New York 2025-Comparotron
Hooboy, time for some comparisons. First of all, this trip has been a delight. We've said "yes" to so many things. Yes to every Broadway show we could get our hands on, we rushed out the door to do comedy clubs, saw friends, chatted with strangers, and had time together.
Cost
Our last trip alone together was three weeks in Spain last Spring. This trip to NYC cost us 30% more per day than our trip to Spain ($404/day vs $314/day). Excluding the cost of "getting there," it costs us 55% more per day ($375/day vs $241/day).
I'm still a little boggled–in a good way--by those numbers. The cost of groceries in the US is 2-3x what things cost in Spain. Tipping culture is frustrating and insane here in the United States (restaurants will present you with easy options of 18%/20%/25%). And yet, aaaand yetttt, we also got so much more pleasure out of this trip, including three Broadway musicals, as to more than make up for the increased expense.
Broadway
Here's our ranking of our most recent Broadway visits.
- Hadestown (A touring production in Rochester)
- Chicago (Both Buds' and Gins's favorite of this trip)
- Book of Mormon
- Moulin Rouge
- Great Gatsby (last August)
For the prices we paid, every single one of these shows would be worth going to. But Chicago was our favorite of this trip. It's a lean, spare, catchy, sexy show with great songs and comic performances. We were especially wishing you were there for this one, Fi.
Food
The food's been amazing. Williamsburg, Brooklyn deserves a special callout. Almost everything we ate there was absolutely freakin' delicious. Some of the best of the trip were:
Bud's favorite:
Gins's favorite
Honorable mentions, take a bow.
The rest of the best.
The worst was easily a post-show sweet break by Times Square. This "donut" was as dry as a silica packet and the Chia berry pudding "handcrafted daily" was cafeteria quality.
Neighborhoods
We stayed in multiple neighborhoods.
Williamsburg: Superb food and walkability. Great coffee. Great entertainment. Expensive.
Dumbo: Loud but interesting. Loads of construction. We stayed in a beautiful loft with easy access to the city.
Midtown: Bustling and busy. Lots of nooks to explore.
Jersey City: Also great food and walkability, let down only slightly by public transport options. NJ PATH trains only run every 20 minutes or so and New Jersey has a special brand of inscrutability when it comes to travel. But it's affordable. If you think of it as Discount Dan's Williamsburg, and it wins the 🏅. This is where we'd live if we had to pick from these four.
This has been a great and interesting week.
