New York City - USA

[Mike]

A rather large group of us have just returned from a really cool 7 day trip in New York City in the US of A. I thought it would be good to share some of our experiences with you. There are a lot of things that we did so I will give you all high / low lights. Overall holiday experience .

Airline
Delta
This was the budget airline we used to get to the USA. It was average to be honest with plentiful food on the way out and less so on the late night return. The selection of entertainment was good with a selection of games (Chris was exceptionally and scarily good at Bejeweled - a game where you have to match three or more gems in a line to score points), films and TV shows. All in all .

Hotel
The Waldorf Astoria
This is a very prestigious old New York Hotel is synonymous with the city and very reasonably priced. The decor was very good, the service was excellent and the beer was extortionately expensive (so we did not drink there!). The bathrooms were covered with marble, we had bathrobes with the WA symbol stitched onto the inside and a very comfortable bed. Lets be honest this was a experience.

Food
Benjamin Steak House was one of two 'living it large' nights out in NYC. It was the best steak I have ever had and is a MUST for anyone who visits the city. The service was unparalleled. The portions were very large. It would be sufficient for a sirloin steak between two and sharing plates of vegetables.

Cafe Des Artistes was the second of the two 'living it large' nights out in NYC. The food was lovely, the portions were excellent and extremely tasty. The alcohol really bumps up the price of the meal though.

Madison Diner is where we had breakfast multiple times. The waffles are really nice, as are the blueberry pancakes, bagels and French toast. The NYC breakfasts were generally overloaded with eggs though (and the news over there were obsessing about the cost of an egg which I suppose underlines its importance). A bit of a greasy spoon but the service was good and the food was plentiful.

Carnegi Deli has been made famous for its ridiculously sized portions and its cheesecake. The size of the portions made this less of an enjoyment than it could have been and the ambience is very worn (presumable due to the large number of people passing through) but the food is amazing. I would suggest sharing a cheesecake between two. We tried the Truffle, Chocolate, Strawberry and Cherry cheesecakes and all of them were behaviour. Overall I would give the experience due the the ambience and the slightly sick feeling you actually get post stuffing.

Attractions
Top of the Rock
Top of the Rock is a viewing platform on the Rockefeller Building. We were there at 10am in the morning and were some of the first up at the top. It gave amazing views of the city, Empire State Building and Central Park. In my humble opinion this was a better experience than the Empire State Building as there were fewer queues to get up and you had amazing views of the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and Central Park. All in all

The Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is synonymous with New York. It is an iconic structure that is a landmark for the city and, I believe, the tallest viewing platform in the city. It was great to get up there but the crowds and queueing was very difficult to deal with. We were at this attraction at night which was good to see the difference when compared with the Rockefeller Centre. All in all .

Will post some more stuff later, attractions and the like. I am sure others will be having opinions they will want to share too!

[stimpsonslostson]

very jealous

[Mike]

Now that I am back, it seems faintly surreal as though I had never been there. Odd or what? I think it is a type of holiday blues, I am sad its over but will need to go and start earning money again to pay for it!

[Mike]

New York City web gallery is now online and rocking. I am quite pleased with the results but the whole composition thing could have been much tighter and needs improvement. Oh well. Hope you all like.

[Andy]

Well, when I went 10 years ago I would have given it because it is such a great place. I'd love to see it again. I am definitely going back but there are other places I have to visit before I take Rowenna there.

[mr_e]

Well, I have to say I agree with most of what you've said, Mike, but I'll post up some comments of my own tomorrow when I'm fully de-lagged. The stupid thing is that I've slept for about two hours around noon, but now I don't quite feel tired enough to sleep and it's midnight. Doh!

[Mike]

I miss calculated the jet lag this time. I was awake from 3am on wednesday 30 April till 10pm on 1 May with only a two hour uncomfortable snooze on the airplane on the way home. Unfortunately I should have gone to sleep at about 7 or 8 because I have only just woken up!

[Mike]

Avenue Q was a play containing puppet sex and attempts at controversy with songs like 'Everyone is a little bit racist' and 'The internet is for Porn' and classic lines such as 'double click then pull you dick. . . .' Anyway it was a funny evening and the second song is proved correct by a recent news story about a Japanese council worker who managed to surf porn sites for nine months at work without anyone ever noticing wierd of what? Here is the news story

[mr_e]

I've pretty much got a list of the itinerary, so this is going to be by category then "order of appearance". I'll update with links when I can. Overall, I had a great time, even if I don't show it very well, so


Now read on for the details:

Transport
Manchester airport:
Fairly efficient in getting us through check-in, no major problems despite the work-in-progress renovation of Terminal 2. Let down by the fact that the baggage handlers managed to damage at least two pieces of our luggage on the way back in, even if they were pretty quick to off-load it. Point to note: Mike needs to learn when to stop talking to security guards.


Delta Air Lines:
No major issues, a large selction of free movies in-flight, plenty of food (less so on the way back, but they expected us to be sleeping, I think), staff were okay. I couldn't sleep at all on the way back, but that's partly due to my height. Chris and Julie made Virgin Atlantic sound miles better, but they don't fly from Manchester.


