NFT: So I'm headed to Connecticut for a few days...
 

never been up east.. I'll fly into Hartford then have ~90mi drive to the sw to my destination..

Suggestions...?

Stories?

I think that is all...

Oh and **** the Raiders..

I forgot that place existed.

been there once. nice place. i think i got drunk in stamford. maybe it was norwalk.
anyways, it was close to water...smelled like fish.
people seem nice.
sec

Now should be a great time to be in CT. I was near Stamford a few weeks ago and the leaves were just beginning to turn. I am not typically big on scenery but CT really is pretty nice.

If you have the choice between driving on the Merritt Pkwy. or I-95 I would recommend Merritt. I-95 is faster but it is supposedly one of the more dangerous highways in America and the Merritt is much more scenic.

The Merritt rocks. Two lanes, curvy and hilly, and everyone speeds. It's like "Gran Turismo". :thumb:

CT, though... not much there that I can think of. It's mainly something I pass through on my way to NY/NJ. CT is sort of the redheaded stepchild; it's not really considered part of New England by ME, VT, NH, and RI (even though it is), and not really considered part of the Tri-State area by NY/NJ (even though it is). Half of them are Patriots fans and half are Giants/Jets fans; half are Red Sox fans and half are Yankees fans. The WWE is headquartered there, and Mark Twain liked Hartford; that's about all I can really say about it.

I wonder if you can tour ESPN's Bristol HQ's

I hate CT

Now I've never been to NYC - should i bite the bullet and drive down on friday night when I have the rest of the night free

YES!!!

I'm biased, though. My love for NYC is completely irrational. It almost exceeds the feelings I get for a Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan movie. Pure exuberance, joy, and ecstasy.

NYC kinda demands an extended stay. If you can only spare a few hours (especially at night) for it I would recommend waiting until you can actually plan a trip there.

If you try to make a whirlwind tour odds are you will waste the drive and spend most of your time chasing your tail. If the area of CT you are in really sucks just hit the Mohegan Sun or something (if you like to gamble).

Unless you will never have another opportunity to go there, wait til you can do it up right and spend at least 48 hours in NYC.

DRIVE to Manhattan?

NO WAY.

Find a nearby station and take the subway. Unless you've lived in a place like Los Angeles or New York before, there is nothing in the world that could possibly prepare you for that traffic.

Besides that, you won't be able to your surroundings because you'll need to have your eyes on the road, the cars behind you, in front of you and beside you.

Take a cab or the subway and enjoy yourself.

Thats what I did when I was in D.C. / Baltimore - drove to the nearest train station and headed right into downtown..

so I am really thinking about doing that friday night - I really don't know when I would be able to come back out this way next

Ok looks like I'm going to head to the Southeast station and try to head into Grand Central and then walk to Times Square.

I only have $40 cash (not including the Company credit card I can use for dinner only)

Suggestions......

Well, my suggestion would be to avoid Times Square, but Grand Central is definitely a good place to hit up. Right now, the leaves are changing and Central Park is really nice if you want to go for a walk through there. I really think the best thing to do in the city is just walk around. If you want to check out cool architecture, one of my favorite areas is near the courthouses and the financial district. That would be south of Canal St. You can just start at Canal and wander south and you'll see a bunch of cool buildings. Also, while you're at Canal St., you can get amazing, cheap food, either Asian or Italian because Little Italy is right there, too.

But if you have your heart set on doing something touristy with your $40, I think that the view from the top of 30 Rock is better than the Empire State Building, and it would be within your budget.

Also, the Highline is a new cool park space that was converted from an elevated railway track to its current form. And that is free.

Here are a couple suggestions for food:

If you want pizza, check out Motorino on the lower east side. You can't make reservations, but you can give them your cell phone number and they'll call you when your table is ready, so you can go hang out at a bar or walk around. Amazing pizza.

If you want a deli sandwich, I would recommend Katz's, also on the Lower East Side, but I know other people on this board would suggest other places. Just my personal favorite.

If you want a burger, I would recommend Shake Shack. There's one in Madison Square Park, which would allow you to check out the Flatiron building. There's also one on 77th and Columbus on the Upper West Side right near the Natural History Museum, so if that museum appeals to you, that would be convenient.

If you want Mexican, I like Mole, which has two locations -- one on the Lower East Side and one in the West Village. It's not the cheapest, but it's decent food and good margaritas.

I could probably give you quite a few more suggestions for food, but this is already a long post. Let me know if you have any specific interests.

Wow noa
Thanks for the well thought out post

I think I will check out 30rock as long as its not closed by the time I make it down there

I was told to go check out Dinner at Carmines as its right down that way too.

But I am curious as to why I should steer clear of Times Square

Thanks again
Chris