My First Romantic Trip to NYC with Mary

[amoeba15]

Yup, an expensive $600 room at the Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park.

A Amtrak train ride leaving from DC at 4:00 in the AM and arriving in NYC at 7:20 AM, dropping luggage at hotel and then shopping and dining in NYC until we go to the hotel at 1:00 PM and then, we will relax/nap in the hotel and then go out and explore NYC...

We will check out from the hotel around noon and then, leave our luggage at the hotel and then tour NYC until 9:00 PM and then head to Amtrak for our 11:00 PM train ride to DC. We arrive in DC around 2:30 in the morning and we go home and crash..UNTIL FOOTBALL TIME.

BTW, Mary was at the salon getting her nails and hair done. Afterwards, Mary went home and cooked a great meal. Unfortunately, I will not be able to taste her GREAT food until after the Disability Services Board meeting tonight (9:30 PM, or so).

[amoeba15]

Prior to the trip, Mary went to her beauty salon and had her hair and nails done.

We arrived in NYC at 7:20 AM on Friday and immediately asked the Ritz-Carlton at Battery Park in NYC to do what they can to have us check in early at 1:00 PM and they told us that we could upgrade from $500/night to $700/night for a suite and that we might be able to qualify for early check in, but that the hotel was 90%+ booked and would call us if we could check in prior to 3:00 PM.

Since I refused to pay these YANKEES an additional $200 for an already overpriced room, we returned from our 7+ hours of NYC shopping spree and checked into our hotel at 2:50 PM. The room was very nice and spacious, except the temp. 78 freakin degrees and the ac was not working. Soooooo, I called the front desk and a hotel Engineer returned and had to retrieve some AC tools, supplies and a new filter.

The Engineer told us that we could order a $32 breakfast (for one person), as payment for being inconvenienced. Also, we were missing two pairs of slippers and one bathrobe.

www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/NewYorkBatteryPark/Information/Default.htm

So much for a FIVE star hotel being worth $500/night.

My Christmas party was awesome and Mary and I went to China Town on Canal street and ate lunch at an outstanding Chinese food restaurant, shopped at several stores in NYC.

After my Christmas party, around 9:00 PM on Friday night, we headed for Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree and ice skating and then we went to Times Square and ate at Roxy which cost $28.00 for a freakin steak & cheese sandwich, which we shared, AND ANOTHER $3.00 for sharing the sandwich. We both had a diet coke and Mary ordered 2 black & white cookies and I ordered 1 chocolate chip cookie dipped in chocolate and the total bill came to $54.00 ....... WTF I then left a $16.00 tip, feeling why bother to complain and rather just submit to the YING YANG YANKEE atmosphere.

BTW, the total costs for the Chinese food in China town was only $19.00 and the food was much, much better then at Roxy.

After shopping at Times Square, we returned to our hotel room around 1:00 AM, awoke at 9:00 AM, checked out at 10:30 AM and immediately headed to NY Penn Station and exchanged our departing NYC at 11:00 PM on Saturday to 1:00 PM tickets. We returned to DC at 4:30 PM.

Although, Mary and I enjoyed getting away, spending time together and visiting NYC, we both agreed to do things differently when we travel to NYC next year.

BTW, we did not argue one time, got along as best as any couple could get along, were very complimentary to one another throughout our trip and truly enjoyed being together.

One more comment..Many, many, many negative comments about the Packers (I was fully dressed in my Packers gear -- from head to toe), about how the Packers got LUCKY beating the Giants, I have NERVE wearing my Packers outfit in NYC and Packer fans ARE NOT WELCOMED, I responded, WE ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS and have a free pass to go anywhere that we want.

[TW]

I haven't been to NYC in 20 years, and in all honesty, I have absolutely no desire to ever go there again.

"Rude" is just the beginning of describing the people.

As far as what they call "good food," it's enough to gag a maggot, and they overcharge for everything, and expect customers to hand out large tips for poor, rude service.

NYC is the perfect place to establish a nuclear dump site.