New York by wheelchair A different kind of trip report.
Sep 4th, 2010, 07:13 PM
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New York by wheelchair A different kind of trip report.
We have never been to New York before, this was our first time!
I booked tickets to the Yankees vs Toronto Bluejays before booking the airfare as that was a priority for my husband.
We were flying from Victoria B.C. to New York on Air Canada on a great seat sale of $500 return each incl taxes. After all was booked and paid for my husband had a terrible fall and broke a bone in his ankle that could not have any weight on it for three months. Upon checking with Air Canada I found that our tickets were non refundable and all the hotels booked thorough Priceline, name your own price, were non refundable. I did not buy cancellation insurance because I was under the mis guided idea that my Visa card covered me. Wrong. Only during your trip, not before. I usually travel on points so never really thought about it.
Well we decided to do New York anyhow. By Wheelchair. I called the airline and hotels and other things we had booked to make sure they were all wheelchair accessible and off we went. On Thursday Sept 2nd we left home at 7AM for our long drive to catch our 11:20AM out of Victoria. I had tried to print the boarding cards the night prior but for some reason it would not let me.
We arrive with my DH in a wheelchair, backpack on the back of the wch and all our belongings neatly packed in one medium size rolling suitcase. We check in with the Air Canada rep.
Name please?
I give him our names
I am sorry but I don’t see you on todays flight to Toronto.
What? “here is my confirmation”
This booking is for tomorrow.
Dead silence. "I’m sorry………..what?”
This flight is for Friday September 3rd, today is Thursday September 2nd.
I stare blankly at him
“You are flying tomorrow madam. NEXT”
I go off to the side, my DH is just looking at me. Now I have to tell you that I am a very experienced traveler, and take at least two major trips a year. I used to work in travel for 18 years. How could I screw up like this? I am really losing it. I have made two major mistakes on this one trip! Am I going senile? Working too hard? I check the reservation. Yes it was indeed for tomorrow.
I check all my other reservations, maybe my hotels are all starting tomorrow too. Nope. Only the flight. This really sucks.
I see a very pleasant looking Air Canada rep in the corner. “Hi, I really screwed up here, is there any way that we can get to New York today?” She checks the computer and says we can only get as far as Toronto….(I’ll take it!) Then says she can get us to New York on the last two seats. Now I had spent a lot of time booking bulk head aisle seats etc, but that was not going to happen now. Middle seat all the way to Toronto. But we were so happy that she accommodated us, we just had to pay a $75 change fee. We are very lucky.
When we got to Toronto the agent upgraded us to Business for the second leg of the trip. All in all Air Canada was wonderful.
They put my husband on and off the plane with this tiny little ‘Aisle seat” and would take him to his wheelchair which was put in the hold, not the luggage compartment.
We arrived at Newark and a young man wheeled my DH to the baggage area, collected our bags and then took us out and helped us get a taxi. Cab fare from EWR to Rockefeller centre area including tolls but not tip was $72.
We bid on a hotel through Priceline and got the Club Quarters opposite Rockefeller Centre for $160 a night. We could only get it for five nights, I wish we could stay the entire time. The lobby is nothing much, you would almost not know there was a hotel there. It is billed as a 3 ½ star and I would agree. The staff were very accommodating and our room very spacious with a queen bed, couch with hide a bed, desk with free wifi and a real Wheelchair bathroom with wheel in shower and fold down bench. We also had a small fridge, microwave and basic dishes. Free chilled water was on alternate floors as well as a gym. There is a lounge and restaurant for guests only and the food was good, not exceptional but good. The staff was wonderful throughout the hotel. And free computers upstairs as well if you did not have your own.
I booked tickets to the Yankees vs Toronto Bluejays before booking the airfare as that was a priority for my husband.
We were flying from Victoria B.C. to New York on Air Canada on a great seat sale of $500 return each incl taxes. After all was booked and paid for my husband had a terrible fall and broke a bone in his ankle that could not have any weight on it for three months. Upon checking with Air Canada I found that our tickets were non refundable and all the hotels booked thorough Priceline, name your own price, were non refundable. I did not buy cancellation insurance because I was under the mis guided idea that my Visa card covered me. Wrong. Only during your trip, not before. I usually travel on points so never really thought about it.
Well we decided to do New York anyhow. By Wheelchair. I called the airline and hotels and other things we had booked to make sure they were all wheelchair accessible and off we went. On Thursday Sept 2nd we left home at 7AM for our long drive to catch our 11:20AM out of Victoria. I had tried to print the boarding cards the night prior but for some reason it would not let me.
We arrive with my DH in a wheelchair, backpack on the back of the wch and all our belongings neatly packed in one medium size rolling suitcase. We check in with the Air Canada rep.
Name please?
I give him our names
I am sorry but I don’t see you on todays flight to Toronto.