JFK airport:
Suffers slightly from being a fair distance away from where we were staying ($45 fixed-rate taxi was a major bonus), and seemed like ages going through security in rooms that really weren't cut out for it (more air-conditioning please!). Not surprisingly, it was much quicker going out, asides from the people with shedloads of luggage ahead of us. Unfortunately, there were barely any shops open at 10pm.


Hotel
Waldorf Astoria:
Tempted as I am to knock a star off for not having kettles in the rooms, it wouldn't really go with the whole decor. Eating or drinking there was accordingly expensive. The staff were excellent, and the decor was great thoughout. Lots of marble. Point to note: don't let Mike use your hotel toilet. Ever.


Food & Drink
Citi 75 Deli:
I went for the crazy cholesterol-overload hot breakfast buffet here, so can't really comment on the rest of it, but the fruit salads and other stuff looked nice. Being able to eat in the Rockefeller Plaza area was a nice bonus.


Restaurant in Chinatown:
Fairly average, can't really say much about it, let alone remember the name. The Vietnamese spring rolls were nice, though.


Lansdowne Road:
Well, this is pretty much a sports bar. Fortunately, it does have some nice spicy chicken wings on offer, along with a decent selection of beers and good service. Point to note: "Blue Moon" is maybe not the best name for a beer.


Madison Restaurant:
Well... attentive waiting staff, good choice of breakfasts (none of the three fry-ups I had were greasy as Mike found), clean, freshly pressed orange juice. And excellent way to start the day, and the best breakfast I've had in ages. For a diner it gets


Hudson Bar:
Very sleek, but with a slight crazy edge, as evidenced by the log-chair furniture and the weird "fish and person with mouths around diamond ring" ceiling painting. Not taking itself too seriously means people can feel less intimidated, which is a bonus. Cocktails were very nice, and the service was fairly efficient and easy on the eye. Not cheap, but the hotel this bar's part of isn't either.


Cafe Des Artistes:
This place is just really nice: not an ultra-modern restaurant, as the name suggests, but a cosy place serving high-quality seasonal food from a fairly small menu. The bar-man wasn't exactly talkative, but the waiting staff were attentive and knowledgeable. Unfortunately the tuna steak wasn't done any favours by the choice of accompanying vegetables, but the chicken and other mains looked great. Bear in mind this would likely be full 5-stars if I'd chosen something else.


Ellen's Stardust Diner:
Singing waitstaff! Retro 1950s style interior! The staff are damn good at singing and shockingly cheery, but the food is of slightly reduced quality in comparison to the Madison Restaurant. The atmosphere is great, has to be experienced at least once. Loses a star for messing Chris's table's bill up and taking a while to sort it.


Benjamin Steakhouse:
Nice restaurant, not intimidatingly modern, nice double-height interior. Waiting staff were always on hand and Javier, our main waiter, knew the menu and wines well. Nice dry sense of humour as well. The fillet mignon I had was amazing. The sides were fairly large, so one each would be sufficient, especially if you go for the starters: we didn't, but over-ordered sides. There was plenty of food left. Minor niggle would be that the crisps were served with the onion rings, meaning that they went a little soggy. In all, a definite highlight, and a top-notch recommendation from the concierge at the Waldorf.


Bukhara Grill:
Well, despite not looking too shabby, this curry house is really nothing special. To be honest, it's over-priced. The waiter seemed like he was trying to get me to choose a pricier item on the menu. Then when I did he forgot to cross the first item off, but they were good about taking it off the bill. The food itself was okay, but nothing super-special.


Manchester Pub:
Can't remember too much of this, as I was mostly falling asleep at the time. They have Boddington's! And some other decent beers! Barman seemed fairly friendly and offered suggestions about getting baseball tickets. Was mid-week, so fairly quiet, but it was still open until 3.30am or so, with a decent jukebox. Point to note: I won't pull her friend to aid you, especially if she's three times her size.


Grimaldi's:
A pizzeria nestling in the shadow of the Brooklyn bridge, the pizza is excellent, thin with obviously fresh toppings. The walk over from Manhattan is pleasant as well. Cramped tables are a minor issue, and we went when at lunch when it was quiet. Doesn't take reservations, and I imagine there are queues as a result at night. Probably a 4.5, but I'll downgrade due to space and no bookings:


Carnegie Deli:
Pictures of famous customers plaster the walls, and I can overlook the slightly worn interior. Thisis because the food is stunning. Huge portions, so come very hungry. The salad I had was used and proved that you can feasibly use jelly in salad. The burgers looked insanely big (must've been just over an inch thick). We had to come back to have the famous cheesecake just before we left... again, huge portions that we couldn't quite finish, despite our best attempts. Lush. Largely pleasant staff as well.


Well, that's it for now (yeah, I was bored), will maybe edit it or create a separate post, as there's more to add.

[Mike]

The Taking of Pelham is the film that Denzel and Travolta were involved in filming when we were staying at the Astoria. No cool celebrity spots for me I am afraid. . .