New York City
Planned a trip to meet a friend while using up some vouchers from United Airlines. I was able to sit on a PS (Premium Service) flight. United has a specific configuration for this Boeing 757 plane and all the seating in all three classes are fairly comfortable, every seat has a power port and there is wireless access available.
Upon arrival, I checked into the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. The hotel is conveniently located near Times Square. The rooms felt a little worn and the a/c unit was definitely on the old side. I cranked up the heat but it never felt warm in the room. In general, it was an OK experience. I called the front desk about the TV service not working and they said it was due to weather. It seemed they didn't really care much, so much for 100% satisfaction guarantee promise. Maybe this location didn't get the memo. :p I later lost a pair of new boots. It is my fault for leaving the bag unattended but it was right outside the hotel room door as I was going in and out. Ha, I should bring doorstoppers with me so I can prop them open when I need to. :p
I wasn't able to check in immediately and went out to grab some breakfast at David's Bagels at 273 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003. David's is my go to shop for getting my "NY" bagels even though it is a little out of the way. The last time I was here, they had a tired looking store front. This time, they moved up the street and store had a new feel to it.
Afterwards, wandered out the city despite the snowstorm. Wandered over to the Natural Museum near Central Park but didn't stay long. Apparently, a lot of other people decided it was a good idea to go to the museum. Decided to head elsewhere and went to the Sony Plaza. Not only is there a retail store but there is a Discovery Museum inside. It was free to enter but mainly designed for kids. Checked out the retail store to get my adult toy fix after leaving the discovery zone. :)
Headed back to the Sheraton to see if the room was ready and detoured to Patsy's Italian Restaurant for lunch. I mistakenly thought it was Patsy's Pizzeria when googling and found a nice sit down Italian restaurant instead. Ordered the gnocchi and it was good but not enough for me to return. Nice enough restaurant, it's claim to fame is Frank Sinatra loved their food back in the day.
Went back to the Sheraton to freshen up before heading out to Highland Park. It is a popular hangout for USC fans to watch football games and it was a great time watching the game with almost 100% USC fan crowd. Even though the bar was packed, thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif food service was timely and often. Very good customer service. Another thing I have not seen in any other bar is mini-TVs on the back side of the draft beer dispensers. Not only were there TVs lining every inch of the walls, the mini-TVs let people watch the game without even looking up while drinking. Thumbs up!
The next day, moved to the Hilton Garden Inn New York/Chelsea. A relatively new hotel (three years), it is pretty close to the 1 line. I think I like staying in the Chelsea area rather than Times Square. It just seems closer to the more interesting parts of Manhattan.
Grabbed a light snack at McDonald's before getting into the room. Unlike the Sheraton, the HGI seemed more interested in customer service. They asked for my number so that they could call me when the room was ready. I had some work to do before heading out in the afternoon and killed some time in the business center. Luckily, a room opened up pretty quickly and I was able to settle in before heading out to lunch. The rooms were smaller than the Sheraton but the new furnishings made up for the lack in size.
Went to Dallas BBQ on 261 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011. I had the honey chicken, it is a little on the sweet side and they are liberal with the honey sauce. So be forewarned. It seems like they baked the chicken before frying it making it a little dry. For snacking, grabbed a couple of cupcakes and cheesecake from Billy's Bakery. Afterwards, wandered over to the 9/11 Memorial.
I didn't realize how narrow the WTC towers were until I saw the reflection pools that replaced the original site. You do have to get admission tickets beforehand and they are fairly strict in the coming and going of people. They scan people entering and leaving the memorial.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Before calling it a day, wandered into Century 21 to do some window shopping. I haven't been in a long time but the place is still crazy busy as ever. Found some good deals before heading to dinner at Patsy's Pizzeria.
On this particular visit, the pizza was not as good as I remembered but the service was excellent. It seems such a hit and miss in the NY restaurant scene of whether or not people pay attention to customers in the dining room. I guess the economy is still strong enough for customer service to take a back seat in the city. For dessert, grabbed some treats at La Bergamote Patisserie to eat in the room. Tasted the pastries from Billy's and Bergamote. The best dessert I had was the pecan caramel cheesecake from Billy's. The cupcakes were too dry and unworthy of finishing. The chocolate desserts from Bergamote wasn't my cup of tea but I'm not a huge chocolate dessert fan.
