this is a cheaper alternative. I don't know the cost for trains into the city since we didn't consider it but I'm assuming it'll be even cheaper than that.

Whether the New York Pass was Worth our Purchase

I am now 50/50 on this! Whether it will be worthwhile for you depends on how flexible you want your itinerary to be. We worked our itinerary around the New York Pass to make it worthwhile (It is restrictive in that sense) but if you want a very flexible itinerary without worrying on maximum utilization of your pass then you are better off without it. 

Here is a breakdown of our savings from using the New York Pass:

Cost of New York Pass with Shipping to Asia		S$255.00 PER PAX
Cost of Activities Redeemed under New York Pass		S$426.00 PER PAX
New York Water Taxi All-Day Access Pass	S$44.00
Madame Tussauds Entry Fee	S$42.00
Empire State Building Observation Deck Fee	S$45.00
American Museum of Natural History Entry Fee	S$30.00
Top of the Rock Observation Deck Fee	S$42.00
Grand Central Terminal Self-Guided Tour	S$13.00
Discount for Liberty Helicopters	S$45.00
Museum of Modern Art Entry Fee	S$35.00
Little Italy, Chinatown and Soho Walking Tour	S$49.00
Statue Cruise to Liberty Island (Statue of Liberty)	S$25.00
9/11 Tribute Center	S$21.00
Wall Street Walking Tour	S$35.00
COST SAVINGS:		S$171.00 PER PAX

We could have gotten more savings if we didn't screw up our Madison Square Garden tour and Yankee Stadium tour, of course! Some other pros of the New York Pass: You don't have to worry about entry fees throughout the trip and can fix your budget for activities + You can enter attractions via express lanes at some places.

Would We Return to New York City for Vacation

Yes, most definitely!!!!! I'm already very comfortable with the city which has so much culture and character to offer and would love a 2nd opportunity to have a more relaxed itinerary since we've done most of the major tourist attractions - perhaps more of Museum of Modern (MOMA), Central Park and Smorgasburg at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

NYC might seem like a big and scary and intimidating city but honestly, we did not feel threatened at any point of time. We read up about known scams before our trip (go Google the broken glass scam and CD scam in NYC), we kept close and remained alert everywhere we went, we steered clear of dark alleys, you know... pretty much common sense.

Saliheen jangan cakap la. He is lagi deep in love with NYC than me k. To the point that he almost accepted an opportunity from his company to work in their NYC office!!!!! It didn't make sense financially for us in the end (I won't be able to work because of some dependent pass requirements) so we both agreed that it was best for him to decline the offer. Bukan rezeki. Kalau tak, next month kita dah uproot and go live in NYC terus hehe.

The Total Expenditure

I usually share my travel expenditure details so I don't have to dig for scraps of information here and there every time someone asks me how much he/she will need for a similar trip so here is the cost breakdown for our NYC trip:

EXPENDITURE FOR 9D8N IN NEW YORK CITY (MAY 2015)
NO.	DESCRIPTION	COST (FOR 2 PAX)
1.	Round-trip Flight on Emirates	SGD1440 x 2 pax = SGD2880
2.	Hotel stay @ Night Hotel Times Square - Queen Room  (With service charge, via Agoda with discount)	SGD1340 x 2 pax = SGD2680
3.	New York Pass	SGD255 x 2 pax = SGD510
4.	Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner (SGD20 per meal x 3 meals per day x 9 days)	SGD540 x 2 pax = SGD1080
5.	Cab fare from airport to hotel (Flat rate USD60 + USD10 tip)	SGD92
6.	Cab fare from hotel to airport (Flat rate USD60 + USD10 tip)	SGD92
7.	Metrocard	SGD41 x 2 pax = SGD82
8.	Helicopter (SGD347 – SGD45 New York Pass Discount)	SGD302 x 2 pax = SGD604
9.	The Lion King on Broadway	SGD205 x 2 pax = SGD410
10.	United Nations Headquarters Tour	SGD30 x 2 pax = SGD60
11.	Souveniers for Family & Friends	SGD420

Please note that this breakdown does not include shopping (since shopping is subjective and dependent on individuals). We also busted our budget for food hahaha because we are budak gemuk forevz and there were unbudgetted purchases like pizza slices on our way back to hotel, extra banana pudding tubs, food cart snacks, dessert trips, late night convenience store munchies, etc. The total costs can also be lesser if you're not into Broadway shows or helicopter rides (which are substantial in costs) or don't mind taking trains or buses to and fro the airport and the city.

Ok friends, that's all I have to blog pasal my NYC holiday! Till the next one! Adios amigos aku berambos!

Birthday Trip, New York City, May 2015 (Day 4)

So after Day 1 and Day 2 and a challenging Day 3 (haha) in New York City, I thought kita dah buang suay already! 

But as you may already know by now, we had an issue with our pre-arranged helicopter ride (as blogged here) on Day 4, and had to change our itinerary for Day 4 to this:

9 May 2015 (Day 4)
[New York Pass activated]

- New York Water Taxi Ride
- Jane's Carousel
- Luna Park & Deno's Wonder Wheel (Coney Island)
- Madame Tussauds NYC

After we realized we'd have to go for our helicopter ride at a different time, Saliheen and I sat down at a nearby park to figure out how to reconfigure our schedule, and that was when I had an idea - since we were at the pier, planned to go to Brooklyn on this day, and we had to activate the New York Pass on this day anyway... why not take advantage of the all-day access pass on the New York Water Taxi, offered under the New York Pass?????

