New York vs Boston

So... Guess who get to travel again.  Me!

This time L managed to win an trip through her company for great performance.  Her trip included 3 nights in Boston with some outings and an awards dinner.  However, as I had never been to the States, L decided to treat me with a few extra night in New York New York.

One thing I did pick up is that New York and Boston are two very different places.  The vibes at each area like day and night.  Granted I did not get to see everything and was man down for some of the trip (more on that later), but I did get a fairly good idea of what the towns were like.

New York

When we flew in we flew via Atlanta airport.  I found the Atlanta airport to be interesting and just a little confusing (maybe because I had not come across a sky-train before?).  It was in Atlanta that we came across our first problem. Communication. The attendants couldn't make out if we were saying New York or Newark, and we of course could not hear the difference between the two.  After a slight battle however we did eventually manage to board the correct flight.

View of ESB from the roof

Once in New York, we boarded the sky-train to the train station and took the train through to Penn Station. A brisk walk later we had checked into our hotel - Hotel Metro.  The hotel rooms were simple enough, but included everything a weary traveller needs.  One outstanding feature of the hotel is the great view of the Empire State Building from it's rooftop.  The hotel had easy access to the subway and more than enough places to eat in the area.

Once we had packed out and refreshed ourselved it was time to hit the town.  First stop: Souvenirs!  Being the geeky guy I am, most of our souvenirs involved geeky items we can't find at home.  A quick stop at Think Geek and I was sorted (my typical luck held and most of the items were marked down).

After this a not-so-quick stop at Barcade was needed.  Barcade is one of the must do's for anyone that enjoys a drink and a bit of gaming.  This was one place that, had I stayed in NYC, I would frequent on a regular basis.

Museum of Natural History

Inside the MOMA!

The next few days were jammed with sightseeing.  The impressive St Patricks Cathedral made me nostalgic about my last trip to Portugal, Rockefeller square had me practicing different camera shots, the Natural History Museum was incredible and definitely needs more than the half a day we spent there.  Cental park was filled with hidden and not-so-hidden secrets where one could easily spend days at a time.  The exhibits in the Moma were mind boggling, from the small to the supersized!  I shouldn't forget the Morgan Library and the obvious Empire State Building.

On top of all this, we also managed to arrive during Fleet Week.  Watching the ladies perv over the sailors was amusing, and seeing the different ships and subs was definitely worth it.  We also managed to see one of the memorial day parades and paid a visit to Brooklyn Brewery.

My last day in New York was supposed to be spent going to the Irish hunger memorial, viewing the Statue of Liberty, and having dinner at Ninja New York.  Sadly however I was struck down by a serious bout of the flu.

New York was constantly on the go.  Times square was packed on the night we went out there, and the night life was never ending.  I could spend another week there and still not have seen everything there that I would like to.

With our time in NYC over, we jumped onto the Amtrak to Boston.  The three hour journey was enjoyable with some nice views and a comfortable ride.

The view

We checked in to The Colonnade Hotel, with its magnificent views, and headed off to Massachusetts General Hospital to get my flu sorted.  I remained hotel bound for the first day whilst L enjoyed one of Boston's famous duck tours, and only came out for the evening awards dinner.

Can a library be more awesome?

The next day I was feeling mostly better and joined in on all the other sight-seeing.  A nice river cruise gave us the lay of the land (and my first lobster).  We also managed stops at the New England Aquarium, Boston Library (yes this is worth a visit), the Freedom Trail Tour (a slight letdown since this doesn't continue on the whole trail), and the Cheers Bar. We finished off our brief stay in Boston with a trip out to see the Cirque du Soliel Kurios show.

Boston was much calmer than New York, but with this calmness come a fair amount of friendliness.  Whilst the night life here seems more subdued, there is still just as much to do in the area and more than enough to keep me busy for a long time.

Can I choose between the two? Yes.  Do I want to? No.  I guess you will have to make up your own mind on which is your next destination.