The missus was up early for her trip to Woodbury Premium Outlet shopping for which there was a special bus. This gave me some time to plan our Jersey shore trip to meet up with fellow blogger Phil and his family. Spent a good 45 mins to an hour looking at train and bus timetables which wasn't ideal. One phone call to NJ Transit sorted it out - bus it was to be.
Plan for the day was for The Boy and I to visit Ripley's Believe It or Not (Ripley's Odditorium). Looked for some cheap tickets and spent another 40 mins signing up to a couple of sites before obtaining them.
Spent three hours at Ripley's - not bad, quite weird. Not quite sure that it was worth the money. Had lunch at McDonalds, my first this trip, and bummed around the souvenir shops until 5pm waiting for the missus. Her bus got stuck in traffic and she was another hour late. Coupled with the fact that she hadn't picked up many bargains and had spent the whole day shopping, mainly for others, and hadn't had a decent lunch, she wasn't in a good mood. I bought some food at Food Emporium to make dinner.
Photo Album Vol I
Photo Album Vol II
Photo Album Vol III
Photo Album Vol IV (Final)
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Sunday, December 30, 2012
2012 Holiday To London-NYC-Niagara - Day Nineteen
Another late start to the day. Decided to visit MoMA. Walked all the way down to Broadway until we reached Macy's then went shopping at Old Navy. Picked up a few bargains. Had lunch at Pizza Hut. Then shopped at Macy's and the missus was actually treated well regarding her purchase and received the Macy member's discount on an item. By the time we finished it was 2:30 and too late to visit MoMA.
Went home for a rest. Later caught the subway to Brooklyn to visit Grimaldi's for pizza. Large queue, all of 8~10 people, which wasn't what we had expected. It was raining though. Service was quick, pizza was huge and tasty, Brooklyn root beer and ginger ale were nice and the desserts were great. Had no trouble leaving a tip at this restaurant. The place wasn't busy when we arrived but was getting so, and very loud, by the time we finished. Great meal which everyone enjoyed - and not expensive.
Walked down to the nearby park by the pier to look at the setting sun, under the rain, and the Manhattan skyline.
Took about 30~35 mins to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan and caught the subway up to Grand Central for a look around. Got our crosstown bus and did some shopping.
Not a hugely busy day but enjoyable just the same. Probably needed that.
Photo Album Vol I
Photo Album Vol II
Photo Album Vol III
Photo Album Vol IV (Final)
Went home for a rest. Later caught the subway to Brooklyn to visit Grimaldi's for pizza. Large queue, all of 8~10 people, which wasn't what we had expected. It was raining though. Service was quick, pizza was huge and tasty, Brooklyn root beer and ginger ale were nice and the desserts were great. Had no trouble leaving a tip at this restaurant. The place wasn't busy when we arrived but was getting so, and very loud, by the time we finished. Great meal which everyone enjoyed - and not expensive.
Walked down to the nearby park by the pier to look at the setting sun, under the rain, and the Manhattan skyline.
Took about 30~35 mins to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan and caught the subway up to Grand Central for a look around. Got our crosstown bus and did some shopping.
Not a hugely busy day but enjoyable just the same. Probably needed that.
Photo Album Vol I
Photo Album Vol II
Photo Album Vol III
Photo Album Vol IV (Final)
Saturday, December 15, 2012
2012 Holiday To London-NYC-Niagara - Day Twelve
Got a reasonable night sleep. No plans for the day so we headed for the Rockefeller Center. Breakfast on the way, at a place called Villa, was pretty terrible - don't know who tortured the chooks but the scrambled eggs were quite bad, pancakes were like Frisbees and the water was very dear (nice, thin style cap though). The missus, surprisingly, enjoyed the coffee.
Looked around the base of the Rockefeller Center and the Lego shop. Found the tourist info near Times Square - they pointed me in the right direction of T-mobile. I found Mobile Best Buy, who carried T-mobile, which wasn't such a crash-hot idea - $50 + tax for mobile services. Was just about to buy when I asked if the guy had a friend at the tourist info. No. Turns out there was a T-mobile on the next block but he asked me to come back if the price was the same. And he assured me that it would be. Deal. Found the original shop that I'd been looking for and they wanted only $30 + tax (US$32.66) for a 15-day 2G plan that would do me. 3G was about another $20. Mobile charges are quite a bit higher in New York than London. The guys in the T-mobile shop even inserted the SIM cards to test that they would actually work which was something the first guy wouldn't do. Better service and much better price.
By this time The Boy was hungry so we bought him lunch at McDonald's. The girl who served me had as much trouble understanding me as I did her. Bought an iced coffee which was basically a watered-down coffee with ice. Certainly not what I was expecting, horrible and not like back home.
Returned to our apartment to plan our attack on the city and the NY City Pass looked to be a good deal.
Took the subway down to Soho to do some clothes shopping for the missus. Ended up buying three shirts and a pair of jeans for me - that always happens and annoys the missus greatly. One gourmet style food shop in the area was selling a small Vegemite jar for US$13.50 which would go for about six bucks back home. The Boy and I had hot dogs from one of the myriad street vendors.
