What do you mean? There’s more to the US East Coast than NYC '07 TR? Homeward bound

[queenie82]

Thanks so much for the Montreal instalment. I honestly can't remember which order we did the cities...but I enjoyed both. So I don't think I was affected by the order.
I actually remember a lovely little part of Montreal which was cobblestone and there was a shop with a beanie baby I was looking for

Of course being in winter everywhere looks lovely but I can't find my montreal photos. They might be on a different HDD. Or still on the CDs from the film photos. Being winter and 2003 many were taken on film as 1 - digital didn't handle the cold well and 2 - we only had one digi camera and memory cards were $179 for a 256MB ON SALE

I ADORE the bucky ball. We didn't go inside (and I don't think it was open anyway) but it is so beautiful I want one!!!

I appreciate the detail on it Princess GEEK! I too am a geek but didn't know the details of this.

Sigh....I really love Canada. You actually APPRECIATE those tunnels in -30wind chill (our luggage was crackling on movement) but I certainly didn't explore them that much. We did go to all the shops though and had a lovely pizza. With LOTS of toppings. This is a major gripe in the US because they happily sell a cheese or Margherita pizza thinking that's adequate....while as an Aussie I'm used to Meatlovers and supreme!! LOTS of toppings...


Now....what's next

 

[PrincessInOz]

That's a total bummer that you left the day the festival started! Montreal is on our list of places to visit. I guess we'll have to add Quebec City to that trip.

NEXT time, we'll be there for the entire festival! It's on DH's bucket list.

I think you saw the top 90% of attractions in Canadia.

Well...I didn't make it to Ottawa and I'd love to visit PEI at some stage; and we haven't even counted the attractions on the West Coast.

Just had a few minutes to start reading this new TR. Nice photos for a point and shoot! Your DS looks so cute and little (but I'm sure he doesn't wan to hear that )

Niagara Falls looks really cool with lots of fun stuff to see and do. Quebec looks like such a pretty place to see. Keep the pics coming!

Thanks for stopping by. I've been enjoying your blog! Keep yours coming along too...

Thanks so much for the Montreal instalment. I honestly can't remember which order we did the cities...but I enjoyed both. So I don't think I was affected by the order.
I actually remember a lovely little part of Montreal which was cobblestone and there was a shop with a beanie baby I was looking for

Of course being in winter everywhere looks lovely but I can't find my montreal photos. They might be on a different HDD. Or still on the CDs from the film photos. Being winter and 2003 many were taken on film as 1 - digital didn't handle the cold well and 2 - we only had one digi camera and memory cards were $179 for a 256MB ON SALE

I ADORE the bucky ball. We didn't go inside (and I don't think it was open anyway) but it is so beautiful I want one!!!

I appreciate the detail on it Princess GEEK! I too am a geek but didn't know the details of this.

Sigh....I really love Canada. You actually APPRECIATE those tunnels in -30wind chill (our luggage was crackling on movement) but I certainly didn't explore them that much. We did go to all the shops though and had a lovely pizza. With LOTS of toppings. This is a major gripe in the US because they happily sell a cheese or Margherita pizza thinking that's adequate....while as an Aussie I'm used to Meatlovers and supreme!! LOTS of toppings...


Now....what's next

Given that DH is vegetarian and DS loves cheese with food on the side, the cheese and margherita pizzas were a hit with my family.


Next?? I think it is NYC - but I'm having real problems with photobucket. I'll see where I get to and post some of it up soon. The pictures might not all show...but I'm sure it'll eventually catch up. Seemed to work out in the Montreal side of things.


Thanks for reading and staying with me. The feedback helps me keep on track...

 

[PrincessInOz]

New York – New York, New York!

We were in Montreal and heading to NYC! There were a number of modes of transport available to us….bus, car, rail, plane….and in the end, I have no idea what came over DH, my mum and I….because we chose to take the train.

