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Old 29 Aug 17, 03:51 PM  
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DisneyDaffodil
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'We had plans and then we changed them' First Day in NYC ~ Orlando and NY

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Apologies for a bit of a shorter report today, but travel day so was at airport and on plane for a lot of the time.

We all woke up early this morning, ready to catch our flight from Orlando to NYC. We were all sad to be leaving Florida, as we had enjoyed our time in Universal lots. After checking that we'd packed everything (ten times) we met up with Justin and Emily in the hotel foyer. We booked an Uber XL, hoping we would get everything in but although the driver did try, there was not enough room for all of us and our luggage. Justin and Emily ordered a regular Uber while we went in the Uber XL.
We had booked the internal flight with American Airlines but had not been able to book the luggage onto the flight when we had booked. After meeting back up with Justin and Emily at MCO, we joined the incredibly long queue to book our luggage in. The airport was extremely busy, probably because it was the Fourth of July weekend. Nobody seemed to know where they were going or what they were doing, which didn't help us at all! We muddled through and paid $25 per bag. We then we went to the wrong queue for check in, which we waited in for ages. We then found out that we had to go into another queue as we had already had TSA checks completed. Despite all this, we made it in time for the flight.
We had never flown with American Airlines before but the seats were very comfortable, we had complimentary coffee/tea and biscuits and an in-flight movie (Up, which Rob and I really enjoyed). The flight went quickly and JFK was much quieter than MCO. It wasn't long before we were getting taxis to Park Lane Hotel. We took two taxis, even though Uber would have been cheaper, we just wanted convenience. Our taxi driver was really friendly and pointed all the sights and skyscrapers as we entered the city. We were all in awe of the vastness of the city and commented on how the buildings looked like cardboard cut-outs. Both Justin's and our taxis arrived at the hotel around the same time and we checked in.

Our room had a fabulous view of Central Park, which we loved, but Justin and Emily had a city view, which was just a back alley.If you book this hotel, I suggest you pick the park view rooms, although they're slightly more expensive.


By now it was 2:30pm and we hadn't eaten yet so we made our way into Central Park. It was a beautiful summers day and the park was filled with people. We found it fascinating to see so many people actually using the park in so many different ways. There were dog walkers, tourists, families and buskers, to name a few.
I had done research on the area and where to eat, so I (badly, as always) directed the rest of the family towards Ballfields Cafe. We sat at the outdoor tables and ordered burger meals. Some of us had turkey burgers and some of us had beef burgers. They all came with crisps and Rob, Justin and I shared a jug of Budweiser. This was very tasty but I remember it being a little overpriced. We soon learnt that a lot of places in NYC were more expensive than we had expected.

We felt a lot better after having some food and decided to explore a bit of the park. As with most places in NYC, we hadn't realised how big it was Georgia and Justin took over navigation (I can't imagine why ) and we had a pleasant stroll taking in all of the sights.





We wandered back out of the park around 5:00pm and went back to our hotel. We went to our room and changed. We then went to the hotel's evening reception. The resort fee at the hotel included wifi and food and drink (including wine and beer) each evening between 5 and 7. Although the resort fee was $35 per room, we felt this was good value as we used the food each evening as a meal, therefore saving us money. There was a good variety on offer and there were no restrictions on how much you could eat or drink. People were also allowed to take food and drink back to their rooms from the buffet. These were some of the cakes on offer.

After having some food and a rest, we ventured out onto Fifth Avenue. We had planned to go to the Rockerfeller Centre and go up Top of the Rock this evening using the New York City Explorer Pass which we could use at five attractions.
As we walked down Fifth Avenue we were amazed at the size of the skyscrapers.

I had my photo taken outside Tiffany's but it was unfortunately closed.

We then stopped to look around St Patrick's Cathedral. We often visit Cathedrals both in the UK and abroad, as they are stunning and calming buildings. St Patrick's was another example of this and seemed even more tranquil surrounded by the city and the imposing skyscrapers.



At this point, Rob started to feel ill. He isn't a great traveller, so this may have been the reason. He didn't want to spoil our evening and said he'd go back to the room. I was worried that he wouldn't find his way (even though we'd only walked a little way from the hotel) and I offered to go with him but he insisted he would be fine. We left him and went into the Rockerfeller Centre. We went to the queue for Top of the Rock, which moved quickly. We were served by a really friendly assistant who said that there was no availability until around 10pm (and it was only around 8:30pm now). He offered to book us tickets for the following day at 8pm, which was actually better as Rob could come with us then. We decided to head back to the hotel, as we were all a bit tired. We strolled back, taking pictures of the brightly lit streets.


Rob was feeling a bit better when we got back to our room, so we all sat up for a while talking and watching tv before going to bed.
Step Count: 17,000

Edited at 04:50 PM.
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Old 14 Sep 17, 10:40 AM  
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Cloverlady
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Great day!
I remember saying exactly that to my hubby as we drove into NYC from JFK - that the skyscrapers looked like cardboard cut outs!
Love the photos and great that you got lovely summery weather.
Shame about Rob feeling ill though
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Old 14 Sep 17, 10:46 AM  
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DisneyDaffodil
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Originally Posted by Cloverlady View Post
Great day!
I remember saying exactly that to my hubby as we drove into NYC from JFK - that the skyscrapers looked like cardboard cut outs!
Love the photos and great that you got lovely summery weather.
Shame about Rob feeling ill though
He usually has a day or two where he is unwell on holidays. He isn't the best traveller but he tries not to stop us, or him, enjoying the holidays.
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Old 20 Sep 17, 10:22 PM  
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Fuellady
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The airport sounded stressful. Thank goodness you still made your flight after all the queueing.

It looks like you saw loads of Central Park on your little stroll. We really want to see more of it when we go back. Lovely view from your hotel.

Hope Rob feels better tomorrow so he can go to Top of the Rock with you all.
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Old 20 Sep 17, 10:44 PM  
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Originally Posted by Fuellady View Post
The airport sounded stressful. Thank goodness you still made your flight after all the queueing.

It looks like you saw loads of Central Park on your little stroll. We really want to see more of it when we go back. Lovely view from your hotel.

Hope Rob feels better tomorrow so he can go to Top of the Rock with you all.
I have never been at any airport less organised than MCO was that day. I think it was because it was the holiday weekend.
We were amazed by the size of Central Park too and would like to see more on another visit.
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Old 20 Sep 17, 11:45 PM  
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All the pics look good. Brings back memories.
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Old 22 Sep 17, 04:56 PM  
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Originally Posted by fuelman View Post
All the pics look good. Brings back memories.
This is why I enjoy making a trip report, it's great fun to look back on. I do take ages to complete them though 😊. I have added another day if you and Lynda wanted a read.

Although I imagine you are busy and excited for your trip. I will be reading along with the trip report 😊. Have a great time
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Old 21 Oct 17, 06:54 PM  
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Your internal flight sounds like it went well once you'd got on the flight! The hotel looks nice and a great view.

Nice gentle introduction to New York today with the strolling around Central Park - hope your feet were OK today.
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Old 21 Oct 17, 07:15 PM  
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The American Airlines flight was lovely, a nice change to have a relatively short trip compared to the long hauls 😀.

My feet were a lot better in New York, although we walked lots there too. We loved Central Park, so much to see and great fun to watch all the buskers and performers there
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