Driving And Walking The Big Apple

This Saturday we decided to beat traffic and start early on a drive around “town”. Instead of going straight into NYC we took the New Jersey Turnpike to the George Washington Bridge. We then turned south onto I-87 until Madison Bridge. Traffic was really tolerable but that was going to change within the next hour. We drove down on 5thAve through Harlem (very beautiful part of NYC) and followed all along Central Park. We then went west on 34th St to 12.Ave heading north again. Either it was too early or it is just because it is Saturday, but we had no problem parking the bus on 44th.St.                                 Times Square From there on we took a walk which led us all the way up to Times Square where even at this early hour big crowds were pushing each other up the curbs. Times Square is where NBC is doing their morning show “TODAY”. The place is a sea of digital commercials flaring all over the high rises. We were looking for book store to buy a nice NYC map for me, but had a hard time to find the Barnes and Noble Store. So finally I walked up to a police officer and he sent us right up 46St. to 5th. Ave. And there, right on the corner is a great Barnes and Nobles store. A friendly employee pointed me right to the map stand and with his recommendation I purchased 2 maps, one for Manhattan only, the other Manhattan with a regional overview. Now, you might be wondering whether a GPS wouldn’t be doing a much better service. I like GPS a lot, but in NYC it is quite dangerous if you drive a bus or truck. Why? The GPS tries to send you up the Parkways, which there are many of. Parkways are prohibited for trucks and buses, so you understand you can get in a pickle. You can’t turn around a bus on a Highway so you would have to be backed down again with police assistance and no driver needs that embarrassment and hassle. Besides it would be followed with a juicy fine.  NOT with a big rig! I still remember our trip down south with our motor home in 2010 when we accidentally ended up on the New Jersey Garden State Parkway where we almost got trapped under low vaulted bridges. Never, never enter any Parkway with anything bigger than a van! Parking violation fines in NYC are in the vicinity of $180, any idling in the city is rewarded by a $2000 fine, so that kind of fun one should stay from. Unfortunately, I forgot my cell phone in the bus and could not take any pictures this morning, so all pics here are off the Internet. Are we doing the same trip again tomorrow? Most certainly we won’t. New York is hosting the World’s biggest marathon on Sunday November 1, and 65,000 runners will be at the start line. Besides of this event there are two major sport events in the area, so tonight this city will be pretty much shut down for traffic, which would make it totally impossible to drive a bus around Manhattan. Monday morning will see us leaving NYC early turning the bus back home.