Perhaps it was the thought of a romantic by-gone era of train travel; or the fact that airport tax for an NYC airport (any airport) was more than the ticket itself; or the fact that security was tighter than a pair of leather pants on my bahookie…but.we.chose.the.train.

I’d looked on the innernet and the trip didn’t seem that bad. It had a very romantic name…the Adirondack.
It was 9 hours by the schedule and the three adults figured we would have a nice time on the train, watching the upstate New York scenery whistle on by, whilst sipping cocktails in the dining car (yes, there was one) and eating a sumptuous 3-course lunch. There was even an observation car advertised….then.

Reality…

We spent a lot of time looking at this old engine.

We stayed here for the better part of 2 hours. Nowhere on line did it mention that the track was a single line upstate and that we had to wait for the freight train to pass. The freight train was late!

Some of the scenery was nice…

…and we saw a LOT of that awfully rare species…the telegraph pole….whizzing by.

And that dining car? Because we were late, they seriously ran out of the gourmet stuff…cardboard pizza and barely recognizable hot dogs.

They even ran out of that fine tipple…coca cola.

We ate a lot of chips….the crisp variety. Needless to say, no vegetarian food.
DH was really lucky that at the last minute, I stopped in a café at the Toronto station and bought a big container of salad; and a couple of egg rolls, that DS ended up having.

So, from originally supposed to arrive in NYC at 8.30 pm, we ended up in Penn Station close on 11 pm.

To cap a fabulous day, we decided to take the cab from Penn Station to our hotel. The cabbie ripped us off. He took the biggest round trip and criss-crossed Broadway THREE times before he dropped us off at the DoubleTree, Times Square. And at the second Broadway crossing, I could see our hotel!

And you know what the icing was?


DH tipped the cabbie.


He came awfully close to grounds for divorce here. But tomorrow was (and still is) another day.



Our hotel in NYC was the Doubletree in Times Square. I’d looked at so many hotels in NYC and reviews that my eyesight dropped by –0.25 because of it! I’d looked at SoHo, Greenwich, Midtown, Uptown, Upper East Side, West Side, TriBeCa….In the end, I figured that my mum was unlikely to get back to NYC and DH and I decided that we should probably stick with a hotel in the middle of the tourist zone.

I was really pleased with our choice of hotel. It was centrally located, close to the subway, clean and our room, a one-bedroom suite, was very comfortable.

And for a standard room, our view wasn’t that bad, either.

Ahhh..New York. The Big Apple. The City That Doesn’t Sleep. The city that we did not take many pictures of when we were there.

The reason? We were all too busy shopping. And most of the shots were taken by DH; so I’m not even going to try to string a story together. But here’s what I do have; and in no particular order.


(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)

Buildings in Manhattan


One of the problems about putting this TR together is that DH took most of the pictures. And trying to put together a story is really difficult!

I have no idea what he was thinking with some of these shots…they just seem really random to me…but they do make a rag tag collection of Buildings in Manhattan.

(I think that is one of the Trump buildings behind me)

We did make it Rockerfeller’s!

Now this one is a little bit different. I took this one.

See the building on the far end of the church…the one that looks like it has 7 or 8 floors?

Well, I believe that is the building that the Disney Store is in. But that’s not the significance of the building for us. Mum and I had a mission to head to this address. The windows on the 5th or 6th floor, just set back from the rest of the main building and before it hits the “penthouse floors”….well, it used to hold a microbrewery. The microbrewery was moved in 2004 or 2005….special permits were needed that took over 1 year to arrange….and those windows were removed so that the microbrewery could be taken out of the building.

That microbrewery then got shipping all the way to Melbourne. It is now sitting as the microbrewery for Two Brother’s brewery.

How do I know this? Believe it or not…but I used to babysit those Two Brothers! Their mother asked us to take the picture of the building.
Hmmm…now that I’ve found it, I might actually make a print and go drop it off to the Two Brothers. Might score me a free beer….



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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)

Around NYC Shops

We spent a lot of time shopping around NYC. I don’t remember much other than Zara, H&M, Macy’s, Gap, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secrets and a couple of boutique stores around Bryant Park.

