HOT Time in NYC and Long Island
Jul 24th, 2011 | 02:19 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,309
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HOT Time in NYC and Long Island
I don't know that I can impart any valuble nougats of information especially on NYC but I always feel guilty when I go somewhere after asking for info here and then I don't post a report!
My husband had to attend a two hour meeting on Long island on Thursday and I have been whining about the lack of travel opportunities in my life lately so I guess he figured he better ask me to go or have to listen to me complain. We live on the west coast and have only been to NY once ten years ago. After checking flights using points for first class tickets we decided to fly into La Guardia on Tuesday and take Wednesday to look around Long Island. The meeting was Thursday morning so we planned to take the train into Manhattan. We booked our return flight out of Newark of Saturday. I initially was disappointed we were not staying another day but it wound up being okay in the end.
We left Orange County bright and early Tuesday morning with a connection in Minneapolis flying Delta. As we approached the Twin Cities I felt the plane start the descent and then I felt it turn and start to go back up and shortly afterwards the pilot came on and explained that the airport in Minneapolis was completly closed down due to a huge thuderstorm so we were on our way to Sioux Falls SD to take on fuel and wait out the storm. We were the first flight diverted there so we would be the first to get fuel and the first back out when MSP opened. We kept our fingers crossed that our connecting flight would also be delayed enough that we would make it but it wasn't so we were left to the powers that be to be rebooked on another flight. The flight attendant announced we should go to the the service desk at a specific gate so we headed there and got in line only to find out the service desk was actually around the corner from the gate. The service desk told us we were "stand by" for the 5pm flight. DH had checked the website and there were first class seats open so he asked why we couldn't be assigned those seats and she said "the computer says you are stand by and you will have seats assigned at the gate." Ugh. DH called the 800# and explained and the agent assigned us the seats. We now had what turned out to be six hours to kill in the aiport due to delays. Normally we would have been annoyed but as we were waiting in Sioux Falls we thought of the crash that happened there years ago and we also received a text update on a friend who is in a serious battle for her life. Nothing like a little perspective.
We finally made it to LaGuardia at around midnight. I had the hotel arrange a town car but cancelled it when our flight plans changed. My husband is 6'7" and a big guy which is why we book 1st class and use town cars vs cabs if we have a long trip. We got in the huge cab line but DH noticed some town cars waiting at the curb and he decided to go check them out. I saw him taliking with the driver and then he waved me over. We got in and told the driver our hotel in Long Island was the Garden City Hotel. The guy's English was a bit limited and he was talking on his phone and it soon became apparent that he had actually been waiting for another customer and was confused when DH approached him thinking this was the guy he was waiting for. What ensued then was a hilarious series of calls between one of his buddies that he sent to get the missed pickup and the waiting customer, with our driver trying to make it look like he was still picking the guy up! He kept saying "yes, yes, I am almost there, what are you wearing? where are you standing?" Then he would switch over to his buddy and relay the info. I think he was relieved that we were joking with him about the situation. He put the hotel address into his GPS and off we went. We found out he was from Cuencas Ecuador and he was impressed when I knew that it was a town in the mountains and that it was a University city. My husband was also surprised at my knowledge at geography. I explained the source of my knowledge was an episode of HGTV's House Hunters International!
After a few GPS wacky directions we finally made it to the Garden City Hotel a little after 1pm. We picked this place because it was close to the meeting and we got a corporate rate. I checked Trip Advisor and all of the hotels on the list we had that offered corporate rates and were close to the meeting we a toss up. The hotel is directly across the street from a Long Island Railroad station which is a plus. When I looked at the hotel website I got the impression it was a historical hotel but after looking at the hotel directory it is just built on the site of a historical hotel. It was built in the late 70's early 80"s and I don't think anything had been done to update it since then. It needs a major remodel but it was clean, had comfortable beds and the common areas were all nice if somewhat dated.
