We're home and planning the next one!!

[Busy Busy]

Hi everybody,

OK - it's time to start AND finish this trip report!!

We spent 7 nights in New York City, 13 nights at Port Orleans Riverside in WDW and 3 nights in Las Vegas. So not everything is Disney related, but I will just go through the things that we loved and any tips that I have picked up on the way. Here goes....

 

[PrincessInOz]

Marking my spot.

 

[Busy Busy]

My DH left us all alone here in Sydney back on the 4th of May and flew to Las Vegas where he attended a big computer thingy (ie...not my area of interest) conference.

He stayed at the gorgeous Bellagio Hotel for 6 nights and the conference was held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. About 3 days into his time in Las Vegas, his sister arrived from London and stayed with him.

They had a great time, and shopped and ate and gambled their way through 3 days together (apparently he did some work too?!), then on Friday the 10th of May they flew to NYC. They went to the Salisbury Hotel on West 57th Street where we had booked a room for 9 nights.

They had a great time for almost 3 days in NYC - zooming around (mainly sitting in bars watching English football) - and spending time together. We hadn't seen SIL since Christmas 2011 - so it was great for them to catch up.

On Monday 13th May, our DS15, DD8 and I left home at 6.15am and headed to the airport (thanks for the lift, ex-husband!!) We flew on the Delta flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. We had booked their Economy Comfort seats (a very small charge over the normal Economy fare) and the seats were FABULOUS.

We were one row behind the exit row - and we had a lot of extra leg room which is beyond important considering I am almost 6 feet tall and DS is 6'4" - and yes, soooo many people asked him if he played basketball while we were away!!

It was a very smooth flight and I would definitely recommend it - the seats were really comfy and the crew were very nice, the entertainment wasn't as extensive as it was on VAustralia on the flight home - but there was still lots to watch. The food was OK - it all seems to be the same unless you get to turn left as you enter the plane anyway doesn't it?! I took some extra things on the plane for the kids to eat and they were very happy.

A long, but bearable flight had us in LA very early - we only had 45 minutes to get to our connection to NYC - but I was ready!! We got through customs quickly, baggage claim and then dropped our bags off to another counter, then we were off through security again. This seemed to take forever and as we got through we had exactly 10 minutes until our flight was supposed to take off. I was completely hysterical (on the inside) but kept it together as the kids and I re-enacted Chariots of Fire through the terminal. We ran - to the furthest gate they had, of course!!

We made it and settled in to another very pleasant flight - Delta was great the entire time.

We arrived into JFK late on Monday afternoon, grabbed our bags and despite some searching on the signs that the limo drivers had - I realised that no, my DH had not sent one for us - bummer. So, it was off to the taxi rank as we had planned. There were a lot of people in the line and no cabs at all - but there was a guy with a walkie talkie and all of a sudden there was a sea of yellow heading towards us - cabs, cabs, cabs - we were in and heading towards Manhattan within about 10 minutes of arriving at the rank. Pretty good.

The drive into Manhattan is a long one when you are so desperate to get there - but the sights on the way are amazing. Watching every day people doing their every day things - I loved seeing it all. Our first glimpse of Manhattan was the new World Trade Centre tower. The spire had been craned into place in the days before we left and there it was shining in the sunlight - it is a gorgeous building and soooo tall!!

The cab driver was great, he was from India and talked to my son about cricket for ages - had we landed in the wrong country?! He definitely earned the big tip that Paul gave him at the end - because just as we had driven onto Manhattan from the Queensboro Bridge, DD8 looked at me and said that she was going to be sick - OHHHH NOOOOOOO!!!!

Talk about action woman, we were stopped at lights, I opened the cab door, leaned her out, up it came, closed the door, grabbed the Wet Ones. wiped her face and it was over before she could blink - the police woman standing just near the car had such a shocked look on her face!! Welcome to New York City!! We drove past Tiffany and what was soon to become DS's favourite shop - Nike Town and finally pulled up alongside my gorgeous husband who I hugged to bits - we had made it!!

