Some tips for visiting NYC and Long Island

Following is the tips I summarized from my NYC-Long Island trip (we stayed in LI and had a car). Hope this is helpful:

1. Transportation: If your focus is Long Island, you need to have a car. Using public transportation is time-consuming and limited to schedule. I felt Long Island railroad generally is pretty safe if it\'s not too late in the day. Subway may be a different story. If your focus is NYC, you don\'t need a car. Parking is too difficult. Subway and bus can take you anywhere.

2. Subway: two things to remember (we learned the hard way):
- some station entrance may be closed, but that doesn\'t mean the other entrances for the same station are closed - try other entrances before heading for next station

Read the subway map carefully, some station, the train only stop for one direction (e.g., southbound only); some trains only stop in certain station.

3. Free ferries: The one we used the most is from Brooklyn IKEA to Pier 11. During weekend, the first ferry departs from IKEA at 11:20am, last ferry departure from Pier 11 is 7:40pm. Weekday the first one departs at 2:20pm (If I remember it right). IKEA has big parking lot (free) and economic breakfast. Wall street station (line 2,3,4) is very close to Pier 11 if you want to go to upper town.

4. Flushing food
- East Dynasty: the best buffet I\'ve ever tried, affordable with half-price ($15/adult, $9/child). My favorite: oyster (even though only 3/person per waiting line), Peking duck - hmm, really yummy. The iced fruits soup, the hot coconut wheat grain soup. Sushi. There are other delicious food, I just don\'t have enough room to have them all. Feel guilty somehow with all these wonderful food available to eat when I think about starving people in the world. Also sad to notice several Chinese ladies almost fought for big crab legs - the pan was emptied in just seconds.

- Shengjin: I liked the big pan cake with green onion ($4 each, which is cut to 8 smaller pieces, one piece is enough for my breakfast); the red bean paste pan cake ($1.25 each)

5. ASTC membership: not good for American museum of Natural History. Some of the halls in the museum are closed early (not sure if it\'s just temporary) at 1:00pm, be sure to visit those halls early (e.g., the famous Easter Island head, ala Dum-dum head in the movie A night in the museum). The movie really stirs up the interest of many kids in the museum - the downside is they might be only interested in what\'s on the movie, not other displays. Another piece of information I got from the information desk is: the movie was not shot in the museum, but in Toronto, Canada.

6. Statue of Liberty: you need to reserve the ferry ticket online early in order to get the limited monument pass (free). I was too late in booking, so monument pass are not available even though they still have ferry tickets.


7. Central park and shopping: Central Park is huge and nice. My impression of the park from many movies it\'s a scary place before I visited it, but it turned out I love the place. You can walk, bike, ride a horse carriage. The southeast entrance is very close to 5th Ave. There are multiple same brand shops in the area, e.g., I found 3 Ann Taylor stores when I wandered around.

8. On the east side of Manhattan, there is a narrow green park space along the river which is nice for jogging or wandering. Kids may not like it since it\'s a lot of walking, but there are multiple bus-lines go from east to west and vice versa. The Air, water and space museum, Intrepid - a world war II aircraft carrier, is on pier 86. Boys will enjoy taking a tour. ASTC membership can be used - it\'s convenient when the line is long, you can simply use the membership lane, save a lot of time.

9. Long Island: Jones beach air show (Memorial day weekend) is nice. Children play on the beach while adults relaxing on the sand - you don\'t have to watch the air show if that\'s not your interest. The beach and ocean by themselves are good enough to enjoy. The only downside is the crowd and long waiting line in front of the lady\'s restroom.

10. Long Island Chinese food: we had lobster for hubby\'s birthday in Fortune Wheel seafood restaurant ($35.99). My mouth still waters just by thinking about it.