# On hols with no MH



## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

My daughter and I are sitting in the privilege lounge in Dublin Airport (courtesy of my SIL), waiting for our flight for a short trip to NY. Feels a bit odd without the MH! And also a bit odd to be drinking champagne shortly after 8am!! (blame SIL!)

When booking in to the hotel last night there were 2 other couples booking in together, and some confusion over the names. I said Oh, it's one of THOSE weekends!! We'd a good laugh about it and they said they'd let us have their room number!

Things are getting very busy out there. I take my hat off to the air traffic control guys.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Don't get to like quick breaks stateside Jean. You will loose track of reality. And it's cold.!

Ray.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

jiwawa said:


> My daughter and I are sitting in the privilege lounge in Dublin Airport (courtesy of my SIL), waiting for our flight for a *short trip to NY.* Feels a bit odd without the MH! And also a bit odd to be drinking champagne shortly after 8am!! (blame SIL!)
> 
> When booking in to the hotel last night there were 2 other couples booking in together, and some confusion over the names. I said Oh, it's one of THOSE weekends!! We'd a good laugh about it and they said they'd let us have their room number!
> 
> Things are getting very busy out there. I take my hat off to the air traffic control guys.


Jean

You are a clever lady to get the trip distance to NY shortened, but it would have been shorter from Aldegrove.

Maybe you can do the same trick with distances to visit us on your way to the Baltics.

Geoff


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Dublin airport. That brings back some memories. I once caused a flight delay there by playing Beatles numbers on guitar with a load of drunk Germans in the lounge and missing the announcements.

It's the only airport I ever went to that had a guitar behind the bar for the punters to play.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

How lovely for you Jean! Hope you have fun


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

I don't about losing track of reality Ray - I'm certainly knackered after walking 12km+ and a 4hr Harlem bus tour on top - we'd a great guide, very informative and entertaining. It included a 1hr stop at a church where we understood we'd hear a gospel choir along the lines of the one that sang at Harry n Megan's wedding. Not quite!! It wasn't a choir as such but it was very loud, very shouty and very repetitive, the same couple of lines over and over. The regular congregation got very involved tho with one man really going some with what my daughter described as the funky chicken dance. A bit of a disappointment for us but it certainly spoke to many people.

I'm really enjoying just wandering about the city, taking in the amazing buildings, both old and new. We did part of the High line today, saw the boats plying the Hudson River and the helicopter ferrying people over. Saw the new attraction, the Vessel, which has 2,500 steps. I'm glad we didn't have a go - I'd have never made it back to the hotel!

We had an early coffee and cookie and nearly needed a stiff drink at the cost! Prices here apparently don't include taxes (nor tips of course) so you end up paying considerably more than you thought. But we've taken the attitude of Oh well, that's NY! I had the best pizza ever in Don Giovanni's. And we saw Bon Jovi and wife walk past the window! So my daughter's day, month and year were made! I did see them but thought it was 2 women 😂

Geoff - I'm just getting in practice! Dublin does customs clearance at that side of the pond so makes arrival a lot easier. 

We didn't see any guitar behind the bar Barry - maybe they learned their lesson after your escapade!!


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes grab all the sight while you can Jean. Make it a memorable visit. Yes tips were always an annoyance to me as 15%+ was almost demanded.

Ray.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Sounds amazing Jean 

I, too, hate the taxing and tipping regime. My brother, who lives there, defends the tipping saying that they don't earn very much and so need it. Why can't they just pay them more and charge us a bit more then. I find it very demeaning for the server and embarrassing for the customer to have to decide how much to tip if the service was not up to scratch. It may not even be the waiter's fault.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

patp said:


> Sounds amazing Jean
> 
> I, too, hate the taxing and tipping regime. My brother, who lives there, defends the tipping saying that they don't earn very much and so need it. Why can't they just pay them more and charge us a bit more then. I find it very demeaning for the server and embarrassing for the customer to have to decide how much to tip if the service was not up to scratch. It may not even be the waiter's fault.


I agree.

In France in recent years I have asked if 'Service Compris' and I think every time it is, which I think is more sensible.

If it has been very good I still leave the odd change but understand that usually goes into a staff 'pot' immediately, so the 'kitchen' also gets some.