Our original plan had been to get up and pick up our rental car by ten the next morning but after our delays we didn't get to sleep until 2pm so we wound up getting a late start. When we walked out of the hotel to pick up the rental car we were hit by a wall of hot humid air and knew we were noting walking to the rental car office. It was about 95. I booked an SUV which the Budget website said Jeep Cherokee or Ford Edge. DH has problems fitting in cars so I was hoping to get the Jeep because he fits in one. I even called the day before and asked about it but the women was very unhelpul and just wanted to get off the call. I knew it was her wehn we got to the counter. After her unpleasant service we were finally on the road at about 1:30, much later than intended. I decided to scrap the plans we had and just head for Jones Beach which was suggested by several Fodorites. We made it there and bought entrance and drove around. It was kind of overcast and still really humid and hot so we wound up just driving north on the Montauk highway. We enjoyed driving through all of the quaint little towns because it is so different than what we see in Southern California. We finally stopped for a late lunch in Sayville at the Cull House. It was a little hole in the wall place that looked like a local hangout. We had a delicious crab roll and a lobster grilled cheese sandwhich. I was actually surprised at how far we had gone and I think if we had an earler start we could have made it to the Hamptons. We turned around and headed back because a coworker was flying in that evening and we were meeting for dinner, We had our Ecuadorian town car buddy pick up our friend at La Guardia as his price was not too much more than cabfare. We also decided to have him pick us all up after the meeting and drop off our coworker for her return flight and then take us into Manhattan. We met up with out friend and decided to have pizza at the Grimaldi's pizza place near our hotel. It was still really humid but it cooled down enough to eat outside. Grimaldis is supposed to be one of the better pizza places in NYC and this branch got good reviews on Yelp. It was good pizza but none of us were wowed by it. We walked back to the hotel and enjoyed looking at the beautiful old homes in the area.
The next day we moved on to Manhattan in time to arrive with the worst heat wave in many years. We stayed at the Renaissance New York Hotel 57 and we were very happy with the place. It is on 57th and Lexington so it was convenient to shopping, Central Park and lots of great restaurants. We had a junior suite which was small but nicely laid out and decorated. Really nice bathroom with a large shower. It had a nice large flat screen tv but I was shocked they didn't offer in room movies. I know it's NYC and there is plenty of entertainment but it was so damn hot we wound up coming back to our room after walking to the Carnegie Deli because I was afraid DH was going to get heat stroke! We made the mistake of ordering a whole sandwich each so that made the walk even more uncomfortable! They were delicious but the size of head! Normally we would have walked all over checking things out but it was just too hot. A movie in the room would have been a good diversion. We didn't even eant to go to the rooftop bar for a drink! We wound up walking to a nearby Japanese place for dinner selected only for convenience and it was less than stellar.
The next day we took a cab to the American Museum of Natural History (my choice would have been the Met to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit but DH had zero interest in that!) We wanted to see the Largest Dinosaur exhibit but they announced it was sold out right as we got to the ticket counter. We picked The Brain exhibit, which was nothing too exciting, so we buzzed through and went to see several other areas. It was packed but it was cool inside ane we found plenty to look at. Outside we spent quite awhile trying yo hail a cab as it was 104 out and with the humidy factor it felt like 113! We went back to the hotel and cooled off. The air worked great! We had appetizers and drinks in the restaurant in the lobby and it was very good. The had a truffle mac and cheese that we split along with a cheese and fruit tray. The staff in the hotel and restaurant were all very friendly and helpful. The doorman was passing out bottled water to everyone to help people keep hydrated.
We had reservations that night at the Blue Note to see Earl Klugh who is a guitar player that my husband likes. We both really enjoyed the show. We had great seats and the AC kept it cool in the crowd. neither of us were familiar with his band but we were treated to a great show and were especially impressed with the sax/flute player David Rangell. He did a song called "Sonora" that he whistled that was amazing. Check him out on You Tube!
The next day we headed home, looking forward to the 75 degree Southern California weather! I normally would have hated the short visit but it really was not the kind of weather that was condusive to walking around in the city. I can't wait to go back in better weather!
My husband had to attend a two hour meeting on Long island on Thursday and I have been whining about the lack of travel opportunities in my life lately so I guess he figured he better ask me to go or have to listen to me complain. We live on the west coast and have only been to NY once ten years ago. After checking flights using points for first class tickets we decided to fly into La Guardia on Tuesday and take Wednesday to look around Long Island. The meeting was Thursday morning so we planned to take the train into Manhattan. We booked our return flight out of Newark of Saturday. I initially was disappointed we were not staying another day but it wound up being okay in the end.
