Trip Report: My first ever!!

[australiankaren]

hey

reading along.....enjoying the details...

 

[jacs1234]

Sucks about your lens I don't know what I would have done about that driver. That totally sucked and would certainly have taken some of the shine off the trip if it were me. And yes! We must meet up. I drove past your house a few times while you were away and thought of you having fun. (That's if I correctly remember which one is your house lol).

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Also along enjoying the ride

 

[jacs1234]

hellooooooooooooooo.........................(echo) helloooooooooooooo.............elloooooooooooooo................llooooooooooooo............looooooooooo.............oooooooooo.............oooooo..........oo

 

[Jade+3]

I have been rather slack in updating my trip report. I have just gone back to work after being at home with the kids for close to 7 years. There are not enough hours in the day!

Day 7 - New York - Thursday 15th September

Today everyone slept in. It was about 10am when we finally left the hotel. First stop was Toys R Us to buy a stroller for DS2. We ended up staying there for close to 2 hours - my plans for the day had completely gone out the window. We went back to the hotel to drop off our purchases, then next stop was Macy's.

We started walking, and went a couple of blocks before we realised we were walking in the wrong direction. I had no sense of direction while we were in NYC. The kids started complaining of being hungry (I don't think we even gave them breakfast), so we headed back to Times Square.

We let DD pick where we would have lunch, Hard Rock, or Bubba Gump, and she chose Bubba Gump. I was keen to try the bourbon mahi mahi (I think that is what it was called), as recommended by Ms Shuttergirl. I am not very adventurous when it comes to food, and it is not something that I would have otherwise tried, but it was delicious.

On the way to lunch we had been stopped by one of the red coat people from the Hop On Hop Off bus. I was wary as I had read really bad reviews on Trip Advisor. DH was keen, due to my inaccurate sense of direction, and the kids were keen, so we handed over $150. The ticket seller had said he would let the boys on for free, and after we paid he said that if we were questioned to say that DS5 was 2?? So, we hoped on the bus and went 2 stops to Macy's.

Macy's was huge. We found a map and made our way to the customer service desk to get our 10% discount card. DS2 then proceeded to have the biggest melt down. Joys of travelling with a toddler. I hate to think how long we were in Macy's, and we would have stayed for longer if it was not for the kids.

When we left Macy's it was raining, and close to dark. We decided to get back on the HOHO bus. Big mistake! Firstly, we could not find the bus stop as they are not marked. The first 2 buses went straight past, the 3rd stopped to let people off so we hopped on. The only seats available were upstairs, so up we went with our rain ponchos. The dude with the microphone (not sure what his proper name would be), kept telling us to sit on the wet seats, as the driver would not wait for us to put the ponchos on. So I put the ponchos on the seats, and got more to wear. He was so rude. We ended up being on the bus for 2 hours, in the wind and the rain. Had it been nice weather it probably would have been quite enjoyable, but it was so cold. There was nothing in the brochure to indicate how long it would take to do the loop, and had we known it would been so long, we would have gone another time. It turned out to be the most expensive bus trip ever, as the kids refused to get on the bus again.

For dinner I grabbed some pizza for the boys, and DD and I got some rice and chicken take out. DD wanted to go for a walk so I took her to Times Square while the boys stayed at the hotel. We visited the M&M store, Hershey's and Forever 21 - which I thought was going to be a small store until I saw how many underground levels it had.

When we got back to the room I jumped on the internet to find out how the TKTS booth worked, as we had run into a couple in the elevator who were raving about Mary Poppins. In the end I used a Mousesavers code, rather than wasting time lining up for tickets.

I have so many pictures, so have picked a few from today.

My first food porn shot!!

Kids meal

 

[aussietravellers]

Shame about the rain on the HOHO bus and gosh that driver sounded rude!

We spent a long time at Toys r us too I wondered if they had accommodation there as I would have booked a day room as DS just didn't seem to want to leave .

That boat that the kids meals at Bubba Gump brings back memories. DS loved that. Funny thing is you can spend a fortune on toys and they get the most enjoyment out of the free things He carried that boat from NY to WDW and back to Australia.

Loving reading your TR

 

[Jade+3]

Day 8 - New York - Friday 16th September

Another sleep in and another late start (things are not looking good for ever making it to rope drop!). We had planned breakfast at Ellen's Stardust Diner, but had missed the breakfast menu by minutes. We were not in the mood for hamburgers, and would have felt rude walking out so opted for the dessert menu. The kids shared a banana split (ice cream for breakfast, they thought we were the coolest parents ever). I had fruit salad with frozen yoghurt, and DH had an omelette from the lunch menu. It would have to have been one of the quietest meals we had, as the kids were in awe of the singing staff.

