#city mapper

I feel blessed that i got a chance to explore the New York city. I am sure those who went there will take that vibe along with them. (I have that vibe till now)….

New York City

New York city can be mentioned as a beauty with brain…. I think it is filled with busy people….., Fashionable dresses…. and Crowded streets….

  I have to tell you some important tips before visiting New York city….

  1. Don’t stand in the center of the crowd….

Hey…. I am serious…. People are walking for their job and they have to reach on time. They will get irritated if they have to stop because of  stranger a standing in front of them…. Please don’t be that person…. (I hope you are not…. Hi…hi….)

2. Don’t wear that NYC T shirt

Don’t think i am kidding. If you shop one NYC T shirt from there…. Its OK…. You can keep it in your bag. But please don’t wear it. You don’t have to behave like a foreigner there….

3. Use restroom before leaving from your hotel

Omg! Its too difficult to find a restroom in New York. You have to search for Starbucks and McDonald’s for this (Definitely you have to buy something from there, but its OK….right???). Even if you find a place, there will be a big line of people…. You have to pay for using restrooms…. So take care….

4. Subway

If you want to explore New York city, then definitely you need subway metro card. It is a bit difficult to figure out the stations and train positions initially but once you start using subways, you will enjoy it. Subway metro cards comes in different rates depends on how long you are using it. Some have access to bus service also. So check out which one works for you.

I suggest “city mapper” app to make subway system easier…. You can download it in your app store.

  Now lets explore New York…. Are you ready??? Lets feel the vibe together….

Madame Tussaud’s

Wax models in Madame Tussaud’s

Have you seen all the famous celebrities closer in one place??? You can…. If you visit madame Tussaud in New York. Its difficult to realize that those are wax models. They have created a magical experience inside while looking our loved ones…. One of my favorite was the mirror magic. There will be lots of mirrors in such a position that we couldn’t recognize the masked people coming towards us. It is a real deal.

Wax model of Albert Einstein

Many of the celebrities are with accurate details. So if you want to take a pic with your favorite celeb, then its the best place for you. It is located at 42nd street in the heart of Times Square.

Wax model of Priyanka Chopra Jonas

There are also some great entertaining shows like 3 D movies, Animations, chance to make a wax model of your hands.

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Statue of liberty

Statue of Liberty view from Ferry

You just can’t believe your eyes when you see statue of liberty closer…. It is so huge…. You will get mesmerized by its height for sure. It is situated in upper New York bay on liberty island. We reach there by ferry ride through water. We can also visit Ellis island which is near the liberty island by the ferry ride.

Statue of Liberty entrance

We can climb from the base to pedestal by the complimentary tickets along with ferry ride. Those who want to climb the staircase within the statue to the crown should purchase a special ticket reserved up to a year in advance.

Statue of liberty, Closer view

Visitors can take medication and cameras along with them, the remaining baggage should be kept in the lockers provided.

Times Square

Walking in between the crowd, Is it that exciting??? I felt a struggle while walking through the Times Square streets but after reaching home i understood what makes it special.

Times Square

Night time, with colorful lights is making some impact on our mood. May be it is the brain who is getting influenced by the Times Square positive vibe that it makes you happy whenever you think about that journey. It stretches from west 42nd to 47th streets. This bow tie shaped street have a triangular set of bleacher-like stairs which is used by people to sit and enjoy the colors. You can capture the moment from the stairs.

9/11 memorial and museum

I felt really sad to visit this place where the names of the people who died in the September 11 attacks are inscribed on 152 bronze parapets on the memorial pool.

9/11 Memorial Pool

Let their souls rest in peace. Lets take a moment to pray for them and their family.

Top of the rock

New York is a modern beauty but how can you say that without viewing it from the top of the rock???

View of New York city from Observation deck of Top of the Rock

So get ready to see the beauty from the top of the rock, observation deck.

When you get inside the building, you can see the Joie Chandelier comprising  of 14,000 crystals. After passing through the security screening, its Mezzanine Exhibit which is filled with information about Rockefeller Center. Before getting into the top, you will be shown a short video presentation about the history of NBC and Rockefeller Center in the theater.

In the sky shuttle , don’t forget to look up. It is an elevator ride up to 850 feet above street level. Next you can see the breathtaking radiance wall comprised of glass panels, blown glass, crystal clusters and fiber optic lighting.

Now another interesting level is the Breezeway which is one of the favorite of kids, mostly. In that room, On entering you will be assigned a color that will follow your step throughout the room.

Then the 70th floor open air roof deck, where you can capture the modern beauty. There is one photo spot also where you can get beautiful pictures.

Roosevelt island Tramway

Roosevelt Island Tramway system Entrance

Isn’t it interesting when there is a transportation facility where we can fly above the bridges and along with the huge buildings???

    Roosevelt Island Tramway back and forth capsule system

You can’t miss the tallest building in the United States, One World Trade Center which is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center.

  Inside view of world trade center

Yes, It is true… There is a Tramway in Roosevelt island which is an amazing experience of flying without wings. It is an aerial tramway that connects Roosevelt island to the upper east side of Manhattan.

You can see the busy people walking inside the building that creates a different ambiance inside. It itself explains the development of the nation.

You can’t miss the tallest building in the United States, One World Trade Center which is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center.

So how was it??? Did you have any new experiences in New York city??? Comment below….

  Don’t forget to like, share and follow my blog….

Now this being my first time in Vienna, I had very little idea of what to expect and pretty much all of it was based on the WWII reading I’ve done in my life. I expected the city to have modernized over the years, but I was genuinely surprised to see how it has almost split into two cities; Old Town with its historic buildings, narrow streets, and a wide variety of architecture, and the skyscraper-filled, steel city built further down the river.