What? “here is my confirmation”
This booking is for tomorrow.
Dead silence. "I’m sorry………..what?”
This flight is for Friday September 3rd, today is Thursday September 2nd.
I stare blankly at him
“You are flying tomorrow madam. NEXT”
I go off to the side, my DH is just looking at me. Now I have to tell you that I am a very experienced traveler, and take at least two major trips a year. I used to work in travel for 18 years. How could I screw up like this? I am really losing it. I have made two major mistakes on this one trip! Am I going senile? Working too hard? I check the reservation. Yes it was indeed for tomorrow.
I check all my other reservations, maybe my hotels are all starting tomorrow too. Nope. Only the flight. This really sucks.
I see a very pleasant looking Air Canada rep in the corner. “Hi, I really screwed up here, is there any way that we can get to New York today?” She checks the computer and says we can only get as far as Toronto….(I’ll take it!) Then says she can get us to New York on the last two seats. Now I had spent a lot of time booking bulk head aisle seats etc, but that was not going to happen now. Middle seat all the way to Toronto. But we were so happy that she accommodated us, we just had to pay a $75 change fee. We are very lucky.
When we got to Toronto the agent upgraded us to Business for the second leg of the trip. All in all Air Canada was wonderful.
They put my husband on and off the plane with this tiny little ‘Aisle seat” and would take him to his wheelchair which was put in the hold, not the luggage compartment.
We arrived at Newark and a young man wheeled my DH to the baggage area, collected our bags and then took us out and helped us get a taxi. Cab fare from EWR to Rockefeller centre area including tolls but not tip was $72.
We bid on a hotel through Priceline and got the Club Quarters opposite Rockefeller Centre for $160 a night. We could only get it for five nights, I wish we could stay the entire time. The lobby is nothing much, you would almost not know there was a hotel there. It is billed as a 3 ½ star and I would agree. The staff were very accommodating and our room very spacious with a queen bed, couch with hide a bed, desk with free wifi and a real Wheelchair bathroom with wheel in shower and fold down bench. We also had a small fridge, microwave and basic dishes. Free chilled water was on alternate floors as well as a gym. There is a lounge and restaurant for guests only and the food was good, not exceptional but good. The staff was wonderful throughout the hotel. And free computers upstairs as well if you did not have your own.
Sep 4th, 2010, 07:20 PM
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Day one we decided to get an overview of the city so bought tickets on the hop on hop off bus with Greyline. The Greyline staff were just wonderful too. The bus has a ramp that they put out and we just wheeled on. My DH hopped and crawled sort of up the stairs and they kept two seats open for us at the top. We folded up the wch and kept it downstairs. We did the uptown and downtown back to back, (too much for one day really but wanted to get it done). We stopped for lunch and a break around the docks and then kept going.
We found that everyone in New York is so friendly and helpful with him being in a wheelchair.
We had a quick light dinner at our hotel and then walked down to the Broadway Theatre to see ‘Promises Promises’ with Sean Hayes of Will and Grace. I went on line and bought wheelchair accessible seats which were in the 5th row. I thought the play was wonderful. Sean Hayes is so funny and just great in this role. All the actors were terrific. The theatre itself was gorgeous. I really liked this play a lot and would recommend to anyone who likes musicals.
Day 2. We were fortunate that Hurricane Earl didn’t alter our weather too much, a little bit of wind today, Saturday, but nothing like what they were fearing. The morning was spent going to the ‘Top of the Rock’. We purchased a coupon book for $79 and includes admission to a bunch of museums and attractions that we want to go to. A great deal and you can pre purchase on line or just buy it when you get there for the same price. The line up wasn’t too bad and it is all Wheelchair accessible. It was a clear warm day and the views from the top were fantastic.
We make our way to the subway station. We are going to brave the subway, in a wheelchair, to Yankee stadium. I had been on line looking for the wheelchair stops, as not all of them are. There are three subway entrances to Rockefeller station, the wheelchair access is at 49th and 6th. I got a little frazzled trying to buy tickets, (the machine would not take my credit card or bills) and couldn’t find the next elevator to get to the platform, but finally found our way there. The trip to Yankee stadium was about 25 minutes and not too crowded.
Yankee stadium is fantastic. I was so impressed. I purchased tickets on line as I said, months before the accident. Ticketmaster would not change my tickets but with some advice on this forum I called the Yankee stadium and told them my plight and asked if we could change to accessible seating. A young man, Aaron, from the stadium called me three times over the next couple of days and we were able to change our tickets. I was very impressed.
Our seats were on the second level right over the Bluejays dugout, fantastic seats. What a great game too. I am not a fan of baseball in so much as I wont spend time watching it on TV, but loved it in person. I think my DH was surprised that I was actually yelling and getting right into it. The Yankees won, but the Bluejays put up a good fight.