By this morning I had already heard more horns tooted than in my entire stay in London. NYC is really busy with a huge amount of traffic whereas London generally suits just the buses and taxis. Got back from Soho reasonably late and the missus decided to use the lobby entrance instead of the service entrance. Of course, we were challenged by the guy on duty. Ignored him be he wasn't going to relent and demanded to know which apartment we were going to. Had to tell him, which was something we were warned against doing, and at that point he opened the door for us. Weird. And ultra scary.
Bought groceries from Food Emporium which is located nearby. I reckon the fruit and veges are twice the price of back home. They want US$3.99/lb for gala apples. Yikes.
Photo Album Vol I
Photo Album Vol II
Photo Album Vol III
Photo Album Vol IV (Final)
Looked around the base of the Rockefeller Center and the Lego shop. Found the tourist info near Times Square - they pointed me in the right direction of T-mobile. I found Mobile Best Buy, who carried T-mobile, which wasn't such a crash-hot idea - $50 + tax for mobile services. Was just about to buy when I asked if the guy had a friend at the tourist info. No. Turns out there was a T-mobile on the next block but he asked me to come back if the price was the same. And he assured me that it would be. Deal. Found the original shop that I'd been looking for and they wanted only $30 + tax (US$32.66) for a 15-day 2G plan that would do me. 3G was about another $20. Mobile charges are quite a bit higher in New York than London. The guys in the T-mobile shop even inserted the SIM cards to test that they would actually work which was something the first guy wouldn't do. Better service and much better price.
By this time The Boy was hungry so we bought him lunch at McDonald's. The girl who served me had as much trouble understanding me as I did her. Bought an iced coffee which was basically a watered-down coffee with ice. Certainly not what I was expecting, horrible and not like back home.
Returned to our apartment to plan our attack on the city and the NY City Pass looked to be a good deal.
Took the subway down to Soho to do some clothes shopping for the missus. Ended up buying three shirts and a pair of jeans for me - that always happens and annoys the missus greatly. One gourmet style food shop in the area was selling a small Vegemite jar for US$13.50 which would go for about six bucks back home. The Boy and I had hot dogs from one of the myriad street vendors.
By this morning I had already heard more horns tooted than in my entire stay in London. NYC is really busy with a huge amount of traffic whereas London generally suits just the buses and taxis. Got back from Soho reasonably late and the missus decided to use the lobby entrance instead of the service entrance. Of course, we were challenged by the guy on duty. Ignored him be he wasn't going to relent and demanded to know which apartment we were going to. Had to tell him, which was something we were warned against doing, and at that point he opened the door for us. Weird. And ultra scary.
Bought groceries from Food Emporium which is located nearby. I reckon the fruit and veges are twice the price of back home. They want US$3.99/lb for gala apples. Yikes.
Photo Album Vol I
Photo Album Vol II
Photo Album Vol III
Photo Album Vol IV (Final)
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
2012 Holiday To London-NYC-Niagara - Day Eleven
Spent 50 minuets this morning writing my diary as I had two days to catch up on. Then it was down to breakfast for the final time. Last bit of packing and the missus and I went to the tube station to preload our Oyster cards to the trip out to Heathrow but it appeared to be a bit pricey. Mr Rees suggested topping up at the newsagent, which we did, but I was confused why extra money was put into the card rather than being able to purchase a specific 1-6 zones ride. Never mind.
Luggage was a bit heavy going down the stairs at the tube - I'm sure that the missus and The Boy would've struggled later by themselves as they were taking a later, direct flight to New York. No surprises on the tube and I was able to access the Internet in some places. Returned my Oyster card for the remaining funds and deposit.
To my surprise the fat people who had mysteriously disappeared in London made their reappearance at Heathrow. Iceland Air checked bags, including carry on, for weights. Haven't experienced that before. For some reason one of my bags caused suspicion and was swabbed for a test. No issue found though. Only about 30 minutes to check in. Was unable to call the missus - maybe she was already on the tub as she called me not too much later. Iceland Air don't use the most comfortable lounges at Heathrow.
Boarded without any troubles - sat next to a couple from Baltimore. For much of the flight a weird shadow with a circular rainbow was visible. Only soft drinks, waters, juices and tea or coffee were served for free on board so I didn't have a meal. Read the paper and caught a few zeds. Wasn't paying US$6 for headphones. Iceland, from above, almost looks like another planet. Fairly desolate landscape.
Lots of Americans at Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik. Surprising number of connecting flights to North America. Prices for everything in Iceland were dear. An American woman paid US$8 for a drink, a 300ml bottle - perhaps alcoholic, and was none too pleased. When she asked why it was so dear the response was a simple, "It's Iceland." No wonder many items for purchase had no marked price. Might have been cheaper to eat on the plane. The airport itself was busy. Another jet landed just after us and a C130 Hercules was close behind. I hadn't expected this.
No waiting lounge inside the gate at the airport. No announcement to start boarding. No proper queueing either. Bit of a dog's breakfast really.
