Hi quiUK,

I am currently posting my own NYC trip report & although I started to read yours I deliberately called a halt in case it affected my own report. I hadn't kept any notes & was concerned that reading about your experiences might colour my own thoughts & memories.

I did give into temptation, however & looked at your pictures which are absolutely stunning. I am looking forward to completing my own report so that I can read yours in detail.

Best wishes,

Jim

Hi Jim,
Thanks for your comments and I'm glad you like the pictures.

I have been following your report too and am really enjoying it. However I was a little concerned that we missed the tennis racket/Dalai Lama portrait department in Bloomingdales!

cindy1mac
I don't know about Good Morning ..., but the Today Show tapes every am out on the plaza. On Fri. there's usually a concert which you can find out about earlier in the week on the show or check their website. It would be nice to see Katie in action before she leaves at the end of May.

quiUK, we looked at your photos more than once, it was almost heartbreaking for my husband , who is missing NYC quite a bit these days. But it was such a treat also, the photos are just great and also show your enjoyment of the buildings and your good eye!
Most of them would make excellent postcards!
Thanks for sharing!!

A wonderful trip report, and your photos are so striking! Congratulations, too, on having your report featured by Fodor's.

Anselm

Congratulations on having your trip featured on Fodors! Your report truly is one of the more interesting ones written here. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your adventures in the Big Apple, and I thank you for sharing!

I also enjoyed browsing through the photos your husband took. It seems he made good use of the wide angle lens he purchased. I especially enjoyed the shots he took at night around Times Square. He seems to have really caught ordinary life in motion - as art. Very well done. He seems to a very good eye for composition.

Thanks for sharing both!

Hi!
Thanks for sharing your NYC experience! I am going to NY with a friend on 5/24-5/31. I have been but I didn't do much the last time I went. Actually, I spent all 7 nights at a place called "CBGB'S". It was reallly fun ( a music fest was going on ) but I want to play tourist this time. My friend and I are from New Orleans. She lost EVERYTHING she owned due to Katrina and has done nothing for the past 5 months but help OTHER people get through all this mess. Just a few weeks ago she returned to her house that was destroyed by the flood waters to find that people actually STOLE things that were remaining in her yard. ANYWAY! I want to make sure she has a really nice time in NYC so she can relax a little. Any suggestions for a day-spa? Something unique? We are staying on Madison and 38th at The Jolly Hotel. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks : )

I'm not a spa goer, but I think there are a wide range of good ones in New York. Elizabeth Arden's Red Door is supposed to be grand. And Bliss Spa is very popular (I get this info from my daughter) http://www.blissworld.com/

Your friend surely deserves a great time in New York. You are kind to want to do something special for her.

I have to second the Bliss recommendation. It is world-class.

Many thanks for posting your lovely & detailed report, and great pictures. My family is visiting NYC this summer, so you've really whetted my appetitite.

Excellent photos, thanks for posting them!

I live in NYC - in the West Village on Bedford Street (across the street from your picture!) and have to tell you - the pictures are really great! Now I will read your trip report. Just finished the trip report. Brava! Looks like you took full advantage of your time here. Come back and visit again soon!

Enjoyed reading about your trip. My daughter & I will be flying into EWR & staying at the same hotel you stayed at. Someone posted that they would not take the train unless they only had carryon luggage. We will each have one medium sized bag, as well as a purse, and I will probably have a carryon bag also. Do you think we will have a difficult time with out luggage on the train? We will arrive at EWR after 6. I would think there wouldn't be that many people heading into the city at that time. Our departure flight leaves at about 11 am.
I would think more people use the train to commute into the city for work during the day - but who knows.

I also read that there are steps to climb to get into the hotel. How difficult is this with luggage?

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

Thanks everyone for your comments - glad you enjoyed the report and photos.

Amberkat - we had 2 small/mid sized suitcases (the ones with wheels) as well as carry on bags and didn't find it too difficult on the train or getting through Penn Station. Sounds like you and your daughter will have a similar amount of bags so I should think you'll be fine too. Obviously it's not quite as easy as getting a cab, but for us, it was definitely worth saving the $$$!

The entrance to the Affinia Manhattan has a large revolving door into a small lobby where there is a short flight of stairs up to the main lobby. I think there was also an escalator there as well. I certainly don't remember it being difficult to negotiate with luggage, but there was also a doorman so I'm sure he would be able to offer assistance.

Have a great trip. I'm very jealous that you're going to NYC!

Thanks for the info quiUK! Did you buy your train tickets before your trip?

Hi Amberkat, we bought our tickets from a machine at the airport train station upon arrival. I don't know if you can book them in advance but we certainly found that it was very straightforward to purchase them when we got there.

When we had to leave NYC, we asked the concierge at the hotel about train times to Newark so we would arrive at the airport with plenty of time to check in and go through security. They gave us a helpful print out of times and we bought our return tickets from a booth at Penn Station. Again, it was really straightforwrd, and the trains seem to run very frequently.

quiUK, thanks so much for your delightful report. As a born-&-bred New Yorker who now lives elsewhere, I return to the city occasionally and know what a high it can be. But I have no idea what it's like to encounter it for the first time, so reading your posts was a fascinating experience.

I'm only sorry that you weren't able to be more selective about where you ate, because one of the best things about NY is that you can eat fantastically well (not just regular meals but snacks as well!) inexpensively. Of course, I know what it's like when you're travelling—you're focused on activities and don't want to have to schlep across town to get to a restaurant. But next time you go, why don't you try to research good places to eat in the neighborhoods you plan to visit. I'll bet you'll find that strong coffee!

So glad you had a good time, and thanks for taking the time to tell us about it.

Thanks for your comments Arista! You're very right - the next time we go, I will defintely spend more time researching places to eat.

We love eating out, but whilst in NYC didn't eat any any where really 'special' (by that, I don't necessarily mean expensive; some of our most memorable meals have been in the most unlikely places!).

Hoewever, we were exhausted from sightseeing most nights in NYC, so any food would have done (I draw the line at McD's etc though!) but if you have any dining out tips for us, (and other future travellers to NYC!) please share them as the food experience only adds to the the trip!

Thanks again.