We had planned to catch a cab back as we were meeting my sister in law and her daughter who flew in from Toronto today. Apparently the city closes down one lane of the tunnel after a game because there are so many cars .
So no cabs. Lots of guys holding up signs saying ‘taxi’, but I didn’t want to take one of those as I knew that they were not real cabs. There was a ‘car service’ through the stadium but it cost $69 to our hotel.
We made our way back to the subway and it all worked out great. Some time had passed so it was not too crazy busy and the subway staff were great at making sure that we had easy access to the train.
Dinner tonight with the relatives from Toronto was at Q2Thai on 53rd and 9th Ave. The restaurant is nothing fancy and very small but the staff was terrific. They stored the wheelchair, as he wanted to transfer to a chair for a break, and the food was really good too. The prices were so reasonable. With wine and appy and tip it came to $40 for two of us. I would recommend this restaurant if you like Thai Food.
I will continue this report ‘as it happens’ and when I find time.
We found that everyone in New York is so friendly and helpful with him being in a wheelchair.
We had a quick light dinner at our hotel and then walked down to the Broadway Theatre to see ‘Promises Promises’ with Sean Hayes of Will and Grace. I went on line and bought wheelchair accessible seats which were in the 5th row. I thought the play was wonderful. Sean Hayes is so funny and just great in this role. All the actors were terrific. The theatre itself was gorgeous. I really liked this play a lot and would recommend to anyone who likes musicals.
Day 2. We were fortunate that Hurricane Earl didn’t alter our weather too much, a little bit of wind today, Saturday, but nothing like what they were fearing. The morning was spent going to the ‘Top of the Rock’. We purchased a coupon book for $79 and includes admission to a bunch of museums and attractions that we want to go to. A great deal and you can pre purchase on line or just buy it when you get there for the same price. The line up wasn’t too bad and it is all Wheelchair accessible. It was a clear warm day and the views from the top were fantastic.
We make our way to the subway station. We are going to brave the subway, in a wheelchair, to Yankee stadium. I had been on line looking for the wheelchair stops, as not all of them are. There are three subway entrances to Rockefeller station, the wheelchair access is at 49th and 6th. I got a little frazzled trying to buy tickets, (the machine would not take my credit card or bills) and couldn’t find the next elevator to get to the platform, but finally found our way there. The trip to Yankee stadium was about 25 minutes and not too crowded.
Yankee stadium is fantastic. I was so impressed. I purchased tickets on line as I said, months before the accident. Ticketmaster would not change my tickets but with some advice on this forum I called the Yankee stadium and told them my plight and asked if we could change to accessible seating. A young man, Aaron, from the stadium called me three times over the next couple of days and we were able to change our tickets. I was very impressed.
Our seats were on the second level right over the Bluejays dugout, fantastic seats. What a great game too. I am not a fan of baseball in so much as I wont spend time watching it on TV, but loved it in person. I think my DH was surprised that I was actually yelling and getting right into it. The Yankees won, but the Bluejays put up a good fight.
We had planned to catch a cab back as we were meeting my sister in law and her daughter who flew in from Toronto today. Apparently the city closes down one lane of the tunnel after a game because there are so many cars .
So no cabs. Lots of guys holding up signs saying ‘taxi’, but I didn’t want to take one of those as I knew that they were not real cabs. There was a ‘car service’ through the stadium but it cost $69 to our hotel.
We made our way back to the subway and it all worked out great. Some time had passed so it was not too crazy busy and the subway staff were great at making sure that we had easy access to the train.
Dinner tonight with the relatives from Toronto was at Q2Thai on 53rd and 9th Ave. The restaurant is nothing fancy and very small but the staff was terrific. They stored the wheelchair, as he wanted to transfer to a chair for a break, and the food was really good too. The prices were so reasonable. With wine and appy and tip it came to $40 for two of us. I would recommend this restaurant if you like Thai Food.
I will continue this report ‘as it happens’ and when I find time.
Sep 5th, 2010, 05:19 AM
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For getting around consider the city buses. All have room for wheelchair (it can even be locked in place) and the bus "kneels" and there is a platform for the chair. Ordinarily subway is faster, but having to find/deal with elevators can make up the difference. And the bus stops every couple of blocks s it will be closer to your entry and exit points.
Sep 5th, 2010, 02:11 PM
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live42day:
What a start to your NYC trip. I am so glad that you were able to work it out with Air Canada and you were treated nicely.
It sounds as you are both having a wonderful time. How is the weather?
Looking forward to more - this is terrific.
Sandy
What a start to your NYC trip. I am so glad that you were able to work it out with Air Canada and you were treated nicely.
It sounds as you are both having a wonderful time. How is the weather?
Looking forward to more - this is terrific.
