A
female
age
51-59,
*earkelja
writes:Ok, this is not a relationship problem. I want to take my daughter on a vacation this summer and I have two choices. Either Los Angelos where we will have to rent a car but we can go to the beaches and also go shopping on rodeo drive (mind you we won't be buying anything!!) The other choice is to go to New York City. I've always wanted to go there and look at all the history, go shopping, see the empire state building, etc. I am concerned that it will not be safe for the two of us. Of course, me driving in California may not be safe either... I'd like some opinions from the gang.thanks[Moderator's note. Any discriminative messages (towards the general populations especially) will not be accepted, thank you!] Reply to this Question
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (18 February 2008): I guess if I was a kid maybe I would like the beach more? I think...But from a educational/intellectual standpoint, it would probably be best to take her to NYC. Its probably cooler and richer in culture and history. You can go to the MET and look at real life van goghs and ancient egyptian statues. Its right next to the park so you can take a walk in the park which is so beautiful and historical. There is a restaurant in the park called the Boathouse and it is so nice to go to in the summer cause its right on the lake. Its kind of pricey though. And go to Museum of natural History and look at the dinosaur fossils and the planetarium. Check out ground zero. Look at the statue of liberty. Climb to the top of empire state. Get real authentic brick oven pizza at Lombardi's, the best pizzeria in the world. NYC has the best bakery's. Magnolia and City Bakery are phenomenal. As for shopping, I usually did my shopping downtown along Broadway. It is filled with lots of boutiques and stores with great prices. And I am sure you've heard of Canal street where you can buy knock offs. I just got two beautiful bags from there for under $100. The only thing I would tell you to stay away from is Times Square. Its really congested and the crowds are not too nice. And it gets REALLY hot in NYC in the summer so dress appropriately. And it is very windy so don't wear too many skirts. I don't know. I could go on. But all I know is I lived in the city for six years and I have heard of more crime since I left and moved to the suburbs than I ever heard of in NYC. It is a REALLY safe place. In the year since I moved to a different state in the suburbs I have heard of four different murders, in one year. In six years in nyc I never heard of even one. I mean of course you hear of some crime like getting mugged but rarely does that happen, especially not in the areas you'll be. And I would be more worried for my safety outside of NYC than in the city itself. Its funny cause most new yorkers are way more afraid of the world outside nyc than they are of the city. You don't ever hear of horrible crime in the city. Maybe back in the 70's and 80's, but the city is totally different now. It got cleaned up a long time ago and its very safe. The scariest thing you will definitely see is a rat. There's lots of those. But that's about it.
A
female
reader, dearkelja +, writes (18 February 2008):
dearkelja is verified as being by the original poster of the question GrimmReality, I've been to Chicago many times over and yes, it is a great city. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Thank you all of you. I am going to take all of your advice, especially anonymous female and look at some of the tourist type tours. My daughter is 16 and I am sure if your daughter loves it, she will too.
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (18 February 2008): New york cityyyyyyyy
im 22, and i would love to go to new york, omg the shopping!!! i would love to visit manhattan, and my fave tv show is 'sex and the city' i dont know if you have seen this...but they have a 'sex and the city' tour of new york, and they take you to all the sites, you can usually book this through travel agents, (sex and the city movie is out in may, watch it, some episodes are on you tube)..but yep..i will calm down now, but seriously..New york...:)
God bless xx
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A
male
reader, GrimmReality +, writes (17 February 2008):
 Neither..Try Chicago! Much better architecture, much richer history than either of those two cities. Much better food than either New York or Los Angeles by far!
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A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (17 February 2008): Crime is everywhere in all the big cities worldwide. What you must not do, "is not worry about things that have not occurred yet". I too worry about the safety of my friends and family when I take them on vacations or trips overseas, but I enjoy the atmosphere of the place I'm visiting. Remember.....millions of people visit New York and Los Angeles every year and very few tourist get victimized by crime. It does happen and I pray that it does not happen to you, but don't let it worry you at all.
Be cautious and ever mindful, but enjoy the city, no matter which one you choose. Good Luck!
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (17 February 2008): Hi i answered earlier and I meant to add, don't some city tourist boards have official tour guides who can show you around and help you avoid any 'hotspots'.
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A
male
reader, rcn +, writes (17 February 2008):
 I would say either one. Whatever you choose to do. I'm not going to tell you not to error on the side of caution, but I've found big cities are just big cities. People talk about the violence and the gangs. They do exist. The key is knowing where you're going. Mapping out your directions from point a- point b. You don't want to be taking a sight seeing drive and all though it looks ok, you end up in the wrong neighborhood. Always be assure of your surroundings. I watched a show last year. They had a female who just went about her day, and a guy followed her for a couple of days. Was sitting where she worked drinking coffee, was right behind her everywhere she went, then at the end he brought her flowers to her home playing as a delivery person. She claimed when she received the flowers, that's the first time she'd ever seen him and was quite shocked to find out he was her shaddow for the past few days.
Be causious and plan your events.
Take care, and have a good trip.
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (17 February 2008): Hi I've not been to either place but would love to go to both! What a wonderful travel opportunity for your daughter. I have been invited to California this summer or a wedding and I am assured it is a lovely place and is quite safe. My daughter's school has done a New York trip each year for the past few years and my daughter is going on it for the first time in March. There are are female teachers going (it's a single sex school) and the students are going to have a couple of mornings to go off shopping on their own without the teachers, in between the educational visits to the galleries/museums/times square etc. My daughter is 16 and will be with a group of other 16 year olds. They are staying at hotel pennsylvania which apparently is quite safe and I've googled it and checked it out a bit and looked at the surrounding areas/facilities on google earth as well. I have a few female friends who have gone on female only visits to New York and been quite safe and absolutely loved it and found it really interesting and of course loved the shopping!! I am sure if you get a lonely planet or similar recommended guide and read up on the safety advice in there for that particular city and follow the usual common sense safety advice for any women travelling in strange cities/places, you will be fine. I guess it's like any place you go in the world, there will be bits that are safer than others. I live in London, which is a fabulous city (I think!) and there are parts that are more risky than others but as a tourist you will be visiting places with other tourists where there is good security and tourist information available. There is probably loads of safety info on google re NYC hols. I've run out of steam now but hope this helps. Have a great time xx
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