 

[Busy Busy]

SALISBURY HOTEL: This hotel is on W57th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue. It is 2 blocks from Central Park and 9 or 10 blocks from Times Square. We had booked a room with 2 queen beds, it also had a lounge room with a sofa bed, a TV in both rooms, 3 GIANT walk in closets, fridge, sink, microwave, coffee maker, safe, a desk and chair, a small table and 2 chairs and 3 armchairs!!! It was HUUUUGE. The only thing small was the bathroom - wow - squishy - but clean and lots of hot water!!

It was a great place to stay. Having stayed at the Doubletree in Times Square twice before, this area makes you feel like you actually live in NYC - which is a dream of mine, so it was perfect!! We were on the 14th floor and the windows open, so there was a lot of traffic noise from the street at night, so we just closed the windows and put the air-con on.

There is a 24 hour deli right next door, great for coffee (a giant one was $1.30!!) and juice and snacks and sandwiches. I had a clam chowder from there that was amazing!! There is also a great Italian restaurant called Angelo's close by - great food, prices and service. There is a very glamorous 24 hour food shop across the road - everything that you can imagine over 2 levels, a Starbucks right next door to that and a 24 hour Duane Read pharmacy about 1 minute down the road. This was the most amazing location - it's an older hotel and nowhere near as modern as the Doubletree - but it was perfect and it was a great place to call home for 7 nights.

 

[Busy Busy]

THE EVERGREEN DINER: Oh my God - this place is amazing - breakfast here can't be beaten!! It's on W47th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue. We went here every morning of our trip in 2011 (it was just steps from our hotel), but this time it was 10 blocks away. We decided that since our first morning would start in Times Square anyway, we would head straight there.

We walked through the door and the waitress took one look at us and remembered us - amazing!! Seeing her made everything even better!! If you are every close by at breakfast time - you have to go there, they serve anything you can imagine and it's quick, delicious and with just enough NYC attitude - I love it!!

We ate ourselves stupid and then headed to jump onto the:

GRAY LINE SIGHTSEEING "RED BUS": These are everywhere in NYC and we have used them in the past, but not for a long time, so SIL and the kids really wanted to do it. We grabbed our tickets and off we went. This is a good way to get the basics of NYC, BUT - it all relies on the guide that you have on the bus. Our guide that morning was a nightmare, she was totally unable to be understood, and there were some Australian people in front of us looking at each other trying to work out what she said. My "customer service" mouth couldn't help itself and I told them what some things were - they (and I) agreed that I could have done the tour better - she was freakin' useless!! She was able to be understood when she was reminding people to tip her when they got off though - grrrr!!

9/11 MEMORIAL: We did get off and headed to this amazing place - I have seen the 9/11 site 4 times since June 2003 and it has been so different every time. A pile of rubble, a giant pit, half a skyscraper and now an almost complete skyscraper along with a beautiful and moving memorial.

We had booked tickets on the internet, we were early but it didn't matter. We went through security (just like at an airport) and then walked around through what still looks like a building site to the memorial. It opens out to a huge expanse and there are 2 giant pools of water exactly in the footprints of where the 2 towers stood. All around the outside of each pool are etched all the names of the people who died that day, and the pools have a waterfall edge that goes down to another level and then the water all flows into anther pool in the middle. You can't see the bottom of that middle pool and so it gives you the feeling of eternity or infinity - it's beautiful. The sounds of the water drown out some of the city noise, and there are lovely trees and benches as well as volunteers to explain anything you need to know. As you are there, the new World Trade Centre looms above you - all shiny and strong - it was a very moving place to be and it's a must-do in my opinion.

RED BUS: We jumped back on and had such a great guide!! Honestly, if you can't figure out what the guide is on about, jump off and wait for the next one, it will be along in about 5 minutes!! I loved the Downtown Loop - it shows you so many different sides of NYC.

The next day we did the Uptown Loop - to see how the other half live!! We went past the gorgeous buildings of the Upper West Side, Juliard, the MET, the Dakota Building - what a gorgeous part of Manhattan. Then through Harlem and all of the people and the shops up there, then down the super glam Upper East Side where it's like you can feel the money oozing out of the gorgeous buildings - so many contrasts in under 2 hours!! There is also a night time loop that takes you over to Brooklyn to look back at the Manhattan skyline - these red buses are worth it - if only to get your bearings.