Sandy
Sep 5th, 2010, 06:00 PM
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Thanks for the great comments everyone. I have had three glasses of wine tonight, so hope this is going to make sense...
We stated the day by heading towards the Museum of Modern Art, just around the corner from our hotel. The streets were blocked off from around 49th to 54th on 6th Ave for a street market. I guess they were all over New York, not sure if that happens every weekend or not. It was great with lots of fantastic bargains, great smelling ethnic foods, music and tons of people. I bought a bit of costume jewelery and small things but the most fun was just watching everyone.
We arrvied at the Museum, ground level, and headed for the sixth floor. One thing you notice when you have or are in a wheelchair is how many able bodied people take the elevator. There were escalators but folks would rather do the elevator and we had to wait a few times to get one. At one point we ended up getting on to go down first just to be able to stay on to go up as it was too crowded by the time it got to the second floor.
We first went to the 6th floor where the Matisse collection is. I am not a big fan of modern art, I admit it, I am a boor.
Give me the Dutch Masters any day. We looked at a few more exibits, had lunch in the 2nd floor cafeteria , which was pretty good, and then I left him there. He wheeled him self around for two hours and I went shopping.
First stop Saks 5th Ave. Didn't stay long. Nice to see, glad I went but most things were out of my price range. I would rather spend the money on another trip somewhere. Found some great little shops on the way back, Anthropology near Rockefeller plaza was great. Looked more at the street market and then it was time to pick up my DH at the museum.
We were going to take the bus, (thanks for the info NYtraveller,) but DH was late and we were meeting the relatives again, so caught a cab to Union Square.
I left him in the park with the Sunday New York Times and met my SIL and niece for some serious shopping. We went to Nordstrom Rack, which has some great bargins but no success for me. Filenes Basement was wonderful, I found fantastic bargins there, Jones New York, Thari Etc. I was like a kid in a candy store.
After collecting my DH from the park, (he had been approached a couple of times with offers to buy crack), we headed for our 5:30PM dinner reservations at Casa Mono at 125 E 17th. It is a very tiny little Spanish Tapa resteruant where they cook everything in front of you behind the bar. My SIL has been there many times and raved about it. The prices were not cheap. My DH and I each had two tapas, one dessert and I endulged as I say in Three glasses of wine and before tip was $90. Not outrageous but not cheap either. It is very popular, Jimmy Fallon of SNL was waiting outside for a bit but gave up as he couldn't get in!
The food was very good and the service was wonderful. When we arrived we transferred my DH to a chair at the table, as I said it was very small quarters, and they put the wheelchair in the bar next door or something. They brought it out again when we were ready to leave. No problems at all.
The weather has been perfect. The humidity is a little high but nothing too uncomfortable. The night temperature will require a light sweater soon I imagine. We are very lucky with no rain, blue skies and a bit of wind.
One thing that I noticed that I found a bit surprising was how people dress. I guess I imagined everyone being dressed to the Nines all the time. Not the case. Everything goes here. Some are dressed up with elegant dresses and spike heels while the next will have a T shirt and shorts with sneakers. It really doesnt seem to matter. Even in the Theatre there were those dressed up and those very casual. I think that the number of people dressed up at the theatre, at least a little, outnumbered the ones that were very casual however.
Well thats it for today. We will see what tomorrow brings!
It seems that no matter what you want to wear it is okay.
We stated the day by heading towards the Museum of Modern Art, just around the corner from our hotel. The streets were blocked off from around 49th to 54th on 6th Ave for a street market. I guess they were all over New York, not sure if that happens every weekend or not. It was great with lots of fantastic bargains, great smelling ethnic foods, music and tons of people. I bought a bit of costume jewelery and small things but the most fun was just watching everyone.
We arrvied at the Museum, ground level, and headed for the sixth floor. One thing you notice when you have or are in a wheelchair is how many able bodied people take the elevator. There were escalators but folks would rather do the elevator and we had to wait a few times to get one. At one point we ended up getting on to go down first just to be able to stay on to go up as it was too crowded by the time it got to the second floor.
We first went to the 6th floor where the Matisse collection is. I am not a big fan of modern art, I admit it, I am a boor.
Give me the Dutch Masters any day. We looked at a few more exibits, had lunch in the 2nd floor cafeteria , which was pretty good, and then I left him there. He wheeled him self around for two hours and I went shopping.
First stop Saks 5th Ave. Didn't stay long. Nice to see, glad I went but most things were out of my price range. I would rather spend the money on another trip somewhere. Found some great little shops on the way back, Anthropology near Rockefeller plaza was great. Looked more at the street market and then it was time to pick up my DH at the museum.
We were going to take the bus, (thanks for the info NYtraveller,) but DH was late and we were meeting the relatives again, so caught a cab to Union Square.