(Fashionista?…that’s ME!...and our hotel in the background)



I certainly don’t remember any of these other shops! But DS most certainly does!

(D’ya think I can open my mouth wide enough?)

(I have no idea who I am posing with!)

(Is this a cool marble run or what!?)

(Someone wanted this as a souvenir!)

(Actually, mum….it’s the whole shop I want!)

(Is that the way they write the "R" in the US??)

(Scooby Doo is MY favourite)

(Actually…I also want this whole shop.)

(But I will settle for this!)

(It might look like a hat…but I really think I can eat it....no...really!)

(Is it really too late to change my mind about the Spongebob hat? Can I have this one instead?? Puh….lease?......D'oH!)





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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Central Park

We went for a walk in Central Park. It was the first time there for DS and my mum.

Everyone easily recognized these iconic buildings that appear in every movie that features Central Park.

DS found the Heckscher playground and he (and me) went happily wading in the water.

And what is a playground without sand?

We also found people playing chess….

…I think it was a 30-second (not 40 second) rule game!

We kept on walking towards the lake towards Bethesda Terrace..

…to take a look at the lovely Bethesda Fountain.

I decided to head in here under the Terrace …

…and try to grab a shot of the wonderful mosaics on the ceiling.

We saw lots of monuments.

Sadly, DS only had one thing on his mind!

Mum wanted to see the Strawberry Fields and the Peace monument.

We walked back via Columbus Circus, complete with 3-ring…er…..wheel Pedicabs.

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Empire State Building

The last time I was in New York, we went to the top of both the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. Top of the Rock was not open to the public and I had been really keen to hit the attraction this time. But when I gave my mum the option of either TotR or ESB, she decided to go to ESB. We didn’t have enough time in NYC this time to do both.

So, we ended up with a bird’s eye view atop the iconic ESB.

The views from the top are always fabulous.

And yes, I was really glad that the grille was up!

Statue of Liberty


DS could see the Statue of Liberty a mile away and was really keen to head out to meet the Lady. I suspect the boat ride may have been THE major attraction for him; but the adults were all happy to go and get as close as possible.

We missed out on tickets to climb to the top of the crown…next time…and truth be known, my mother was not keen to climb to the top.

Like every other attraction in NYC since 2000, security was tight. But that just gave us a chance to loiter around Battery Park.

We finally had our bags checked sufficiently for the security experts to let us board and head out.

And the lady…well, she looked the same as always….I just thought she looked a little peaky and a little green around the gills.

(DH did well to make sure that neither the Lady’s nor my bahookie were showing in this shot!)

We caught the ferry back and enjoyed the views of Manhattan. The boat did stop at Ellis Island on the way back but DS was not interested in getting off at all.

There was one very empty spot in Manhattan and both DH and I didn’t want to go visit the site. We do have photographs of us at the top of the WTC and it was rather sad to even come this close. I hope that this hole in the ground will be filled with something suitable soon.

We spent most of our dinners eating on 8th Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen area. The food there was great and cheap....well...cheaper compared to Canada. Most nights, we were eating 2 course dinners for $70 - $90 for the 4 of us.

We also found cheap breakfast and lunches off the main tourist routes. We tended to follow the Suits walking out of the train station and DH and I made it a point of picking out one or two people in the morning that had that 'hungry' look. Invariably, they would stop off in a deli somewhere and I know that we had breakfasts that consisted of a full fry-up for me, porridge for DH, pancakes or french toast for DS plus whatever my mum would like...plus coffee and juice....for the grand total of $20, including tips.
We even had a lunch in Chinatown one day of 4 bowls of noodles that came to a total of $17, including tips.

We ate well in NYC and staying in Times Square was the right decision for us at that time. Mum and I ended up seeing an off-broadway musical one of the nights we were there. We got cheap seats, US$25 each, with full stage view. We ended up walking back through Times Square after 11.30 pm...and stopping in a few shops that were still opened at that hour. From memory, we got back to the hotel close on 1 am in the morning.

