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Old 24 Nov 16, 10:07 AM  
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neilhd
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Join Date: Feb 08
NYC without the kids! Jan 2017

Normally I'm the sort of person who will start a pre-trip report many months in advance. My usual way of doing things is to book sometime around September as soon as flights go on sale (because I am too scared of missing a good deal), and then make some rough plans and then start the pre-trip sometime around the new year. It helps get through the fact that I've just got back from Xmas and lots of time off, and need something to help me get through the dark winter months. I can then spend months updating it with pointless details that nobody cares about.

But not this time. Oh no.

This time, we go in about 6 weeks from now! To be fair, I did book it in February but I've only just finished writing the trip report from this year's Canada/USA road trip.

On the 8th of January we fly to New York City for 5 nights.

And the best bit? NO KIDS!

Let me introduce us. This will not take as long as usual because - and I might have mentioned this already - there are NO KIDS!

Neil (Me). 38 and still not looking a day over 36. As long as you don't look at my bald spot.
Eleanor (aka Ele, aka Dory). 39 but turning 40 whilst there.
Kids - who cares?! They aren't coming! Did I mention that?

This is us:


Obviously, this trip is to celebrate Ele turning 40. Without the kids. Did I mention that? She had long wanted to spend her 40th in NYC. Without the kids. Did I mention that? So when flights started to become available in February, we started looking. There were a couple of good options. There was a very cheap Norwegian flight that was a superb price of about £300pp (plus baggage), but the flight times were a bit less than ideal.

Then I remembered we had a load of Avios kicking around that had built up since the last time we cleared them out (which was 2011 if I remember correctly, where we cashed them in for a free flight to Miami). A quick flick through the site showed me that we could indeed use them, but Economy redemptions are not great on Avios these days, because the Tax and Fuel Surcharge makes up most of the cost of a ticket, so you don't save a lot. Indeed, it worked out a bit more than the Norwegian flights.

But then I realised we actually had enough Avios to go Business Class on the way out, and Economy on the way back. Plus about £400pp in tax/charges. The flight times were excellent, too. So that was it - decision made, booking done. Business class! And no kids! Did I mention that? A bit later on we did pay to pre-select exit row seats on the way home, too. And they are 2 seats not part of a 3, so we get a quasi-business class experience on the way back anyway (yes I know I'm kidding myself).

Frankly there wasn't a lot to do after that for a long time. We had the more pressing matter of our Canada/USA road trip to organise. Which, incidentally, included a visit to NYC as well. Luckily we really loved it there. Imagine if we'd hated it. That would've put a dampener on this trip.

Once we were back from our awesome road trip (Trippie in my sig below, should you care) we realised we really should book a hotel. In keeping with the "use-up-points-to-reduce-the-cost" theme of the flights, we decided to book via Expedia and cash in our Nectar points as we had about £300 worth of them built up.

Choosing a hotel was bloody hard work. Ele had really wanted the Marriott in Times Square, but it really was out of budget and we couldn't really justify it. Also we now had a good idea of NYC having been in the summer, and wanted something a little north of Times Square, preferably closer to Central Park.

In the end, after much researching, we settled on The Belvedere (belvederehotelnyc/). It looks very nice, and we have opted for their best room type. It's about halfway between Times Square and Central Park. The price was extremely reasonable, coming in at about £600 total for the 5 nights. You might think that therefore our £300 of Nectar points would bring it down to £300 left to pay, but due to Expedia calculating stuff in a very weird way, we only paid £199 extra. From what I can work out, rather than working out the VAT on the total price, then deducting the voucher as part payment, they instead take the voucher off first, then calculate the VAT on the remainder, meaning the VAT is much less than you would expect and thus reducing the price even further. Whatever. I'm not complaining. £199 for 5 nights in midtown NYC? That, my friends, is a bargain.

Now, being that it's only 6 weeks to go, and given that Xmas is in the way as well, and given that you all know my obsessive planning by now, you will now be expecting me to provide you with an hour-by-hour fully researched itinerary. So here it is:

8th Jan. Fly to NYC. Get to the hotel somehow. Probably a cab because that's just easiest and it'll be bloody cold.
9-12th Jan - ?
13th Jan - Fly home in the evening.

We really have nothing planned. Most worryingly, we really need to decide upon a decent restaurant for Ele's actual 40th, and probably a nice bar or music venue for after it. We simply cannot decide, and it's getting very close now.

What we do know is that we want to visit the 9/11 memorial. Probably go up the Freedom Tower or whatever the new building is called. Maybe up the Rockerfeller Centre (there is a posh bar on the 65th floor that is still a contender for the 40th celebrations). Wander Central Park a bit more, and explore some of the other neighbourhoods. Oh, and do some shopping. We're considering the New Jersey outlets (closer than Woodbury Common), but don't really want to spend a day in NJ when we could spend it in Macy's and Bloomingdale's instead. I'm hoping there'll be some reasonable sales on so we can get a few bits without needing to bus out of the city.

Other plans include not having to be back in the hotel by 9pm because Joe is tired, and actually visiting bars and having alcoholic drinks sometimes. Did I mention there's no kids?

I'm expecting it to be very cold indeed, and we have both bought new coats to provide ample warmth. I might even treat myself to a new pair of gloves before we go. Of course what'll happen is I'll buy some and then it'll be decided that the "kids can give me that for Christmas", because that's what happens with anything I buy myself from December onwards.

We're looking forward to this so much, but you just know we'll be worrying about the kids. Jess, being 20, is obviously not a worry, but she'll be looking after Joe, who is now 11 a lot of the time. That is, she will be looking after him a lot of the time, not that he is now 11 a lot of the time. He is now 11 all of the time. She leaves early for work - before Joe will be awake - so my mum is going to come and take him to school, getting there early enough that Joe isn't alone for long. Also Ele's mum is going to stay over at ours for a couple of nights I think. I know he'll miss us (Jess will just be happy we're gone!) and we hope like mad that he's a good boy for Jess when it's bedtime etc. He probably will be.

So that's that. A week off work at Xmas and New Year, a few days back at work and then another week off. In NYC. Flying business class. Without kids. Did I mention that?
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Old 22 Dec 16, 05:29 PM  
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neilhd
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Well we managed to decide on a restaurant for Ele's 40th. We are going to Lincoln Square Steak on the Upper West Side.

It is currently rated on TripAdvisor as the #5 restaurant in NYC (it was #4 last week - their standards must be slipping), and the highest steak restaurant.

Doesn't look cheap so it had better be good!
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Old 23 Dec 16, 09:23 PM  
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katnav
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All sounds great. what a fab, child free trip you have planned. I love The Belvedere, stay there every time we visitm
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Old 30 Dec 16, 02:00 PM  
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neilhd
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Originally Posted by katnav View Post
All sounds great. what a fab, child free trip you have planned. I love The Belvedere, stay there every time we visitm
Glad to hear the Belvedere is good!
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Old 1 Jan 17, 02:37 AM  
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LRMD
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Join Date: Jan 11
Have a fab time, we got back yesterday from our 40th trip, was amazing, all I can say is visit the Irish bars if you want some nice alcoholic drinks and friendly barmen! Any other questions, just ask, we did most tourist attractions in 5 days, were mega tired but it was worth it!
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Old 1 Jan 17, 09:28 AM  
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Disneyfreaks
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This sounds lovely - I've stayed at the Belvedere too..it's a great hotel in a great location !
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Old 3 Jan 17, 09:20 AM  
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neilhd
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Thanks guys!

Only 5 days to go. Totally missed the SDD!
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