The Clueless Abroad - Ingo's first trip to the US (Northeast) - Trip Report
Nov 12th, 2007, 09:06 AM
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The Clueless Abroad - Ingo's first trip to the US (Northeast) - Trip Report
Hi Fodorites!
Thanks for waiting (more or less) patiently.
It took me and my parents a while processing all the experiences of our first US trip, but now we feel that we can give you an overview of what we did and saw and also what our thoughts are.
First I'd like to say a big thanks to our friends in the US who went out of their way to help us with this trip. A special thanks goes to our Connecticut friends in the Hartford area and our Boston friends. We are very grateful they persuaded us to visit them Thanks for your great hospitality! And also thanks for the help with trip planning - and this applies to other posters on this forum, too. Most of the time we didn't feel like tourists, more like guests. That was the big difference to any other trip - we had the chance to participate in daily life (like picking up a huge pumpkin for a charity event); a unique, very appreciated opportunity. But now let's start with the report:
We (my parents and I) left home on Sun, 23 Sept early morning and took regional trains to Berlin (3 changes) where we arrived five hours later. S-Bahn and U-Bahn took us to our hotel, the 3star Mercure City Ost, located Frankfurter Allee/Samariterstrasse. It is part of a sort of shopping mall with restaurants and a few shops. The single room was 41 Euro, the double room 52 Euro per night incl. breakfast buffet. The hotel is nothing spectacular, but good for a night or two. There is an internet café across the street where we checked in for our flight.
Afterwards we headed out for exploring Schloss Charlottenburg and its park - the right decision on a beautiful late summer day. We didn't go inside, though, since the admission was a bit too steep for the remaining hour or so. Instead we wandered around the park, had a coffee and then went back to our hotel. Right next to the internet cafe is a pizzeria where we had a very inexpensive - and tasty - pizza plus some red wine and water - I think the bill came to 20 Euro for the three of us.
Monday, 24 Sept
After some arguing on the phone the weeks before the hotel staff had finally agreed that we could have breakfast early - it was a silly discussion since the breakfast buffet was set up by 5 am anyway and we just wanted to have a coffee plus a roll or two each. It turned out to be an excellent breakfast buffet - we regretted that we didn't have more time
U-Bahn and bus took us quickly to the airport Berlin-Tegel. Security etc. was no problem and done quickly. It was our first flight since 1981 (and that had been an unpleasant experience) so we were a bit nervous. It turned out to be a smooth ride (except a very few turbulences), but the service was lousy. I think I would fly Continental again because they provide a non-stop flight from Berlin to Newark and the airfare was ok (416 Euro). Two of the WCs were out of order, two of them were reserved for business class, the remaining two were available for about 180 people ... you can imagine how they looked after half of the flight, also that the folks lined up to get in. Our TV monitor was out of order, too, so it got boring after a while. Only one of the staff members spoke German, which was a problem for my non-English speaking parents.
Anyway, we made it safely to Newark, arrived even 20 minutes early. Baggage claim and immigration desk/customs were speedy and w/o any problems (another surprise). We got a cab and were on the way to our hotel in no time. The ride was scaring - cab drivers obviously don't know speed limits - and we almost couldn't believe we arrived in one piece at Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Nice neighbourhood (Riverside and 80th). From outside the hotel - Riverside Tower Hotel - looked ok. I know, I have been warned here on this forum that it was *way* too inexpensive ($129 plus taxes for a suite, two rooms connected by a so called bathroom) to be good. And yes, it was a dump. We had a look at the 'suite' and immediately knew we would NOT stay there. All I want to say here is that it was NOT clean, the wallpaper came down in pieces, the carpet was stained and so on. Really depressing. Good thing was they accepted my cancellation w/o charging any fee.
Here we were, standing with 4 suitcases and 3 backpacks on the corner Riverside/80th and no accommodation. Bad timing: it was the day when leaders from many countries met at the UN for a conference. Now the backup plan kicked in: I called my friend Paul who lives only five blocks from there. We schlepped the luggage to his apartment and made some calls. A two star hotel was available for $475 per night ... yikes ... I called my friend Ann and she tried to get a room through the internet ... it came up with $500 for a three-star hotel ... gasp!
