Hi,
This is long-one - get comfy. Apologies in advance if I%26#39;m rambling; I%26#39;ve been up since 7am Monday and I%26#39;m trying to stay up until normal time.
My girlfriend and I were celebrating 10 years together with a week in New York, last time we were there was 2005 for New Year.
Sunday 18th we flew at 5pm from Newcastle to Gatwick, stayed on terminal at the Sofitel. I can really reccomend this approach for anyone in the North, we had a quick flight then a nice spot of dinner before an early night. We got up around 8am, had some breakfast then walked straight across the terminal building to check-in.
Monday 19th - We were flying with Delta and because of the closure of JFK a couple of days before due to bad weather we had to wait in massive check-in queues. When we finally checked-in, we had to wait in another massive queue to clear security. We%26#39;d just got through security when we heard an announcement closing the gate; it was around a 10 minute walk and we set-off. By the time we reached the gate, they were calling a final call for us and around 8 other passengers. We%26#39;d been in the terminal for 3 hours, and we were quite flustered to say the least.
Flight was fine, food was good, seat pitch and width were better than normal but it was an old plane so no seat-back TV etc. Staff were excellent; read my book and had a snooze.
Landed around 3pm at JFK - cleared security straight away, bags were ready and we got a taxi within minutes. It took around 45 minutes to reach the Affinia 50 in midtown east (3rd %26amp; 50th).
Checked straight in to the hotel, I%26#39;d requested something with a street view because I love to people watch, got the 5th floor, was quite noisy because it was close to the street but that didn%26#39;t bother us as we%26#39;re heavy sleepers. The hotel was really good, we got a good rate from hotelopia and had no problems with anything. Rooms were nice and new, and quite large, although we didn%26#39;t have a kitchenette. We had a quick shower and we headed for a walk-around the blocks near our hotel; ended up in Times square as we bought a couple of 7 day metro cards ($24 each) and wanted to try them out. Grabbed a sandwich from a non-descript place which we%26#39;d eaten at on a previous trip.
Tuesday 20th - This was a dedicated shopping day; I got some real bargains from Filenes on 6th Avenue. I got a Calvin Klein jacket for $40, a Kenneth Cole leather jacket for $100. Did Macy%26#39;s etc. We started with breakfast at Pershing square - It was good, but, in-fairness it was over-priced; we paid something in the region of $60 for bacon eggs/ 4 x orange juice / coffee and french toast (including tip).
Still stuffed off breakfast so we skipped lunch - we had tickets for a taping of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. We had to arrive around 3pm and we queued in the cold until around 5pm - It was over extremely quickly, but we throughly enjoyed it, we really got caught up and Jon is extremely funny. He had a hillarious warm-up act Paul Mecurio who basically offended everyone. We got out around 6:45 and headed over to the Lowes on 34th street to catch a movie. We came out of the movie and caught the subway back to our hotel, stopping off at an all-night deli (Azure on 3rd Avenue) for sandwiches.
Wednesday 21st - This was a day my girlfriend organised for us; She started at Sarabeths on the upper-west side; again another nice breakfast but a little overpriced. We went from here (via a stop at another Filenes where I picked up some really cheap Calvin Klein and Kenneth Cole shirts and jumpers) to the South Street Seaport. This was nice for a walk-around, got some dipped strawberries from Godiva and ate them on the pier. We then headed to Grimaldis via the subway, pretty easy to find; we wanted to use the water taxi but it wasn%26#39;t running. Grimaldis was great pizza, we were trully stuffed, but still found space for a trip to the Brooklyn Ice cream factory. Took some photos around DUMBO and Brooklyn heights then the plan was to walk back across the Brooklyn bridge but it was so cold we opted for a taxi. We had the taxi drop us across the bridge at City Hall then we took a subway back to the hotel. We%26#39;d done a lot of walking and eating so we had a nap which lasted longer than we expected; at 10pm!!! We left the hotel and walked to the Apple store on 5th avenue which is open 24hours. We sent some emails and did a bit of restraunt research. We ended back at Azure for some late night sandwiches.
Thursday 22nd - We had a long lie-in and skipped breakfast; we headed across to Becco for the pasta special around midday. It was really nice, the food was good and it wasn%26#39;t expensive, we sat and watched/listened to this really old guy trying to chat up this young girl who appeared to be there for an interview. We did a bit more shopping then went back to the hotel. As we%26#39;d overslept the night before and didn%26#39;t get a chance to go out to my girlfriend%26#39;s choice for food we went down to the East Village to Pauls Place for a burger - It was really good but I felt as if I%26#39;d knocked 10 years off my life!!!! The place wasn%26#39;t much to look at but it really was the best burger I%26#39;ve ever had. Burger topped with mushrooms, onions, cheese and a fried egg. All in it cost us around $30 for us both.