 

[Busy Busy]

DEL FRISCO'S STEAKHOUSE: Wow - this place was amazing!! It's on 6th Avenue at about W52nd (I think) - across the road from Radio City Music Hall!! SIL wanted to take the kids out on her own and let DH and I have a night out together in New York - what a lovely SIL!!! I had searched for 4 months for a place to eat that would be perfect - and I am so pleased to tell you that I found it!!

I put on my prettiest dress (that rolls up into a ball for packing and doesn't need ironing!!) and we set off down 6th Avenue in 27 degree weather - yes please!! We arrived at this gorgeous 2 level restaurant with floor to ceiling windows and it was packed!! There were lots of business type people in suits and lots of women in gorgeous outfits - yep, Paul and Tracey from the Sutherland Shire had arrived - it was hilarious!! We sat at the bar upstairs where I had their VIP cocktail - orange vodka that has had pineapple soaking in it for 2 weeks - wow - delicious!! The girl came to take us to our table and we were seated with a gorgeous view of 6th Ave and Radio City Music Hall - and we were looked after by a lovely waitress - she was fabulous.

We ate their crab cake (nothing but crab with a gorgeous sauce), Wagyu bone-in rib-eye - unbelievable, and then the amazing 6 layer lemon cake. I had read about all of these dishes on Yelp and Trip Advisor (like a good planner should) and they were better than I had hoped. We had some amazing red wine with our steak as well as mushrooms, potatoes and onion rings - please - I'm full just thinking about it!! We eventually left and walked slowly back to the Salisbury - it was an amazing night with my gorgeous man who had worked so hard for us to go away - I will always remember that night!!

 

[Busy Busy]

DRYBAR - WOO HOO!! Thursday was a great day - Drybar, American Girl and Bubba Gump!!

I had booked SIL, DD8 and I into the Drybar at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel which was straight across the road from the Salisbury - perfect!! After breakfast, DH and DS15 headed off to see the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier and we got ready to become fabulous!! SIL grabbed an express manicure at the place next door to the Drybar, it was $20 and she said it was the best mani she has ever had!! We were taken in to have our hair washed and then brought back to our chairs where our bags were clipped onto the under side of the counter for us and we were offered a drink. SIL and I enjoyed a Mimosa, while DD8 had an apple juice. While they blowdry, you sip and watch movies with subtitles (the hair dryers are too loud for the sound to be up too far on the TVs!!) The Breakfast Club was on while we were there - wow - no wonder I used to love Judd Nelson - he was a great bad boy!!

Eventually we were all done and we got turned around to the mirrors for the big reveal - OMG - we are the straight hair family, and all of a sudden we had body and bounce and movement and shine and curls and a whole different attitude - all that from a $40 hair-do, honestly it was amazing!!

I loved this place (I went back alone later in the week) and it's another must-do in NYC (they are elsewhere too). They make your hair look like it would if you could take your head off, put it in front of you, do your hair and then put your head back on again!!! Look it up and book it - amazing!!

We left all feeling completely gorgeous and made our way to the beautiful American Girl Place - we were in search of the Caroline doll - and let me tell you, we found her and a whole bunch of other stuff!!!

 

[Caroline NZ]

DRYBAR - WOO HOO!! Thursday was a great day - Drybar, American Girl and Bubba Gump!!

I had booked SIL, DD8 and I into the Drybar at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel which was straight across the road from the Salisbury - perfect!! After breakfast, DH and DS15 headed off to see the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier and we got ready to become fabulous!! SIL grabbed an express manicure at the place next door to the Drybar, it was $20 and she said it was the best mani she has ever had!! We were taken in to have our hair washed and then brought back to our chairs where our bags were clipped onto the under side of the counter for us and we were offered a drink. SIL and I enjoyed a Mimosa, while DD8 had an apple juice. While they blowdry, you sip and watch movies with subtitles (the hair dryers are too loud for the sound to be up too far on the TVs!!) The Breakfast Club was on while we were there - wow - no wonder I used to love Judd Nelson - he was a great bad boy!!

Eventually we were all done and we got turned around to the mirrors for the big reveal - OMG - we are the straight hair family, and all of a sudden we had body and bounce and movement and shine and curls and a whole different attitude - all that from a $40 hair-do, honestly it was amazing!!

I loved this place (I went back alone later in the week) and it's another must-do in NYC (they are elsewhere too). They make your hair look like it would if you could take your head off, put it in front of you, do your hair and then put your head back on again!!! Look it up and book it - amazing!!

