Day 10: 19 May 2017, Friday

In the blink of an eye, the Canadian leg of our trip has come to an end. After a final breakfast with KP, we bade him farewell and thanked him for his great hospitality here in Montréal and companionship at Algonquin Provincial Park. See you back in Singapore in three weeks’ time, buddy!

At 8:41am, we hopped on our UberXL ride to Montréal Trudeau International Airport (YUL). The distance from Boulevard Angrignon in LaSalle to the airport was 15.13km and the ride took about 27 minutes. Just to give you an idea of the fare and its components: The total fare was CA$41.82 (S$43.30), including the various fees and taxes – Booking Fee (CA$1.30), Montréal Airport Surcharge (CA$3.00), Quebec Operation Fee (CA$1.74), 5% TPS (CA$1.82) and 9.975% TVQ (CA$3.63). In all, they contributed to CA$11.49 of the fare. That’s quite a lot of miscellaneous fees and taxes! However, it was more economical to take an Uber or taxi with three people, and it saved us time and hassle as opposed to taking public transport instead.

As usual, we arrived at the airport much too early for our 12pm Delta Airlines flight. We anticipated that the security checks for the flight to New York would be very stringent and time consuming but surprisingly, it was a relatively quick and fuss free process. At the Montréal airport, after clearing the Canadian customs, we had also gone through clearance for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). So when we arrived at New York’s JFK airport, we were not required to clear CBP again. We could just pick up our luggage and walk out of the airport, so it was quite convenient.

From JFK airport, we decided to take a taxi to the city because it was the most convenient way. The taxi fare from JFK to Manhattan was a flat rate of US$52 plus tolls and surcharges. According to this website, the surcharges are: MTA State Surcharge (US$0.50), Improvement Surcharge (US$0.30) and rush hour surcharge for 4pm to 8pm on weekdays (US$4.50). As for the tolls, there are different rates depending on which bridge or tunnel you use but the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (which our driver used) is toll-free, while the toll for Queens Midtown Tunnel is US$5.76 with E-ZPass. In addition, you have to tip the driver about 10-15% of the fare. So in all, you can expect a taxi ride from JFK to Manhattan to cost you at least US$60 (S$84).

At JFK airport, we joined the taxi rank and it wasn’t long before it was our turn. After loading all of our suitcases onto the iconic yellow taxi, the driver turned to me and said that his AC (air-conditioning) wasn’t working, and asked me if it was ok. At that point, I was thinking, “you have already loaded everything onto your taxi, it’s quite bad for me to change now right?” so I agreed to continue with him. Turned out to be a wrong decision.

Of all the days we had to arrive, New York was experiencing 32 degrees Celsius weather today. Coming from Montréal, which was about 14 degrees Celcius, NYC was more than twice as warm! As we headed west towards Manhattan, we were caught in a bad traffic jam and it got hotter as the minutes ticked by. I was fuming at myself throughout the whole taxi ride, for making a bad decision to stick with this AC-less taxi. To be fair to the driver, he did tell me about the AC problem, but it was after he had loaded up all our suitcases. Nevertheless, I should have changed another taxi instead.

The traffic jam was very bad. Tracking our progress on Google Maps, I saw that large swathes of the route were in red, meaning there was heavy traffic everywhere. As we crept towards Manhattan island, the city’s skyline came into view and I felt slightly better. After crossing Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, the excitement grew as we drove past countless skyscrapers and the familiar mental image of NYC became more pronounced.

We finally arrived at our hotel at 3:40pm. The taxi ride had taken 1 hour 35 minutes and we were glad to escape the torturous “sauna”. I can’t remember the total fare now, but I told the driver that I couldn’t possibly tip him for the ride and he understood. Even though tipping is obligatory, the principle is that you’re tipping for good service. He also felt bad for subjecting us to the ride in the stifling heat, because he probably knew that other customers would have rejected him right away, so he was lucky to get our fare in the first place. In the end, I didn’t tip him the full 10-15% but seeing that he was honest and didn’t make a big fuss about the situation, I rounded up the fare and gave him a few dollars extra.

