All 5 Boroughs - New York, September 18 - Travel Day

Loftus · 9 Oct 18, 07:49 AM

Travel Day - 26th September

An early start after a poor night's sleep found me in an airport lounge at 5.30am. I don't fly enough for status with any airline, but if I can find a reasonable deal I like the peace and quiet. A couple of coffees and some breakfast boosted the metabolism a bit so I began to feel less zombie like.

I was on the 8.30 BA flight to JFK and the aircraft boarded without fuss and we seemed set for a prompt departure. However a couple of passengers were no shows and so we had to wait for there bags to be offloaded. After taxiing and queueing to take off we were in the air by around 9.15, so not too bad.

I was in BA's small Premium Economy section of the 747, so had a little more legroom. In practice it means that when the person in front reclines they're not resting their head in your lap. Service on board was very good, with the cabin crew being friendly and attentive. I watched a couple of films I'd missed at the cinema - 'Tully' and 'American Animals', both pretty good - and napped. The disadvantage of the early flight was a second breakfast. I don't mind airline food but I find breakfast is often the least appetising.

We landed about 20 minutes late at JFK and, after a long taxi to Terminal 7, disembarked, into a long, long line in the immigration hall. A combination of a few flights arriving in quick succession, none of the electronic booths working and only 2 CBP officers dealing with the non-US and Global Entry passengers meant a wait of over an hour, unless your former British Prime Minister David Cameron and his entourage, who were whisked past us at speed.

When the three officers at the far end of the immigration hall who were processing US citizens and global entry passengers were free, sections of our line were sent down there, which speeded things up, until I was two people from the front and was directed down there myself and now found myself ten people back!

The actual immigration process went smoothly, unlike my last visit the the States where I was sent for secondary screening in DC, and the wait meant my bag was there after enjoying multiple rides around the carousel. I handed in my customs form and headed for the AirTrain.

I loaded $5 onto a new Metrocard using my credit card without hassle and made my way to the subway, where I purchased a 7 day unlimited ride Metrocard, again no hassle apart from the guys offering subway rides for $2 who were very persistent. I then made the schoolboy error of pushing my bag through the turnstile first after swiping the card, leaving me on one side and luggage on the other. With no staff around the only option was to climb over, but as I walked away I was waiting to be chased down as a fare dodger, luckily no such excitement.

I took the E train to Lexington Avenue/53rd Street where I changed to a downtown 6 train to 23rd Street. As usual I picked wrong in the station exit lottery, but a short walk later and I was at my hotel, the Freehand on Lexington.

First impressions were good, although I'm not sure I'm hip, cool and trendy enough to stay here. They've kept a lot of the character of the building in the refurbishment, the wood paneling around the lifts is very 1930's, and it was quite busy in the lobby. After a short wait I was checked in and on my way to my room.

The corridors are one area where a little updating wouldn't have gone amiss, they are quite dark and not very welcoming, but the room itself was good. I got a rate of between $129 and $109 for my stay, with taxes and the dreaded facility fee to be added, so very reasonable for this time of year. My room is called an 'Artist's Room', they'd be disappointed if I started scribbling, and that, in effect, means small. A single bed, bedside table with Bluetooth radio, desk with the world's smallest fridge in a cabinet, large TV on the wall, literally no storage apart from a couple of hooks and no safe. A hanging basket in the corner with some complimentary apples was a quirky touch.

The shower room was a reasonable size in comparison to the bedroom, with the usual amenities and toiletries.

It was all nicely decorated and I was happy about my choice as the location is good. A little annoyed about the safe as I had emailed and asked when booking, but they're a bit of a fig leaf, as a couple of minutes in YouTube will tell you, so I can live with it.

With nowhere to put clothes there was no need to unpack, although I did discover I had brought my European travel adapter rather than my US one - USB charging points in the room saved the day, so I switched my travel t-shirt for a clean one and headed out.

It was great just to be wandering the streets of this great city again, but I fear I became a typical Brit abroad at first and headed up to 33rd Street and Legends bar. I wanted a beer and some food and they were showing the Liverpool v Chelsea cup game - it's nice sometimes to have something to watch when traveling solo. I didn't venture downstairs to the section where the more rowdy supporters were - that's where those guys on the subway in the football shirts were going when they got off at 33rd Street - but enjoyed my Sam Adams and nachos upstairs. It won't figure on a Ziggy food tour but it filled a hole.

Then it was on to live football - sorry I'm not saying soccer - and a 6 and 4 train to Yankee Stadium to see New York City v Chicago Fire. First there was a pit stop at the Yankee Tavern, where I got chatting to a guy from England about the Doncaster Rovers shirt he was wearing. He was with his son, who he was visiting to meet his latest grandchild, and we chewed the fat whilst they waited for the rest of their group to arrive.

I collected my ticket from Will Call and headed in. I was on the bleachers with the noisier NYCFC supporters and their drums. The team will make the play-offs but their form has dropped off a bit as had the support. I was here a couple of years ago and I reckon there were about a third fewer fans this time. But what there were were enthusiastic and they did their best to generate an atmosphere. After an even first half New York scored twice early on in the second and the game was over. I left about ten minutes from the end to avoid a crowded subway station but, mostly, because I was flagging badly.

A 4 train came quite quickly and I changed onto the 6 at Grand Central. By 10 o'clock I was in bed and not long after, asleep. It had been a long day.

Melbatb · 9 Oct 18, 04:53 PM

You did well to manage a footy match after a travel day!

The room looks good -especially at thst price!