I got to spend a bit of time sightseeing in New York with my mother and making a life-long dream real for her. That, in itself, was priceless!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I love that you enjoyed seeing NYC with your mother, that put a big smile on my face. I'm loving your photos and story so much. Even though I have now been lucky enough to go to NYC twice in 18 months, I still get excited hearing about your experience there and seeing your photos. Makes me greedily want to go back. Most esp to see more of Central Park and to eat in some of the places you ate. We probably played it a little safe at times with food. We had breakfast down pat but you definitely have rocked the cheap good dinners.

And if you could just explain to me what a bahookie is I would be most grateful .

 

[PrincessInOz]

I love that you enjoyed seeing NYC with your mother, that put a big smile on my face. I'm loving your photos and story so much. Even though I have now been lucky enough to go to NYC twice in 18 months, I still get excited hearing about your experience there and seeing your photos. Makes me greedily want to go back. Most esp to see more of Central Park and to eat in some of the places you ate. We probably played it a little safe at times with food. We had breakfast down pat but you definitely have rocked the cheap good dinners.

And if you could just explain to me what a bahookie is I would be most grateful .

I've learnt this from my Joisey friends....gratuitous bahookie shots appear in almost every TR.....

For more and better examples, try this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2656073&highlight=butt

 

[queenie82]

Thanks for that PIO. Even if it was hard to piece together it was interesting.
I agree with your assessment of the hole in the skyline. We did visit the site but it was hard. It is a construction site...so not even a monument yet
Sadly the line was too long when we had the opportunity to go to the top of the tower about 20 years ago.

Top of the Rock is great. But Empire is a classic.
I'm always torn. But you had a lovely clear day for looking downtown.

Love the microbrewery story!!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Oh it's the back part . I thought you were referring to the front which was really quite risque for you Miss PIO

 

[skiingfast]

Hmm, Top of the Rock. Never done that. Was ESB better?

 

[shushh]

PIO, you are adding too many cities on to my "to-see" list. I know know to go to Quebec city VIA Montreal. Queenie, if you have those winter photos, I would love for your to hijack the thread again... I have a thing for travelling in winter!

Having just been to NYC, I really enjoyed seeing things through your eyes. And noting down things to go/do/eat the next time I go! Your photos and description have such a different feel to our recent experience. It was almost strange not seeing people in coats and seeing green in Central Park. I really want to return at a time other than winter and enjoy Central Park a lot more than we did. As pretty as it was with snow, the activities and things to see were rather limited. As a side note, I prefered the view from the Top of the Rock over ESB.

Waiting eagerly for the next installment!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

I am loving this PIO.

All this talk of winter and those amazing New York photos make me think I really do need to go.

Eastern Canada is one my to do list as well. These lists are just never ending.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks for that PIO. Even if it was hard to piece together it was interesting.
I agree with your assessment of the hole in the skyline. We did visit the site but it was hard. It is a construction site...so not even a monument yet
Sadly the line was too long when we had the opportunity to go to the top of the tower about 20 years ago.

Top of the Rock is great. But Empire is a classic.
I'm always torn. But you had a lovely clear day for looking downtown.

Love the microbrewery story!!

That's the great thing about going in summer...you have a pretty good chance of getting a nice clear day.

Oh it's the back part . I thought you were referring to the front which was really quite risque for you Miss PIO

Risque? Who...me?

Hmm, Top of the Rock. Never done that. Was ESB better?

Still haven't done TotR. We got to the bottom of the Rockerfeller but didn't head to the top. We were too busy shopping and if my mum weren't in the pictures, I'd post the ones of us with the shopping bags at the bottom.

But I'll let you know which one I prefer NEXT time I'm in NYC and definitely doing up the TotR...unless you beat me to it.

PIO, you are adding too many cities on to my "to-see" list. I know know to go to Quebec city VIA Montreal. Queenie, if you have those winter photos, I would love for your to hijack the thread again... I have a thing for travelling in winter!

