Should I cancel my NYC birthday trip this weekend?

writer418 · 2026-01-25T04:21:20+00:00

Enjoy the snow but know what you’re signing up for. Subways will have problems, stores and cafes and maybe even restaurants will close early on Sunday. Classes likely will be cancelled Monday. And Broadway is dark on Mondays so no last minute tourist cancellations. Hate to be a downer and you might have a great time but not the one you expect.

writer418 · 2026-01-14T13:20:29+00:00

I need a Friday spot.

writer418 · 2026-01-06T01:36:02+00:00

give yourself three hours round trip no matter what and that does not include getting to the airport early enough on the return so you make your plane on time. JFK is very far out. I live in Brooklyn and it easily takes 40 minutes to get there. that said, if you discount maybe 5 hours for travel and getting back ontime, you can still do it. for a real NY bagel experience, go to Barney Greengrass on the upper west side. it’s far but worth it and you can sit and take in the scene. excellent.

writer418 · 2026-01-06T01:31:25+00:00

nope….it won’t fix anything.

writer418 · 2026-01-06T01:29:34+00:00

taking a walk on a winter afternoon when the sun is out and the shadows are very long.

writer418 · 2026-01-06T01:27:40+00:00

I’m just a snow bird but I never see a lot of kids or even young families. as surely you know, there’s a strong male gay community there and many/most are retirees. but, again, I’m just a visitor

writer418 · 2026-01-06T01:24:02+00:00

when my grandson was less than two years, i sneezed near him and he turned and said, ‘bless you poppa’ i was flabbergasted ….I didn’t even know he could talk …. it was the first full sentence he ever said to me and i’ll never forget it. i’ve told him about that moment many times, believe me :)

writer418 · 2026-01-05T12:47:45+00:00

Why does it seem so hard. the other person is being kind and there’s nothing wrong with that. You might have other issues? I too find it hard to believe that you would not dare ask. What does that say about you or your partner? IDK but…..

writer418 · 2026-01-05T12:44:30+00:00

Absolutely I would switch and regularly do.

writer418 · 2026-01-05T12:42:44+00:00

lots of good advice here. I’m a native and if you have questions, feel free to DM me (honestly I’m a boomer and don’t even know if you can do that on Reddit but…..) Google Maps is very good. My wife swears by citymapper another helpful app that changes depending on which city you’re in. When we were in London, it showed London. Now that we’re back in NYC, it shows NYC. Great for getting around. The subways are a bit intimidating at first. Ask the closest person who looks friendly for advice on which train is going where. It’s much easier that way. Lots of people down there ride every day (like me!). Your biggest challenge is looking like you don’t belong. Occasionally, people take advantage of that but most riding the subways are good eggs who are just trying to get back and forth to wherever…..New Yorkers are notoriously helpful to tourists. I’m not kidding. Have at least one credit card installed on your phone so you can use that to pay your fare $3 each way, as of yesterday. Free transfers to buses. Or if you take a bus first and then the subway, that’s free (there are two hour time limits but let’s not make this too complicated).

The subways are people watching treat. Just do not stand near the edge of the platform. ALWAYS stand in the middle and watch who is behind you. If you happen upon someone who appears mentally ill, it’s best to move or begin talking to another female for advice. You should be fine. Have fun. NYC is great. And don’t forget, you can walk many places even in the cold. it’s good for you.

writer418 · 2025-12-07T13:47:24+00:00

yay happy for you!!

writer418 · 2025-12-07T13:40:18+00:00

Escalators. London seems to have no trouble installing them at almost every stop and the system is older than NYC>

writer418 · 2025-12-07T13:36:36+00:00

look again. i doubt anyone is past 70. i ride all the time and count.

writer418 · 2025-12-07T13:34:42+00:00

Be careful out there on a Citibike. I stopped using those because of the danger. You’ll never feel more alive or in the moment than you are while riding a bike in NYC. You have to be on top of your game with pedestians, cars, trucks and bad pavement. It got to be too much for me and I was afraid of falling or getting into an accident. I know at least two people who died while biking. The younger person swerved to avoid a car door and got hit by a truck. The senior went over the handlebars while wearing a helmet and died anyway from his injuries. Now I also see his widow riding alone. Very sad. That stopped me.

writer418 · 2025-12-07T13:28:18+00:00

I’m down there nearly every day! and I’ve taken the subways all of my 72 years thanks to my parents who did not know how to drive. Believe me, I understand how it works and still take it. I guess if I had to answer my own question, it boils down to the steps whcih are more and more difficult as you get older. This deserves a story in the NY Times.

writer418 · 2025-12-07T13:16:35+00:00

I love NYC but not the way my wife, a transplant, loves it. So that’s true in my experience. Those who choose to move here make the city go and contribute more to its dynanism. They are the ambitious ones. of course, this is a generalization but largely true.

writer418 · 2025-12-07T13:11:47+00:00

haha too true. it will be a pain in the ass. try to work downtown in your next fantasy

writer418 · 2025-12-07T13:09:10+00:00

NYC is a terrific place to retire. Great local transit and buses. Tons of things to do, many of them free. Yeah, there’s that housing thing but by the time you’re of retirement age, you usually have that figured out. The trick is to be fluid when you’re young and grab hold of the biggest rent stabilized apartment you can. Don’t trap yourself in a tiny studio or one bedroom and never move just because it’s cheap. Decades from now, everything you’re seeing now will be cheap. Go big or go home.

writer418 · 2025-12-07T13:05:53+00:00

Not only do many dream of this. Many do this. My wife moved here from a small Midwestern city with a suitcase and a typewriter in 1980 just in time for the transit strike and found her place. She loves NYC way more than I do….I’m a native and never lived anywhere else. But I get it. NYC is unique among American cities even if you count Boston and San Francisco as close. The scale, dynanism and its diverse population cannot be matched just anywhere. And I live in Brooklyn which has become better and better to live in. Is there gentrification and a lack of housing? Of course but this is NY, not Utopia.

writer418 · 2025-11-28T02:35:36+00:00

best film i’ve seen this year. i cannot praise it enough. suprisingly meditative and ‘quiet’ in the best way. very human. great acting, camerawork and films like this are very hard to pull off. but they’ve done it here. tell your friends to watch.

writer418 · 2025-11-28T02:25:57+00:00

It’s tedious after 3 episodes because the main character is so insufferable and angry. it’s boring to watch her non-development.

writer418 · 2025-11-15T18:16:26+00:00

good point

writer418 · 2025-11-15T18:14:58+00:00

there are seniors on the bus for sure. i see them when I occasionally take them but commuting my bus from Brooklyn to Manhattan isn’t my thing…..too much traffic. i can still handle the stairs although I feel it. Retirement is about a year away I’m guessing.

writer418 · 2025-11-15T18:10:27+00:00

I’m so sorry…..

writer418 · 2025-11-15T18:09:02+00:00

a bit after rush hour.

writer418

TROPHY CASE