I left him in the park with the Sunday New York Times and met my SIL and niece for some serious shopping. We went to Nordstrom Rack, which has some great bargins but no success for me. Filenes Basement was wonderful, I found fantastic bargins there, Jones New York, Thari Etc. I was like a kid in a candy store.
After collecting my DH from the park, (he had been approached a couple of times with offers to buy crack), we headed for our 5:30PM dinner reservations at Casa Mono at 125 E 17th. It is a very tiny little Spanish Tapa resteruant where they cook everything in front of you behind the bar. My SIL has been there many times and raved about it. The prices were not cheap. My DH and I each had two tapas, one dessert and I endulged as I say in Three glasses of wine and before tip was $90. Not outrageous but not cheap either. It is very popular, Jimmy Fallon of SNL was waiting outside for a bit but gave up as he couldn't get in!
The food was very good and the service was wonderful. When we arrived we transferred my DH to a chair at the table, as I said it was very small quarters, and they put the wheelchair in the bar next door or something. They brought it out again when we were ready to leave. No problems at all.
The weather has been perfect. The humidity is a little high but nothing too uncomfortable. The night temperature will require a light sweater soon I imagine. We are very lucky with no rain, blue skies and a bit of wind.
One thing that I noticed that I found a bit surprising was how people dress. I guess I imagined everyone being dressed to the Nines all the time. Not the case. Everything goes here. Some are dressed up with elegant dresses and spike heels while the next will have a T shirt and shorts with sneakers. It really doesnt seem to matter. Even in the Theatre there were those dressed up and those very casual. I think that the number of people dressed up at the theatre, at least a little, outnumbered the ones that were very casual however.
Well thats it for today. We will see what tomorrow brings!
It seems that no matter what you want to wear it is okay.
Sep 9th, 2010, 12:26 PM
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I just read this thread which is like a breath of fresh air, live42 day. I think one reason that you and your husband received so much kindness and help is due to your very positive attitude. And I agree with starrs, this thread of yours no doubt will be a wealth of information for others that visit NYC and need to deal with wheelchairs.
Sep 9th, 2010, 07:00 PM
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DAY 3
In the morning we met SIL again for breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien near Rockefeller centre.
Great food, fresh, organic and not too expensive and wheelchair accessible. We ate outside which was great. Another gorgeous day in New York. We decided to take the bus to the Metropolitan Museum of Art so walked over to Madison Ave. The first bus stopped, we asked if he went to the Met and he looked really disappointed and said ‘yes’. I understand why as he had to lower the bus and put out a ramp to begin with. Then he notices the bills in my hand and says ‘No Bills”
Coin or metro card only. My SIL and Niece had metro cards but we did not. The bus left and I am not sure if he was happy that we did not get on or upset that he went to that work for nothing.
We scrounged around and between the four of us came up with 18 quarters and took the next bus. Once on the driver had to strap the chair into a spot near the front with a seat belt. The belt did not work well and after struggling for five minutes he finally got it secured only to pop off again in five minutes. We had the brakes on so didn’t worry.
We got off the bus around a block from the Met. The wheelchair entrance was very clearly marked and we went to the front of the line which is nice.
I find that people do museums differently. Some will cruise through not reading anything and finish seeing the museum in an hour. Then the opposite extreme is someone who reads every single plaque and information about every exhibit. My husband is the latter. I am closer to the first scenario. As I was going to be pushing my husband, and the museum is so large you can’t possibly see the entire thing in one day, we compromised. It was far too fast for him and far too slow for me, but we saw what we could in six hours. We didn’t have a problem getting around at all. It is very spacious and even though it was crowded you didn’t feel like you would ram into anyone. There are a number of restaurants and we decided to meet on the lower floor cafeteria where you could have a salad bar and pay by the gram as well as other items by weight. I found the food fresh and good for a cafeteria.
The museum is amazing and is really a two day visit if you have the time IMO. At 5PM I was exhausted both mentally and physically. Pushing a 185 lb man all day is very hard on the body. My arms hurt a lot. I kept ramming his bad foot into walls and elevators (by accident of course) so he was sore too. He has tennis elbow from using a walker at home so finds it hard to wheel himself around.
We make our way to Central Park, around the corner; find the Great Lawn and collapse. It is a beautiful sunny warm day and there are many young people playing Frisbee and baseball and just enjoying the sun and last day of summer vacation before school starts tomorrow. We both fall asleep for a half hour and just lay there for two hours. Heaven. Bare feet in the long cool grass. What a fabulous park.
A cab back to the hotel and then out for dinner. Most things around Rockefeller centre were closed for the holiday so made our way to China Moon. Not good. Not terrible but not good.
We were supposed to go to Washington DC by train today and spend one night. I convinced my husband to cancel as I just felt I couldn’t do it and would rather spend more time in New York. He was disappointed but agreed. We had to check out of our hotel as we only had five nights and took a cab to our new home “Best Western Convention Centre” on 38th near 9th Ave.