People on the flight to NYC were strange. Almost nobody closes the lavatory door. The Dutch couple next to me greeted me and then didn't say another word to me for the rest of the flight. The husband cleared his throat every five minutes and even stretched out his legs pushing his feet firmly against the seats in front of him. He broke out into song every now and again. And he slumps in his seat. Not the sort of travelling companion that I enjoy. There were a great many Icelanders on the flight which surprised me as it appeared to be only Yanks at the airport.
At the immigration point, the missus, who had arrived a bit earlier than me, spotted me. But she didn't bother to point this out to the lady who was directing people to particular immigration officers. When I arrived at the front of the queue she was still dealing with her immigration officer so I managed to get in that particular line by pointing out that my wife was there. "Oh, you should be with her," said the lady directing us. She thought that we need to be processed together. Not that she was aware we had come on different flights and so actually should be processed separately. Good thing I did too as the officer wanted to know the address I would be staying at and I said that my wife, whom he'd just processed, had that. He grabbed a crumpled piece of paper out of the bin which had our apartment's address on it. Boy, did I do the right thing by getting in this immigration officer's line.
Ended up having to wait an extra 20 minutes or so for my luggage and so we went through Customs separately anyway. The missus bought something to obtain some change so that she could call the person in charge of the apartment we were booked to stay in. Calling using a credit card was unsuccessful. Contact finally made and we grabbed an Airtrain to meet up with the metro on A line. Waited about 20 minutes for the train then we were on our way. Approximately 45 minutes to get to 42nd Street. Then we had some faffing around to do as the apartment is supposed to be residential and not rental so we had to basically sneak into the building. Not a bad view from level 23. Went out to purchase a subway later as it was around 3:30 to 4am London time and I was hungry.
Photo Album Vol I
Photo Album Vol II
Photo Album Vol III
Photo Album Vol IV (Final)
Luggage was a bit heavy going down the stairs at the tube - I'm sure that the missus and The Boy would've struggled later by themselves as they were taking a later, direct flight to New York. No surprises on the tube and I was able to access the Internet in some places. Returned my Oyster card for the remaining funds and deposit.
To my surprise the fat people who had mysteriously disappeared in London made their reappearance at Heathrow. Iceland Air checked bags, including carry on, for weights. Haven't experienced that before. For some reason one of my bags caused suspicion and was swabbed for a test. No issue found though. Only about 30 minutes to check in. Was unable to call the missus - maybe she was already on the tub as she called me not too much later. Iceland Air don't use the most comfortable lounges at Heathrow.
Boarded without any troubles - sat next to a couple from Baltimore. For much of the flight a weird shadow with a circular rainbow was visible. Only soft drinks, waters, juices and tea or coffee were served for free on board so I didn't have a meal. Read the paper and caught a few zeds. Wasn't paying US$6 for headphones. Iceland, from above, almost looks like another planet. Fairly desolate landscape.
Lots of Americans at Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik. Surprising number of connecting flights to North America. Prices for everything in Iceland were dear. An American woman paid US$8 for a drink, a 300ml bottle - perhaps alcoholic, and was none too pleased. When she asked why it was so dear the response was a simple, "It's Iceland." No wonder many items for purchase had no marked price. Might have been cheaper to eat on the plane. The airport itself was busy. Another jet landed just after us and a C130 Hercules was close behind. I hadn't expected this.
No waiting lounge inside the gate at the airport. No announcement to start boarding. No proper queueing either. Bit of a dog's breakfast really.
People on the flight to NYC were strange. Almost nobody closes the lavatory door. The Dutch couple next to me greeted me and then didn't say another word to me for the rest of the flight. The husband cleared his throat every five minutes and even stretched out his legs pushing his feet firmly against the seats in front of him. He broke out into song every now and again. And he slumps in his seat. Not the sort of travelling companion that I enjoy. There were a great many Icelanders on the flight which surprised me as it appeared to be only Yanks at the airport.
At the immigration point, the missus, who had arrived a bit earlier than me, spotted me. But she didn't bother to point this out to the lady who was directing people to particular immigration officers. When I arrived at the front of the queue she was still dealing with her immigration officer so I managed to get in that particular line by pointing out that my wife was there. "Oh, you should be with her," said the lady directing us. She thought that we need to be processed together. Not that she was aware we had come on different flights and so actually should be processed separately. Good thing I did too as the officer wanted to know the address I would be staying at and I said that my wife, whom he'd just processed, had that. He grabbed a crumpled piece of paper out of the bin which had our apartment's address on it. Boy, did I do the right thing by getting in this immigration officer's line.
Ended up having to wait an extra 20 minutes or so for my luggage and so we went through Customs separately anyway. The missus bought something to obtain some change so that she could call the person in charge of the apartment we were booked to stay in. Calling using a credit card was unsuccessful. Contact finally made and we grabbed an Airtrain to meet up with the metro on A line. Waited about 20 minutes for the train then we were on our way. Approximately 45 minutes to get to 42nd Street. Then we had some faffing around to do as the apartment is supposed to be residential and not rental so we had to basically sneak into the building. Not a bad view from level 23. Went out to purchase a subway later as it was around 3:30 to 4am London time and I was hungry.
Photo Album Vol I
Photo Album Vol II
Photo Album Vol III
Photo Album Vol IV (Final)
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