Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
i'm pretty sure I posted in the other thread, but never a family trip to NYC
went a couple of times for school related functions - although none were of the class trip variety (we did do a class trip to Toronto though)
what people need to realize is that it's a big state - a lot of people upstate have families and will take family trips - for many a big city just isn't all that appealing (hence the reason why they don't live in one) .... however, escaping the snow is appealing
in my small home town I would say that it's was easy 4-1 of people going to myrtle beach vs NYC
then you have the fact that for many people it's easier to go to toronto or montreal .... for much of the 80s/90s it was a good value due to the exchange rate ...... NYC is silly expensive and on the whole upstate NY is low wage/low COL territory
we could stay at some midsized town halfway between niagara falls and toronto - enjoy some parks and other aspects of the town in our down time and then just drive to attractions like the falls, marineland, african lion safari or spend a day in toronto ......... with the exchange rate the amount of USD spent on the motel vs what you'd have to spend anywhere in the NYC metro would be a huge difference in itself
honestly, the only thing that I would have wanted to do as a kid in NYC is go to a yankees game or knicks - not a fan of either team, but a storied ballpark/arena and we didn't have either as a professional option upstate
it's not like any of my friends were beating down their parents doors to go either
I have lived in Syracuse for 6 years and have never been to NYC. I have my first trip planned next month only because I have people from the West Coast coming to visit. The city just doesn't have much appeal to me, but I am sure once I get there, I will love it.
I have lived about a 5 hour drive from Mexico for 20 years and have never been there once. I can surely understand why many upstaters have never been to NYC.
Shoot, I lived 12 miles from midtown Manhattan for 20 years and except for going to the zoo and botanical gardens in the Bronx (about a ten minute drive) and the airport, would go years between visits to what most people consider "the city".
I only say that because for many Upstate NYers, they have a closer connection to major cities in Canada than NYC. Many people may not understand that though.
There are probably a lot more NYC/LIers who have never been across to Canada then Upstaters who have not been to NYC The western end: Peace Bridge, Rainbow Bridge and Lewiston-Queenston Bridge are all withing hald an hour of my house and Toronto ( in really bad traffic) is only a few hours. Its a simple reason why most people up here have enhanced license -- no need for a passport to drive (or walk)over. For you, its the same thing up towards Montreal. I don't know the bridge names, but we have gone up and over near Watertown (I think) and gone up to Ottawa and Montreal. That is still a shorter ( and less stressful trip) than our trips to visit family on LI. (Oh, and my family? At least 6 immediate have never been been to Canada. They all live on LI)
I've lived in New York State for over 15 years now, since I was 12. I've lived in the Adirondack Mountains, the Utica area, and now Rochester. In all that time I've been to New York City maybe twice, not including changing trains at Penn Station on my way to and from Washington DC.
It's been my experience that NYC people think the whole state revolves around them, while people outside New York State don't realize how big the state really is. New York City is 315 miles away from Rochester. That's about six hours by car and seven hours by train. Utica is slightly shorter at 240 miles; add an hour or two if you're coming down from the Adirondacks. I'd like to visit NYC sometime but I couldn't do it as a weekend trip. In the meantime, there's plenty of things to do and see here in Rochester and the Finger Lakes region.
My daughter's bf is from Rochester and he has only been to the city a couple of times and isn't thrilled by it. Meanwhile, my daughter grew up in NNJ and loves the city and even went to school in Manhattan in her first year of college (transferred to Albany where she met said Rochester guy). I've lived in NJ and worked in Manhattan for over thirty years.
Most of NJ has much more of a connection to NYC than a lot of upstate NY. It's just the geography. But I grew up going on vacations to lakes in NY State and would like to visit more of the western part, and I think the people are right who say there are a lot of residents of NYC who have no idea how much the rest of their state has to offer.
Technically, I've been to NYC but I don't consider it a true visit. I rode on a bus with my brother-in-law to Shea Stadium to watch his Mets play the Astros. Watched the game and then got back on the bus and headed home.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