To make a long story short, we stayed in an apartment that the son (Thomas) of our Connecticut friends owns and he is going to sell. It is located outside NYC in Port Washington - a gorgeous place! Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, balcony, fully equipped kitchen, right by the water and view of Manhasset bay, outdoor pool ... (Getting there was another adventure - calling a cab in rush hour at Amsterdam Av., the cab driver not speaking any English, driving like crazy to Penn Station, hauling the luggage around there down the stairs and among the crowds, boarding the cramped Long Island Railroad train ... fortunately our friends' son met us at the train station in Port W. and drove us to the apartment. Cannot thank him enough.)
While my parents settled and unpacked Thomas took me food shopping. He is quite a shopping guide, pointed out the best quality - very appreciated. Totally new to me was the self check out. With his help I figured it out, though. After a quick supper we went to bed and slept soundly - we realised that we had been up for almost 24 hours.
Thanks for waiting (more or less) patiently.
It took me and my parents a while processing all the experiences of our first US trip, but now we feel that we can give you an overview of what we did and saw and also what our thoughts are.First I'd like to say a big thanks to our friends in the US who went out of their way to help us with this trip. A special thanks goes to our Connecticut friends in the Hartford area and our Boston friends. We are very grateful they persuaded us to visit them
Thanks for your great hospitality! And also thanks for the help with trip planning - and this applies to other posters on this forum, too. Most of the time we didn't feel like tourists, more like guests. That was the big difference to any other trip - we had the chance to participate in daily life (like picking up a huge pumpkin for a charity event); a unique, very appreciated opportunity. But now let's start with the report:We (my parents and I) left home on Sun, 23 Sept early morning and took regional trains to Berlin (3 changes) where we arrived five hours later. S-Bahn and U-Bahn took us to our hotel, the 3star Mercure City Ost, located Frankfurter Allee/Samariterstrasse. It is part of a sort of shopping mall with restaurants and a few shops. The single room was 41 Euro, the double room 52 Euro per night incl. breakfast buffet. The hotel is nothing spectacular, but good for a night or two. There is an internet café across the street where we checked in for our flight.
Afterwards we headed out for exploring Schloss Charlottenburg and its park - the right decision on a beautiful late summer day. We didn't go inside, though, since the admission was a bit too steep for the remaining hour or so. Instead we wandered around the park, had a coffee and then went back to our hotel. Right next to the internet cafe is a pizzeria where we had a very inexpensive - and tasty - pizza plus some red wine and water - I think the bill came to 20 Euro for the three of us.
Monday, 24 Sept
After some arguing on the phone the weeks before the hotel staff had finally agreed that we could have breakfast early - it was a silly discussion since the breakfast buffet was set up by 5 am anyway and we just wanted to have a coffee plus a roll or two each. It turned out to be an excellent breakfast buffet - we regretted that we didn't have more time
U-Bahn and bus took us quickly to the airport Berlin-Tegel. Security etc. was no problem and done quickly. It was our first flight since 1981 (and that had been an unpleasant experience) so we were a bit nervous. It turned out to be a smooth ride (except a very few turbulences), but the service was lousy. I think I would fly Continental again because they provide a non-stop flight from Berlin to Newark and the airfare was ok (416 Euro). Two of the WCs were out of order, two of them were reserved for business class, the remaining two were available for about 180 people ... you can imagine how they looked after half of the flight, also that the folks lined up to get in. Our TV monitor was out of order, too, so it got boring after a while. Only one of the staff members spoke German, which was a problem for my non-English speaking parents.
Anyway, we made it safely to Newark, arrived even 20 minutes early. Baggage claim and immigration desk/customs were speedy and w/o any problems (another surprise). We got a cab and were on the way to our hotel in no time. The ride was scaring - cab drivers obviously don't know speed limits - and we almost couldn't believe we arrived in one piece at Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Nice neighbourhood (Riverside and 80th). From outside the hotel - Riverside Tower Hotel - looked ok. I know, I have been warned here on this forum that it was *way* too inexpensive ($129 plus taxes for a suite, two rooms connected by a so called bathroom) to be good. And yes, it was a dump. We had a look at the 'suite' and immediately knew we would NOT stay there. All I want to say here is that it was NOT clean, the wallpaper came down in pieces, the carpet was stained and so on. Really depressing. Good thing was they accepted my cancellation w/o charging any fee.
Here we were, standing with 4 suitcases and 3 backpacks on the corner Riverside/80th and no accommodation. Bad timing: it was the day when leaders from many countries met at the UN for a conference. Now the backup plan kicked in: I called my friend Paul who lives only five blocks from there. We schlepped the luggage to his apartment and made some calls. A two star hotel was available for $475 per night ... yikes ... I called my friend Ann and she tried to get a room through the internet ... it came up with $500 for a three-star hotel ... gasp!