Friday 23rd - This was my day that I%26#39;d organised for us, and it packs a little suprise. We started at breakfast in NoHo Star - It was good and really convient for us on the subway. From here we went to the Brooklyn bridge and met Marc Samuels from Phototrek Tours. We had a two hour tour taking in the B Bridge, China Town, Mulberry Street, Grand Central, Times Square, Rockerfeller Centre, Trump Tower and ending in Central Park. As we left Rockerfeller it started to rain, which was a little dissapointing, but the photos still came out great. Marc really knows New York and he%26#39;s got a real New York attitude; he told us loads of great facts and really looked after us. I%26#39;d then plan to go back to the Rockerfella Centre to Top of the Rock and propose but the rain was bucketing down and we were in a really nice quiet spot in Central Park so I just kneeled in the mud and popped the question right there. We then hightailed it back to the hotel to dry-off. I%26#39;d made reservations for China Grill and we went there at 8pm; The food was absolutley brilliant and so was the service. It was our most expensive meal at $250 including a 25% tip (this was without wine or alcohol as neither of us drink) but it was well worth it. We took a taxi to the movie theatre and caught a late film. We got the subway back to the hotel around 1am.
Saturday 24th - This was another shopping / relaxing day. We made the awful mistake of going to the Stage Deli. The service was appauling - our waitress barely looked at us; at point she gestured for me to hand her the menus instead of picking them from the table or asking me to hand them to her; she just flicked her hand at me! The food was even worse; it all looked as if it had come from a packet or a tin. We paid the extorniate bill (two sandwiches / two milk shakes / two cokes = $55) and didn%26#39;t leave a tip - I was hoping she was going to ask why but she didn%26#39;t.
Sunday 25th - This was getting ready to come home, we did a bit of packing, did some last minute gift shopping, had lunch at Lombardis (the pizza was good but not Grimaldis good) and then went to the Sopranos%26#39; tour. The tour was 4 hours long and was extremely in-depth - we toured a lot of the locations and there was a trivia quiz. I%26#39;ve seen every episode to date but stood no chance - some of the people on the tour must live and breathe it to answer as a quick as they did. We met Vito from the show and went inside the Bada-Bing which is a real gentlemans club in New Jersey. After the coach dropped us back in Manhattan we went back to the hotel had a quick shower and change and headed to Jaiya for Thai food. The food was really good and it was really cheap; it was really hot but the staff were on hand with water! We went to the movies again then called it a night around 1am.
Monday 26th - Travel day got a taxi around 1pm for a 6:40pm flight - totally overestimated the time needed to get checked in (after the Gatwick problems). Got through to JFK in less than 40 minutes, checked in using the self-check in, cleared security in 5 minutes and sat in the departure lounge for far too long. Flight was un-eventful, didn%26#39;t have the food, staff were excellent.
Overall we had a great time - We had some good food, some great food and some brilliant service. New Yorkers as always were helpful without being overbearing and we felt totally safe travelling around, even after midnight. The weather was ever-changing, we had days that were so cold I thought I%26#39;d never be warm again, we had days where I was walking around in just my tee-shirt and jeans. The shopping was excellent, we found some great bargains. We used the subway a lot more this time and did even more walking, we took cabs from time-to-time, the driving doesn%26#39;t get any better. Last time we stayed down at ground zero which was a quiet location over Christmas, it made a difference being in midtown, it was a lot quicker to get where we needed to be, I didn%26#39;t appreciate how much of an affect this had on our day.
In case anyone is wondering, my girlfriend accpeted my proposal and we intend to take our close family back over Christmas this year for a December 29th wedding if we can find a venue.
Long trip report 19th / 26th March 2007Congratulations!! And thanks for the report!
Long trip report 19th / 26th March 2007Sheesh...you left us hanging until the very end to find out her answer!
Sounds like you had a great time! Thanks for sharing.
What took you so long? Ten years!!! Now you%26#39;ll have lots of time to plan the wedding. You should start looking around now for hotels. You might be in for a bit of sticker shock when you see what it%26#39;s going to cost at holiday time.
I thought all the rooms at the Affinia had a kitchenette. Sounds like you were surprised that you didn%26#39;t have one. Did you know when you made the reservation?
I guess you%26#39;re movie fans!
Congratulations! Very romantic. Last week while on Spring Break in Florida, I watched two weddings on the beach from our hotel room. It was a lovely treat. Brrr...Why December?
Enjoyed your report. Thanks.
You were there at the same time as us! We also flew down to Gatwick but stayed at the PTI just across from the Sofitel - it is so close isn%26#39;t it?
I can%26#39;t believe you subtly slipped in the proposal without warning us. Fab news that she said yes though, I look forward to hearing about the wedding plans!
We walked over Brooklyn Bridge the Sunday before you were going to and funnily enough it was actually really warm on the bridge itself. Next time though eh?
Oh and phototrek tours was something I%26#39;d looked into. Glad it worked out, it%26#39;d be great to see the photos if you can post them.
Congratulations to you both!!
Congratulations and best wishes, but after 10 years it should be easy going.
So I have a couple of questions:
Did you enjoy the Soprano%26#39;s Tour?
What movies did you see?
Congratulations on the engagement! And thank you for the trip report.
I have a question about Affinia 50. I%26#39;m assuming you had a ';guest room'; booked and not a suite. I also have a ';guest room'; booked for June. Did you have a king or 2 queens? We have a 2 queen room booked and am a little worried it will be tiny. We will have 4 females sharing.
Thanks!
Congratulations, and good luck with the wedding planning.A great report,enjoyed all of it. It%26#39;s a shame that BA aren%26#39;t flying from NCL to Gatwick any more ( the airline that have taken over the route have a silly baggage allowance for an NY trip;-)
congratulations!! :o)
Great trip report Andrew.
Congratulations to you both and what a romantic proposal. I%26#39;m not saying anything - we were together almost 10 years before we got maried - well, you have to make sure dont you?? ;-)
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