Coincidentally the pier where it departs from is just beside the heliport (where we were supposed to go for our helicopter ride)! So ape lagi.....

Marvelled at the sight of Brooklyn Bridge as we docked at our Brooklyn Bridge Park stop.

It turned out to be very nice and very calming to lepak at the top deck of the water taxi, just admiring the view. The air was very cold since it was in the morning, and I actually liked how the fogginess added to the allure and atmosphere of the area. The water taxi we took had a few drop-off points but since we wanted to go Brooklyn, we dropped off at the first one which was the Brooklyn Bridge Park stop.

It is at this point where I should probably admit the one and only frivolous reason why I wanted to go to Brooklyn is:

THIS BABY THIS BEAUTY RIGHT HERE.

I loved it SO much, I rode it twice. (That's what she said) Do I look like I care what others would think of a fully grown adult woman who willingly and eagerly queues up with little children and ride the carousel twice in a row? Hell no. 

I love the fact that parts of Jane's Carousel have been around since 1922 (you can read more about its history here) and kept wondering what the carousel has "seen" through the years, how it must have been like in the US in 1920s and wondered about the people who sat on the carousel seats, and their stories.

After my fun on the carousel, we walked down the Brooklyn area to look look see see, popped into Foragers Market to look for my Dona Chai concentrate which was out of stock!!!!! Rude!!! Part part gini buat aku pasrah ok!!! HAIZ

After that, we took the train down to Coney Island to check out their boardwalk and theme parks.

Always wanted to know what candy apple tastes like and I got to live my personal American dream lolol. Turns out it is just an apple (I chose green apple) covered with thick and sticky caramel sauce and rainbow rice. Sheesh. The sauce "melted" pretty quickly and I can totally understand now why we don't have this at our local funfairs/pasar malam.

I should probably mention that there are two different theme parks at Coney Island. I Googled for the name of the theme park in Coney Island before we arrived in NYC and saw the name Luna Park - I assumed that it was one giant theme park but turns it is actually 2 different ones located side by side - the iconic Wonder Wheel belongs to Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park whereas the popular The Tickler ride and several others belong to Luna Park.

We weren't in the mood to try the rides so we didn't collect the free 4-hour Luna Park wristband redeemable under the New York Pass; we just walked around taking pictures, laughing at stuff and soaking in the atmosphere. 

Oh! Another disappointing thing that happened on this day: we didn't have much time left to travel to Smorgasburg (which is a well-known weekend food market in Brooklyn)!!!!! We already wasted so much time waiting for the helicopter ride (ANGRY!) and travelling to Coney Island took some time, so we had to skip Smorgasburg in the end. I was looking forward to feast at Smorgasburg very much okay :(

Ok, back to the rest of Day 4! Since we already purchased the New York Water Taxi's all-day access pass, Saliheen and I decided to catch another ride, but this time back to the Manhattan area. We didn't plan on visiting the Statute of Liberty so early in our trip but since it already came with the water taxi pass and was on the way to our next destination, why the hell not, right?

We had some time left when we arrived back to Manhattan so we utilized the New York Pass and redeemed entry tickets to Madame Tussauds NYC. Would have totally chosen camera-friendly outfits and I would've worn make up if we knew we were gonna head to Madame Tussauds to ambik ambik gambar!!!!! We were supposed to have a different itinerary if the helicopter ride had gone through as planned, remember.....

May the odds be ever in your favour!!!!!!!!!!

(Eh hai, siapa kat sini massive fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, angkat tangan dengan I pls)

I don't really understand the attraction or the hype of Madame Tussauds' wax museums honestly, but I figured since we were in NYC and had complimentary entry, we might as well check it out. It was oookay lah but not enough for me to return to Madame Tussauds again if I ever return to NYC. I don't think I'll even bother stepping into another Madame Tussauds (anywhere else in the world, even less so the one in Singapore), unless I have free tickets and/or I have children in the future and wax figures are their sort of thing (I sincerely hope not).

The only interesting aspect for me was the fact that all the wax figures are of the same height and measurements as the actual persons so it was quite cool to see which celebrities/icons were taller than expected / as short as us, etc. Hehehe.

Walked back to the hotel to wash up then walked down to 53rd Street and 6th Avenue to buy dinner from the crazy popular The Halal Guys cart! Queue was long but moved quickly. We weren't expecting much at first but the chicken and gyro over rice we had turned out to be really good!!! Lived up to their hype as the best halal food in the city.

Seriously, if you're ever in NYC, don't bother buying from other halal carts (unless you are dying from hunger and not within walking distance of a Halal Guys foodcart haha). The other halal carts are overpriced and their food tastes like the tears of a fallen superstar - salty and bloody disappointing. 

