theDIBB - Xmas shopping, shows & sights in nyc 2010

INTRO

Hi! :wave: I haven’t done a trip report before cos:
1. I’m lazy
2. I’m intimidated by how good some of the reports on The Dibb are.
3. I’ve tried before & failed to import photos & I thought my reports
would be boring without.
4. I will try again tho – apologies if it doesn’t work out.
5. I can’t do the links either – not very computer savvy.
6. I do tend to rabbit on –this will probably be book length by the
time I’ve finished!

BUT I’ve noticed a lot of Dibbers are going to/interested in New York so I thought I’d have a go anyway & put lots of detail in – to help compensate for lack of photos. I know it’s usual to post one Day at a time but I also know some Dibbers are going very soon so I’m going to try to post the whole report as quickly as poss.

My dream trip started back in August when my DDs gave me a wonderful 60th birthday surprise. A series of little presies meant to aid my guessing abilities – I was rubbish! 1st presie was a Xmas card & I thought – ooh, they’re treating me to a Xmas show, the 2nd presie was a big red apple & no, I didn’t get it – I thought maybe Snow White panto? 3rd presie was a luggage label & I thought ooh – maybe it’s in London. 4th presie was a toy plane & I got very excited thinking it was maybe to a German Xmas market, where they sold those toffee apples (doh, I know). 5th presie was (& the dime finally dropped) a NYC guide book – but I still didn’t believe it – in fact I don’t think I did til I was standing In Times Square.

Background: I’ve wanted to go Xmas shopping in NYC for years but could never justify the cost as my DH wasn’t interested so I was waiting for my DDs who promised to take me when they’re rich & famous. As they kindly told me, although they haven’t ‘made it’ yet, they thought they’d better take me whilst I was still young/fit enough to go – don’t you just love your offspring? Combined with the birthday morning call I got from a Nationwide rep, suggesting that I might want to reconsider my life insurance now that I’d reached 60, it’s a good job I was too excited by the NYC trip to be depressed :d:

Also, as part of my birthday treat & because they’d been before, they were allowing me to do all the planning – yep, I’m a control/planning freak.

My DD2 works in the travel industry & had got good deals – she said. We were travelling on Continental & staying in the Novotel, Times Square. They were paying for flights, hotel & had a taxi fund (more later).

ok - that was the easy post - photo attempt next :confused2