We left all feeling completely gorgeous and made our way to the beautiful American Girl Place - we were in search of the Caroline doll - and let me tell you, we found her and a whole bunch of other stuff!!!

Loving your report. The drybar sounds interesting, I normally don't allow a blowdryer anywhere near my curly/frizzy hair.

Looking forward to hearing about the Caroline doll. I am taking DD8 to the store in LA in Oct to buy her first American Girl doll.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Woo Hoo indeed. Loving the report of The Big Apple.

And I could see you running in slo-mo racing through LAX, crossing the ribbon that is the bridge gate to your connecting flight.

Love the concept of the Dry Bar.

 

[Naughty Nurse]

Finding it very interesting reading your report...I also was recently looking at the Salisbury Hotel for our upcoming trip...but we have had to cancel adding NY to this trip unfortunately...good to hear you liked it...so I will keep it in mind for our next trip

Love the sound of that 6 layer lemon cake you had for your romantic dinner...the rest of the items you had sounded fantastic as well

Looking forward to reading more

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

Love your report so far ... the restaurant sounds fabulous, as does the salon. Looking forward to hearing more.

I was in NY in the 90's and actually went up the World Trade Centre to see the views. Can't imagine it now.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Welcome home am loving your TR and love the sound of the dry bar

 

[Busy Busy]

AMERICAN GIRL PLACE: We walked down 5th Avenue feeling completely gorgeous and headed towards the beautiful red awnings of the American Girl Place building. We had been here in 2011 and bought a doll for DD, but since then, they have released a special historical doll called Caroline. She has long blonde hair and a very sweet face - which just happens to be how I would describe my DD - her name is Caroline, she has long blonde hair and a very sweet face (and she is the tallest 3rd grader around!!) SO - how could we go there and not buy this doll??

I bought the "Day at American Girl Place" package - which includes $130 to spend on anything in the store, lunch for 2, doll hair-do, photo of your daughter and her doll printed onto the front of an American Girl magazine and an American Girl t-shirt for both the doll and your child. You save a little bit of money doing it this way - but by the end of the visit the thought of saving anything had well and truly gone!!

We found Caroline, she is so lovely, we chose a couple of outfits (which she will share with her AG sister who is here at home), my SIL bought AG's pet dog Meatloaf for DD too. We left with a lot of stuff!!

The staff there are amazing, so happy to see you and they can't help you enough and they were all thrilled (or acted thrilled) to find out that our Caroline had chosen their Caroline to take home. There was a group of disadvantaged children there who were all being made to feel beyond special - it really was such a memorable day.

The one ever-so-slight let down is the cafe - the food isn't that fab - but the kids are so happy there, and they provide a seat for your doll at the table while you eat!

A gorgeous day - not necessarily a must-do again for us (DD will probably want to spend more time in Forever 21 if we come back again), but for this time, my SIL and I adored spoiling her and she truly loves her new Caroline. One thing though.....I asked DD how her 2 AG's are getting along in her room now, she said that they are fine, except their eyes glow red at night....WHAT??!!!!

 

[marvel]

Loving the report. How much did the Del Frisco's set you back? if you dont mind me asking. Always looking for new places to go in NY.

 

[Busy Busy]

Hi Marvel - oh boy, Del Frisco's was really expensive. One round of drinks for us was $30

We went crazy and had the Wagyu rib-eye which was about $90 each - DH insisted, "when will we ever do this again?" etc. So it was way over $350 by the time we were done. Having said that - every bite was amazing and it was one of the most memorable nights of my life (still cheaper than Book of Mormon tickets too!!)

Also - later in the holiday we went to Be Our Guest for dinner - it was crazy expensive and the food was not so good - so Del Frisco's was definitely worth it.

 

[Busy Busy]

BUBBA GUMP - TIMES SQUARE: You know how you should never try to re-create something that was amazing....this is why.

It was SIL's last night in NYC and we were celebrating her birthday (which isn't until later in June), so after an amazing time at Bubba Gump with our friends in 2011, off we went again. I suppose that then we had 9 people and we were all happy and laughing, this time we were a little more subdued with only 5 of us - and the waitress was very quiet too - so that made a difference.