Upon arrival, I checked into the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. The hotel is conveniently located near Times Square. The rooms felt a little worn and the a/c unit was definitely on the old side. I cranked up the heat but it never felt warm in the room. In general, it was an OK experience. I called the front desk about the TV service not working and they said it was due to weather. It seemed they didn't really care much, so much for 100% satisfaction guarantee promise. Maybe this location didn't get the memo. :p I later lost a pair of new boots. It is my fault for leaving the bag unattended but it was right outside the hotel room door as I was going in and out. Ha, I should bring doorstoppers with me so I can prop them open when I need to. :p
I wasn't able to check in immediately and went out to grab some breakfast at David's Bagels at 273 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003. David's is my go to shop for getting my "NY" bagels even though it is a little out of the way. The last time I was here, they had a tired looking store front. This time, they moved up the street and store had a new feel to it.
Afterwards, wandered out the city despite the snowstorm. Wandered over to the Natural Museum near Central Park but didn't stay long. Apparently, a lot of other people decided it was a good idea to go to the museum. Decided to head elsewhere and went to the Sony Plaza. Not only is there a retail store but there is a Discovery Museum inside. It was free to enter but mainly designed for kids. Checked out the retail store to get my adult toy fix after leaving the discovery zone. :)
Headed back to the Sheraton to see if the room was ready and detoured to Patsy's Italian Restaurant for lunch. I mistakenly thought it was Patsy's Pizzeria when googling and found a nice sit down Italian restaurant instead. Ordered the gnocchi and it was good but not enough for me to return. Nice enough restaurant, it's claim to fame is Frank Sinatra loved their food back in the day.
Went back to the Sheraton to freshen up before heading out to Highland Park. It is a popular hangout for USC fans to watch football games and it was a great time watching the game with almost 100% USC fan crowd. Even though the bar was packed, thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif food service was timely and often. Very good customer service. Another thing I have not seen in any other bar is mini-TVs on the back side of the draft beer dispensers. Not only were there TVs lining every inch of the walls, the mini-TVs let people watch the game without even looking up while drinking. Thumbs up!
The next day, moved to the Hilton Garden Inn New York/Chelsea. A relatively new hotel (three years), it is pretty close to the 1 line. I think I like staying in the Chelsea area rather than Times Square. It just seems closer to the more interesting parts of Manhattan.
Grabbed a light snack at McDonald's before getting into the room. Unlike the Sheraton, the HGI seemed more interested in customer service. They asked for my number so that they could call me when the room was ready. I had some work to do before heading out in the afternoon and killed some time in the business center. Luckily, a room opened up pretty quickly and I was able to settle in before heading out to lunch. The rooms were smaller than the Sheraton but the new furnishings made up for the lack in size.
Went to Dallas BBQ on 261 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011. I had the honey chicken, it is a little on the sweet side and they are liberal with the honey sauce. So be forewarned. It seems like they baked the chicken before frying it making it a little dry. For snacking, grabbed a couple of cupcakes and cheesecake from Billy's Bakery. Afterwards, wandered over to the 9/11 Memorial.
I didn't realize how narrow the WTC towers were until I saw the reflection pools that replaced the original site. You do have to get admission tickets beforehand and they are fairly strict in the coming and going of people. They scan people entering and leaving the memorial.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Before calling it a day, wandered into Century 21 to do some window shopping. I haven't been in a long time but the place is still crazy busy as ever. Found some good deals before heading to dinner at Patsy's Pizzeria.
On this particular visit, the pizza was not as good as I remembered but the service was excellent. It seems such a hit and miss in the NY restaurant scene of whether or not people pay attention to customers in the dining room. I guess the economy is still strong enough for customer service to take a back seat in the city. For dessert, grabbed some treats at La Bergamote Patisserie to eat in the room. Tasted the pastries from Billy's and Bergamote. The best dessert I had was the pecan caramel cheesecake from Billy's. The cupcakes were too dry and unworthy of finishing. The chocolate desserts from Bergamote wasn't my cup of tea but I'm not a huge chocolate dessert fan.
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