It was the same price through Priceline name your own price, but not as nice. The rooms are very small, not wheelchair accessible insomuch as you can’t wheel right into the room. He has to crawl around to the bathroom The room is clean, nicely decorated and I would stay here again. The staff is friendly enough but not as great as the staff at the Club Quarters. There are free local calls, free wifi and free continental breakfast which we didn’t try.
In the afternoon, Tuesday, we made our way to Greenwich village and walk around until meeting the SIL at 130PM. For the most part pushing the wheelchair is fine, but sometimes the sidewalks tilt towards the road, for water flow during rains I imagine, but it makes it hard to push as you are favoring one side. Sometimes you go along and then for some reason there is not a wheelchair access from the sidewalk to the road so you need to deal with that. Or there will be a hole or bump that will stop you in your tracks. As I say, usually it is just fine but you will travel along at a good clip and then just stop which jars both the person in the chair and the pusher.
We had agreed to meet at a restaurant that I picked out from the internet because it was supposed to be wheelchair accessible and had great reviews. It turns out that it was a fast food restaurant and had one step to get in. My SIL was horrified as she is a real foodie and wanted every meal in New York to be an experience. We had been up and down the street three blocks either way and either the menu was not good or it was inaccessible. So in we go.
My DH stands on one foot and holds on to the wall. I take the chair up the step, turn the chair around and he sits back in again. The restaurant was called ’ Masala Times’ and was Indian food. We all order our food which was wonderful, but would have been much better if it had just been on china plates and had really cutlery. Funny how that changes things. The staff was outstanding and could not help enough. They brought us all free papaya lassies for a treat at the end which was delicious
We walk around Greenwich a bit; my SIL wants to go to Murrays Cheese shop before her flight home tonight. It is a huge cheese and specialty shop that she loves to visit and is very popular.
We hung out in Greenwich for a bit and then went back to the hotel but I immediately went off shopping. First stop was Daffy’s which I was not impressed with so went next door to Macy’s. I was in shopping Nirvana. Everything was on sale and I had such a great time. We ate dinner at Heartlands beside the Empire State building which was okay, great beer. We went to the Empire State building at 8PM and there were no line ups at all. It was wonderful and the views were so different from the daytime views from the top of the rock. You could see the spotlights where the world trade centre used to be. Empire state building was accessible for a wheelchair and there were viewing places that were good for kids or people in chairs to see the views.
In the morning we met SIL again for breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien near Rockefeller centre.
Great food, fresh, organic and not too expensive and wheelchair accessible. We ate outside which was great. Another gorgeous day in New York. We decided to take the bus to the Metropolitan Museum of Art so walked over to Madison Ave. The first bus stopped, we asked if he went to the Met and he looked really disappointed and said ‘yes’. I understand why as he had to lower the bus and put out a ramp to begin with. Then he notices the bills in my hand and says ‘No Bills”
Coin or metro card only. My SIL and Niece had metro cards but we did not. The bus left and I am not sure if he was happy that we did not get on or upset that he went to that work for nothing.
We scrounged around and between the four of us came up with 18 quarters and took the next bus. Once on the driver had to strap the chair into a spot near the front with a seat belt. The belt did not work well and after struggling for five minutes he finally got it secured only to pop off again in five minutes. We had the brakes on so didn’t worry.
We got off the bus around a block from the Met. The wheelchair entrance was very clearly marked and we went to the front of the line which is nice.
I find that people do museums differently. Some will cruise through not reading anything and finish seeing the museum in an hour. Then the opposite extreme is someone who reads every single plaque and information about every exhibit. My husband is the latter. I am closer to the first scenario. As I was going to be pushing my husband, and the museum is so large you can’t possibly see the entire thing in one day, we compromised. It was far too fast for him and far too slow for me, but we saw what we could in six hours. We didn’t have a problem getting around at all. It is very spacious and even though it was crowded you didn’t feel like you would ram into anyone. There are a number of restaurants and we decided to meet on the lower floor cafeteria where you could have a salad bar and pay by the gram as well as other items by weight. I found the food fresh and good for a cafeteria.
The museum is amazing and is really a two day visit if you have the time IMO. At 5PM I was exhausted both mentally and physically. Pushing a 185 lb man all day is very hard on the body. My arms hurt a lot. I kept ramming his bad foot into walls and elevators (by accident of course) so he was sore too. He has tennis elbow from using a walker at home so finds it hard to wheel himself around.
We make our way to Central Park, around the corner; find the Great Lawn and collapse. It is a beautiful sunny warm day and there are many young people playing Frisbee and baseball and just enjoying the sun and last day of summer vacation before school starts tomorrow. We both fall asleep for a half hour and just lay there for two hours. Heaven. Bare feet in the long cool grass. What a fabulous park.