To make a long story short, we stayed in an apartment that the son (Thomas) of our Connecticut friends owns and he is going to sell. It is located outside NYC in Port Washington - a gorgeous place! Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, balcony, fully equipped kitchen, right by the water and view of Manhasset bay, outdoor pool ... (Getting there was another adventure - calling a cab in rush hour at Amsterdam Av., the cab driver not speaking any English, driving like crazy to Penn Station, hauling the luggage around there down the stairs and among the crowds, boarding the cramped Long Island Railroad train ... fortunately our friends' son met us at the train station in Port W. and drove us to the apartment. Cannot thank him enough.)
While my parents settled and unpacked Thomas took me food shopping. He is quite a shopping guide, pointed out the best quality - very appreciated. Totally new to me was the self check out. With his help I figured it out, though. After a quick supper we went to bed and slept soundly - we realised that we had been up for almost 24 hours.
Nov 12th, 2007, 09:09 AM
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Tuesday, 25 Sept
We slept in, had breakfast, then decided we needed to go to the shopping mall again. Problem was that we had brought the wrong adaptor (for electric plugs) from Germany AND I wanted buy a prepaid US SIM-card (no landline in the apartment). Plus we needed some more food.
We WALKED to the grocery/shopping mall (25 minutes). I guess we were the first people ever who walked there. The streets in the residential area didn't even have sidewalks. We bought food an adaptor, but had no luck with the SIM-card. Back at the apartment we had a quick lunch (pizza) and then called a taxi. We arrived Penn Station about 3.30 or so.
I bought a SIM-card at a T-Mobile shop. An unpleasant experience, btw. Very unfriendly salesperson, a young guy who served four customers at the same time. A young woman next to me had a complaint but was rudely treated. He practically refused to sell me a prepaid SIM-card for $25 and tried to persuade me into getting one for $50. At some point he lost his patience, mumbled something of a $5 fee, shouted "Give me the thirty!", grabbed the money and handed me the prepaid card. Btw, that SIM card expired after the unbelievably short time of 18 days.
Ok, start of the sightseeing tour. We paid a quick visit to Macy's, gazed at the Empire State Building from Herald Square, walked through Bryant Park to New York Public Library, all the time dragging around two bags with our dress clothes for opera later that night. NY Public Library is a magnificent Beaux-Arts building. Beautiful architecture ouside as well as inside, the huge main reading room very impressive, bright and beautiful. But time was tight, so we headed to Times Square to board the subway to the Upper West Side.
We changed clothes at Paul's apartment, then walked to the Lincoln Center. We had not known the Met is *that* big. My gosh! The architecture is nothing special, the highlights are the Chagall paintings and the chandeliers. With the help of my friend Paul we had purchased tickets for opera - "Romeo et Juliette" by Charles Gounod. Anna Netrebko was a fantastic Juliette, Roberto Alagna disappointed as Romeo, Placido Domingo proved that his conducting is not as good as his singing. The production was very traditional (conservative). All in all we enjoyed the opera, though. The screens at each seat displaying the lyrics in several languages are a fantastic idea. We found that the acoustics, however, are not particularly good.
We slept in, had breakfast, then decided we needed to go to the shopping mall again. Problem was that we had brought the wrong adaptor (for electric plugs) from Germany AND I wanted buy a prepaid US SIM-card (no landline in the apartment). Plus we needed some more food.
We WALKED to the grocery/shopping mall (25 minutes). I guess we were the first people ever who walked there. The streets in the residential area didn't even have sidewalks. We bought food an adaptor, but had no luck with the SIM-card. Back at the apartment we had a quick lunch (pizza) and then called a taxi. We arrived Penn Station about 3.30 or so.
I bought a SIM-card at a T-Mobile shop. An unpleasant experience, btw. Very unfriendly salesperson, a young guy who served four customers at the same time. A young woman next to me had a complaint but was rudely treated. He practically refused to sell me a prepaid SIM-card for $25 and tried to persuade me into getting one for $50. At some point he lost his patience, mumbled something of a $5 fee, shouted "Give me the thirty!", grabbed the money and handed me the prepaid card. Btw, that SIM card expired after the unbelievably short time of 18 days.