After brunch, we headed towards Central Park. We paid $2 for a map (from a guy from Sydney who was studying in NYC). I found it strange that there were no official maps available. We had to do a toilet stop, which happened to be in a playground. We walked towards the playground, and this older person (I say person, as I thought it was a lady, and DH says a man), handed the kids a balloon sword each. We didn't want the balloons as we knew we would end up carrying them, but the boys wanted them, so I handed the person $3. She/he said it was not enough, and gestured for another $2. DD did not want the balloon and tried to give it back, but the person would not take it. I have no idea what happened next as I walked away and let DH deal with it. I do know that DH did not have any money on him. It did not give us a very positive first impression of Central Park.

It was hard to drag the kids away from the playground, but we promised them there would be more. We walked down the tree lined avenue, which was beautiful, but the kids refused to pose for a nice photo. We came across some guys rap dancing, so watched them for a while. We wandered around for a few hours. Central Park was beautiful and I would have liked to have spent more time there. We met a lovely local who guided us through the tracks near the Boat House as they were not marked on our map.

We called in to a shopping centre that was close by. I forget its name, but it was rather upmarket. I would have loved to have gone to Wholefoods, but did not fancy carrying our purchases to out next stop FAO. We did buy the kids a pretzel (which they did not like) and a soft drink.

FAO was wonderful, the kids loved the big piano. It was hard to get them out of there. We walked the few blocks back to the hotel. It was about 5pm so the streets were busy. DS5 decided it was his turn for a meltdown. Completely out of character for him, but he had done so much walking and was tired. We decided to leave TOTR for another day. Dinner was at Planet Hollywood, and was really nice.

That evening DD and I wandered around Times Square and did some more shopping. They had been filming a movie near our hotel (New Years Eve), and when we returned to the hotel there was a crowd next door watching the filming. We could see Josh Duhamel in the distance, and Hillary Swank walked straight in front of us. We watched for a while before DD decided it was boring.

Banana split for breakfast

Ellens Stardust Diner

Our hotel - Radio City Apartments

Central Park

 

[aussietravellers]

mmmm, that banana split looks so good!

We went to that shopping centre too after central park. We did a big shop at Wholefoods after I discovered they deliver for free (as like you, we couldn't lugg all of the groceries around)! So I had our groceries delivered back to the hotel and they were at the hotel by the time we got back late afternoon

Wish we had found a map guy! I had printed out maps before leaving home, but forgot to take them when we went out that day! I will remember that for next time.

I love your black and white photos too. That one at the piano at FAO is gorgeous.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Food porn!!

Love the black and whites as well!

 

[Mum from oz]

Wow, I can't believe how rude the bus guy was! Sounds Toys R us looks really cool. Somewhere my kids would want to spend ages too.

Great food porn! Your meal looks delish, also something I wouldn't try just looking at the menu.

I love the shots of Central Park and the black and whites.

 

[Travel Mum]

Loving reading your trip report Jade If we ever get back WDW way again, I definitely want to do New York as well

 

[marvel]

Love your report.

Put me down for the supermarkets, we left with 4 suitcases and came back with 8. Two of those were filled with groceries, cheese puffs, cake mixes and rib spices etc etc. Just love it.

Don't you love the super target and super walmarts? You can have a fully cooked meal there!

 

[jacs1234]

Loving your trip report!!!!!! The pictures are gorgeous. My mum is taking me to New York next year so I will definitely take advantage of shopping child free. I hate people like that guy in the park that gave your kids balloons. If I ever take the kids there I will drill them about not accepting stuff from people. How hard is it for a child to resist balloon swords though. ugh. The pic with the ferris wheel, is that in Macy's?

 

[Franrose]

Finally here, and subbing!

The pic with the ferris wheel, is that in Macy's?

Toys R Us, Times Square

 

[Jade+3]

Just wrote a huge post, and it vanished, so will try again.

Day 9 - New York - Saturday 17th September

Today there would be no sleeping in. The alarm was set, and we were away early. It was our last day and we still had a long list of things to do.

We walked the block to the subway station, for our first subway ride. We had figured out what line we needed to be on, but I still have no idea how to figure out where each train goes. Thank goodness for friendly subway staff who are obviously used to bewildered tourists.

Our first stop was Battery Park, to see the Statue of Liberty, though we did detour via McDonalds for food for the kids, and coffee for us. We decided against the Staten Island ferry. We did not really have a spare couple of hours, and we were not sure how DS2 would behave. Battery Park was lovely, and we enjoyed the walk on a sunny morning.

Next stop was the World Trade Centre site. We had driven past it earlier on the hop on hop off bus. Thank goodness DH has a better sense of direction than I do. We wandered along Wall Street, past Trinity Church, and found the WTC site easily. We did not get tickets for the memorial. I was unsure how the kids would behave and did not want to appear disrespectful.

We headed for the subway, and found Century 21. The security guy on the door took one look at my camera and sternly told me 'no photos'. No idea what that was about. Anyway, we went in. It was crowded, and the aisles were full of boxes. DH was in charge of the stroller. I knew he would get annoyed with it pretty quickly, and I was right. About 2 minutes later, we were out of there.