Geoff


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Jean


I do not envy you rushing around NY.


It reminds me of one business trip I had there when I had 13 meetings in 2 days between Mid-town and Down-town with Banks and Insurers but they were not easily co-ordinated so I was hopping in and out of taxis - nightmare.


There seemed to be no peaceful refuge in NY, unlike Washington D.C where Georgetown had relaxed bars and restaurants.


I never want to visit USA again and especially NY, and LA. Canada yes but for me it is so different.



Geoff


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Today we took the subway to the World Trade Centre and had a look at the memorial sites and tribute museum before joining a tour (just 4 of us) with Gail who lived in a building just across the street from twin towers. She was in the school just across the way, voting, when the 1st plane hit. So it was personal for her.

It was a very sobering experience but, like visiting Auschwitz, it felt like something I had to do to pay my respects to the dead. Gail said, surprisingly, that the district now has a far higher number of residential properties than before. We finished our tour in the Oculus, a very impressive transport hub - the architecture is amazing. 

We met a friend of my daughter's there for a lovely lunch in PJ Clarke's before walking down beside the river to catch the Staten Island Ferry - not to visit the island but to get a closer look at the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, with having my data turned off I can't zoom in on photos (no, I don't see the connection either) so it still looks very far away. 

We're not rushing about tho we are doing a fair bit of walking - that's what you do on a city-break! 

Pat - the guide on the Harlem tour yesterday said that tho the minimum wage is $15 or thereabouts, waiters etc get (I think he said) $2.75. I'm not sure how that works.

On the subway home we had a couple of young black men doing some dance moves and acrobatics with the grab rails - pretty impressive!


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

1. Inside the Oculus
2. 9/11 memorial
3. Jersey skyline
4. A totally random Egyptian style... building? installation?
5. State Island Ferry 
6. Manhattan skyline
7. A brooding Statue of Liberty
8. Returning to Manhattan


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

I suppose flying will be a thing of the past soon so it will take a lot longer to get anywhere by sail.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

I went off flying sometime after 9/11 when it started to take half a day to get near the plane and then almost strip to get on it.

Ray.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

My daughter and I were in Menorca on 9/11. We left a couple of days later and the airport was bunged with people who'd been waiting hours, maybe even days. However the Belfast flight was flying as normal, and on time - they'd had the necessary security measures in place for years.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

We 'did' the Vessel this morning - what a Wow! experience! And free!! Fabulous free style architecture. The copper bits are like mirrors giving quite a surreal experience - don't try to climb the stair n watch the mirror above!!

We also visited Union Theological Seminary where my husband studied for a year - never knew he attended an Ivy League university! It's a lovely old building.

Hopped on n off the subway like old pros. Visited Nordstrom for boots for my daughter (unsuccessful) so had to enjoy a happy hour cocktail at their Shoe Bar.

And I've just discovered a vodka martini (mine) is straight vodka;and there was quite a lot of it!!


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Brilliant Jean.

Ray.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Yesterday we went up to the Top of the Rock. What a fabulous day we had for that - bright sunshine n beautiful blue skies; couldn't have been luckier. Rockefellar had planned to build the tower in collaboration with someone else but they lost all their money in the crash of '29 so he decided to go it alone. 9yrs of work for all the folk who worked on the building itself, and of course all the supply chains - steel, bricks, mortar... I guess he saved quite a lot of families from destitution. From the top you get fabulous views including the iconic Empire State Building - whereas if you climb the ESB then that most famous of buildings is missing from your view. That's where Gillian's experience made a difference 😉 We took the subway to Roosevelt Island just to get the gondola back across the river - it gives a real sense of how much NY is still a working port. Then we took a walk through Central Park - it was a bit drab looking but would be stunning any other season. Very interesting horse sculptures at the entrance. It really was a super trip. NY is busy, noisy, sassy. I felt safe at all times and found the subways clean and never less than grand for travel. To be recommended!!


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

1. NY cityscape from Top of the Rock with Empire State Building
2. No matter how far down you can see it's almost impossible to see street level 
3. Wouldn't fancy being in either of these very tall, very slim buildings even in a slight wind
4. Lovely textured glass wall within the building
5. From the gondola from Roosevelt Island - lots of working craft on the river
6. One of the horses at the entrance to Central Park
7. View of Central Park
8. Getting the airline to the airport after a great city break!