Ok, start of the sightseeing tour. We paid a quick visit to Macy's, gazed at the Empire State Building from Herald Square, walked through Bryant Park to New York Public Library, all the time dragging around two bags with our dress clothes for opera later that night. NY Public Library is a magnificent Beaux-Arts building. Beautiful architecture ouside as well as inside, the huge main reading room very impressive, bright and beautiful. But time was tight, so we headed to Times Square to board the subway to the Upper West Side.
We changed clothes at Paul's apartment, then walked to the Lincoln Center. We had not known the Met is *that* big. My gosh! The architecture is nothing special, the highlights are the Chagall paintings and the chandeliers. With the help of my friend Paul we had purchased tickets for opera - "Romeo et Juliette" by Charles Gounod. Anna Netrebko was a fantastic Juliette, Roberto Alagna disappointed as Romeo, Placido Domingo proved that his conducting is not as good as his singing. The production was very traditional (conservative). All in all we enjoyed the opera, though. The screens at each seat displaying the lyrics in several languages are a fantastic idea. We found that the acoustics, however, are not particularly good.
Nov 12th, 2007, 09:30 AM
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Hi Ingo
What an awful start to your trip, the problem with the Riverside Hotel. Yikes! Standing on the corner with luggage - a nightmare! I'm so glad it all worked out for you. Nice friend to have for sure!
I'm sorry for the rude people you came across. It does seem some people are just in the wrong jobs. Customer service just isn't what it used to be, is it?
(Oh, and I agree about the Schloss Charlottenburg being perfect for just wandering around. We loved it. I remember sitting on the grass, eating an ice cream, just gazing. Beautiful!)
Looking forward to your further adventures!
What an awful start to your trip, the problem with the Riverside Hotel. Yikes! Standing on the corner with luggage - a nightmare! I'm so glad it all worked out for you. Nice friend to have for sure!
I'm sorry for the rude people you came across. It does seem some people are just in the wrong jobs. Customer service just isn't what it used to be, is it?
(Oh, and I agree about the Schloss Charlottenburg being perfect for just wandering around. We loved it. I remember sitting on the grass, eating an ice cream, just gazing. Beautiful!)
Looking forward to your further adventures!
Nov 12th, 2007, 09:32 AM
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Let me comment about your flight.
Continental uses the 757-200 for TXL-EWR. While a CO fanboy myself, I'll readily admit that flying 9 hours across the Atlantic on it is not a pleasant experience.
Anyways, this aircraft only has 4 lavatories. One in the very front for the 16 business class seats; and then 3 for 156 coach passengers. Of those three, one is in the front of the coach cabin, 2 at the very back.
So, it seems like one of the lavatories is out of order.
About the inflight entertainment. You flew on the ONLY ONE 757-200 in CO's fleet with personal video screen in coach, out of a total of 41 aircrafts. The plane you were on only completed its retrofit in early September, and apparently there were lots of bugs. But what I'm trying to say is that you won't have personal video screen on the other 40 752s anyways. At least you get the brand new seats, which are supposedly to be much more comfortable than the old ones.
---
BTW, great trip report so far!
Continental uses the 757-200 for TXL-EWR. While a CO fanboy myself, I'll readily admit that flying 9 hours across the Atlantic on it is not a pleasant experience.
Anyways, this aircraft only has 4 lavatories. One in the very front for the 16 business class seats; and then 3 for 156 coach passengers. Of those three, one is in the front of the coach cabin, 2 at the very back.
So, it seems like one of the lavatories is out of order.
About the inflight entertainment. You flew on the ONLY ONE 757-200 in CO's fleet with personal video screen in coach, out of a total of 41 aircrafts. The plane you were on only completed its retrofit in early September, and apparently there were lots of bugs. But what I'm trying to say is that you won't have personal video screen on the other 40 752s anyways. At least you get the brand new seats, which are supposedly to be much more comfortable than the old ones.
---
BTW, great trip report so far!
Nov 12th, 2007, 09:58 AM
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Not to say we told you so - but the Riverside Towers has a terrible reputation for a reason. So glad you were able to find a place to stay - even that far outside the city.
And yes, Port Washington is a pretty town - but in the LI suburbs everything is done be car - there is really no public transit except LIRR to and from the City.
And yes, Port Washington is a pretty town - but in the LI suburbs everything is done be car - there is really no public transit except LIRR to and from the City.