Things immediately became better after we checked in to our hotel. Our room had two king-sized beds and it was spacious and comfortable. The bathroom was very big and I liked the clean-cut look with black and white tiles. There were also free Starbucks coffee capsules for the coffee machine, which was a nice touch. From our room on the 26^th floor, we had a peek of Minksoff Theatre (where The Lion King was playing) on Seventh Avenue below. It was a great place to spend our last five nights in NYC.

I had booked Hyatt Centric Times Square New York primarily because of its excellent location at 135 West 45^th Street. It was just two minutes’ walk away from the heart of Times Square so it was super convenient. Our hotel was near, but crucially, far away from the noise and chaos since Times Square never sleeps.

Before we go any further, a quick introduction to NYC and a useful crash course on how to orientate yourself here in Manhattan. New York City consists of five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx and Staten Island. Manhattan is where we’re staying at, and where Times Square, Central Park, Fifth Avenue and all the famous sights are located at. Manhattan is a long and narrow island flanked by East River and Harlem River on its east and Hudson River on its west.

Most of the island follows a grid system, with the longer roads running from north to south called Avenues and the shorter roads running from east to west called Streets. Generally, the Avenues increase in numerical value from the East River side to the Hudson River side, from 1^st Avenue to 12^th Avenue. In between, there are also other notable avenues like Broadway, Madison Avenue and Park Avenue. As for the Streets, they increase in numerical value from the south of the island to the north, from 1^st Street to 220^th Street.

The grid begins north of Houston Street because the south was already well established when the grid system was introduced. So if you’re visiting the southern part of Manhattan, note that the streets there have proper names and they do not follow the above naming conventions.

The most important thing to remember is that Fifth Avenue is Manhattan’s central dividing line. Streets running to its east (those on 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th Ave) are named “east” (e.g. East 45^th Street) and those to its west (those on 6^th – 12^th Ave) are named “west” (e.g. West 45^th Street).

The other important thing to remember is that the street numbers begin at Fifth Avenue and increase as they move outward, in both directions east and west. So you always use Fifth Avenue as a reference point.

Generally, the numbers for addresses between the two avenues increases by 100 per block. That is to say, for the block from 5^th Ave to 4^th Ave (east), the addresses are numbered 1-100; for the block from 4^th Ave to 3^rd Ave, the addresses are numbered 101-200; and so on. The same goes for addresses in the west from 5^th Ave to 6^th Ave, 6^th Ave to 7^th Ave, and so on.

To illustrate it more clearly, let’s use our Hyatt Centric Times Square hotel as an example. Its address is 135 West 45^th Street. From this, we know that the hotel is located on 45^th Street, but exactly where on 45^th Street? To find out, we will look at the first portion of the address – 135 West.

“West” means that it is on the west of 5^th Avenue, so it is somewhere between 5^th Ave and 12^th Ave. The number “135” is the precise location, and we know that it belongs to the second block away from 5^th Ave, since the blocks are numbered from 1-100, 101-200, 201-300 and so on. So, number 135 means that the hotel is located between 6^th and 7^th Ave (falling into the range of the second block of numbers 101-200). Therefore, simply by looking at the address 135 W 45^th St, you will be able to pinpoint its exact location very quickly, thanks to the grid system.

Lastly, Manhattan is also loosely divided into Downtown (Lower Manhattan), Midtown and Uptown (Upper Manhattan) areas. Midtown is where a lot of NYC’s iconic buildings like the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building, and also the commercial areas like Broadway and Times Square are located at. Geographically, the northern border of Midtown is at 59^th Street (the southern perimeter of Central Park) while the commonly accepted southern border is at 34^th Street (where Macy’s department store is). I chose our hotel because it is located at Midtown, with most of the main tourist attractions within walking distance.

After settling into our comfy hotel room, we headed out at 4:55pm to get our first taste of NYC. After walking past Lyceum Theatre and Planet Hollywood, there we were at last, at the fabled intersection of Seventh Avenue, Broadway and W 45^th Street, right in the heart of Times Square.

