NYC subway, New Orleans or Wash. DC?

Hans-Christian Grosz wrote:

Hi!

I'll fly to NYC (La Guardia Airport, Hotel in Manhattan East Side) for
a weekend and intent to use the subway most of time. I'm 28 years and
might visit some events which last 'till 3-4am.

Is it save at such nightly hours, to take subway and walk around in
Queens, Brooklyn and Manhatten, or should I head for the first cab to
get me back home? Does the subway is out of service during night or
runs 24h?

New York is one of the safest cities in the US. However, there are
certain neighborhoods where you might not be safe late at night. You
have to exercise a certain amount of good sense. If there are lots of
people on the street, you are pretty safe. If the street is deserted,
maybe you want to find another. Also you should always walk with a sense
of purpose, as if you know exactly where you're going, even if you
don't, and you shouldn't flash a Rolex or anything that valuable.

The subway system is quite safe. Again, stand on a part of the platform
where there are other people, and sit in a car where there are other
people.

Also, another trip might bring me some days to New Orleans or
Washington DC or some other nice city in the eastern states. I wonder
which might be a good choice, for reasons like historical,
architectural value, getting an impression of urban lifestyle or
similar. Not of interest are beaches and/or single monument
attractions, instead I'd like to get the feeling of living at some
location.

I suggest Philadelphia, a very nice city for getting an idea of urban
life, and also with a well-preserved historical center, one of the very
few in the US. It also has an excellent art museum, a good science
museum, one of the largest urban parks in the US, and many historical
monuments.

Both Washington and New Orleans are interesting for visits, but
Washington isn't terribly typical of urban life because it's the
capital, with all the attendant political scene. New Orleans, outside of
the rather touristy central districts wasn't all that interesting to me.

Barbara

In article ,
Barbara Vaughan wrote:

Hans-Christian Grosz wrote:

Also, another trip might bring me some days to New Orleans or
Washington DC or some other nice city in the eastern states. I wonder
which might be a good choice, for reasons like historical,
architectural value, getting an impression of urban lifestyle or
similar.

I suggest Philadelphia, [...]

That would be one of my suggestions, also, along with Boston. Both are
old cities (by American standards :-) with historical sights dating back
to colonial times.

I'll also go along with Eric in suggesting Chicago, if it's "eastern"
enough for you. It's different from the East Coast cities because it
didn't start to grow until the mid 1800s, so it has practically no
colonial-era history except for the French explorers who passed through
the area. Chicago is about industry and commerce and transportation
(especially railroads) and waves of immigrants from all over, some staying
to work in the stockyards and factories, others moving on to the West.
If you go there, in addition to visiting the Art Institute and the Museum
of Science and Industry, make sure you visit the Chicago Historical
Society museum. And get away from the Loop area and visit some of the
outlying neighborhoods.

--
Jon Bell Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA