Weekend in New York

[Maggoty]

Rightio I am taking mum, mum in law and OH to New York next year for a long weekend. ABers have already recommended some hotels, Marriot Marquis, Roosevelt and the Helmsley(??). What I now need to know is when would you suggest I go? Its a christmas present to them all so it has to be after December. I was told that Jan and Feb is very very cold (mums are in their 60s and 70s)so was thinking of the first weekend in April (3rd - 8th). Whatcha reckon?

[BBWCHATT]

Please lighten up VillageVicar - I am not in the "business" and I am not one of your competitors - I just wanted her to see the 5 star hotels in the area . I gave her credit for being intelligent enough to use any website and/or hotel she chooses to book whatever she chooses.


BBWCHATT
The old lady in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

[BBWCHATT]

http://gonyc.about.com/od/planyourtriptonyc/in dex_a.htm

[Maggoty]

Vicar and BBW

Thank you both for all your help - there is so much to digest here. Will pour over travel mags as well - April is looking favourite (thanks BBW for the NYC by month) - shame about the April showers tho!!

I want to do :

Statue of Liberty
Empire State Building
Ground Zero
Central Park in a Landau
21 club
and Shopping (for the mums)

anything else you could suggest.

My father died a week ago so its more important than ever for this to be a perfect weekend for the mums.

xx

[VillageVicar]

BBW, there was no effrontery intended in what I wrote. I was honestly surprised! There are certain cities in the states, just as there are here, where booking reps abound. I was truly caught surprised by the link. I�m not selling anything�at all.. I didn�t have time to do any research on it, hence why I tried to ask whether you knew anything about the site, or had used it. Apologies if my intent was misunderstood. I can only strike it up to the fact that I was exhausted when I wrote that�still am! Again, apologies. For anyone going to New York, however, it should be known that our famous series called �the real hustle� pales in comparison with the shenanigans that goes on in New York! There are times when I think it would be more appropriate to have �Caveat Emptor� inscribed at the base of the statue of liberty, rather than the existing text�especially as what�s currently there is almost farcical when it comes to their current views. Twenty lashings�and you may increase it as you deem fit.

Maggott, I�m truly sorry for your loss. I will address all of these points for you and offer you a couple of options. Please, could you confirm that there�s a total of four people in your party? Is that correct? Also, is it your desire to use two rooms, or more? That will also help me in the options I offer.

A New York Joke:

You know you�re in New York when:

You pay $7.00 to cross a bridge
The most frequently used part of your car is the horn
You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression
You run when you see a flashing "Do Not Walk" sign
You can swear in six different languages
Your bedroom door has three locks on it

Fr Bill

[VillageVicar]

BBW: On an entirely different note....what ever became of Jake Butcher? I know that's a daft question, indeed! Oh...I wish I were there with you right now...I'd apologise by taking you to the Cracker Barrel....although there are a few places that are much nicer...but the CB would do fine righ this moment :-)

Fr Bill

[alijangra]

VillageVicar-I only ever had breakfast in Oscar's, I did actually venture out of the hotel to eat, I went to a variety of places!! I personally prefer the Bull and Bear restaurant in the hotel for an evening meal, far superior to Oscar's.
I still maintain that the Waldorf is worth the extra money (it's not that expensive!) , I just think it is great to be able to say you have stayed there as it has a lot of history and is truly beautiful. I don't like modern hotels, I like a bit of class and character, each to their own and all that!!
Maggoty- New York is truly an amazing and overwhelming place, so much to see and do it is hard to squeeze it all in. Im actually heading there with my boyfriend next year, probably in April too as I have used up nearly all my annual leave for this year :(

[VillageVicar]

alijangra: Here here! I agree with you 100pct! Not a fan of modern hotels...especially what we call the 'cookie-cutter' variety. The Waldorf has been the scene of many great films...if anyone is interested in have a side-splitting view of New York life and its accents...see the original 'The Out of Towners' with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis...a true classic. It's so disappointing how Steve Martin destroyed the story line...trying to be funny in the later version...Jack Lemmon captured the essence of New York life.

