Crew Cuts

New York
Each month, one of our AirTran Airways Crew Members talks to us about a place that is close to their heart.

words by > Sam Polcer

Everybody experiences New York City a little bit differently. No other city in the world is as diverse and dense in terms of what it can offer a person culturally. Thousands of visitors walk its streets and immerse themselves in its vitality every day, but, for the eight million people lucky enough to live there, it provides endless opportunities to experience something new without ever having to leave. Robert McAdams, Jr., station manager for AirTran Airways at LaGuardia and White Plains airports in New York, is one of them.

Out-of-Towners

“Every time I take somebody or a group out to the city, I always find something different that I’ve never noticed before—it’s always a learning experience for me,” says McAdams. Seeing the city through a first-time visitor’s eyes can soften even the most hardened seen-this, done-that resident’s perspective, but it’s hard to know where to go. Fortunately, there are a number of tours that give you a good place to start. On the Gray Line bus tour (www.grayline. com), “you can get on and off the bus when you want, so you’re not stuck with everybody else,” McAdams says. “You can go at your own pace, which is very nice.” Want to see the whole island? Examine it from the outside on the Circle Line tour (www.circleline.com), which provides a range of boat tours up to three hours long. It’s touristy, but for some people, McAdams says, “it’s the perfect amount of sights in the perfect amount of time.”

For visitors and residents alike, the holiday season in New York is like no other. From the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall (www.radiocity.com) to the tree at Rockefeller Center (www..rockefellercenter.com) to the storefronts at Macy’s (www.macys.com), “it’s very festive.” says McAdams.

Kid City

Stores like the legendary FAO Schwartz (www.fao.com) make New York a city for kids of all ages. “I take my nephew there,” McAdams says, “but it’s for the both of us, as anyone who remembers the movie Big with Tom Hanks knows.” Kids will also appreciate The Lion King on Broadway (www.broadway.com). “I highly recommend it,” says McAdams. If all else fails, take ‘em to a game; New York has some of the most exciting professional sports teams on the planet. Looking forward to spring, McAdams says, “I go to as many Yankees (www.yankees.com) games as possible.”

Ciao, Chow

New York offers countless dining options and a variety that is arguably the most extensive in the world. McAdams, who enjoys Italian food more than any other cuisine, recommends San Pietro (www..sanpietro.net), in midtown Manhattan. “Two brothers own it. They import 85% of their ingredients directly from Italy.” It can boast that it was once named the best Italian restaurant outside of Italy by the Italian government. Across the 59th Street Bridge, in the Astoria section of Queens, is Ponticello (www.ponticelloristorante.com), an Italian restaurant that is perhaps McAdams’ favorite. “In all the years I’ve been going there, I’ve never had a bad meal,” he says. For a family-style meal, try La Mela (www..lamelarestaurant.com), in Little Italy, where, for $32, “they just keep throwing food at you—its unreal. It’s a lot of fun.”