Nov 12th, 2007, 10:05 AM
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Yeah, and the others will laugh even more when I'm telling (pssst!) that I use to walk or ride the bicycle to the mall in Germany ;-)
nytraveller, rub it in ;-) I know I have been warned about the Riverside Towers Hotel.
rkwan, then the German skills of the one person in the crew speaking it was even worse. They announced what I posted about the lavatories in English first (which I missed due to talking to my parents) and then in German. And since we sat quite far to the rear end we had no idea what was going on in the front.
About the video screen: they fixed it while we were on vacation; on the flight back it worked.
Thanks for the comments!
nytraveller, rub it in ;-) I know I have been warned about the Riverside Towers Hotel.
rkwan, then the German skills of the one person in the crew speaking it was even worse. They announced what I posted about the lavatories in English first (which I missed due to talking to my parents) and then in German. And since we sat quite far to the rear end we had no idea what was going on in the front.
About the video screen: they fixed it while we were on vacation; on the flight back it worked.
Thanks for the comments!
Nov 12th, 2007, 10:07 AM
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Wednesday, 26 Sept
Although going to bed 1.30 am we managed to get up relatively early and arrived Penn Station by 10.30 am. We took the subway to South Ferry where we boarded the Staten Island Ferry. Surprisingly it was free (since recently we found out later). We enjoyed the ferry ride a lot. The weather was great (like 90% of our trip), sunny and no wind. The views of the Lower Manhattan skyline are gorgeous, seeing Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty was exciting.
Back in Manhattan we had a hot-dog in Battery Park, walked around there, saw Castle Clinton with an exhibit on the History of New York. Very moving was the sculpture "The Sphere" by Fritz Koenig, originally placed in the plaza of the WTC, that was damaged on 9/11 and moved to Battery Park as a memorial.
The US Customs House is another beautiful building that we saw, nice was also Bowling Green park. Trinity Church is not to miss in that area. Built 1846 it is the first example of neo-gothic style in America. Especially the bronze doors, obviously inspired by Ghiberti's Paradise door in Florence/Italy are stunning.
Next were Wall Street/NY Stock Exchange and Federal Hall. Of course we couldn't go into the Stock Exchange building. I don't know why, but I was somehow underwhelmed. My parents, however, were very impressed. The relative quietness compared to Broadway a few metres away, the imagination of standing right in front of the financial centre of the world, the towering skyscrapers around, police and other security standing there - it made a lasting impression on them.
The WTC site was the next place to see. It is hard to imagine the huge skyscrapers when they're NOT there anymore. And with the busy, noisy crowds around it is even harder to recall the pictures of that fateful day. People walking by didn't turn their heads. We got somehow the impression that New Yorkers have moved on. Only later when we talked (once more) about 9/11 with our Connecticut friends and they told us how their son (and our "landlord", Thomas) had been affected, we got a better sense for the tragic events.
Back by subway, LIRR train and taxi to our lovely apartment. Supper, peace and out!
Although going to bed 1.30 am we managed to get up relatively early and arrived Penn Station by 10.30 am. We took the subway to South Ferry where we boarded the Staten Island Ferry. Surprisingly it was free (since recently we found out later). We enjoyed the ferry ride a lot. The weather was great (like 90% of our trip), sunny and no wind. The views of the Lower Manhattan skyline are gorgeous, seeing Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty was exciting.
Back in Manhattan we had a hot-dog in Battery Park, walked around there, saw Castle Clinton with an exhibit on the History of New York. Very moving was the sculpture "The Sphere" by Fritz Koenig, originally placed in the plaza of the WTC, that was damaged on 9/11 and moved to Battery Park as a memorial.
The US Customs House is another beautiful building that we saw, nice was also Bowling Green park. Trinity Church is not to miss in that area. Built 1846 it is the first example of neo-gothic style in America. Especially the bronze doors, obviously inspired by Ghiberti's Paradise door in Florence/Italy are stunning.
Next were Wall Street/NY Stock Exchange and Federal Hall. Of course we couldn't go into the Stock Exchange building. I don't know why, but I was somehow underwhelmed. My parents, however, were very impressed. The relative quietness compared to Broadway a few metres away, the imagination of standing right in front of the financial centre of the world, the towering skyscrapers around, police and other security standing there - it made a lasting impression on them.
