New York – HilaryStyle

We interrupt MY regularly scheduled programming…

My everyday life is a series of routines, and I like it that way, except when I don’t, and it’s usually about that time when I start thinking about getting out of dodge… So earlier this week when I had the chance to break routine and meet Tim in New York, sans kids, I jumped ship almost before I had childcare nailed down… They’re 13 and 7, they can take care of themselves right? Besides, this wasn’t just any couples getaway, Tim was in New York for the grand opening of his latest project, #837NYC, and I was invited to join him for the opening events! Because Tim is the Vice President in charge of this project it played a very large part in our family’s every day life for the past 2+ years. Finally seeing it come to life was such an awesome experience and I am so proud of him!

You Might Be Wondering: What is #837NYC?

#837NYC is Samsung’s new flagship space located in the heart of the Meatpacking District in Lower Manhattan and the address is 837 Washington Street. The official twitter feed calls it a place where tech and culture collide and if Monday’s activities are any indication of what the future holds then I absolutely agree! I spent most of the afternoon getting to meet the amazing team of people who helped make this place a reality while trying out many of the building’s interactive exhibits. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Social Galaxy

My favorite experience was the Social Galaxy exhibit created by a company called Black Egg. A tunnel lined floor to ceiling with mirrors and Samsung devices of all sizes, the Social Galaxy, immerses you in your own Instagram feed and in essence brings it to life. Your personal images, captions and hashtags are displayed randomly all around you and at the same time a computer voice reads them out loud. It’s a massive display of sights and sounds, all your own, but viewed in a completely new light. As you walk further into the tunnel the display of your personal images becomes enmeshed with other Instagram feeds from around the world. There was something so cool about this experience, and I absolutely loved it!

Keep in mind that although I had the opportunity to walk through the Social Galaxy exhibit on my own, most visitors will be experiencing the space with others, many of whom you may not know. If you are at all worried about sharing your personal photos in the company of others or if you don’t have an Instagram account you can enter any account as long as it’s settings are public. Accounts with a private setting won’t work. We entered a random account and discovered a Dawson’s Creek super fan! Funny!

A collage of my Instagram Images

Selfies in the Social Galaxy

The Selfie Station

Posing with my selfie

Now that’s a selfie!

Imagine seeing your selfie projected on a screen three stories high! Like most people, I take the occasional selfie, so I thought this interactive selfie experience was pretty fun. Stop at the Selfie Station, take your photo with the already mounted phone, hit approve and like magic there you are much larger than life. The image on the screens is made up of over 60,000 other images. Don’t worry it will stay up for a few moments, so you’ll have time to pose for a photo with your selfie!

Florence + Machine

What was already an incredible day ended with a live performance by Florence + Machine! They were the perfect choice to showcase the acoustics of the space! It was an amazing show and I felt so honored to be there celebrating the opening of this lovely space with everyone who had worked so hard to make it a reality.

Waiting for Florence

I’m 2nd from the Left 5 rows up!

With my new friend Maria!

There are so many other things to explore at #837NYC, but you’ll have to go and visit to see for yourself!

New York! New York!

One of the absolute best cities in the world! Every time I start thinking that maybe I’m tired of it or that it’s lost its charm I go back for another visit and fall in love all over again!

I’ve been visiting New York since I was 17 and even lived 30 minutes away for a full year and although I have my favorite go to places it never fails to amaze me how this city can feel so new and like home all at the same time. The sights, sounds, smells I love it all!

This particular trip was a special occasion as we went with our extended family to celebrate my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary! I thought it might be fun if everyone wrote down their top 5 New York “must-sees” and we would go from there. Suddenly five full days, one evening, and a half day didn’t seem like much time at all! How would we fit it all in!? Although we didn’t get to everything on the list we did get quite a lot accomplished!

We went Uptown, Downtown and Midtown. We went to the Lower East Side, the Upper West Side and everywhere in between. We saw the American Museum of Natural History, the Central Park Zoo, The Whitney Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Neue Gallery. We shopped and ate in the Meatpacking District, SoHo, Chelsea and the Lower East Side. We ate pizza and saw a Broadway show in Times Square! We took two boat rides and visited both Liberty Island and Ellis Island! We walked the High Line and wandered Central Park. Some of us walked across the Brooklyn Bridge while others visited the 911 Memorial. It was a whirlwind of a trip and a fabulous time!

Here are some of my thoughts about getting here and around.

Arrival

When traveling to New York there are three different airports to choose from. Newark, JFK and LaGuardia. JFK is about an hour out from Manhattan and the others are about 30 – 40 minutes. There are many ways to get into the city from each airport. I find the easiest way is to just jump in a taxi, but it’s not the least expensive. Their are shuttle busses with round trip fares available and limousines too.

Getting around in Manhattan

Taxi! Uber, Subway, and walking… There are many ways to get around the island of Manhattan and all are good. If you ask my little guy he’ll choose TAXI! every time. He’s the only almost 7 year old I know who has been hailing cabs since he was three years old! He’s constantly putting his hand up and waving them down. Thankfully, they don’t seem to stop for small children, either that or they just don’t see him down there. 😉

Taxi!

Just like in the movies you can look down the street and you will see a literal sea of yellow cabs. The only problem is getting one to stop! You’ll notice there is a light on the top of the cabs. The trick is figuring out what the different light combinations mean. Here are some helpful hints:

When just the center is lit highlighting the medallion number the cab is available.
When the medallion number and the side lamps are lit the cab is off duty.
When the lights are dark it means the cab has a fare already.

It can be especially difficult if you’re trying to hail a taxi in the rain, late at night or when an event has just gotten out.

Uber

During my October visit we used Uber quite a bit and often found it easier and more reliable then standing around trying to hail a taxi. I suppose it depends on where you are and what time of day. You’ll need to download the Uber app before you can use it. Once you’re all set up it’s as simple as “calling” the car. No need to pull out your wallet or figure out the tip.

Subway

This past visit we all purchased 7 day unlimited ride Metro cards for $31 each and that worked great as well. I downloaded the MTA Subway App and it’s fantastic for route planning and finding out about any changes or outages at the different stations. I entered in our destination and current location and my Apple Map would then switch me directly to the MTA Subway app with directions for which stations and detailed instructions. The subways, can be HOT, loud, and crowded. However, they are surprisingly clean in both the stations and the cars themselves.

All of the subway stations are unique and a lot of them have wonderful art on the walls. You’ll often find people singing and playing instruments in the subways as well. Sometimes you’ll find people dancing on the subway cars and we saw quite a few people panhandling while riding. You might find that taking the local train during rush hour is a better choice than the express. Especially if you’re traveling with kids.

Walking

If it’s not too brutally hot or too bitterly cold there is always the option of walking from place to place! There is no street in NYC that doesn’t have something of interest on it and often I’ll find that I’ve walked miles before I even realize it.

Hotels

My past two visits found me staying in Midtown. This wouldn’t be my first choice of neighborhood, but it worked for our group. I’ve also stayed at the SoHo Grand and it was lovely, but the rooms are very small. Most New York hotel rooms are and if you’re traveling with a family you’ll want to make sure that the room offers two beds.

This most recent trip we stayed at the Grand Hyatt on 42nd and Park and overall it was really nice. It’s located within walking distance to both Rockefeller Center and Times Square and is attached to Grand Central Station, so it’s easy to get everywhere! There is a cute little convenience spot called The Market in the lobby where you can pick up snacks, drinks and most importantly coffee!