Also, it�s always nice to have a renewed relationship with Arthur, large parts of it filmed at and around The Plaza Hotel. And, if you�re a theatre buff, grab a copy of the film version of �Plaza Suite� with Walter Matthau playing multiple roles. Finally, there are some fantastic nostalgia shots of the Oak Bar and the beautiful mosaic floors of The Plaza in North by Northwest.

Maggot�if you can share with me answers to those brief questions, I�ll start to �guide� you a bit.

For those who are nostalgia fans: there are actually two sections to the Waldorf Astoria. There�s the luxury Suites, located on the 47th street side and there�s the �main� facing on to Park Avenue.

Continued:

[VillageVicar]

Part 2

Alij�I don�t know if you�re aware, but the Waldorf is part of the Hilton Group..which certainly makes it easier for booking. Yes, Oscar�s is what New Yorker�s call a �coffee shop,� (pronounced �Coughfee.� Also, if you like something unusual, just outside of the Waldorf, on the Lexington Avenue side is the W hotel, part of the Sheraton/Starwood group. They�re gaining a great reputation for their post-modern style. And�before I forget�for those of you who watched Tom Hanks in The Terminal, the Ramada he visited is just a couple of blocks down.

I was tickled by this thread�it has been an arduous day. I had multiple funerals, with a short break between one of them. As I sat in the pub, my dog, sitting on the chair across from me, with his eyes transfixed on the piece of gammon sitting on my plate, is if he were willing it to rise and float to his mouth, reminded me of Leona Helmsley�s dog. She left the mutt twelve million dollars in her will last month. I was just having a fantasy about introducing my dog to Leona�s dog. I quickly snapped out of it when I remembered that I once swore to myself that I�d never put my dog in a Helmsley Hotel.

Fr Bill

[Dassie]

If mums are in their 60's and 70's have you stopped to consider that after a 8hr flight going backwards in time they will be suffering from jetlag and will need a lot more than a long weekend to enjoy themselves? It'll be a big rush around to do what you want and then a long flight back! They'll need a leisurely break of a week not 2 days sandwiched between a 2 days of around 12hrs "travelling" time including the waits in either direction.

[VillageVicar]

Maggoty�I�ve already recommended Gallagher�s �please, do not miss it. It�s one of America�s most unique institutions of dining. You won�t regret it. I will warn you, New Yorker�s (well, Americans too) tend to over indulge. The portions they serve would not only block the typical English colon, it would back up the entire Thames River!

Next on the �must do� is the Oyster Bar, located in the bowels of Grand Central Station. The menus are hand written each day and the seafood is no older than the drive from the Fulton Fish Market, (about 30 blocks away). As a child, I used to sit at the bar with my father, scoffing down prawn (they call them shrimp�as if!) cocktails, lobster bisque soups and cokes. Typically, my dad would be chatting to some �individual of renown.� The Oyster Bar was the favourite haunt of Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart and the like. It was loved by Winston Churchill as well.

Continued:

[VillageVicar]

Part 2

At night the bar is seldom used, instead diners gather at the gingham tablecloth tables. During the day, the bar is open on two sides, so commuters may queue up and grab a boxful of fresh shucked oysters, to carry to the office, or home on the train.

http://www.oysterbarny.com/oysterbar/html/inde x2.htm

Note the image on the oyster bar website. You�ll see the cathedral ceilings. Just outside the door of the Oyster Bar, have one of your �mums� stand in the far corner, facing in to the archway, as it curves down to the floor. You stand on the opposite end of the arch, near the entrance door to the restaurant, also facing inward. Now, mumble a few choice words for her. Your voice will carry over the ceiling and down the archway, allowing her to perfectly hear what you�ve said.

As I recall�in my youth, I made numerous er um�suggestions to girlfriends via those arches�I think it was the uniqueness of �the pitch� that afforded me a higher than average batting record! Or, maybe it was the oysters we just had�who knows.

