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-   -   A relaxed military style trip. May 2022. Day 7. New York. (https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1226253)

roxie2001 5 Jun 22 11:59 AM

A relaxed military style trip. May 2022. Day 7. New York.
 
Tuesday 17th May.

Index

A little back story before I start.
Matt booked us a one night stay at New York with last minute.com
Orlando to Newark.
Originally it was something like a 7am flight out and 10pm coming back
They emailed to say our flight had changed to 11.20am out, 3pm back. That wasn’t going to be worth it so we asked for the 5am out instead.
They changed it and then charged Matt extra to do this.

All day at discovery cove, Matt had tried to check in but kept getting a working on your boarding pass message. I said we would just sort it at the airport.

I set an alarm for 2.45am. I pre booked an Uber for 3.15am. It was $38 so a little more than usual but wanted to make sure we could get there.
Matt went onto spirit airlines to try and check in, he said he didn’t think we were on the flight!
The Uber was on its way so we agreed to just get to the airport.
I sent a message to the driver to meet us at the entrance. The WiFi was behaving so we could track the car.
He was 5 minutes late but met us at the entrance and was friendly, it was a tense journey though.
We found the spirit desk, spoke to a lovely lady. She said last minute.com hadn’t even booked us on the early flight as it sold out before we paid.
Matt had his confirmation email and said they didn’t tell him about the flights not being booked. I said we were offered the 11.20 originally but it was too late for us so we chose the early flights.
First she said she couldn’t do anything but then said wait here.
Off she trotted, it took about 15/20 minutes but she came back with golden tickets, well, boarding passes. I went to hug her, remembered covid so it was a virtual hug and she told us to run. It was now 4am and we had security to get through.
Today we really lucked out, as we got to the front of the queue another line opened so we were straight through. Only had a back pack between us, just a change of underwear and tops. I brought mini deodorants and toothpaste for the clear bag.
The gate was easy to find and we boarded as soon as we got there.
We had the emergency exit seats, so could really spread out.
I put my eye mask on and ear plugs in then pretty much went straight sleep.
The staff on the flight were absolutely lovely. The captain came on the speaker, introduced himself and chatted a bit.
The 3 seats behind us were empty, it was a fully booked flight so I guess they didn’t turn up or missed it. At landing Matt was looking behind as we didn’t have a window and the cc told him he could move seats, he was up in a shot and got a perfect view.
We landed early and no passport check as it was an internal flight.
I had researched how to get to New York. The quickest way seemed the train.
You have to get the airtrain to Newark station and them the NJ transit train to New York penn station. (Not Newark penn station which is the first stop)
We got our tickets from a machine, $31 one way for us both. The machine didn’t take my card so I used cash.
The NJ train runs every 30 minutes, it’s really simple to use. We needed to wear our masks.
We arrived at Penn station, which is huge. Journey took 20/30 minutes.
I had already purchased the explorer pass, mainly because you can use this to book the ride.
I went for the 5 attractions as it wasn’t that much more than 4 and we planned to squeeze as much as we could in.
First stop was TOTR before it got busy. Matt used his phone to get us there, his phone was well used, I forgot to pack the power bank though so his battery took a hit.
It was about a 10/15 walk and it was busy on the streets.

We thought we joined the end of the queue until a guard immediately asked us if we were there for graduation or TOTR, we had joined the queue full of dressed up parents for graduation. 🤣
We were sent across the road. No queue at all yet, we just had to go downstairs to get our passes scanned and given tickets.
We got in the lift, I panicked as it didn’t have bars to hold onto and Matt said we were only going up one flight not to the top 🤣
We went through airport type security and waited for the lifts, it all took about 10 minutes.
It still didn’t have bars so I held Matts hand and closed my eyes.
I gradually made it to the edge.





I enjoyed it more than I thought and it was already a good start to our day.
It’s dds 21st next month so Matt and I wanted to get her something from Tiffany’s. They have a little concession shop here. I told the assistant what I wanted, she had to get the photo online after showing me the wrong ring. Then she tried to sell me that wrong ring and the one I actually wanted wasn’t in stock there so could we pick it up at the store on 5th avenue. I should have said no really and ordered online as it wasn’t going to be ready for a couple of hours. I guess I was caught up in the moment and agreed.
Next I wanted to see Grand central station, thinking it was nearby we set off. It took a little longer than I thought and had to ask someone where it was in the end but I’m glad I saw it.



As it was good weather we wanted to use the pass for the landmarks cruise so walked there.
We arrived in time for the 12.30 tour and bagged an outside seat.

