Mini NYC trip report
 

8/7 - 11 (2 women, 2 teen girls)
Jet Blue non stop from Austin. Our flight cancelled and we took a later flight on the Airbus. First time on JB. Great ride. Nice TV's...

Midtowne East, COurtyard by Marriott. 52/ 3rd Ave. $289 per night. (AAA or AARP?) 2 queen beds. Spacious room. Comfy beds. Very friendly front desk, bellman. Concierge a minor attitude, but I just ignored it.

Wed AM St.Pats, MOMA, 5th Ave while girls get ready. Afternoon - SOHO. DInner - Paprika, East Village. VERY GOOD. Black Linquini for me. Fettucini, etc. for others. Total bill for 4 - $80, which included 2 glasses of wine.

Thrs. Statue of Liberty. Whew. A Lot of work and standing in lines to see this. We left hotel 10:45 and finished at lady liberty about 3:30. Your ticket for a specific entry time doesn't matter. The staff told me just get in line when you get there...Also, never board the ferry first on a hot, sticky summer day and go to the top deck. It was nearly unbearable as we waited while they filled the Ferry - maybe 15 - 20 minutes? I could barely breathe. (And I'm from Texas!)

Evening: Dinner at Hourglass Tavern. Horrible meal. 4.5 stars on menupages. Undercooked steak (less than rare) slimy sea bass, overcooked salmon.

The Color Purple for us, Leally Blonde for the teens. We all loved our shows. Fantasia and the whole cast were great.

Friday - woke to learn there was a storm in the AM and raining. Perfect day for Macy's! First, trip to FIT for informational session. DD will apply there this fall for next year. Macy's, Few hours there, then Filenes' basement. Great deals. Dinner at a little diner - too tired to look around. Basic diner with about 100 items on the menu. Eh. Okay.

Drinks and some music at a local pub near Marriott - Pig and Whistle.

Sat - last day. Ground Zero, Chelsea Market, brunch at Tour. Sat outside. Beautiful day. Good food. Subway to Central Park for a walk, Fifth Ave, then back to hotel to get cab to JFK for 8:30 PM flight.

Lost 3 pounds with all the walking. I love NYC!

Glad you had a nice visit and also glad you enjoyed Paprika, a neighborhood favorite of mine.

Austin:

Very nice report - love NYC and am I the only one that actually likes the diners that seem to be almost on every corner and very good value for your $'s.

Wish Jet Blue would come to St. Louis.

Thanks for posting.

Sandy

I LOVE NY diners! (Grew up in NY, and still am amazed by the length of diner menus).

One thing I've noticed at the NYC diners I've been to is that the person waiting on us is always some sort of interesting character. At the last one, it was an older gentleman, who had a dry sense of humor. I totally "got it" right away, but my daughter wasn't so sure. When he walked away, she had to ask if he was kidding... He was a dear.

People from hotter climates areoften surprised at the sunmer weather in NYC - not becaue it;s hotter and more humid - but because you're outside so much of the time.

Hot/humid doesn;t matter so much if you go from AC house to AC car to AC office or mall or theater or restaurant. But if you're spending hours outside walking around - it's can be incredibly enervating. In the summer always carry bottles of water to avoid heat sickness, and stick to the shade where possible.

What was the girls' favorite place to shop?

Austin... in another discussion about vac. rentals in NYC you mentioned having rented a place in Chelsea and you had a good experience. I'm going early in Nov. and am wondering if you could give me any contact info. on the place. I have a friend in NYC who rents out his cottage upstate... and he's good people, totally on the up and up, etc... so I just KNOW there have to be others like him out there. I'm a "not-rich-YET" actor in the MidWest just trying to make a "Mecca" trip to Broadway. I'd so rather spend my fortune on shows-- not accomodations! But at the same time, I do want to stay somewhere with a little flair and pizzaz and not a shabby shoebox! The Vac. rentals seemed like such a GREAT idea.--But, who can I trust?? I know there are lots of people sleeping on the streets in NYC-- but I'd prefer not being one of them due to getting scammed! Contact info. would be GREATLY appreciated!

I LOVE NY diners! (Grew up in NY, and still am amazed by the length of diner menus).

It is really three things, prepared 200 ways.

fried, with gravy and smothered in onions!