The WTC site was the next place to see. It is hard to imagine the huge skyscrapers when they're NOT there anymore. And with the busy, noisy crowds around it is even harder to recall the pictures of that fateful day. People walking by didn't turn their heads. We got somehow the impression that New Yorkers have moved on. Only later when we talked (once more) about 9/11 with our Connecticut friends and they told us how their son (and our "landlord", Thomas) had been affected, we got a better sense for the tragic events.
Back by subway, LIRR train and taxi to our lovely apartment. Supper, peace and out!
Nov 12th, 2007, 11:04 AM
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Hi Ingo... Your post on the Europe board brought me here - where I don't normally hang out - to read your interesting report. I'm surprised to see that you've been to my 'neck of the woods' - Port Washington.
We live on the Manhasset Bay waterfront in Kings Point (Great Neck) facing Port Washington on the opposite shore.
I'm looking forward to the rest of your US story...
We live on the Manhasset Bay waterfront in Kings Point (Great Neck) facing Port Washington on the opposite shore.
I'm looking forward to the rest of your US story...
Nov 12th, 2007, 11:44 AM
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Hi TuckH - you live in a very beautiful area! Remember the train stop 'Great Neck' very well makes me almost a bit 'homesick' now.
Thursday, 27 Sept
Again we arrived relatively late at Penn Station. High on my list for sightseeing was the Pierpont Morgan Library, so this was where we headed right away. It turned out to be a highlight of our trip. It's a palazzo-like building from 1902. Morgan's former study room (West Room) is stunning with a wood-carved ceiling originally from Italy, beautiful old furniture and fine pieces of art, mostly bought in Europe. The Rotonda (Entrance hall) is finest Renaissance, the East Room is a masterpiece of a library room. The walls are covered with book shelves, three stories high, behind them two hidden staircases. Among other pieces a Gutenberg bible was on display. I loved it! A plus was that they had a current exhibit on the Duke of Urbino and related art.
After that much art/architecture we had earned a lunch - bought some chicken whatever with rice and vegetables in a deli next to Bryant Park and ate there. The food was lousy. A comment on Bryant Park: It's a relief to have some green, grass and woods in the middle of the city. It was fun to watch all sorts of people there: students reading/writing papers, businessmen with laptops, tourists, etc. What I didn't get, however, was how these people could concentrate surrounded by that noise? It was probably very unfortunate that the India tourism board had a marketing show running right when we were there - the louder, the better.
When finished we headed to Times Square (the crowds getting even more) to get a subway to the Upper West Side where our friend Paul waited for us. We met him at his apartment, then walked together towards Central Park. What a beautiful residential area with many brownstones! He pointed out the famous apartment buildings at Central Park West like the San Remo, the Dakota etc. We crossed Central Park to get to the Frick.
The Frick Collection was another highlight of the trip. It's a totally stunning collection of finest pictures. The building itself is worth to see, but the pictures ... are unbelievable. I loved Gainsborough's, Vermeer's and Holbein's pictures in particular. I think we spent two hours inside.
On the walk back through Central Park we made a little detour, saw Bethseba Terrace and Bow Bridge, got lost due to some construction works (never thought there would be so much underwood/wilderness in the city) and finally made it to the Upper West Side. Time to say goodbye to Paul and the city.
makes me almost a bit 'homesick' now.Thursday, 27 Sept
Again we arrived relatively late at Penn Station. High on my list for sightseeing was the Pierpont Morgan Library, so this was where we headed right away. It turned out to be a highlight of our trip. It's a palazzo-like building from 1902. Morgan's former study room (West Room) is stunning with a wood-carved ceiling originally from Italy, beautiful old furniture and fine pieces of art, mostly bought in Europe. The Rotonda (Entrance hall) is finest Renaissance, the East Room is a masterpiece of a library room. The walls are covered with book shelves, three stories high, behind them two hidden staircases. Among other pieces a Gutenberg bible was on display. I loved it! A plus was that they had a current exhibit on the Duke of Urbino and related art.
After that much art/architecture we had earned a lunch - bought some chicken whatever with rice and vegetables in a deli next to Bryant Park and ate there. The food was lousy. A comment on Bryant Park: It's a relief to have some green, grass and woods in the middle of the city. It was fun to watch all sorts of people there: students reading/writing papers, businessmen with laptops, tourists, etc. What I didn't get, however, was how these people could concentrate surrounded by that noise? It was probably very unfortunate that the India tourism board had a marketing show running right when we were there - the louder, the better.