We left Orange County bright and early Tuesday morning with a connection in Minneapolis flying Delta. As we approached the Twin Cities I felt the plane start the descent and then I felt it turn and start to go back up and shortly afterwards the pilot came on and explained that the airport in Minneapolis was completly closed down due to a huge thuderstorm so we were on our way to Sioux Falls SD to take on fuel and wait out the storm. We were the first flight diverted there so we would be the first to get fuel and the first back out when MSP opened. We kept our fingers crossed that our connecting flight would also be delayed enough that we would make it but it wasn't so we were left to the powers that be to be rebooked on another flight. The flight attendant announced we should go to the the service desk at a specific gate so we headed there and got in line only to find out the service desk was actually around the corner from the gate. The service desk told us we were "stand by" for the 5pm flight. DH had checked the website and there were first class seats open so he asked why we couldn't be assigned those seats and she said "the computer says you are stand by and you will have seats assigned at the gate." Ugh. DH called the 800# and explained and the agent assigned us the seats. We now had what turned out to be six hours to kill in the aiport due to delays. Normally we would have been annoyed but as we were waiting in Sioux Falls we thought of the crash that happened there years ago and we also received a text update on a friend who is in a serious battle for her life. Nothing like a little perspective.
We finally made it to LaGuardia at around midnight. I had the hotel arrange a town car but cancelled it when our flight plans changed. My husband is 6'7" and a big guy which is why we book 1st class and use town cars vs cabs if we have a long trip. We got in the huge cab line but DH noticed some town cars waiting at the curb and he decided to go check them out. I saw him taliking with the driver and then he waved me over. We got in and told the driver our hotel in Long Island was the Garden City Hotel. The guy's English was a bit limited and he was talking on his phone and it soon became apparent that he had actually been waiting for another customer and was confused when DH approached him thinking this was the guy he was waiting for. What ensued then was a hilarious series of calls between one of his buddies that he sent to get the missed pickup and the waiting customer, with our driver trying to make it look like he was still picking the guy up! He kept saying "yes, yes, I am almost there, what are you wearing? where are you standing?" Then he would switch over to his buddy and relay the info. I think he was relieved that we were joking with him about the situation. He put the hotel address into his GPS and off we went. We found out he was from Cuencas Ecuador and he was impressed when I knew that it was a town in the mountains and that it was a University city. My husband was also surprised at my knowledge at geography. I explained the source of my knowledge was an episode of HGTV's House Hunters International!
After a few GPS wacky directions we finally made it to the Garden City Hotel a little after 1pm. We picked this place because it was close to the meeting and we got a corporate rate. I checked Trip Advisor and all of the hotels on the list we had that offered corporate rates and were close to the meeting we a toss up. The hotel is directly across the street from a Long Island Railroad station which is a plus. When I looked at the hotel website I got the impression it was a historical hotel but after looking at the hotel directory it is just built on the site of a historical hotel. It was built in the late 70's early 80"s and I don't think anything had been done to update it since then. It needs a major remodel but it was clean, had comfortable beds and the common areas were all nice if somewhat dated.
Our original plan had been to get up and pick up our rental car by ten the next morning but after our delays we didn't get to sleep until 2pm so we wound up getting a late start. When we walked out of the hotel to pick up the rental car we were hit by a wall of hot humid air and knew we were noting walking to the rental car office. It was about 95. I booked an SUV which the Budget website said Jeep Cherokee or Ford Edge. DH has problems fitting in cars so I was hoping to get the Jeep because he fits in one. I even called the day before and asked about it but the women was very unhelpul and just wanted to get off the call. I knew it was her wehn we got to the counter. After her unpleasant service we were finally on the road at about 1:30, much later than intended. I decided to scrap the plans we had and just head for Jones Beach which was suggested by several Fodorites. We made it there and bought entrance and drove around. It was kind of overcast and still really humid and hot so we wound up just driving north on the Montauk highway. We enjoyed driving through all of the quaint little towns because it is so different than what we see in Southern California. We finally stopped for a late lunch in Sayville at the Cull House. It was a little hole in the wall place that looked like a local hangout. We had a delicious crab roll and a lobster grilled cheese sandwhich. I was actually surprised at how far we had gone and I think if we had an earler start we could have made it to the Hamptons. We turned around and headed back because a coworker was flying in that evening and we were meeting for dinner, We had our Ecuadorian town car buddy pick up our friend at La Guardia as his price was not too much more than cabfare. We also decided to have him pick us all up after the meeting and drop off our coworker for her return flight and then take us into Manhattan. We met up with out friend and decided to have pizza at the Grimaldi's pizza place near our hotel. It was still really humid but it cooled down enough to eat outside. Grimaldis is supposed to be one of the better pizza places in NYC and this branch got good reviews on Yelp. It was good pizza but none of us were wowed by it. We walked back to the hotel and enjoyed looking at the beautiful old homes in the area.
