NYC, LA & Vegas - March 2017

[abiknox]

Quick update!

On our third trip I have finally managed to secure Celine Dion Tickets! The last two times we have been to Vegas she hasn't been performing, with either Elton John or Rod Stewart taking her place at Ceasers but this time I managed to get a date that worked! Lucky really as her April dates start the night before we leave so I have only just managed to catch her!

I will be heading in on my own. Aaron is not a fan and although he would have been happy to sit through it if it were just us two, with his mom to keep him company they will be happy heading for dinner / drinks without me I'm sure.

I have managed to get the cheapest tickets @ $55 although with fees ect its nearer $70 The seats are in the highest section but I'm still really pleased & I cannot wait! Hopefully her voice travels to the top

[abiknox]

Whoa does there look to be some good food at Disneyland!

Here are a few things on my hit list! We of course won;t manage them all but I can dream!

Mickey Beignets @ Mint Julep Bar Disneyland
Deep fried donut like bite of heaven! Drool!

Monte Cristo @ Cafe Orleans Disneyland
A fried ham and cheese sandwich that I wanted last time but never got my mits on!

M&M Mickey @ Various places
Our go to snack, just so GOOD!

head

Falafel / Kofta / Kebabs ect @ Paradise Garden grill California Adventure
Another I meant to try last time, somethign a bit different for the parks. It all looks so fresh too!

Flatbread @ Tangaroa Terrace Disneyland Hotel
With this being in one of the Disney hotels, we likely wont get around to it but I do love a good flatbread!

Dark Side Burger @ Galactic Grill Disneyland
Just OMG!

BBQ Chicken topped Jacket @ Harbour Galley Disneyland
Juiced up chicken in a sweet orange glaze, along with chives, cole slaw, sour cream, and butter. Stuffed into into a steamy baked potato!

PB&J Soda @ Carnation Cafe Disneyland
A light, pinkish grape soda infused with hints of peanut and topped with a fizzy foam

[LRMD]

Cool about the Celine tickets, every time I go to Vegas she isn't there! I'd love to see her, her voice is amazing.

[abiknox]

Originally Posted by LRMD

Cool about the Celine tickets, every time I go to Vegas she isn't there! I'd love to see her, her voice is amazing.

See more...

I know, I can't believe I actually overlap with her. So exciting

[Sotong]

definitely following!
I'm just starting a pre trip report for my NYC and cruise trip next summer, partly to get some input from DIBBers but also to keep track of my planning like you.
Already made a note of the NY explorer pass as a possibility.

I'm going to wait a bit to book hotels etc and wasn't as organised as you to book hotels and tickets before the pound weakened, think will do some research and be ready to book as and when or if the pound strengthens!

Gillian

[abiknox]

Moving on from the snacking/lunch. If we can manage any more food we will be heading off in search of dinner! There are a few options but the below three places are most likely to be our choices. If anything gets dropped it will be House of Blues just because we have eaten there so many times. It's just so good though

Cheesecake Factory @ Anaheim GardenWalk

A firm favourite of ours, this will likely be where we head to as soon as we land & collect the car in LA. It's really close to the hotel and we know we are guaranteed a good feed! Some of our favourite bits include...

The Thai Chicken Wrap appetiser

The Orange Chicken

The Louisiana Pasta

The Big Burrito

And then of course cheesecake

The Lemon Raspberry & the Snickers are popular choices with us!

House of Blues @ Downtown Disney

This is another favourite of ours, we have eating at the DTD CA once before, the DTD Orlando restaurant about 5 times & the Vegas one twice. On all those occasions we have managed to get the restaurant.com $50 voucher which made it really good value. It seems they have stopped offering that voucher now though so I have been wondering if we should try somewhere new. It's just so good though, the cocktails aren't too shabby either!

Their spinach & artichoke dip is one of the best we have tried

Their steak salad looks amazing

The Juicy Lucy burger is also tempting!

Tortilla Joes @ Downtown Disney

We popped in here on our last visit for drinks and the food looked and smelt amazing! I cannot wait to try it for dinner.

I will 100% be ordering the table made guacamole!

Then who knows, it all looks amazing. Maybe a burrito, maybe some tacos!

Trader Sams

Pre dinner drinks will be had here after we failed to make it last time. We did manage to get the the Florida one which was great so I'm looking forward to a few of their cocktails!

[abiknox]

Originally Posted by Sotong

definitely following!
I'm just starting a pre trip report for my NYC and cruise trip next summer, partly to get some input from DIBBers but also to keep track of my planning like you.
Already made a note of the NY explorer pass as a possibility.

I'm going to wait a bit to book hotels etc and wasn't as organised as you to book hotels and tickets before the pound weakened, think will do some research and be ready to book as and when or if the pound strengthens!

Gillian

See more...

Oh I only just spotted this comment!

NYC is amazing, have you been before? I would suggest maybe getting a hotel booked on a cancel-able rate. We booked the Wyndham for £758 and it now showing at over £1200 and nothing else is as cheap so I am so pleased I booked at a cost we can afford!

off to see if I can find your pre trippy

[abiknox]

Today I have secured 2 rooms at the Mikado Hotel in Los Angeles.

I have been holding fire hoping that our dream hotel the Hilton @ Universal City would come down in price but alas, so far it's remained steady at £280 a night (plus parking)!

This hotel is half the price, only 10 minutes away from Universal & offers free parking & free breakfast. Yes it's more basic, yes we will have to Uber to and from City Walk on the night, but to save £270 that's okay with me! We will be in the room for minimal time, arriving late after a full park day & leaving early the next day to explore LA so I really didn't want to waste too much money.