A cab back to the hotel and then out for dinner. Most things around Rockefeller centre were closed for the holiday so made our way to China Moon. Not good. Not terrible but not good.
We were supposed to go to Washington DC by train today and spend one night. I convinced my husband to cancel as I just felt I couldn’t do it and would rather spend more time in New York. He was disappointed but agreed. We had to check out of our hotel as we only had five nights and took a cab to our new home “Best Western Convention Centre” on 38th near 9th Ave.
It was the same price through Priceline name your own price, but not as nice. The rooms are very small, not wheelchair accessible insomuch as you can’t wheel right into the room. He has to crawl around to the bathroom The room is clean, nicely decorated and I would stay here again. The staff is friendly enough but not as great as the staff at the Club Quarters. There are free local calls, free wifi and free continental breakfast which we didn’t try.
In the afternoon, Tuesday, we made our way to Greenwich village and walk around until meeting the SIL at 130PM. For the most part pushing the wheelchair is fine, but sometimes the sidewalks tilt towards the road, for water flow during rains I imagine, but it makes it hard to push as you are favoring one side. Sometimes you go along and then for some reason there is not a wheelchair access from the sidewalk to the road so you need to deal with that. Or there will be a hole or bump that will stop you in your tracks. As I say, usually it is just fine but you will travel along at a good clip and then just stop which jars both the person in the chair and the pusher.
We had agreed to meet at a restaurant that I picked out from the internet because it was supposed to be wheelchair accessible and had great reviews. It turns out that it was a fast food restaurant and had one step to get in. My SIL was horrified as she is a real foodie and wanted every meal in New York to be an experience. We had been up and down the street three blocks either way and either the menu was not good or it was inaccessible. So in we go.
My DH stands on one foot and holds on to the wall. I take the chair up the step, turn the chair around and he sits back in again. The restaurant was called ’ Masala Times’ and was Indian food. We all order our food which was wonderful, but would have been much better if it had just been on china plates and had really cutlery. Funny how that changes things. The staff was outstanding and could not help enough. They brought us all free papaya lassies for a treat at the end which was delicious
We walk around Greenwich a bit; my SIL wants to go to Murrays Cheese shop before her flight home tonight. It is a huge cheese and specialty shop that she loves to visit and is very popular.
We hung out in Greenwich for a bit and then went back to the hotel but I immediately went off shopping. First stop was Daffy’s which I was not impressed with so went next door to Macy’s. I was in shopping Nirvana. Everything was on sale and I had such a great time. We ate dinner at Heartlands beside the Empire State building which was okay, great beer. We went to the Empire State building at 8PM and there were no line ups at all. It was wonderful and the views were so different from the daytime views from the top of the rock. You could see the spotlights where the world trade centre used to be. Empire state building was accessible for a wheelchair and there were viewing places that were good for kids or people in chairs to see the views.
Sep 9th, 2010, 07:06 PM
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Wednesday was spent doing the Circle Cruise for two hours, seeing New York from the water side. Wheelchairs have to stay on the bottom floor which was fine as it was a very hot day on the deck upstairs. The tour was nice but I could have done 90 minutes rather than two hours.
It was our first view of the Statue of Liberty which was really exciting and it is quite breathtaking the first time you see it.
We had an early dinner/late lunch at Arianas on 9th Ave at 53rd.. A great Afgan restaurant and the owner is a very friendly helpful and lovely man. Again there was one step up but the owner took control and just got my husband up and then down again with ease while he stayed in the chair.
We went back to Macy’s again and DH bought some shirts and then we parked him outside in the park area with a newspaper and I went back in for more shopping. We had trouble finding a cab back as it was so busy so ended up walking the 10 long blocks back. At one point I came to one of those holes in the sidewalk when I was going a good clip and just stopped, ramming his foot and jarring my back arm and neck. I swore and grabbed my neck and these gorgeous young men came around the corner and asked if we were okay? We were in front of a NYC fire station.
Do you have to be really good looking to be a fireman in New York? OMG. One of them said “you pulled a muscle in your neck?”
Another said as we were leaving “need a massage?”
I turned around and said “Oh YEAH!!!” and we all laughed.
A half hour rest at the hotel and then a cab to “Gotham Comedy Club”. They were about the only one that was wheelchair accessible and very accommodating to us. There was a $15 each cover and two drink minimum. I had three. It was an ‘all star’ night with five comedians and all were very funny and we really enjoyed it.
Today is Thursday and we only have two days left on this trip. We decided to cab it to the Financial District and went to the World Financial Centre which was a great building full of suits and cell phones and executives grabbing a quick lunch. We ordered a great meal to go at Devon and Blakely. Fantastic fresh and tasty food which we ate at one of the tables in the lobby overlooking the water.