I�ll add another version later. I�m looking forward to taking you to Lady Liberty�the New Yorker�s way�as well as all the other key points, including the Empire State Building�oh, as another lead up�hire a copy of Sleepless in Seattle, with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, or Love Affair, with Annette Benning and Warren Beatty (which is remake of An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant). That will certainly help prime your family on the forthcoming trip.

More to come later..
Fr Bill

[BBWCHATT]

Maggoty honey - I am glad the websites helped a little bit - I will post more if I find any that I think might help. I too am very sorry to hear about your Father - it is never easy to lose a loved one.


Vicar, thank you for the apology - and if you were here, I would take you up on the offer of dinner - but maybe try to talk you into a different place than Cracker Barrel - the best things I have ever had there were the blackberry ice cream and blackberry cobbler and the chocolate cobbler - but the regular food isn't something I enjoy a lot :)

I haven't used that website, I just found it so she could look at what the 5 star hotels had to offer on one website.

This will tell you about the fate of Jake Butcher:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Butcher


BBWCHATT
The old lady in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

[VillageVicar]

I forgot to add, within Grand Central it is a �must� to look up! The ceiling over the Main Concourse, with its famous mural of the stars, is one of Grand Central Terminal�s most famous features.

If you�re a Zodiac fan, you�ll notice that the zodiac on the ceiling is depicted backwards. Some have speculated that this was a mistake by the artist, Paul Helleu. The real reason, however, is that the painter was inspired by a medieval manuscript that showed the heavens, as they would have been seen from outside the celestial sphere.

The famous ceiling has another, more recent, secret. If you look carefully, you will see a patch of dark on the restored blue part of the mural. This patch shows the colour of the ceiling before restoration. Architects chose to leave it as a reminder of how much work was done.

I encourage you not to be anywhere near GCT between the hours of 0745-0915 and 1615-1815�otherwise, you may think you�re in a Disney theme park on a ride from which you�ll never escape. The crowds of unsympathetic and often �tetchy� New Yorkers, may have a negative impact on your holiday, as well as a couple of ribs!

More to come

Fr Bill

[pastafreak]

I don't know much about hotels in NYC (I can stay with family-lol!).....but the weather-be carefull even in April. When I got married in the first week in april many years ago-we had a blizzard!! My husbands english relatives all ended up in Boston and Washington DC as NYC airports were closed! ...And of course by the end of April the heatwaves start!

[BBWCHATT]

http://nymag.com/shopping/


http://www.outlet-stores.org/


http://www.nytimes.com/

[BBWCHATT]

http://www.mercer.com/referencecontent.jhtml?i dContent=1268475


http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883960.html

[VillageVicar]

BBW, that�s very kind of you! And ooooh chocolate cobbler from the Cracker Barrell�oh my goodness! Yes, you are right, the food has changed dramatically over the years. Quite sad.

In my young �wild� days I fell in love �well�actually it was prickly heat�over a girl near Chattanooga. It came about as another �prickly heat� experience several hundred miles south over a girl who worked in a Waffle House. (I was touring the country and became transfixed at the way the girl scrambled eggs.) I recall becoming almost transfixed in the time and motion study over her gyrations. Great eggs too!

Thank you for the info about Jake. I met him and his..er..um..tasteful wife during the World�s Fair. It was a memorable experience.

Outlet Malls�the true American experience, isn�t it? I was actually thinking of sending our friend across the river (as it were) to Flemmington, where they could visit Liberty Village and take the lovely steam train to Ringoes. Invariably, when I escort my Non-European guests to the New York area, I end up taking the women to Liberty. Occasionally, for my Boston bound guests, I take them up to New Hampshire, but those are usually those who want tourism rather than just buying everything in sight.

I�m trying to determine how many days, exactly, we�re going to have to work with as I can add and subtract a few bits on the Manhattan side.

