Lost In New York
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118365)
Gainesville, Florida
April 8, 2017 9:46am CST
Well, not yet. I'm currently still in Florida, but over Memorial Day weekend the kids and I are going to visit the Big Apple, and I fully expect that we will get lost quite a bit while there.
Although I've been to New York City hundreds of times, I still find it difficult to navigate the city's complex subway system, although I have had some fun and exciting (and sometimes) scary times taking a wrong subway.
We'll be staying in Chelsea in Manhattan, near the High Line, and so navigating our way to the hotel from Laguardia will be quite interesting, since we'll be arriving at about midnight on a Friday night. I told the kids I want them to experience true life in NYC, so we're going to ride the subway everywhere we go. I plan on it being quite an adventure.
My ex-girlfriend lives in Brooklyn, and she's going to meet up with us for a little while during our visit, but since we'll be in Manhattan, I can't exactly count on her to be our tour guide the entire time, given that it's about a 45-minute to hour subway ride for her to get from her apartment to where we will be staying.
I told the kids that part of the excitement of the city will be getting lost and ending up in parts of Manhattan that we never intended to be. Although there is lots that I'm familiar with, there's also lots that I'm not. So flexibility and adaptability will be key to our fun adventure.
Any of you myLotters experts at navigating New York City?
16 people like this
15 responses
@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
10 Apr 17
Even our GPS is not expert in navigating New York City! Hope you have great fun.
3 people like this
@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
11 Apr 17
@moffittjc It does seem it can be complicated even for those with experience.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Apr 17
I won't use it for navigating as much as I will for pinpointing locations I've been to. Along with that, I'll use it mostly for directional guidance. It will just help me get my bearings a little bit if I start to get confused about which direction I'm heading.
2 people like this
Enjoy the break and the freedom to wander the highways, byways and subways of The Big Apple.@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Apr 17
I'm very familiar with most parts of Manhattan, but I've never flown into or out of Laguardia airport, which is located in Queens. Every time I've visited New York I've either flown into JFK airport in Brooklyn, or Newark airport in New Jersey. So trying to navigate my way out of Laguardia and over into Manhattan is going to be quite an experience, especially at midnight! It looks like it is going to be an hour-long ride by bus and subway to reach our hotel destination (yet, New York City is that BIG!).
1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22412)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
8 Apr 17
@moffittjc Whoa! Big! Mind you, getting from London's Heathrow airport to London's City airport can take an hour or so. Never mind London Gatwick, London Stansted or London Luton airport.
I have used Newark as a transit point when flying to the US, but never had the chance to leave the airport other than on another plane.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Apr 17
@pgntwo I've been to both Gatwick and Heathrow before, so I know exactly what you're saying!
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@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
11 Apr 17
Sounds like fun! I've never been to NYC but I hope you all have fun! Getting lost would be fun I bet there!
Did you tell your current girlfriend, you'll be seeing your ex-girlfriend though?
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
11 Apr 17
@moffittjc Well well, hopefully the kids won't blurt anything out accidentally, lol! But I am sure you two are just friends now 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Apr 17
@infatuatedbby As far as you and my gf know, we are just friends. haha
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@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Apr 17
Oh god no, I'm not going to say anything to her about it! lol She's not stupid though, she knows my ex lives in NYC. But if she doesn't bring it up, I'm not going to bring it up either! haha
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Apr 17
I definitely plan on taking them on a taxi ride. It will give a whole new meaning to the word "drive."
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Apr 17
@DianneN So what train in Manhattan would I have to get "accidentally" lost on to go see you in Connecticut?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Apr 17
Do you have any good suggestions for things to do or places to go while I'm in the city? We're going to do the typical touristy stuff, but I'd also like my kids to experience as much Manhattan culture as possible while we're there.
1 person likes this
@HazySue (39264)
• Gouverneur, New York
13 Apr 17
@moffittjc Let me think about it. I'll try to get back with you.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
9 Apr 17
Not at all. I've only been once and that was when i was 12 years old for a field trip.
