If you've never been to NYC, if can be a harrowing experience. Especially if you're on a budget. :-) So i thought i would write down how i got there, how i saved some money, so that maybe other people could have the same experience that i did. :-)

First off, i took the bus, because flying out of Ithaca is crazy expensive. If you live in a little town in upstate NY, this is the way i recommend going. If you live close to a big city though, log on to www.travelocity.com and click on the budget travel link. A lot of times they'll have tickets to fly into nyc for less than or around $200. i took the shortline to nyc leaving at 7:20 Saturday morning and arrived in nyc at 12:20. It leaves out of nyc again at 6:20pm and gets back to Ithaca at 11:20pm.

It arrives and departs from the 3rd floor of the Port Authority in nyc, at 42nd street and 8th avenue. If you've never been to nyc, this is really convenient, because all the east/west roads are numbered streets and many of the north/south roads are numbered avenues (minus Broadway, which cuts catty corner across the whole thing).

So, if you're say, going to Tibet House, which is 22 West 15th, all you have to do is, starting at 42nd Street, head south until you get to 15th Street. Then turn left, heading east, until you get to the 22 West 15th. Easy, no? :-)

So the next thing to worry about is a hotel... a friend recommended to me to try www.priceline.com; so i did. :-) i did a search for a 2 1/2 star hotel for $75 or less. Priceline said that the going rate for such a hotel (at that time) was $137. I got one night at the Murray Hill hotel on 39th Street and Lexington for $75. It was a nice room, too; it even had a kitchenette. :-)

So, to get to my hotel... i left from Tibet House at West 15th Street and walked back north to 39th Street, then, because i was on West 5th, i kept going east until i found my hotel. Fyi, anything east of 5th Avenue is east, anything west of 5th Avenue is west. So, for instance, 22 West 15th is one block west of 5th Avenue. My hotel was East 39th, so i kept heading east after i crossed 5th Avenue until i got there. Piece of cake. :-)

So if you ever get a chance to visit Tibet House, or the Nechung Foundation, or the Three Jewels bookstore... go for it. :-)

peace, joy, happiness to you,
eric

[ Buddhism | Activism | Spirituality | About Us | Links ]