New York & Canada this time! Day 1

[Elderbly]

New York & canada Day 1

An early start for the Dunkys in more ways than one! I (DH) was packed almost a full week in advance, I’ve never been this excited/giddy about a holiday before. I put it down to going without a holiday for two years (due to work commitments) but all the prior planning is now coming to fruition.

DW and DD will be escorting me on this jaunt to the Americas, DS is too old (21) and way too cool to come with us also a small matter of not being able to get leave from the RAF was a bit of a sticky wicket to him not coming on this trip.

We considered “busting him out” by sending hacksaw blades hidden in cakes but the consistency of my homemade cake required industrial cutting equipment to get through it which sort of cancelled out the original plan oh well 3 Dunky’s it is.

For a change I was given the job of planning the first leg which was our 4 day stay in New York, our 10 day stay in Halifax, Nova Scotia is going to be a laise faire break where we see what we fancy doing as the holiday progresses. We’ll see if we can stick to that plan or default to our lets cram as much in as possible routine!

I’m not used to this much responsibility, I’m the type who gets giddy when Bisto’s on buy one get one free in Asda so to have the whole weight of a successful trip to the big apple thrust on me is a big undertaking and yet, so far, I’ve tackled it without the use of chemical relaxant’s to stop me hyperventilating.

We listed all the things I,DW and DD wanted to see in NY. Got a used NY “popout map” for £3 on Amazon (which, incidentally, is really handy for keeping in your pocket and sneakily referring to without looking like a tourist, i can see me now exuding NY confidence and blending in with the locals sporting my union jack shorts string vest and knotted hankie asking strangers directions to the nearest Asda (just to check if Bisto’s on BOGOF yet!) and plotted the attractions close together that we wanted to see and then completely disregarded all of DW and DD requests! I mean i fully integrated all our requests and tackled them in a geographical order to cut down on wearing out my new Sketchers.

We have used a local firm (Travelair) for transport to and from Manchester airport and booked them again as they are very reliable courteous and reasonably priced.
We recently changed bank accounts to one with additional extras like worldwide travel insurance (you know the score) alongside these benefits was an unknown perk entitled Airport Angels. Which entitles us to 4 passes per year to use executive airport lounges dotted around the world.

Departure date arrived at 4:15am the day after my birthday Oh dear ! But as per usual we all managed to rise in time and with some semblance of humanity. Which is a feat in itself with DD as you could normally march the 2nd battalion of the Coldstream guards through her bedroom and she wouldn’t stir much before 10.00am given the choice.





Travelair bang on cue at the arranged time of 5.15am rang to say he was just pulling into our street. I swear that bloke arrives earlier but waits till the arranged time to ring either way he still makes my atrocious time management look even worse than it actually is.

By my time scales the 40mile journey to the airport should have taken about 10 minutes? But Travelair dragged their feet and did it in about 35 mins tut tut.!

Check in at Continental airlines desk was a doddle and we were checked in in about 10 minutes of arriving (thats Greenwich mean time 10 minutes not my version of 10 minutes). Although there was a delay of 2 hours on the flight due to bad weather the night before. Hey ho what can you do so onto phase 2 of the airport.

DW got a bit emotional at check in no it wasn’t my toe crunching steering of the luggage trolley but i think it had actually sunk in that 10 years earlier we had vowed to “do something different or special” for our 10th anniversary and here we were doing it. I steadied my trembling lip in true Teeside steel fashion and must have caught my shin on the luggage trolley, that was the only reason I had watery eyes, honest!. Flaming luggage trolleys are lethal!

As earlier mentioned we had benefited unwittingly from changing bank accounts and obtained our allocation of passes to the executive lounges at Manchester airport operated by “Airport Angels”. There are two lounges at Manchester airport in this scheme one is the “Style lounge” the other is the “Escape lounge” Locals to the North west will be ahead of me here but there is a local prison called Style and it did occur that the latter being the residents optional route of exit!

It did worry me that someone had decide to name their exec lounge after a prison so i was apprehensive about using this facility, particularly when passing through duty free to see “soap on a rope” still prominently on display? I did consider a purchase to avoid any awkward stand offs in the “Escape Lounge” showers but decided to throw caution to the wind! (joking).