BBW do you occasionally go up to Knoxville, or even into the mountains? I can honestly say, it�s among my most favourite parts of the states. I�m often in West Virginia, Virginia, and parts of the Carolinas & Georgia and I dip my toes in and out of Tennessee whenever it�s appropriate for the guests I take�a la Pigeon Forge, etc.

I�ve just started writing a brief outline for Maggoty. It�s my �day off� (if there is such a thing), yet my phone has rung about 20 times today.

Thank you again�

[VillageVicar]

Maggotty, I�m not going to be verbose�yet. I just want to offer you my First �Hit List� of hotels that I�d recommend for a first-timer who wishes to �impress� but doesn�t wish to break the bank in room rates: I have �another� list, but it can break a camel�s back in costs�let me know if you�re a Russian oil baron and I�ll send you the �other� list!


These will be in order of recommendation from top to bottom: My recommendation are based upon, the overall quality of the hotel, with combined location, pricing, safety (extremely important in New York) and style:

Keep in mind that hotel pricing in America is per room, based on double occupancy (and sometimes up to four).



The Essex House Hotel 160 Central Park South just �up� from the Ritz Carlton

The hotel has just undergone a 90 million dollar renovation. I have always loved the hotel owner�s appreciation of art and service. Occasionally, when I absolutely abhor my clients, I will place my clients in the Ritz and put myself here, thus being only a few steps away from them!

http://www.jumeirahessexhouse.com/enhancement_ update/



The Sherry Netherland Corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park Grand Army Plaza Facing the park and the famous Plaza Hotel)

The actor Danny Kay once lived here. This was also a favourite hiding place of Howard Hughes. I first met Salvadore Dali in the restaurant with my father. Mr Dali was as surreal as his art!! We later met again across the street at The Plaza. I love the intimacy of the hotel � something that is often lacking in New York hoteliers.

http://www.sherrynetherland.com/specials_and_p ackages/

[VillageVicar]

Part 2

The Pierre 2 East 61st Street, overlooking Central Park
The Pierre was featured in Jacquline Suzanne�s unusual film �Once is not Enough.� The murals are magnificent. The service is impeccable and the staff�well�like most New Yorkers, professional to a fault. The rooms are of a contemporary style as well as some �generational rooms� done in traditional heavy French Baroque style (think of a few rooms at Buckingham Palace)

http://www.tajhotels.com/Luxury/The%20Pierre,N ew%20York/rooms.asp


The Ritz Carlton Central Park South at Avenue of the America�s
This is one of my favourite hotels to stay in. It is on the original site of the St Moritz Hotel. Overlooking Central Park, it�s one of the most prestigious addresses in New York, offering compelling images of the Manhattan Skyline. I�m saddened that the windows overlooking the park are not larger, but that�s related to the original frame of the old St Moritz. However, I have virtually nothing that I can fault this hotel with. Park rooms come with a telescope (a favourite pastime of new Yorkers is the entertainment that goes on through windows on the other side of the park!) If you choose the Ritz, you are guaranteed you will be riding lifts, dining, drinking and spotting the most famous of famous. Accordingly, it is prohibited to take photographs anywhere within the hotel. Privacy is law at the Ritz!


http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Centr alPark/Default.htm

continued:

[VillageVicar]

Part 3


The Mandarin Oriental At Columbus Circle atop the Time-Warner building, overlooking Central Park. Stunningly Beautiful! The Mandarin carries service far beyond what many other hotels could ever even conceive. The rooms are styled with creative flair. I would suggest that if you prefer �traditional� styles, the Mandarin may not be for you. But it�s a definite buzz hotel!

http://www.mandarin-oriental.com/hotel/5320000 01.asp

Maggoty�the above hotels are among the best in Manhattan. I�ve spent most of my life either living in hotels, staying in them, inspecting them and rejecting them. There are hundreds more in Manhattan, some equal to and some finer than what�s listed above. But the motivating theme here is that these hotels are uniquely memorable! And isn�t that what a quality trip is all about?

More to come later�I have some visits to do

Fr Bill