When finished we headed to Times Square (the crowds getting even more) to get a subway to the Upper West Side where our friend Paul waited for us. We met him at his apartment, then walked together towards Central Park. What a beautiful residential area with many brownstones! He pointed out the famous apartment buildings at Central Park West like the San Remo, the Dakota etc. We crossed Central Park to get to the Frick.
The Frick Collection was another highlight of the trip. It's a totally stunning collection of finest pictures. The building itself is worth to see, but the pictures ... are unbelievable. I loved Gainsborough's, Vermeer's and Holbein's pictures in particular. I think we spent two hours inside.
On the walk back through Central Park we made a little detour, saw Bethseba Terrace and Bow Bridge, got lost due to some construction works (never thought there would be so much underwood/wilderness in the city) and finally made it to the Upper West Side. Time to say goodbye to Paul and the city.
Nov 12th, 2007, 03:02 PM
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Ingo:
It takes a very big person to admit they made a mistake about their hotel choice in NYC - agree with those who said thank goodness for your back up plan. Your friends really did come thru for you and your parents.
Very interesting to read your observations and I thank you for posting.
Looking forward to more.
Sandy
It takes a very big person to admit they made a mistake about their hotel choice in NYC - agree with those who said thank goodness for your back up plan. Your friends really did come thru for you and your parents.
Very interesting to read your observations and I thank you for posting.
Looking forward to more.
Sandy
Nov 12th, 2007, 09:10 PM
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Thanks for the comments, very much appreciated. One lesson learned on this trip: follow the advice here on Fodor's.
Ok, here comes a quick installment this morning:
Friday, 28 Sept
Our friends from Connecticut arrived early afternoon to pick us up. They had even rented a van because we travelled with so much luggage - how embarrassing! We had a late lunch at the local deli - yummy. Then we drove to Orient Point to catch the ferry to Groton, CT. We enjoyed the drive a lot - rural Long Island is beautiful. The ferry ride was also very enjoyable - we saw nice lighthouses, magnificent mansions at the coast, the submarine base, a cruise ship and enjoyed the beautiful sunset.
It was getting dark, but we still did a short drive through Mystic and got an impression. Very nice small town. Dinner was in a restaurant in Stonington, right by the water. It was a bit too cold to sit on their terrace, unfortunately, but it was very charming inside, too. The food was fabulous, the service very good, attentive, quick. I had a delicious soup (clam chowder) and scrod for main course. I also tried a local white wine which was very good.
We arrived late at our friends' house, but there was still enough time for a chat
Ok, here comes a quick installment this morning:
Friday, 28 Sept
Our friends from Connecticut arrived early afternoon to pick us up. They had even rented a van because we travelled with so much luggage - how embarrassing! We had a late lunch at the local deli - yummy. Then we drove to Orient Point to catch the ferry to Groton, CT. We enjoyed the drive a lot - rural Long Island is beautiful. The ferry ride was also very enjoyable - we saw nice lighthouses, magnificent mansions at the coast, the submarine base, a cruise ship and enjoyed the beautiful sunset.
It was getting dark, but we still did a short drive through Mystic and got an impression. Very nice small town. Dinner was in a restaurant in Stonington, right by the water. It was a bit too cold to sit on their terrace, unfortunately, but it was very charming inside, too. The food was fabulous, the service very good, attentive, quick. I had a delicious soup (clam chowder) and scrod for main course. I also tried a local white wine which was very good.
We arrived late at our friends' house, but there was still enough time for a chat
Nov 12th, 2007, 10:35 PM
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Isn't the Frick fabulous? I really loved my recent visit. The scale of the building makes it all so accessible and the man had fabulous taste. What it must have been to be a guest at those dinners.
New yorkers are so blessed to have Central Park. There's so much wilderness and tranquility so close to all the big city action. It must be wonderful to live in close proximity to have Central Park as your backyard and the whole city as your playground.
Enjoying your report as you did similar things to my recent trip (like most tourists do, I guess)
New yorkers are so blessed to have Central Park. There's so much wilderness and tranquility so close to all the big city action. It must be wonderful to live in close proximity to have Central Park as your backyard and the whole city as your playground.
Enjoying your report as you did similar things to my recent trip (like most tourists do, I guess)
Nov 13th, 2007, 10:44 AM
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Thanks again for the nice comments. I am flattered ;-)
The Frick alone is IMO a reason to visit NYC. Really unbelievable, a jewel. Icing on the cake was that our friend Paul is a member and I could get in free.