I still remember that very first time I stepped into Times Square, I was thinking “OMG……I can’t believe I’m really here!” I had seen Times Square in pictures and on screen from MTV and Hollywood films, and it felt super surreal to see everything come to life and unfolding right before me. It was an all-out assault on the senses, with the flashing billboards, never-ending crowds, traffic, incessant honking, police/ambulance sirens and yellow cabs. Everything was happening at the same time. It was amazing. I could feel the buzz and energy of the city right away.

 

We spent a few minutes rooted to the spot and taking it all in, shooting videos and photos from every angle. From our gawking, it was obvious we had just arrived in this great city. Over the next few days, we would have fun spotting the newcomers. It wasn’t hard at all. Just watch out for those who stand in the middle of the pavement to pose for photos, with a look of wide eyed wonder on their faces. It’s a rite of passage for every tourist.

As we walked around the area, the iconic sights all came into view – the Disney store, the red staircase above the TKTS booth, the huge billboards promoting all the famous musicals, the open-top buses and more. When we reached Radio City Music Hall at Sixth Avenue, with its familiar marquee on the front of the building, I had another OMG moment. This iconic music hall was where MJ opened the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards with a show stopping performance, and where many musical luminaries performed. It was crazy to see it in real life.

As we walked along W 50^th Street, the NBC Studios came to view, followed shortly by Rockefeller Center. There was a long line of people queuing to go up to the Top of the Rock observation deck, located at the 70^th floor of the Comcast Building. At the foot of Comcast Building, a huge Seated Ballerina inflatable figurine had just been installed the week prior and it was attracting lots of curious passersby.

In the middle of it all was the Lower Plaza, which turns into the world’s most famous ice skating rink during winter. On this sweltering day in May, the Summer Garden Bar was doing brisk business, with all of its outdoor seats fully occupied. Surrounding the plaza’s perimeter were flagpoles bearing the flags of the United Nations’ member countries.

The pedestrian esplanade leading to the Lower Plaza is the Channel Gardens, a 61m long walkway with beautiful flowers and water fountains. It sits between the British Empire Building and La Maison Francaise. The entire area had good energy and was buzzing with tourists and New Yorkers alike, happily enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.

Just 3 minutes’ walk away, between E 50^th and 51^st Streets on Fifth Avenue, was St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a neo-Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral church and one of NYC’s most prominent landmarks. It seemed quite out of place among the soaring buildings surrounding it but firmly stood its ground. Its interior was absolutely gorgeous. When we visited, mass was in session. As the pipe organ music and singing voices filled up the great hall, you couldn’t help but feel awed at that moment.

 

At about 7pm, we got hungry so we searched for a nice place for dinner. We settled on a Chinese restaurant and ordered some Singapore Fried Rice, Singapore Noodles and Xiao Long Bao, but they turned out to be very bad. The Singapore noodles and fried rice were curry flavoured, which is totally not “Singaporean” at all.

After the disappointing dinner, we headed back to Times Square. We were amazed once again because night time was when Times Square really came alive. As the sky grew darker, the billboards became brighter and flashier. The visual and aural assault became even more intense, and the energy just multiplied tenfold. No wonder New York is one of the world’s greatest cities. Tokyo is perhaps the only other city that I felt the same way about. There’s just a buzz in the air and the energy is infectious. We couldn’t resist taking even more photos as we walked along.

As it was our first day in NYC, we didn’t venture too far. We walked down Broadway and visited Macy’s Herald Square at 34^th Street. This flagship store is the one of the world’s largest department stores, with 1.1 million square feet of retail space spread over its eight floors.

By 10pm, we were back in our hotel room, exhausted and thrilled at the same time. New York was wonderful so far and it was turning out to be a great end to our trip, despite the less-than-pleasant introduction we had just a few hours earlier with our AC-less taxi ride. More excitement to come from the Big Apple!