Picture of my gyro over rice platter. This is plain without their famous hot sauce and white sauce because kita kentalan buah lychee and didn't know we were supposed to add the sauces ourselves (the bottles are at the side of the cart) hahahaha. We only figured it out only after this picture was taken and we had a few bites.

But at least that kental lycheeness made us discover that their platters taste good even without the sauces okay. Still much better with the sauces of course but here's a word of caution - their hot sauce is pedas gila babz!!!!!!! We cannot figure out what it is that makes their hot sauce so pedas but most likely cili padi seguni dua ah. For someone who makan pedas, even my pits basah kuyup and I got myself a misai made of water droplets during my meal hahaha. If you tak makan pedas then suspect kuat their hot sauce will make you berak keluar api HAHAHA BYE

New York Planning (Part 6)

Today, in 2 weeks' time, Saliheen and I will be gallivanting in NYC already!!! 

I am especially and ridiculously excited for our helicopter ride along the Manhattan skyline and gobbling all the good artisan food while soaking in the atmosphere at Smorgasburg :9

Also happy to announce we've settled our pre-trip bookings! Saliheen got a little grumpy when he realized there were so many things to consider and do but that is what happens when you DIY a holiday, grampa!!!!! Dah sedap kan, selalunya ada tour agency settlekan.

Here is a list of what is settled and what isn't; mostly for me to use as reference within the next week or so:

What we have settled:

1. Applied for ESTA (Read more here)

2. Booked tickets to watch The Lion King on Broadway 

3. Booked van service to and fro Woodbury Common Premium Outlets 

4. Booked helicopter ride along Manhattan skyline

5. Booked tickets to go for United Nations Headquarters tour

6. Booked slots for Chinatown, Little Italy and Soho tour (Free with the New York Pass)

7. Booked slots for Wall Street Walking tour (Free with the New York Pass)

What we're left to do before we fly off:

1. Purchase travel insurance

2. Register with Ministry of Foreign Affairs

3. Figure out the subway/ferry routes

4. Email van service (Woodbury) to confirm attendance

5. Check-in online for our flights
6. Print May schedule for East River Ferry
7. Print finalized itinerary

What we need to do over counter in NYC:

1. Get tickets to enter Madame Tussauds (Free with the New York Pass)

2. Decide whether to purchase tickets to enter Ripley's Believe It or Not 

3. Get tickets to enter American Museum of National History (Free with the New York Pass)

4. Decide whether to get tickets for the Rockefeller Centre tour (Free with the New York Pass)

5. Get tickets to go up Top of the Rock (Free with the New York Pass)

6. Get tickets to go up Empire State Building (Free with the New York Pass)

7. Get tickets to go for Madison Square Garden tour (Free with the New York Pass)

8. Get tickets for self-guided audio tour at Grand Central Terminal (Free with the New York Pass)

9. Get tickets for 9/11 Memorial tour (Free with the New York Pass) 

10. Get tickets for Yankee Stadium tour (Free with the New York Pass)

We wanted to book a Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO tour initially but decided against it because:

1. We plan to go to the Brooklyn Bridge after our helicopter ride and we aren't sure whether we can make it in time for the tour's 11.00am reporting time;

2. their terms and conditions are strict e.g, they will charge a USD15 cancellation fee if you want to cancel at any time, as opposed to other tours who won't charge you if you cancel 48 hours before scheduled tour;

3. it is the longest of all the tours - 2.5 hours! We'd rather read up the history beforehand and wander around ourselves than be tied down to a 2.5 hours long guided tour. 

I really hope this will turn out to be a good decision! We freed up quite a bit of time after taking that particular tour out of our itinerary, and we can already see the benefits: we can now go to Smorgasburg earlier and beat the lunchtime crowd, we now have time to lepak at Jane's Carousel (a gorgeous carousel built and operated in Ohio in 1922, auctioned off in 1984, restored over the years and then opened to the public in Brooklyn in 2011; you can read more here) and hopefully I can track down the chai tea concentrate from Dona Chai somewhere in DUMBO because 1, I love anything chai and 2, just look at that gorgeous, gorgeous thing here! I plan to get a bottle for myself, maybe more, depending on how many bottles I can sneak pass my glaring husband hehe.

NYC Planning (Part 5)

4 more weeks to our trip and look what arrived today!!! Our New York passes and guidebooks, y'allz!!! :D

I ordered the passes on 1 April 2015 (Wed) and received them on 6 April 2015 (Mon), which is within their promised shipping period of 4 business days. Very pleased with their delivery since it was via FedEx and they provided a tracking link so I could see where in the world my order was and when it was due to arrive. 

We also managed to snag their 5-day passes at 20% off so USD210 became USD168 per pass! Apparently this is the max discount that New York Pass gives out periodically on their website. We didn't get the Hop On Hop Off Bus option by the way, because we read that people have experienced delays and long waiting times and that their buses shouldn't be used as a form of transportation, only if we want to move from one tourist spot to another at a leisurely pace (which is not what we want to do).

I'll only decide and share if the New York pass is truly worth it for us after the trip but if you're also planning to go NYC and considering whether you should purchase the New York Pass, you can start off with these links here and here to see if the savings will be worth it, with your own itinerary and travelling style in mind.