Having just been to NYC, I really enjoyed seeing things through your eyes. And noting down things to go/do/eat the next time I go! Your photos and description have such a different feel to our recent experience. It was almost strange not seeing people in coats and seeing green in Central Park. I really want to return at a time other than winter and enjoy Central Park a lot more than we did. As pretty as it was with snow, the activities and things to see were rather limited. As a side note, I prefered the view from the Top of the Rock over ESB.

Waiting eagerly for the next installment!

I definitely have to head up the Rockerfeller one of these trips.

Next installment is Boston....but I haven't even started to think about it yet. Probably at the weekend.

I am loving this PIO.

All this talk of winter and those amazing New York photos make me think I really do need to go.

Eastern Canada is one my to do list as well. These lists are just never ending.

Thanks for reading!

I have a number of lists....in particular, one list for places to go to and another list for places to go Back to.

Sadly, I'm finding that as I add places to go to and visit them, the list for places to go BACK to just keeps growing. Come to think of it....it looks a lot like a compiled list of all the places I've been to...

 

[skier_pete]

Still enjoying your TR - we were in NYC this past weekend, though mostly dealing with our min-van dying on us while we were there. We only got to go to the NY Museum of Natural History. I was hoping to do the Statue of Liberty but we didn't get the chance. Poor dead car is still there...had to rent a car to get home.

...oh, and it isn't a trip to New York if SOMEONE doesn't rip you off! So, don't feel too bad about the cab. Figure your DH tipped for getting the true NYC experience!

SkierPete

 

[skiingfast]

Still haven't done TotR. We got to the bottom of the Rockerfeller but didn't head to the top. We were too busy shopping and if my mum weren't in the pictures, I'd post the ones of us with the shopping bags at the bottom.

But I'll let you know which one I prefer NEXT time I'm in NYC and definitely doing up the TotR...unless you beat me to it.

That race is on, besides I'm tired of watching those ice skaters.

 

[franandaj]

New York is a nice city. Good to see your pictures even if they were mostly DH's. I've been there a couple times before. I think our next non Disney trip will not involve cabs, skyscrapers and bustling streets. It will definitely involve shopping!

 

[skiingfast]

New York is a nice city. Good to see your pictures even if they were mostly DH's. I've been there a couple times before. I think our next non Disney trip will not involve cabs, skyscrapers and bustling streets. It will definitely involve shopping!

A city to city tour of Walmarts?

 

[queenie82]

Ok so here I am going to stomp right in and put in some comparison photos of TOTR and ESB. For me they are a compliment of each other.....but......I'm very interested in Architecture. If a building is a building is a building to you?? Maybe not so important??

So starting with TOTR. A nice part of TOTR was you could get a day/night pass. You can go up in the morning and the night for a discounted price.

The Rockefeller Centre is found further uptown so you can look right over Central Park. You can look more at Uptown.

You can also get a GREAT view of.....
THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

NIGHT TIME!!!

It's nice how there are 2 levels to view from and that the lower one is all glass so you can see well and you are a bit sheltered. You can still take clear shots around the glass.
Then if you go to the upper part it is more open and you can take higher angle photos.

This is the upper section

This trip was at the very end of November...start of December. It was cold...but as you can see there was NOOO snow at all.
If I'm gonna be cold I'd like to have snow...but it did make it easier to get around town.
We walked through the park to get to the Natural History Museum with ease.
I was really enjoying the temp actually....no HEAVY coat required. Just a couple layers. It was mainly wind up on the ESB as you are so exposed.

Yes....it was a bit brisk up there.....brrrrrr.....

So up on ESB...

ESB you get a better look downtown. We went at 8am and there were about 5 people there. Last time we went there was a massive queue.....so we went early....lol...
The main problem was that the fog hadn't burned off yet. But it was still nice.
You get to see the Chrysler building better. The GE building is the Rockefeller/TOTR.

Chrysler Building

New Jersey

Downtown

Flatiron