We opted for the Escape lounge purely as it was the first one we came to. I nonchalantly sauntered up trying to appear as if i am a regular visitor to exec lounges, and not prisons, and off handedly flashed my airport angels card from my wallet. Amazingly my Lancashire County Council library card would not grant me access to the exec lounge an issue i will be raising with my local councillor on my return!

I produced the correct card and was allowed access to this tropical oasis. I have to say (joking aside) I was really impressed the staff were really helpful and incredibly efficient. The way it works (to us non execs) is either by free pass or paying on the door (£20 per person) you get access to a very relaxed comfortable calm lounge equipped with an inexhaustible supply of tea, coffee, soft drinks, alcohol, snacks, toast croissants Danish pastries newspapers magazines wifi etc etc. It is a really relaxing atmosphere and it was worth it just to see the look on DD face and the giddy grin on DW face that must have mirrored mine. It made the 5 hour wait pass in no time and i felt relaxed and calm when boarding the flight. Worth £20 of anyone’s money in my book.

Personally I could have stayed there for the duration but it would have made for a very repetitive trip report. However copy and pasting “Had a Danish and a cup of tea today” 14 times would alleviate some of this RSI I’m getting typing this up.


Flight with Continental was good, it did its job, food was good in flight entertainment was great a blockbuster and a variety of 40 old and newish movies to personally play, pause and rewind to your heart’s content plus 60 programmes, add in 150 albums and numerous touch screen games with polite staff and sufficient leg room for a six footer and you’re onto a winner they will definitely get my business again and i will be trying the two flight internal stopover route again. Because the luggage allowance is huge.

Arrival at Newark Liberty airport was uneventful apart from the rapid processing through immigration which was notable for its speed, for a change, and for Dwayne’s complete lack of human emotion or humour. I mean come on Dwayne I’m on holiday you can at least make an effort I would if you were on holiday in Burnley , unlikely I know but he did have that oddball look about him, and I had to deal with you. I would at least manage a smile or a trace of human emotion you know just to make the day go that little bit quicker! If your reading this Dwayne and I seriously hope your not, as the prospect of a cavity search at immigration Orlando airport when we go to Florida next year, lets turn that frown upside down eh big fella!

As I mentioned earlier I was in charge of planning the trip and it was a “something special” trip for our wedding anniversary so I wanted to do things slightly different. As a rule we are not normally flashy or loud people so I thought for once lets bling it up! I pinched the idea from some of you guys trip reports featured on the Dibb and ‘m glad I did I booked a stretch limo from the airport using Carmel Limos cost was about $200 to the hotel. The driver was extremely friendly really helpful and took numerous photos of us beaming at the side of the limo. The boot took 3 large suitcases just about so all was good. I do have a tip and a confession if you want to use them. First the tip, their literature states to ring them as soon as you clear customs. Now the pay phones are right next to the arrivals lounge and Carmel have free direct dial phones here its worth a quick 5 minute wander through the arrivals lounge before you ring as we followed the instructions and whilst we were ringing our driver was wandering through the arrivals lounge waving a sign with my name on it.

Now the confession firstly have faith. I think because everything had gone so well so far I was waiting for the fly in the ointment. Now DW had guessed the limo at the airport plan so only DD was in for a surprise. The driver had been really friendly and both me and DW gradually began to dread the short walk from terminal B to the car park because as we got further into the car park there wasn’t a stretch limo in sight. I had visions of being shown a Smart car and having to do that weekend IKEA pastime thing were us British love to try to squeeze unfeasibly large Swedish boxes into unfeasibly awkward and seemingly shrinking cars. Coupled with the dawning realisation, communicated by worried darting glances to DW, that I was going to have to give the driver a nasty friction burn on his wrist while DW pinned him to the tarmac in a half nelson until he sorted the whole thing out.

But no I hung my head in shame “oh ye of little faith” as we got right to the far side of the carpark hidden behind 2 cars was an enormous black stretch limo that was just magical to see. The smile on DD (and mine and DW face because that driver looked pretty tough) was enough to bring a tear to a glass eye it really is great to see your teenage kids face look like the toddler they use to be on Christmas morning not so many years ago.






We arrived at the Waldorf and what can I say? It certainly beats Travelodge into second place its just a palace of art deco and you feel as though someone is going to walk in in 1920's clothes and no one will look twice its just fantastic to stand in the lobby and the chandelier and clock are jaw dropping!