The next day we moved on to Manhattan in time to arrive with the worst heat wave in many years. We stayed at the Renaissance New York Hotel 57 and we were very happy with the place. It is on 57th and Lexington so it was convenient to shopping, Central Park and lots of great restaurants. We had a junior suite which was small but nicely laid out and decorated. Really nice bathroom with a large shower. It had a nice large flat screen tv but I was shocked they didn't offer in room movies. I know it's NYC and there is plenty of entertainment but it was so damn hot we wound up coming back to our room after walking to the Carnegie Deli because I was afraid DH was going to get heat stroke! We made the mistake of ordering a whole sandwich each so that made the walk even more uncomfortable! They were delicious but the size of head! Normally we would have walked all over checking things out but it was just too hot. A movie in the room would have been a good diversion. We didn't even eant to go to the rooftop bar for a drink! We wound up walking to a nearby Japanese place for dinner selected only for convenience and it was less than stellar.
The next day we took a cab to the American Museum of Natural History (my choice would have been the Met to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit but DH had zero interest in that!) We wanted to see the Largest Dinosaur exhibit but they announced it was sold out right as we got to the ticket counter. We picked The Brain exhibit, which was nothing too exciting, so we buzzed through and went to see several other areas. It was packed but it was cool inside ane we found plenty to look at. Outside we spent quite awhile trying yo hail a cab as it was 104 out and with the humidy factor it felt like 113! We went back to the hotel and cooled off. The air worked great! We had appetizers and drinks in the restaurant in the lobby and it was very good. The had a truffle mac and cheese that we split along with a cheese and fruit tray. The staff in the hotel and restaurant were all very friendly and helpful. The doorman was passing out bottled water to everyone to help people keep hydrated.
We had reservations that night at the Blue Note to see Earl Klugh who is a guitar player that my husband likes. We both really enjoyed the show. We had great seats and the AC kept it cool in the crowd. neither of us were familiar with his band but we were treated to a great show and were especially impressed with the sax/flute player David Rangell. He did a song called "Sonora" that he whistled that was amazing. Check him out on You Tube!
The next day we headed home, looking forward to the 75 degree Southern California weather! I normally would have hated the short visit but it really was not the kind of weather that was condusive to walking around in the city. I can't wait to go back in better weather!
Jul 25th, 2011 | 05:07 AM
#5
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,267
Likes: 0
Nice report, I was following you around on Friday, was also at the Museum of Natural History, saw the dinosaurs, you didn't miss much, it was a very small exhibit and not that exciting. We then were down in the village and saw an off broadway play called Play Dead, very entertaining. Yes, it was very hot moving around on Friday, but I'll take it over snow any day 
Jul 25th, 2011 | 05:08 AM
#6
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,886
Likes: 0
Great report, SeeHag! I loved this:
" I explained the source of my knowledge was an episode of HGTV's House Hunters International!"
I'm a HH addict too!
Hope you can visit again soon in cooler weather; NYC has wonderful neighborhoods to leisurely explore on foot.
" I explained the source of my knowledge was an episode of HGTV's House Hunters International!"
I'm a HH addict too!
Hope you can visit again soon in cooler weather; NYC has wonderful neighborhoods to leisurely explore on foot.
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Jul 25th, 2011 | 05:50 AM
#9
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,309
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I forgot to add that one of the things my husband did enjoy about the heat was the bevy of attractive young women in summer dresses. I made the comment that more of young women wore cute summer dresses than we see in Southern California and he smiled and said "Yes, I was noticing that too!" Even in the heat, the women still look chic. Well, not all of them! I was so hot I even broke my own "no shorts, no short sleeves" rule.
I have to go back because I didn't get to shop at all! It killed me to see Bloomingdales and Barneys were so close but I didn't have time or the stamina to get there! I think I need a girls trip there!
I have to go back because I didn't get to shop at all! It killed me to see Bloomingdales and Barneys were so close but I didn't have time or the stamina to get there! I think I need a girls trip there!
Jul 25th, 2011 | 07:11 AM
#10
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,886
Likes: 0
Everyone needs a girls' trip to New York City. If budget's a concern visit in mid-January, Feb. and March when hotel prices, historically, are lower. No guarantees for this year, however; hotels have been very expensive these days.
Jul 25th, 2011 | 11:44 AM
#11
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 149
Likes: 0
When I was studying Spanish via Pimsleur CD's one of the sentences I learned was "It is always bad weather in New York in January." Yes, January and February are usually too cold and snowy, and, well, July-August you know about now--if you did not before.