We got off the bus and immediately set out to conquer the metro system and make it to our Airbnb. Everything was going smoothly, we bought our tickets, we caught the correct train going in the correct direction, and we had only wanted to fight one rude person. Now see here’s the thing, in almost any other European city I’m able to use the wonderful, magical app that is CityMapper. It’s clear, it’s easy, it tells you the exact time your bus/train/boat/space ship will arrive, it tells you exactly what colour the line is and it even tells you how many croissants you’ve walked off. Seriously, it’s great. Vienna however, for whatever reason, is not included in the list of cities which means we had to rely on the somewhat spotty service of Google Maps. This is where we ran into a small hiccup in our quest to find the flat. We rode the 3 or 4 stops to Schwedenplatz where we needed to switch lines to ride another 3 stops. It’s important to remember that wonderful, magical CityMapper tells you the COLOUR of the line to get on. Well, Google Maps does not. No, instead it tells you some random colour for the line with the name (ie U1) in very tiny letters that easily gets overlooked in the madness of trying to navigate public transport in a city you’ve only just stepped foot in. Oh, and it tells you that that specific train line doesn’t come into that station and you’re going to have to change stations. Lies. So we drag our bags, which thankfully were fewer and lighter because the AMAZING Scottish team took our two big bags back with them and we crammed just enough clothes and toiletries for 5 people for a week in backpacks and carryons, out of the station, over the tram tracks, and across the street to the river just to realize that we were actually supposed to be in that station. So I’m sure much to the amusement of those around us, we drug our stuff back across the street and the tram tracks and once more found ourselves standing in Schwedenplatz Station. So here is my shameless plug for CityMapper: get it. From there we had no major issues getting to the flat (well except for the fact that I apparently kept booking places on the top floor in a building with no lift…) and were soon showered and ready to go again.

As much as we love touring and seeing the sights, our main reason for coming to Vienna was to see friends. Becca, Phil, and their adorable kids have been living and working in Vienna for almost two years.  I’ve known the two of them since I was in late middle/early high school but it had been almost 6 years since I had last seen them. It was special to be able to spend time with their family in the city they now call home as well as hopefully be an encouragement to them as living overseas can oftentimes feel lonely and unrewarding. We were able to do dinner with them our first night in Vienna and met them the next day at Schonbrunn Palace.

Just like in Budapest, we grabbed a bus tour that Monday morning and used it to take us out to the palace and to get a feel for the city. Unlike our bus tour in Budapest however, this one I would not recommend. While you did get to see a decent amount of the city on the two routes it ran, the audio tour went into very little detail of the actual history of the city and instead went on and on about the same two composers. That’s all well and good, but there is a lot more to a city than two or three famous people. The best part of the whole tour was getting to see the architecture and street art on the way out to Schonbrunn. The palace itself sits at the base of a hill with the city sprawling out into the distance behind it. Even though it was an incredibly hot day (by European standards), we wandered around the grounds and climbed to the top of the hill to see the views.

After our time looking at the various sculptures and manicured gardens at the palace, we caught the hop-on-hop-off bus back to Old Town where we could change routes. Here’s where the already meh tour got worse: It was only supposed to be 6 or 7 stops back to where we needed to switch routes but because our lovely bus driver decided to get off and smoke a cigarette or twiddle his thumbs for 15 mins at every stop, it took us nearly an hour and a half. By this point, we were all tired, hungry, hot, and ready to be back at the flat. We eventually made it to the stop where we needed to switch buses and then had to wait another half an hour before it arrived. Slaphappy is the only way to describe how we were feeling. Backstreet Boys may or may not have been sung in the street and a tear may have been shed. We did finally make it back to the flat and were able to cool off and relax a wee bit before Mum and Dad headed off to watch the boys for Phil and Becca while Erin, Itty, and I made our way back to city centre.

We spent the next day just hanging out and finally made our way to a body of water to relax at, which is something Erin, Itty, and I had been trying to get to since we left Budapest. That evening we said farewell to Vienna and caught a flight to Paris and the next part of our adventure.

Things we learned during our time in Vienna:

Itty is not a fan of the fact that Erin and I not only enjoy walking cities but that we have a tendency to power walk everywhere we go. Erin and I are more than happy to walk for hours if need be in order to find the perfect place to sit down, which is exactly what we did. Itty, on the other hand, would have preferred that we take the 15 min metro ride and skipped the whole walking-through-the-city thing. 

Public beaches are a God-send when you’re in desperate need of a body of water and a place to relax. At €2 a person, a nice nap on the riverbank in the sun is the perfect way to enjoy Vienna without running around like a crazy person.

If you have time, try to see something arts-related such as the Lippizaners at the Spanish Riding School, the Vienna Boy’s Choir, or one of the many art museums throughout the city.  Schonbrunn is worth it but the bus tour isn’t. 

See you in Paris,

Lexi

City Mapper quick actions

Get Me Somewhere - goes straight to directions with the destination search box selected, start defaulting to current location.

CityMapper: Having just moved house and not knowing my way around, I've been utterly reliant on this app. I feel that its bike routing deserves a mention and a round of applause as my new cycle to work is such a joy it brightens my day, even when it's tipping it down. Apart from having to cross Camden Road and Euston Road, the route doesn't take me anywhere near main or busy roads and the streets I cycle along nearly all have fully segregated cycle lanes. If you don't already have the app and cycle frequently in London I highly recommend it. It's also fantastic for all other forms of transport with very reliable timings and lots of options. The cheeky humour and eccentric touches are a bonus.