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

I didn't sleep from 7am Wed till 11pm Thu - but then I got almost a full 12hrs so feeling great! My Fitbit says we did over 54km walking in 5 days - I think I might be a bit shorter!!


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

I guess you did wear out a couple of mm's from the soles of your feet. What a pleasure to read your thread and see your pics Thank you Jean.. And what an improvement on the first thread I had the misfortune to splash down on this morning "Nasty Britian" (sic). If you haven't, don't, it's just the old catcalling regime by the usual suspects and those who foolishly attempt to make common sense prevail. 



Where to next Jean? You make me want to travel to Canada via New York later in the year.


PS. Read this and weep, it's a cosy 27 degrees in my lounge right now, 60% humidity, no wind. Perfect! I could be in Bungay (Suffolk) where it's going to be a toasty 12 degrees today. Hahaha!


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

And where are you Viv? I think the last I caught up with you you were in Germany?

My next trip is the biggie of the year, 3mths including a month's escorted tour to St Petersburg. Very excited about that, tho a bit apprehensive about spending a month in the company of up to 20 MHs. I'm sur it'll be fine!


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Just did an update on JanHank "Going Home" thread. I endured about 10 weeks of cold weather in South Norfolk. By Christmas I was beginning to acclimatise but was counting the days till my return to the warm weather of SA and it's not been a disappointment!


Other than tootles around UK, my summer trip was to Switzerland and Italian Lakes via Holland, Belgium, France. One of my SA friends flew into Zurich and I picked her up there and we did all the usual tourist traps as it was her first visit. What was most noticeable was the lack of snow, nothing below 10 000ft so only the tips of the Alps had a frosting. It was their hottest summer on record. We travelled down one of the passes to Lake Maggiore, and then on to Como, where my son joined us for a week. He did a flight by seaplane on L.Como while we watched from a cafe on the sidelines. In the afternoon we toured the Silk Museum at the University - that was amazing - the whole silk story from beginning to end, beautifully presented. We had come in the hire car but there is an aire in a parking lot almost opposite worth noting, very convenient for Como. From Como we drove from Lecco up the east coast of L. Como and caught the very small ferry across the lake (that was fun and breathtaking for the driver - me!), from where we went "over the hill" to a campsite at Porlezza. A bus ride took us into the city of Lugano and we did the lake and city sights. I treated myself to a De Longhi bean to cup coffee machine which makes the most outstanding coffee. Worth every single Swiss Franc!!! 



We travelled back and stayed the penultimate days at Engelburg, did Mt Titlis, staying in a 5-star campsite at ACSI rates. Bonus! For convenience to Zurich airport we spent the last 2 nights at Winterthur. Another lovely city. At that moment the weather changed and the rain started falling. I drove straight up to Hoek and changed my crossing, bringing me home by end Sept. I was done for the year!


Eating out even during the day is expensive in Switzerland and Italy so we always had cake for lunch interspersed with the odd pizza treat. Oh my, to die for. Delicious and so beautifully presented wherever we went and the coffee- mm-mm! Then, I don't need to expound on the ice cream. 



Switzerland never disappoints if you like things to go right and you don't have any expensive mishaps!


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Wow, that all sounds very exciting Viv!

Time for a well-earned rest!?


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

I have just watched this Version of New York by Clive James Jean and kept thinking of what you must have missed. My son was there just before Christmas and saw similar sights to you. But if you get time this might let you reminisce.






Ray.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

raynipper said:


> I have just watched this Version of New York by Clive James Jean and kept thinking of what you must have missed. My son was there just before Christmas and saw similar sights to you. But if you get time this might let you reminisce.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


'Unavailable'


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

It's available on my phone and PC Geoff. It's a YouTube video.

Ray.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

I just watched the beginning of that - not sure when he was mugged for 25¢ for a coffee but it must've been a loooong time ago!

I didn't feel at all unsafe, but we weren't prowling by night.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes Jean, just before 9/11. 
I used to like his dry humour and ironic descriptions. NY is only one of many visits. Sadly he only recently died.

Ray.


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