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@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Apr 17
Did you have fun on the field trip? Seeing such a big city at such a relatively young age can be very daunting.
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Apr 17
@Courtlynn My daughter has already made it perfectly clear that she wants to see the wax museum. Luckily, it's right across the street from Ripley's Believe It or Not! We want to see that one too!
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
10 Apr 17
@moffittjc i remember having fun lol. We fod the wax museum and trip on boat arounfmd the statue of liberty
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11385)
• United States
9 Apr 17
Enjoy your trip. I have never been to New York City but I have visited upstate New York a few times. I am sure the trips along the subway will be quite entertaining for your family.
1 person likes this
@sjvg1976 (41132)
• Delhi, India
16 Apr 17
@moffittjc I don't have enough money to go abroad.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
That is not true at all! New York City is one of the most amazing cities in the world, and I highly recommend that everyone visit it at least once in their lifetime if they can! It is truly an amazing place! I've been to major cities all over the world (London, Paris, Tokyo, etc), and New York is by far my most favorite!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
@sjvg1976 Yes, it would be a very expensive trip from India to New York! But you live in a big city too, so you know what city life is like!
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Apr 17
Out of all the cities I have been to in the world, it is my absolute favorite!
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Apr 17
I'm hoping there are a few native New Yorkers on this site!
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
9 Apr 17
I have only been in the city a couple of times, a few times with my mom before I left home for college for shopping pre-Christmas to see all the decorations. In College before I met my husband I dated a guy from New Jersey and we went to some jazz places in NYC, met some famous people too - all musicians (so was my boyfriend) I would not know where to go....I hope you and your children have a blast.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Apr 17
Luckily, I've been to NYC enough times to know my way around most of Manhattan, and a little bit of Brooklyn, so we should be okay for the most part. Sometimes though, when I come out of subway tunnels and back up to street level, I lose my bearings and can't figure out the correct directions. When you have so many tall skyscrapers around you, it's hard to tell if your walking north, south, east or west!
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
10 Apr 17
@moffittjc take a compass with you or will your cell phone tell you directions...I get turned around easily too so I would be completely lost...
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Apr 17
@PainsOnSlate Definitely will be relying on my cell phone for directions! I have a really good GPS app that I use whenever I travel, and it has come in handy on more than one occasion to help point me in the right direction!
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
12 Apr 17
I'll bet there are some here that can help.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Apr 17
So far, no one here has offered much assistance! I can't believe there aren't at least a few native New Yorkers on myLot who can give me pointers and advice!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Apr 17
@JamesHxstatic Well, NYC is a pretty happening place, so if I lived there I'm not sure I would have time to write on myLot! lol
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@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
13 Apr 17
@moffittjc Apparently, people in the Big Apple are too busy to write here. I know that @GreatMartin lived there.
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@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Apr 17
Do you want me to stop in Georgia and pick you up on the way to New York this Memorial Day weekend? It's on the way! I'll just ask the pilot of my plane to make a quick pitstop to your house so we can pick you up! And then we'll have a crazy fun time in NYC together!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Apr 17
@RubyHawk About 10:00pm on Friday, May 26th I'll be there to pick you up.
@RubyHawk (99425)
• Atlanta, Georgia
13 Apr 17
@moffittjc Now that would be fun. What time can I expect you.
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (58109)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
8 Apr 17
That sounds like a lot of fun. The whole trip. Make sure to take pictures of all the places that you end up lost in.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Apr 17
Definitely! I'm sure most photos I take of places I am lost in will be of local pubs, bars and breweries. I figure if I'm going to be lost, I might as well stop and have a drink! haha
@MALUSE (69416)
• Germany
9 Apr 17
My husband and I were in NY for two weeks many years ago. We always used buses and the subway and *never got lost*! Seems we can be proud.
I remember a great tour around the city by public transport including a ferry ride to Staten Island. What I found fascinating was how the people changed according to outward appearance and languages who got on and off while we were comfortably sitting on the bus. And it's cheap compared to organised tours.
Recommended!
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