I have paid £127 a night for each room with Hotels.com & managed to get 13% cashback through Quidco (£33).

As with all my other bookings, this is on a fully refundable rate so if something better comes along, i'll be ready and willing to swap!

[abiknox]

Last time we were in Vegas, we had really bad luck with meals. Cold chicken at Cheesecake Factory, restrictive menu at Margaritaville, God awful food at Chillis, God awful service at The Grand Lux Cafe.. I could go on!

This time I am determined to get some good food in our belly's. These are the restaurants on our hit list!

Cabo Wabo @ The Strip

This was a winner on our last trip, providing one of the few nice meals we had. The menu is great & the prices aren't too bad for the strip. The sharing platter is a winner!

Pub 1842 @ The MGM Grand

Another winner from last time, our food & service here were spot on!

I had their brisket sampler last time which was great & we all enjoyed their warm pretzel stick starter.

Serendipity 3 @ Caesars Palace

Just a dessert here most likely, their famous frozen hot chocolate is on the my do list!

Millers Ale House @ The Strip

How excited we were when we realised there was a Millers in Vegas, An UBER will be required as its down the south end of the strip but sooo worth the effort!

Buffalo Wild Wings @ The Strip

Another of our Florida faves, we will be popping here for some of their incredible wings / cheese curds. Just try and stop us

Gordon Ramsey Burgr @ Planet Hollywood

This one is a must do for me! The few trip reports I have read where they ahve eaten here have all given rave revies! The Gooey fries look reason enough on their own!

Buffets

Im hoping we might manage 2 buffets this time, Red Rock if I can get the tickets on MyVegas again & also a breakfast option, either the Bacchanal or the Wicked Spoon I think!

Yes, yes, yes! I love a good buffet

[abiknox]

Pre Travel Day

As normal with most of our holidays, I will be working a full day on our PT day due to shortage of annual leave. We will hit the road as soon as I finish & head to the Premier Inn West @ The Trafford Center.

After we have checked in, we will head over tot he Trafford Center for dinner. Our restaurant of choice is normally Las Iguanas & on this occasion I can't see that changing! We love their tapas menu & their 241 midweek cocktails are also hard to pass up on!

Travel Day

We have booked meet & greet car parking at the airport so we will head there at about 7.30am ready for out 1.30am flight to JFK. We are flying Thomas Cook and knowing that their check in procedure can be a bit frantic we will be keen to get there & get our bags checked in asap.

Breakfast might be taken at Frankie & Bennies but Aaron isn't keen so a lighter option at Cafe Nero is more likely.

We should land at JFK just before 2pm local time, we will get a yellow cab. I don't want us faffing around with shuttles on arrival for Laura's first visit.

Hopefully we will be at the hotel by 4pm. The plan is to quickly freshen up & hit the city! I'm always amazed by how much we cover on our first day anywhere new, even if we do arrive late afternoon. The excitement levels are high and it always feels amazing to be there.

We will wonder around some of the famous sights and hopefully end up in Times Square for dinner.

If we are feeling up for it, we will be heading to the Top of the Rock for a night time view of the city & the Empire State Building! If we could get up in time for dusk then bonus!

Day 1

Today, I'm sure as usual we will awake early. We will make the most of our time and have a good old fashioned, welcome to America breakfast in the nearest diner! Then we will be attempting the subway, hopefully for the only time this trip.

We need train number 1 from Penn Station, straight downtown to the south ferry terminal where we will get on the free ferry past the Statue of Liberty.

Back on Manhatten, we will explore the financial district walking past the Charging Bull & Wall St

If we fancy it, we might do the 9/11 museum. I'm not too keen as I find it all a bit upsetting but I know Aaron is interested.

Next up, weather dependent is a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was cold & wet the last time we did this so I'm really hoping for some lovely spring weather & clear views of the skyline!

We may or may not have lunch in Brooklyn but a wonder is definitely on the cards. I want this view!

We will get a cab / UBER back over & up to central Park where we will head in for a wonder.

After this we will head to Dylans Candy Bar for the sweetie themed bar/cocktails. This was one of mine and Aaron's favourite memories from our first trip. Such a fun place.

We will then wonder 5th Avenue, checking out all the windows.

Empire State Building at dusk is next on the hit list!

We will then head into Heartlands Brewery for drinks & dinner.

After, we will take a wonder downtown slightly to see Madison Square Park & the Flatiron. We will try and resit the call of Shake Shack!

Day 2

Today we will get our walking boots back on. First stop is the Highline. Aaron and I have walked this twice, both times in snow / rain so again, I'm hoping for some sun!

We will pop into the Chelsea Markets for some breakfast nibbles! Fat Witch brownies, I'm coming for you!

I our feet will carry us, I would then like to head down to Little Italy for a wonder as well as Chinatown. I would love to spot some counterfeit bag sellers just to say I've seen them!

Our afternoon / evening plans involve meeting American Dibber Jon, eating & drinking. Sounds like a plan!

Day 3

Our last morning in NYC will be spent covering the areas we haven't yet seen / been inside of. Madison Square Garden, Bryant Park & The Library, Grand Central ect..

Lunch will be had at Buffalo Wild Wings before we head back to JFK via UBER. Our flight to LAX departs at 3.59pm so I'm thinking we will set off from the city at 1pm ish. We are flying with Jetblue!

We should land at LAX at about 7.30pm, our plans are to collect the car from Alamo & then head to Anaheim, grabbing dinner before we check into our hotel.