Minnie Mum · 28 Oct 18, 09:58 AM

Lots of footie on your first day. Great travel day!😊

disney owl · 19 Dec 18, 12:08 AM

great travel day

9 Oct 18, 07:49 AM	#1
	9 Oct 18, 07:49 AM Loftus Imagineer
Loftus Imagineer Join Date: Mar 02	All 5 Boroughs - New York, September 18 - Travel Day Travel Day - 26th September An early start after a poor night's sleep found me in an airport lounge at 5.30am. I don't fly enough for status with any airline, but if I can find a reasonable deal I like the peace and quiet. A couple of coffees and some breakfast boosted the metabolism a bit so I began to feel less zombie like. I was on the 8.30 BA flight to JFK and the aircraft boarded without fuss and we seemed set for a prompt departure. However a couple of passengers were no shows and so we had to wait for there bags to be offloaded. After taxiing and queueing to take off we were in the air by around 9.15, so not too bad. I was in BA's small Premium Economy section of the 747, so had a little more legroom. In practice it means that when the person in front reclines they're not resting their head in your lap. Service on board was very good, with the cabin crew being friendly and attentive. I watched a couple of films I'd missed at the cinema - 'Tully' and 'American Animals', both pretty good - and napped. The disadvantage of the early flight was a second breakfast. I don't mind airline food but I find breakfast is often the least appetising. We landed about 20 minutes late at JFK and, after a long taxi to Terminal 7, disembarked, into a long, long line in the immigration hall. A combination of a few flights arriving in quick succession, none of the electronic booths working and only 2 CBP officers dealing with the non-US and Global Entry passengers meant a wait of over an hour, unless your former British Prime Minister David Cameron and his entourage, who were whisked past us at speed. When the three officers at the far end of the immigration hall who were processing US citizens and global entry passengers were free, sections of our line were sent down there, which speeded things up, until I was two people from the front and was directed down there myself and now found myself ten people back! The actual immigration process went smoothly, unlike my last visit the the States where I was sent for secondary screening in DC, and the wait meant my bag was there after enjoying multiple rides around the carousel. I handed in my customs form and headed for the AirTrain. I loaded $5 onto a new Metrocard using my credit card without hassle and made my way to the subway, where I purchased a 7 day unlimited ride Metrocard, again no hassle apart from the guys offering subway rides for $2 who were very persistent. I then made the schoolboy error of pushing my bag through the turnstile first after swiping the card, leaving me on one side and luggage on the other. With no staff around the only option was to climb over, but as I walked away I was waiting to be chased down as a fare dodger, luckily no such excitement. I took the E train to Lexington Avenue/53rd Street where I changed to a downtown 6 train to 23rd Street. As usual I picked wrong in the station exit lottery, but a short walk later and I was at my hotel, the Freehand on Lexington. First impressions were good, although I'm not sure I'm hip, cool and trendy enough to stay here. They've kept a lot of the character of the building in the refurbishment, the wood paneling around the lifts is very 1930's, and it was quite busy in the lobby. After a short wait I was checked in and on my way to my room. The corridors are one area where a little updating wouldn't have gone amiss, they are quite dark and not very welcoming, but the room itself was good. I got a rate of between $129 and $109 for my stay, with taxes and the dreaded facility fee to be added, so very reasonable for this time of year. My room is called an 'Artist's Room', they'd be disappointed if I started scribbling, and that, in effect, means small. A single bed, bedside table with Bluetooth radio, desk with the world's smallest fridge in a cabinet, large TV on the wall, literally no storage apart from a couple of hooks and no safe. A hanging basket in the corner with some complimentary apples was a quirky touch. The shower room was a reasonable size in comparison to the bedroom, with the usual amenities and toiletries. It was all nicely decorated and I was happy about my choice as the location is good. A little annoyed about the safe as I had emailed and asked when booking, but they're a bit of a fig leaf, as a couple of minutes in YouTube will tell you, so I can live with it. With nowhere to put clothes there was no need to unpack, although I did discover I had brought my European travel adapter rather than my US one - USB charging points in the room saved the day, so I switched my travel t-shirt for a clean one and headed out. It was great just to be wandering the streets of this great city again, but I fear I became a typical Brit abroad at first and headed up to 33rd Street and Legends bar. I wanted a beer and some food and they were showing the Liverpool v Chelsea cup game - it's nice sometimes to have something to watch when traveling solo. I didn't venture downstairs to the section where the more rowdy supporters were - that's where those guys on the subway in the football shirts were going when they got off at 33rd Street - but enjoyed my Sam Adams and nachos upstairs. It won't figure on a Ziggy food tour but it filled a hole. Then it was on to live football - sorry I'm not saying soccer - and a 6 and 4 train to Yankee Stadium to see New York City v Chicago Fire. First there was a pit stop at the Yankee Tavern, where I got chatting to a guy from England about the Doncaster Rovers shirt he was wearing. He was with his son, who he was visiting to meet his latest grandchild, and we chewed the fat whilst they waited for the rest of their group to arrive. I collected my ticket from Will Call and headed in. I was on the bleachers with the noisier NYCFC supporters and their drums. The team will make the play-offs but their form has dropped off a bit as had the support. I was here a couple of years ago and I reckon there were about a third fewer fans this time. But what there were were enthusiastic and they did their best to generate an atmosphere. After an even first half New York scored twice early on in the second and the game was over. I left about ten minutes from the end to avoid a crowded subway station but, mostly, because I was flagging badly. A 4 train came quite quickly and I changed onto the 6 at Grand Central. By 10 o'clock I was in bed and not long after, asleep. It had been a long day.