On entering your bags are whisked off you and we are directed to reception where we are politely told we have been upgraded to a double double deluxe room in Waldorf towers, room 40h4. Yes yes yes upgraded! “its probably the same room we were going to get anyway“! My neck is still sore from hanging my head in so much shame the key card access to private lifts was a clue really with hindsight.

The room was on the 40th floor and it was enormous with 2 huge double beds 3 different views from 4 enormous windows, a dressing room, a kitchen type area with minibar etc housed there and a large bathroom 2 huge armchairs and a 50inch LCD TV. The room was modern, with no sign of tiredness that some dibbers have stated in their experience, with some touches of art deco/1920s furniture to retain the charm, character and classiness that this hotel just exudes.

Our bags arrived within about 15 minutes and we were informed that complimentary breakfast was included. So another money saver to improve that shopping fund! Also a bottle of Cava in the ice bucket with a lovely note from head of guest services congratulating us on our anniversary. DW had rang the Waldorf some weeks ago and spoken to a really nice guy and informed him of our stay and the reason and would there be any chance of an upgrade it was left in the possible stage but she was told there would be a gift in the room from the manager etc but we had both forgotten about it.

I have to say the upgrade and little touch of the bubbly in the ice bucket was fantastic and much appreciated by all the but the note addressed to us and containing reference to our anniversary would have been enough for me, just the fact someone had listened to a request then gone and made an effort to put a personal response like that in place for our arrival was very humbling. It just illustrates for me that you can have the nicest looking hotel in the world but it’s the people who work there that set it above any others.

We had booked Empire state tickets in advance with an open time on them as I wanted to fill our first evening with something not too tiring and that was within short walk of the hotel.

I must just mention another perk of changing bank accounts. We were sent an email for a company called Do Something Different.com. I had already priced up some attractions by going on the official websites and looked at the New York Pass but it would mean dashing round to fit in all the attractions to make it value for money I decided some things were just too expensive. But by using the website, which is free to anyone and covers many worldwide cities as well as UK attractions, I saved approximately £300 on booking them directly. For example Empire state adult ticket is normally $20 per person I paid $11 per person through Do Something Different.com So give it a try before you go and see if it saves you anything?

I had read that the Empire State building gets busy at sunset (however it was nowhere near as busy as it was about 11.30am the next day where we saw the queues outside on the pavement) We got to the top in about 30mins from walking in the door (which was lucky) and I would recommend upgrading your ticket to the audio tour there easy to use and add background info to each of the views although the bloke doing the chatter is supposed to be from NY to me he sounded as though he was from Dudley! I didn’t point it out to anyone as I didn’t fancy “sleeping with the fishes for being a wise guy”! (in my best Dudley accent)


We stayed on the observation deck for about an hour and a bit and a combination of hunger and sleep deprivation began biting into all our patience. We stopped for something to eat in Heartland Brewery on the corner of the Empire State Building the food was nice about $15-20 per head friendly staff and fast service which was ideal for what we wanted at that moment. It was a bit like a Brewers Fayre I wondered if we visited again without being starving and tired would we have a different view of the food? On a par with kebabs tasting more delicious pro-rata to the amount of alcohol you have consumed.
Back to the Waldorf and a welcome bedtime.

[daisydoo]

Fab start to the trip.

Really looking forward to hearing about the rest of your time in New York as me an DD have just decided to go there (instead of WDW) in July 2011.

I will be avidly reading for any hints and tips I can get

Daisydoo

[jeanwales]

Good start - love any report on my favourite city

[Guest]

Fab report. We are booked into the Waldorf Astoria for 5 nights next July with a double/double room so i am reading your reports with great interest.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by 4Dunkys

We arrived at the Waldorf and what can I say? It certainly beats Travelodge into second place

See more...

That made me laugh Great news about the upgrade Enjoying the trippie, can't wait to read more.

[Guest]

Loving your writing style, kept me very entertained during my lunch break, and i look forward to reading more

[Guest]

Great start... off to read the next installment.

[Strommie]

Great start, I love New York

[ali-s]

Great report, looking forward to the rest.

[gypsy]

omg! how good are you andrew to type all that!