Next stop was Chelsea, to see High Line Park. We liked Chelsea, it was more 'us'. Laid back and not as hectic. The Chelsea markets were wonderful, though we did not eat there. How I wished it was lunch time.

I forget the name of the next station, but it was near Madison Square Garden. We nearly lost DS5, getting of the subway. I don't take the train that often here in Brisbane, but when the doors are closing, there is a whistle before the doors actually close. Not in NYC. I was half out the train when the doors started to close, with DS5 behind me. I am forever grateful to the New Yorker who picked him up and threw him through the closing doors, into my arms.

We were heading to BH Photo, and of course I led us in the wrong direction and we ended up at Macy's. Called in to KMart and got DD some shoes, then headed back towards BH, to find it closed. In all my research I had never considered that the biggest photography store in NYC would be closed on Saturday's. I am sure DH was silently smiling about the amount of money we saved.

We caught the subway back to Times Square. It was crowded, but we were offered seats for the kids. Something that would not happen here.

Dinner was at Friday's. It was average. The food was just ok and the service poor. It was the most expensive meal of our holiday. I wish I had spent more time researching dining options, rather than winging it.

After dinner DD and I left for the New Amsterdam Theatre to see Mary Poppins. It was wonderful. DD loved it, and wants to go again in Brisbane. It was one of the highlights of our trip. The show finished at 11pm. Times Square seemed to be full of weirdos, so we rushed through as quickly as we could.

All week we had been trying to go to the Magnolia Bakery, which was a block from our hotel. The line was always out the door, but not tonight. I paid $16 for 4 cup cakes (which the kids said were ok), and headed back to the hotel. I spent the next 2 hours packing for our flight for Miami, before finally crashing.

 

[Jade+3]

Day 10 - New York - Miami - Sunday 18th September

Our driver was picking us up at 9.30am to take us to JFK for our Miami flight, so I set the alarm for 7am as we still had not done Top of The Rock. One of the kids must have been playing with the volume on the clock radio, as it did not wake us. I woke at 8am!! TOTR was only 2 blocks from the hotel, and DH decided he did not want to go, so kept the boys while DD and I made a run for it.

There was no-one in the line so we were able to get through security really quickly. The lift ride was cool, but DD did not seem impressed and kept her eyes to the ground. I took a heap of photo's then we raced back to the hotel, after a quick look at the Morning Show studio.

DH had finished packing and had the boys ready. I knew it would take a while to check out as I was paying with travellers cheques. Our driver from Dial 7 was early, so everything was happening at once. The experience with Dial 7 was the total opposite of our trip from the airport. The driver was courteous, he had the air con on and no annoying music, and drove in a respectable manner.

We made it to the Delta terminal with plenty of time to spare. The staff were so nice. They helped print out the boarding passes, and then helped take our luggage to the check in counter. Extra hands are always appreciated when travelling with young kids. Security was a breeze. The only food in the terminal was Starbucks or Burger King. I made the mistake of ordering a large soft drink, which was almost as big as DS2.

The 'large' soda - and in case you were wondering, this kid lived on fries and chicken nuggets.

There were a family from Canada sitting next to us in the food court. They were on their way home from WDW, so we chatted for ages. The flight was 3 hours, yet we arrived in 2.5 hours. Miami airport was no where near as hectic as JFK, and it was nice to be back in warm weather.

This is where things go pear shaped, and my planning let us down. We were staying at the Marriott at Biscayne Bay. I knew the fixed cab fare was something like $24, but nowhere in my research had I come across the fact that children under 3 need to be in a car seat to take a taxi. We were faced with hiring a car or getting the shuttle bus. Car hire was ruled out as we would have to take the car back to the airport the next day as there are no depots near the port. We ended up with Super Shuttle, which cost $60. We were the only people in the van so did not have to go via any other hotels. Another idiot driver, he took off before I could get any of the kids seat belts on.

The Marriott was lovely. I used the AAA rate, and got breakfast buffet included (for 2 adults) for $99. Have to love off-season rates in Miami, and hotels that allow 5 in a room! There was an arcade connecting the hotel next door, which had a few restaurants, a small supermarket and a chemist. We ended up having dinner at a sports bar. Probably not the best pick, but DH gets annoyed with me when I wander around reading all the menus. It was nice knowing this would be the last meal we would have to pay for, for the next 2 weeks.

The kids had a swim while I went to do the laundry. There was one laundry in the hotel, with 3 machines. I started checking it from 3pm, and finally at 10.30pm I was able to get the machines. Then I realised one was broken. I got back to the room at 1am after washing and drying 4 loads of washing. I was grateful to crawl into bed after what had been a very long day.

Biscayne Bay

Downtown Miami

The pool

 

[ExcitedSam]

Awesome pics! NY looks fabulous!

I need to look away or I'll want to go there too!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Loving the trip report Jade. New York is just so wonderful, I thoroughly enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane while reading your experiences.

 

[Mum from oz]

Great photos. I love looking at NY.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

I need to go to New York. Loving the report Jade.