Saturday, 29 Sept
I don't want to bore you with details, but want you to know that our friends provided a yummy, real American breakfast each day. Cereal, fruits, muffins, jam, cheese, bacon, pancakes with maple syrup, juice, tea, coffee - everything you can think of.
After breakfast we drove to Pittsfield/MA to tour the Shaker village there. The scenery became more and more beautiful the further we drove into the Berkshires. The leaves had just started to change their colour, but since we still had 2 more weeks that was fine. Traffic was quite heavy in Lenox (beautiful town!) so it was a bit late when we arrived at the Shaker village. We were impressed how perfectly preserved the village was. It turned out that - good luck for us - they had a fair that day. It was very interesting to see the craftsmen showing their skills. Their furniture is absolutely beautiful and so are the baskets. Then we learned more about the Shakers, toured the main house, former workshops, the barn. Inbetween we had a delicious picnic (weather was again fantastic). My mother could not tear away from the quilt exhibit. And it *was* stunning!
We spent more time than expected in the Shaker village thus it was too late for the Norman Rockwell museum. However, we drove to Stockbridge, parked the car, walked along the main street and had a look into the Red Lion Inn - what a beautiful, charming inn with a lot of old-world charm.
Despite coming back home late our friends prepared a delicious dinner. We had green salad, corn on the crop (a first for us) and grilled beef fillet, red wine and afterwards a dessert plus (decaf) coffee/tea. Hmmm ... so good!
The Frick alone is IMO a reason to visit NYC. Really unbelievable, a jewel. Icing on the cake was that our friend Paul is a member and I could get in free.
Saturday, 29 Sept
I don't want to bore you with details, but want you to know that our friends provided a yummy, real American breakfast each day. Cereal, fruits, muffins, jam, cheese, bacon, pancakes with maple syrup, juice, tea, coffee - everything you can think of.
After breakfast we drove to Pittsfield/MA to tour the Shaker village there. The scenery became more and more beautiful the further we drove into the Berkshires. The leaves had just started to change their colour, but since we still had 2 more weeks that was fine. Traffic was quite heavy in Lenox (beautiful town!) so it was a bit late when we arrived at the Shaker village. We were impressed how perfectly preserved the village was. It turned out that - good luck for us - they had a fair that day. It was very interesting to see the craftsmen showing their skills. Their furniture is absolutely beautiful and so are the baskets. Then we learned more about the Shakers, toured the main house, former workshops, the barn. Inbetween we had a delicious picnic (weather was again fantastic). My mother could not tear away from the quilt exhibit. And it *was* stunning!
We spent more time than expected in the Shaker village thus it was too late for the Norman Rockwell museum. However, we drove to Stockbridge, parked the car, walked along the main street and had a look into the Red Lion Inn - what a beautiful, charming inn with a lot of old-world charm.
Despite coming back home late our friends prepared a delicious dinner. We had green salad, corn on the crop (a first for us) and grilled beef fillet, red wine and afterwards a dessert plus (decaf) coffee/tea. Hmmm ... so good!
Nov 13th, 2007, 10:54 AM
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Sunday, 30 Sept
Time to pick up our rental car at Bradley airport. I had booked a 'premium' car (438 Euro for two weeks incl. insurance) and due to our many bags was very glad the friendly lady at the Alamo desk upgraded us to a van (Dodge Grand Traveller). The rest of the day was spent with a visit to another friend's family in the Litchfield hills. Again, leaves had just started to change colours but it was nonetheless a scenic drive. Especially the landscape on the last miles into the Litchfield hills were buccolic. I had forgotten the paper with directions, but with the help of some locals (amazing how friendly and helpful they were!) found the way. Even met a native German and several German speaking folks.
Time flew by with wargaming and chatting and then it was time for a superb Mexican dinner. Yummy!
Time to pick up our rental car at Bradley airport. I had booked a 'premium' car (438 Euro for two weeks incl. insurance) and due to our many bags was very glad the friendly lady at the Alamo desk upgraded us to a van (Dodge Grand Traveller). The rest of the day was spent with a visit to another friend's family in the Litchfield hills. Again, leaves had just started to change colours but it was nonetheless a scenic drive. Especially the landscape on the last miles into the Litchfield hills were buccolic. I had forgotten the paper with directions, but with the help of some locals (amazing how friendly and helpful they were!) found the way. Even met a native German and several German speaking folks.
Time flew by with wargaming and chatting
and then it was time for a superb Mexican dinner. Yummy!