I brought us a drink, wine and beer, $9.50 each.
The captain on here was brilliant, had loads of information and it was a nice way to spend an hour and a half after all the walking.











We then couldn’t really decide what to do but getting hungry, we just went into a chick Fil a, it wasn’t great and the order was wrong but it did the job for now.
I thought picking the ring up was probably the best idea, this was a fair walk and took a while, I was regretting saying yes to picking it up at this point.
We then had to go up to the 4th floor and wait in a line.
It’s so pretty though and wrapped up nicely and I can tell dd it’s from 5th avenue.
We pottered about, thought about going to Central Park but it was another 20 minute walk so ended up on the hoho bus for a red line tour.















The earphones are never going to be as good as a tour guide but Matt and I really enjoyed this.
In hindsight we should have done this earlier to get our bearings and made use of the hopping off but it’s good to know for future visits.
Time was really ticking away now, it was about 6.15pm and we still had to check in before the ride at 7.30.
Matt had booked the rui plaza Times Square, it was quite expensive but we wanted a central hotel to make the most of our time.
Matts phone died in the queue to check in, luckily we didn’t need to show our documents and asked for a high room, we got floor 27.
We rested, charged phones and used the WiFi. Matt had an email from last minute.com to say our flights had been changed, it arrived after the 11.20 flights anyway.
Terrible company although Matt should be getting refunded now.
The leaving point for the ride was very close so we left the hotel at 7.15, and turned the wrong way.
I was getting stressed again as I really wanted to do this plus I would have been charged the ticket price if we didn’t turn up.
We ended up running to the meeting point, getting there just after 7.30. They hadn’t even let people on the bus yet, so glad I nearly killed myself 🤣
I popped in 5 guys for a bottled drink.
I had paid $10 each extra for a front row seat so we were on the bus first, masks needed again.
I’m not going to post photos as don’t want to reveal too much.
However, this was a highlight of the trip. It’s a mix of tour and street interaction. Very funny, clever and SO RANDOM.
We had a quick look at Times Square when we got off.

We paid a small fortune for pizza and beers and fell into the room.

Then the fire alarm went off, we walked along the corridor talking to other people. It stopped then started again. We were the only ones evacuating from our floor.
No lifts, walked down 20 flights of stairs before an announcement said it was a false alarm! Perfect after a day of walking 🤣
The lifts took a while to start, then they were full. Managed to get in one and basically just fell asleep straight away.

mick 5 Jun 22 02:29 PM

New York is great to see but as you say so much walking :pgig:

Joan :wave:

roxie2001 5 Jun 22 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mick (Post 15479746)
New York is great to see but as you say so much walking :pgig:

Joan :wave:

It would be nice to cycle but not on those roads.

Melbatb 7 Jun 22 11:22 PM

Wow - what a day! You managed such a lot after the initial flight drama. And what perfect weather too!

Your legs must have ached after all that!

DisneyDaffodil 7 Jun 22 11:44 PM

I’ve just found your trip report and started on this day 😂 I will start reading from the beginning tomorrow

How did you pack so much into one day? You really had a fun filled day and covered so many sights. We found the food very hit or miss in New York, we’re not big fast food fans but found it was the easiest, most affordable option in New York.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your report x

SmellyDelly 9 Jun 22 09:15 AM

I bet you slept like little logs! What a busy day. I've never fancied NY but thoroughly enjoyed your adventure 🙂

ClaireNJ 9 Jun 22 09:54 AM

What a worry regarding your flight, glad you made it & WOW you packed a lot into your day 🇺🇸🍎

roxie2001 9 Jun 22 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melbatb (Post 15483678)
Wow - what a day! You managed such a lot after the initial flight drama. And what perfect weather too!

Your legs must have ached after all that!

We knew we had to make the most of our limited time.
Weather was great for walking.
I did ache and slept well.

roxie2001 9 Jun 22 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil (Post 15483709)
I’ve just found your trip report and started on this day 😂 I will start reading from the beginning tomorrow

How did you pack so much into one day? You really had a fun filled day and covered so many sights. We found the food very hit or miss in New York, we’re not big fast food fans but found it was the easiest, most affordable option in New York.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your report x

🤣 at you finding New York first.
We knew it wouldn’t be a sit down meal, it was still expensive for pizza.

roxie2001 9 Jun 22 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmellyDelly (Post 15485483)
I bet you slept like little logs! What a busy day. I've never fancied NY but thoroughly enjoyed your adventure 🙂

We sure did. I didn’t think I would like New York as much as I did.
It was a good idea to visit from Matt.


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