Champagne at Tiffany's - Trip report Part 3

Day 4 – Tuesday 1st July 2008

We had pre-booked onto the first ferry to the SOL so we were downtown before 8am. We queued to get into the pedestal but as they don’t allow any water in the queue I ended up very dehydrated (it was a very hot day) so by the time we got out I felt quite poorly. I suggest making sure you have a drink before you get in the queue. We then went to Ellis Island which was very interesting – the audio tour is good. We then headed to Brooklyn with the intention of grabbing lunch at Bubby’s but it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays  . We took some fabulous pictures of the bridge from the park below it before getting a cab back to Manhattan (it was very hot and I still felt a little ill so we decided not to walk it which had been the plan).

We hopped out of the cab as it got stuck in traffic and realised we were outside GCT so we went to the Oyster Bar and had clam chowder before strolling back to the hotel where we chilled out. We ordered room service for dinner before getting ready and going to see Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre on W44th (our tickets were $75 each through Broadway Box which I can really recommend). The actor playing the Phantom was outstanding. We were so tired so we just headed straight back to the hotel and crashed.

Day 5 – Wednesday 2nd July 2008

Feeling revived after our early(ish) night I headed to the deli and bought breakfast which we had in the room (I got good fiancée points for that as I surprised him with breakfast in bed). We headed straight to the ESB which I must admit I wasn’t expecting to be that good as so many reviews have spoken of the queues and the crowding but we absolutely loved it. We only had to queue for ten minutes to get the tickets (which could be bought in advance I suppose - newyorksmartsave.com/Empire-State-Building-O… - another $2 discount) but other than that we went straight up. It was another beautiful day and we could see for miles. We loved the art deco features and spent quite a bit in the gift shop. We went all the way to the 102nd floor which we were pleased to have done – it’s very small though but it’s nice to be able to say that you went all the way to the top. When we got back down again at about 10:30 the queues were really long stretching all the way to the ground floor and looping around the block outside. The lesson is to get up early and go straight there! I’m so glad we did.

We headed back to Central Park and rented a rowing boat ($12 per hour from the Boathouse) which was a lot of fun. We took many beautiful photos that we wouldn’t have been able to get otherwise. OH did the rowing as I just couldn’t get the hang of it – I navigated! After that we dropped our stuff off at the hotel, grabbed a slice of pizza at Rays (W49th %26amp; 7th - OH really wanted to get a giant slice of pizza and I was surprised at how good it was, lovely) and headed to Fifth Avenue. First we visited St Patrick’s Cathedral which was beautiful. Then we did some people watching and went to FAO Schwartz, Bergdorf’s and a few other places before going to shopping heaven – Manolo Blahnik. I am still a little heart broken as I found the perfect pair of shoes on sale and absolutely fell in love - except my feet were so swollen from walking a minimum of 10 miles each day in hot weather that they didn’t quite fit and I just couldn’t risk spending that kind of money on something I didn’t know for 100% sure would fit. Gutted! My tip is to go on your first full day before all the sightseeing turns your feet into Hobbit feet! We then popped into Sherry Lehmann (505 Park Avenue) to buy a bottle of the champagne we’d had in Trump Tower when we got engaged – turns out they sell the bottle for the same price The Donald sells a glass so we stocked up. It is a lovely shop and the staff seem to know their stuff.

After recommendations from this site we had reservations at Strip House (13 E12th St %26amp; 5th Ave). Forgive me for sounding too touristy but it had that New York feel to it – noisy, buzzing atmosphere, tables close together – the food was very good (I couldn’t finish mine I was so full) and we had a great evening. We ended the night by taking a few photos in Times Sq as the roads were closed so we could stand in the centre of the street which was weird and fun.

Day 6 – Thursday 3rd July 2008

The busy schedule finally caught up with us so on our last day we stayed in our room and packed and chilled out. We grabbed a decent lunch at the Brooklyn Diner (W43rd %26amp; Times Sq – good sized sandwich) before buying a few souvenirs and heading downtown where we walked halfway over the Brooklyn Bridge (which I really wanted to do) and took yet more photos (thank goodness for digital cameras – we’d taken 1200 shots by the time we got home). We then took the subway uptown and went back to our engagement spot at Turtle Pond and enjoyed some champagne.

Very sadly we took a car to Newark airport (the only let down of the trip – I will try to fly out of JFK next time – there was nothing to do at our terminal). Our driver however was fabulous – very friendly and a good driver (and a former police sergeant to boot). He suggested to us that once we’d dropped our bags off that we get the free airport shuttle bus to the Marriott and just relax in the lounge in their lobby. We did and we were so grateful for the tip. We had a pleasant dinner and were really relaxed for our fight home.

I’m already planning our return trip.

Champagne at Tiffany's - Trip report Part 3

It sounds like you had a great time -- and what a great trip report!

I will tell you a secret, though: nice people who expect they will be pleased, and who can change plans suddenly when they have to yet still be happy, have ten times better vacations than sour, grumpy types who expect disasters and who think that nothing can measure up to their expectations. You are clearly in the first group ;o)

Champagne at Tiffany's - Trip report Part 3

Congrats on your engagement. I enjoyed your trip report and would love to see some of those pictures :)

Your enthusiasm was evident throughout your report, so that it made me happy reading it.

Thanks GreenBlueWhite - funnily enough I voted for your suggestion to another poster (Craigfitz I think)about putting a note in a ring box saying that the ring came with anappointment at T%26amp;Co and the my OH (without having read it) almost did the same thing, proposing with a ring he bought me years ago and saying that it came with an appointment at Tiffany.

I absolutely adored New York - I just can%26#39;t fault it.

Wonderful report and I very much enjoyed reading it.

Being you got engaged here NYC will always have a special place in your heart.

Honeymoon maybe?

I think it%26#39;s lovely that you went back to ';your'; spot in the park, it%26#39;s very touching.

Your whole trip sounds fabulous and I suspect even without the added bonus of an engagement you would have had a ball. I agree with GWB, your attitude made your holiday.

I%26#39;ve just realised that I neglected to say thank you to this forum as I planned the whole thing from the tips and recommendations that you posted.

Without sounding too much like an oscar speech, thank you for all your advice and suggestions as there is no way we would have had such a great time without them.

Glad you have such a great time. Thanks for sharing and for all the little tips.

:)

OMG...sounds like the most perfect trip, could have just come from a book or movie!!!

I might make my boyfriend read it!!! Hint...Hint! LOL

Just catching up here, and congratulations!! Loved the report and thank you for the great details. (I had no idea that Bubby%26#39;s was closed on Mon and Tues!)

On hot and humid days, it%26#39;s not just the heat but the lousy air quality can really affect one%26#39;s well being. You think you%26#39;re just a little warm, and then all of a sudden, you want to take a nap and you can%26#39;t walk fast. That%26#39;s a very ';bad air day.';

Other than that, congrats on a successful visit!!