We walked from there along the water to Battery Park. What a lovely walk and we were really impressed with the little gardens and beautifully manicured flower beds along the way. We felt really fortunate that the cab dropped us off where it did.
After buying our tickets the young men on the Statue Ferries boarded my husband for me as it was a very steep incline both into and off of the boat. Once again we were limited to the bottom floor of the boat so I went upstairs to take pictures from the deck. We did not stop at the Statue of Liberty but spent the afternoon on Ellis Island. We both found it very interesting, watched the movie and also paid for the audio tour. The staff again was very helpful both at Ellis Island and on the ferry . Afterwards we walked to the memorial site with the flags, not sure the exact name of it. A very nice and relaxing day. Tonight we just ordered pizza to the room, Fat Sals which was fantastic pizza.
More tomorrow. Thanks again for the words of encouragement
It was our first view of the Statue of Liberty which was really exciting and it is quite breathtaking the first time you see it.
We had an early dinner/late lunch at Arianas on 9th Ave at 53rd.. A great Afgan restaurant and the owner is a very friendly helpful and lovely man. Again there was one step up but the owner took control and just got my husband up and then down again with ease while he stayed in the chair.
We went back to Macy’s again and DH bought some shirts and then we parked him outside in the park area with a newspaper and I went back in for more shopping. We had trouble finding a cab back as it was so busy so ended up walking the 10 long blocks back. At one point I came to one of those holes in the sidewalk when I was going a good clip and just stopped, ramming his foot and jarring my back arm and neck. I swore and grabbed my neck and these gorgeous young men came around the corner and asked if we were okay? We were in front of a NYC fire station.
Do you have to be really good looking to be a fireman in New York? OMG. One of them said “you pulled a muscle in your neck?”
Another said as we were leaving “need a massage?”
I turned around and said “Oh YEAH!!!” and we all laughed.
A half hour rest at the hotel and then a cab to “Gotham Comedy Club”. They were about the only one that was wheelchair accessible and very accommodating to us. There was a $15 each cover and two drink minimum. I had three. It was an ‘all star’ night with five comedians and all were very funny and we really enjoyed it.
Today is Thursday and we only have two days left on this trip. We decided to cab it to the Financial District and went to the World Financial Centre which was a great building full of suits and cell phones and executives grabbing a quick lunch. We ordered a great meal to go at Devon and Blakely. Fantastic fresh and tasty food which we ate at one of the tables in the lobby overlooking the water.
We walked from there along the water to Battery Park. What a lovely walk and we were really impressed with the little gardens and beautifully manicured flower beds along the way. We felt really fortunate that the cab dropped us off where it did.
After buying our tickets the young men on the Statue Ferries boarded my husband for me as it was a very steep incline both into and off of the boat. Once again we were limited to the bottom floor of the boat so I went upstairs to take pictures from the deck. We did not stop at the Statue of Liberty but spent the afternoon on Ellis Island. We both found it very interesting, watched the movie and also paid for the audio tour. The staff again was very helpful both at Ellis Island and on the ferry . Afterwards we walked to the memorial site with the flags, not sure the exact name of it. A very nice and relaxing day. Tonight we just ordered pizza to the room, Fat Sals which was fantastic pizza.
More tomorrow. Thanks again for the words of encouragement
Sep 9th, 2010, 09:44 PM
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Hi again live42day,
Thanks for the continuation.
On reflection of our past trips, I can relate to "At one point I came to one of those holes in the sidewalk when I was going a good clip and just stopped, ramming his foot and jarring my back arm and neck." For me, it is usually people who cross over without any clue as to who or what may be around them. Many times I just caulk (sp?)it up to never having to push someone in a wheelchair.
Great trip report!
Thanks for the continuation.
On reflection of our past trips, I can relate to "At one point I came to one of those holes in the sidewalk when I was going a good clip and just stopped, ramming his foot and jarring my back arm and neck." For me, it is usually people who cross over without any clue as to who or what may be around them. Many times I just caulk (sp?)it up to never having to push someone in a wheelchair.
Great trip report!
Sep 10th, 2010, 06:07 AM
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Thanks 321go and Gynna. Gynna you have a husband in a wheelchair too? Mine is just temporary, hopefully, but we sure have a new appreciation for folks who have to do this on a full time basis. I think it would be better to travel with two or more able bodied people to take turns doing the pushing becuase it is hard, especially if there are any hills. Thankfully New York is relatively flat.
Our last day here will include the Museum of Natural History, I am off to a Couture fashion show at the Waldorf and then a play and dinner in Times Square. Up at 3AM for our early morning flight home so will post when we get back.
Thanks.
Our last day here will include the Museum of Natural History, I am off to a Couture fashion show at the Waldorf and then a play and dinner in Times Square. Up at 3AM for our early morning flight home so will post when we get back.
Thanks.
