Our original plan was to leave Mom's car at Buttermilk Falls and take the train from Poughkeepsie to NYC. I swear, when I checked online from Alaska, the fare was $15 each way. I didn't really want to drive in the city if I could help it, and no one else seemed that gung-ho either. However, when we rechecked the train schedule, I realized the fare was going to be $48 round trip for each of us. We already had a reservation at the Hotel Edison, which provides valet parking for $45. Almost $150 compared to $45 seemed a little ridiculous so we sucked it up and decided to drive. Traffic was backed up at various points along the route and I was nervous about driving in the city, but we did fine, found the hotel, pulled into line and handed the keys over to the valet with much relief. He told me the price and I said, "That's great! I don't care! Take it! I am tired of driving!"
We unloaded all of our stuff and the valet put it on one of those luggage carts for us. He asked if we wanted a bellman and I said no, we could do it ourselves. After checking in, I started hauling the cart when the bell captain stopped me and asked if we needed some help. I said no, we were okay, and he said, "Well, the carts are reserved for the bellmen. So you can either take your things off and carry them or I can get someone to help you." Because we had so much crap piled up, we opted for the bellman. Oops. Didn't realize we were not supposed to move the thing ourselves!
So it was already getting late and we wanted to see a show so my sister and I walked around the corner to the TKTS booth to see what was available. The good thing about getting in line after 6 PM is that the line is really short. The bad thing is that there's not a huge selection of shows left. We narrowed it down to "Rock of Ages" and "Chicago." Our decision was made for us when there was only one ticket left for "Rock of Ages." "Chicago" it is!
Not having much time and having eaten a snack at a service area on the highway, we decided to forego dinner and get something after. The theater was only a couple of blocks away but we weren't sure if Mom could handle the walk so we asked for a cab. When we got in, the cabbie was kinda rude and said "You don't really need a cab to get there." I leaned over and whispered, "My 82 year old mother can't walk that far!" Mom was not pleased that I "added" a year (well, really just a few months) to her age and made her seem infirm, but it sounded good. haha
The show was great--lots of fabulous singers and dancers and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We did walk back with no problem, though we had an encounter with some guys pulling carriages with their bicycles. We thought, "oh, maybe it would be fun to ride one of those!" We asked the price and were directed to a sign on the side of the carriage. We were trying to figure out how much it would be per block and noticed the sentence that said "$10 base rate per passenger." So we were already up to $30, plus a per block fee and some other fee. We told the guy it was too much and he said he would make us a deal but didn't want to give us an amount. I finally said, "Well, we need to know HOW MUCH before we can decide!" He then said $35. We just had to laugh since we'd paid less than $10 for a taxi, counting the tip. Never mind. We'll walk!
We stopped at a deli next to the hotel and got some sandwiches to take back to the room. Above is the view from our window on the 11th floor.
After breakfast the next morning, Kathi and I took a little walk around. I've never seen so many cartoon characters in the Times Square area--guess it is the new big thing. This Minnie Mouse (one of several Minnies we saw) kept coming toward me wanting to take a picture. Of course, after we obliged, we realized it's a money making venture as she held out her little purse for a tip.
Honda was making a car commercial
The line at TKTS is much longer in the morning!
More characters
And a Smurf
A group of people having a big discussion
People giving their opinions, but I never could find out about what
Tourists
Cops checking out something interesting
Riders and walkers out on the town
We checked out at noon and drove out of the city with no problem. It was a quick trip, but completely enjoyable, as always! After sitting in more traffic on the way back to Mom's, we were happy to get out of the car and relax at her house again.
1 comment:
Ok, can I say one more time how jealous I am? :) I guess since you are a Jersey girl, driving in NYC is no big deal for you.
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