when we visited new york we stayed on the jersey side, just like last time. less expensive, easier when coming by car, a bit more quiet and a nice skyline when walking home... :) this time we found a place through airbnb; not a hotel, but someone's apartment! the place was not the best, but well, what more do you need than just a place to sleep when in NY? we stayed at the 32nd floor, i never slept that high up before! :) (for dutch it would be the 30th floor; here ground floor is 1st and they skip the 13th). unfortunately we did not have a view on manhattan, but on new jersey, as above. you can see the entrance to the holland tunnel. in the holland tunnel you have only 2 lanes, so during rush hour the road towards the tunnel is very congested, as you can see!
the name holland tunnel has nothing to do with the netherlands, as i always assumed. it was named after Clifford Milburn Holland, chief engineer on the project, who died before the tunnel was completed in 1927. wikipedia also tells me that the tunnel remained closed for all traffic for nearly a month after 9/11. until november 2003, single occupant vehicles (SOVs) were prohibited in the tunnel on weekday mornings between 6:00 am and 10:00 am.
getting into the tunnel, from this side, costs you 8 dollars. but leaving new york through the tunnel is free! in fact, you can drive from boston to new york without paying any toll, but the opposite direction costs you nearly 20 dollars for toll roads! avoiding it will cost you a day worth of driving, instead of 4 hours.. :)
