Only two weeks to go and we are getting very excited. What can you tell me about the horse and buggy ride around Central Park? How much do they charge? and can you barter with them ( not the horses!!) ?
I read where the blankets can be smelly. Is this the norm?
My young friend would enjoy this , so would her mom, and It's something I've never done either.

I'm going to bite the bullit and hire Carmel's to pick us up ( I usually take the airport shuttle). Is it worth it to spend the bit extra for the Deluxe Sedan instead of the lower cost sedan? I was going to surprise my friend and her daughter with the luxury car. They think we are going on the bus... but my friend is becoming so savvy at planning a trip, she's learned to read Fodor's. So I know she'll read this!! Yes, Lesley, we are taking a car to the hotel!!

What is Juicy brand clothes? Someone was telling us about it today and I heard Barbara Walters saying she even wears it. Wher can I have a look at it? In the department stores? And is is age appropriate for all ages?
Any other sport/casual type brands I can look for....like Tommy Hilfiger and Banana Republic, but brands that, perhaps I'm not aware of in the mid price range.

YOu guys have all been great.... hopefully you'll have some answers here for us again.

Don't get the deluxe sedan because their regular cars are black lincoln town cars.

Juicy Couture is a lux brand of velour sweats that branched out into casual wear. It is expensive. A long sleeved t-shirt will set you back $125. Any time you see a hollywood celebrity photographed in sweats and a hoodie, they are wearing Juicy.

Check out Saks and Bloomingdales for Juicy Couture.

http://www.juicycouture.com/

Mid range brands: French Connection New York, Mexx, A/X (Armani Exchange), and I like H&M but it is sort of trendy. All of the above stores are near each other on Fifth Avenue.

GoTravel, thanks so much. Sounds like Juicy is more than I want to spend on sweats! I'll spend my money on other stuff, hopefully stuff I can't get a home.

No point spending extra money on the 'luxury' car either..

Thanks for the information.. Not long to go now..

H&M is a must - and since it is close to Central Park, Rockefeller Center and on 5th Avenue, it's a convenient stop. If you want more high-end couture, than you should go downtown to Century 21 (that's where most cash-strapped NY-ers go for cutting-edge fashion).

Additionally, Club Monaco and Zara are hip brands with retail stores in NY. Juicy Couture sells jeans and high-end sweats.

Juicy is JLo's brand - and she's making tons of money on it. IMHO the quality is not worth the money - it's distictly the kind of stuff you wear for one season and then trash. Very casuale wear.

Juicy is NOT J.Lo's brand.

It was founded by Ms. Gela Taylor and Ms. Pamela Skaist-Levy.

Also, it isn't low quality. Juicy is very well made high end velour. It holds up very well.

J.Lo's brand is called (shocker!) J.Lo.

You can often find Juicy much, much cheaper at Loehmann's (I believe it's around 17th and 7th), Daffy's (again, I think it's near 6th and 32nd) or Century 21 (somewhere downtown). Those stores are like TJ Maxx for the expensive designers, and you can often, say, Juicy corduroy jeans for $45.

Sorry, no info on the buggy rides...I only know the shopping!

Daffy's is a great store. There is a very large one on 57th and 3rd. And another at 44th and madison.I also second Century 21. You can find Juicy at both places.

About Carmel car service: I've used them many many times and they are reliable but don't count on the "regular sedan" being a late model town car!
I've gotten anything from old but decent shape town cars to minivans. I've never had a problem with any car of theirs I've gotten, but if the particular car you get IS important to you, reserve what you want.
I didn't see any mention of which airport you are flying into. If it's JFK, did you know that regular yellow cabs are at a fixed rate?

The carriage rides are 20-30 mins. usually for $45. You can try to bargain (bartering might get you arrested Here's a somewhat recent thread

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34701591

I'll just warn you some people find this a disappointing experience. I think it depends on the driver/carriage you get and your expectations. It seems to go by quickly and you don't get to see that much of the park. The best way to see the park is to walk.

The cars from Carmel and Tel Aviv are mostly owned by the drivers so they're not all good (or bad). It's definitely not worth paying more for a deluxe sedan b/c you still won't be assured of a fabulous car. If you want something elegant, use another co. and pay lots more. (like Bermuda limo used by lots of corporations).

Juicy is very popular with teens, although I know adults who wear the velour suits for exercise. I like the accessories but I think I'd feel like a teeny bopper if I owned any.

I'm going to piggy-back on this thread.

Fodors NYC help thread mentions BlueVan, we have used this in other parts of the country and Paris.

We have been happy with them but every one seems to suggesting limo, or taxis. Blue Van is cheaper not so good???

Whatcha all think?? :-B

There is a H&M and also a Zara right near Bloomingdale's if you happen to be nearby.

I agree with McLaurie -- Juicy is for teeny boppers.

I'm sure Barbara Walters and the gals on the View were talking about Juicy one day and she said she wears it.
Ok, so this old granny won't!!

Boy,oh boy, do we have a lot of shopping territory to cover!! Can't wait. I'm thinking at places like Century 21 we need to zero in on what we want to look for. When I was there on a past trip, we wandered aimlessly and finally said, "Let's get out of here".
Thanks for all the great ideas.

Ed, I have not heard of Bluevan, but I'll check it out.
I always use the Airport express bus, ( haha, 'always'... on all three trips to NY!) , but I wanted to treat my friends to a more comfortable ride into town.
But I'll check out Bluevan.

Two weeks from right now, we'll be ready to drop ...exhausted from a long shopping day!

Do not do the carriage ride. It really is cruel... not going to go into it, but you can do a search here on Fodor's and it will bring up a bunch of threads (one particularly informative one) on the subject.

Juicy is not that great. Spend your money elsewhere. There are many "hip" brands on the 5th (?) floor at Bergdorf including Marc by Marc Jacobs, Theory, Joie, etc.

I use Carmel & Dial7 frequently, really frequently, and I have found that it's generally worth the extra $5 for the "deluxe sedan."

Yes, it's the same model car, but in my extensive experience, I've found that on average the "deluxe" cars are in better shape (i.e., newer) than the "base" sedans. Also, I've noticed that the drivers tend to be nicer.

Sometimes the basic car is new and just fine, but, like I said, I've found that on average the deluxe sedan is worth the five bucks. Your choice, and not a big deal.

Finally, a carriage ride in Central Park is a New York tradition; don't let the trying-to-be-trendy naysayers scare you away.

Enjoy NYC!

Forgot to say, generally for destinations in Manhattan, the various van services are a waste of time, particularly for two or more people.

Reserve a car service or take a taxi.

I think BlueVan is SuperShuttle here or the equivalent. Shared van services take forever when they drop everyone off at their respective hotels. Have also heard horror stories of drivers that get lost, cramped quarters, waiting at the airport til van is filled. Just not worth it here.

I've heard the co. Airlink is a little better. Using the express buses that go to Grand Central, Penn Station or Port Authority (and then taxi to your hotel or get the added service) makes more sense.

Hey! Gekko! I usually respect your postings and you're usually spot-on with your recommendations. But "the trying-to-be-trendy naysayers"? C'mon! Not nice...

Mclaurie, I definately don't want to barter!! When will I learn not to post late in the evening when I'm brain dead.

Now as for the car ride from JFK, would it be better to just grab a cab instead of having to call and wait for Carmel's? Or is it worth the wait?
We'll arrange for a ride from the hotel to JFK when we leave.