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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on September 12, 2010 at 7:00pm

The best beaches in the United States are located on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
The tidal marshes are full of a variety of sea birds and you can see the dolphins up close.

There is lots of interesting local history and the pre-Civil War architecture is nearby in Savannah.

We also have great places to eat, a terrific jazz club and other pleasant places to relax, both during the day and at night.

We'll also be happy to give you a tour of our fire and EMS stations, headquarters, and training center if you wish.

Come see us.

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Permalink Reply by Sparky3317 on September 12, 2010 at 7:20pm

Def Ground Zero when you go to NY, Pearl Harbor when your in Honolulu, and when your in the major cities most fire departments welcome visitors with open arms.

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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on September 13, 2010 at 12:15am

Since visiting NYC this June, I would recommend the FDNY museum on Spring St. A visit by Ground Zero isn't all that cracked up to be anything right now. The area is a large construction site and you really don't see much. You can see the mural on the side of Ten House on Liberty St and a visit to St Paul's Chapel is worth it, but really seeing Ground Zero itself, there isn't much to see.

Depending on how long you plan on being in NYC, perhaps check out getting a City Pass. You can avoid most lines to some popular sights like the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Museum of Natural History, Modern Art Museaum, etc, etc, there is also a tour boat ride around the tip of Manhattan included. If you go to at least 4 attractions, it pays for itself. If you can only swing one attration to go up, I would recommend the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) over the Empire State. You have 3 levels to see the city, including the Empire State, and seemed to be less crowded. If you do plan on seeing the Statue of Liberty and hoping to go into the statue, look now to get tickets to do so, you have to book in advance to go in the statue or the base. The ferry ride was around $14.

Looking to get around, subways are very conveinant, but as most "places to see" book will say, walking is the best way to explore. It depends on where you are staying and how much time you have to check things out. One can take the subway to many of the major areas to see hotspots. Times Square has several subway stops close by and is also a good point to branch out if looking to check out Grand Central Terminal, it is a short walk to Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, St Patrick's etc. Taking the subway close to downtown area gets you close to Ground Zero, Wall St, Trinity Church, St Paul's Chapel, Battery Park, etc.

We stayed at the Staybridge Suites in Times Square when we were there. Most hotels in NYC are pricey, so expect to pay, but there are ways to go on a budget too. We got the room off of Priceline, so I couldn't say what regular room rates were. However, the rooms themselves were very nice, small, but expected, and had a small kitchen area, stove, oven, fridge, including all dishes etc. So if looking to save money on eating out, that could be an option. Eating out gets expensive too. They also had a decent breakfast each morning (we took some stuff like muffins, bagels, etc up to the room for snacks at night) They had a small reception during some weeknights with hor deurves, soft drinks, beer on tap, and wine, all included with the room rate. Like I said though, we got the room off of Priceline and another time we stayed in NYC we got the Millenium Hotel Times Square, which was also nice, but I liked the Staybridge better this last time.

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