Anyway, the food was not as good as last time we were there, I had the Bourbon Street Mahi Mahi - meh, it was dry and kind of tasteless, which I was really surprised by considering the reviews of have read about it. Not to worry - their cocktails are still awesome, but I said no to the souvenir glass - I don't use the ones that I already have!!

Afterwards we shopped a little bit, Skechers, Footlocker, Sephora, and then walked back to the Salisbury along 6th Avenue. I really recommend doing this if you need to get anywhere, 6th Avenue footpaths are much wider than 7th Avenue, there are a lot less people (still enough to feel completely safe), and they best bit - you get to walk past Bryant Park - that place is fabulous. It's got chairs and tables and grass to sit on, lots of places to get drinks or coffee, and the amazing Empire State Building is right there rising up above you - it had red, white and blue lights on it the week that we were there - absolutely gorgeous - a definite "must-do" NYC experience.

 

[Busy Busy]

CIRCLE LINE CRUISE: In 3 trips to New York, we had never done the cruise around the island, so on our 4th trip - we finally made it happen. This was a great thing to do - we decided on the 2 hour semi circle cruise (SIL was leaving that afternoon, so time was a bit too tight to do the 3 hour cruise).

There is a guide on board who talks almost the entire time and is full of info and stories. He also points out the buildings where fabulous people like Hugh Jackman and Lena Dunham live. The great part of it is that we sat on the right side of the boat, so during the first half of the cruise we got to see New Jersey and the Hudson River, and then the Statue of Liberty (closed until the 4th of July because of Hurricane Sandy damage), then Brooklyn. You get to the United Nations building on the East River and the boat turns around - then we got to see all of Manhattan on the way back - didn't have to move or fight for spots at the window - AND - SIL went and got coffees for us!!

It's a great way to see and learn lots and lots about New York and it's surrounding areas, there are amazing opportunities for gorgeous photos and the guide was really funny - this was a very relaxing way to spend a morning - another "must-do" in NYC!!

 

[Franrose]

Loving this report!

 

[Busy Busy]

Thanks Franrose....we thought of you on Pirates of the Caribbean, that's where you turned around and said "are you Busy Busy"?!! As we sat down for our first ride, DH wondered if anybody on the ride knew me!!

 

[Busy Busy]

STAY CLASSY NEW YORK CITY!!: Wandering down 6th Avenue on Saturday morning, we saw a lot of commotion on our side of the road. There were a lot of cameras and people looking busy. The cameras had been set up since DH and I had walked down there on Wednesday night for our lovely dinner - but this was the first time that we had seen anything actually happening.

There were police on the corners directing pedestrians around the scene. DS was the first to spot that there were a lot of old '70's style cars parked on the road, as well as groups of "extras" hanging around in flares, skivvies and lots of polyester!! We walked to the edge of the road and I asked a guy with a headset on what they were filming - he said "a movie"......hmmmm - I had that figured out already!!

We walked past one of the group of extras and he had a piece of masking tape on his top, it said "Burgundy".......I realised that they were filming "Anchorman 2"!! We are big fans of Ron Burgundy and his jazz flute in our house, so we were a bit excited!!

We continued on and had breakfast, then we went to Macy's, honestly, don't bother - it is being renovated and was such a nightmare inside, plus the prices are so much better at the outlet malls, so we wandered for a while and then escaped!! We shopped our way back up 6th Avenue, and much later in the afternoon came back across the film set.

This time there were a lot of people standing around, so we decided to stop and do some rubber-necking of our own. This is where our "tall family" status comes in very handy!! All of a sudden DS said "there's Will Ferrell, and he's wearing a fur coat"!! Yep - there was Ron Burgundy himself, handlebar mustache in place, waving to his adoring fans!! We also saw Paul Rudd (very short, but very spunky), Steve Carrell, Judd Apatow and Drake. Now I had no idea who Drake was - but the kids were thrilled to see him there with his giant sideburns and groovy afro complete with afro comb sticking out of it!! We did some cheering and waving for a while and eventually left and headed back to the Salisbury. We had a great day and 2 weeks later I opened an US Magazine, and there was a picture of Will Ferrell in his fur collared coat, with the caption "seen filming Anchorman 2 in NYC"....yeah - that was old news to those of us who had actually been there!!!