Cilantro

I'm(well my sister and I...or my friend and I) planning on going to NYC for the day during spring break. I live in the Washington, DC area and I've heard it takes about 3-4 hours from here to NYC. The plan is to start off early in the morning...as early as possible and then get there about 10/11am, tour around for the day..then start heading back around 7/8pm. I know it's not alot of time but I plan on visiting again during the summer. I was talking to another friend of mine though who suggested that it'd be better if we went for a weekend instead. I , on the other hand think that if we go for the day, it will be more of an adventure..haha..idk..what do you think? Is it possible that we'll do anything interesting..or rather..that we'll have enough time to see a few(one.. two ..or three interesting sites)...suggestions please...thanks much! ps: Also, what's the faster route to NYC from DC if anyone knows? Amtrak?

Pandagal

The fastest route would be to fly to one of the 3 airports that serve NYC -- LaGuardia, Kennedy, or Newark. However, I recommend Amtrak. It will take you right into the heart of Manhattan and you won't have to worry about traffic or parking. If you go for the day, you should have plenty of time to see a few of the sights -- Empire State Building, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, St. Patricks Cathedral, shopping, and/or maybe a afternoon performance of a Broadway or Off-Broadway show. Don't try to go to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island -- it can take a full day to see it all. New York truly is a city that never sleeps, and there are a lot of things you can do at night, including going to shows and clubs. I remember staying until clubs closed at 4 am, the going to breakfast before heading home. If you're really adventurous, Sunday morning is a good time to go shopping on the Lower East Side. Most of the stores are closed on Saturday for the Sabbath, but they are open on Sundays. You can get some good bargains on clothes and accessories as well as linens and such. http://www.lowereastsideny.com/lesvisitorservices.htmThe great thing is that Amtrak runs trains between DC and NYC about every hour, all day and night. You can go up one morning, see some sights, have dinner, go to a show, go to a club (or have late dinner at a club), have breakfast, then get on a train and sleep on the trip back to DC. You'll have a great adventure and not have to spring for a hotel! You'll be exhausted, but you'll have an adventure to remember and the rest of the day to sleep it off.