sábado, 27 de agosto de 2011

Par IX Exploring NYC Days 4 and 5


Part I: Summer Vacation Introduction
Part II: Flight MEX-IAD and Day 1 in DC(United)
Part III: Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row
Part IV: Exploring Washington DC Day 2 and 3 in DC
Part V: Exploring Washington DC Day 4 and 5 in DC
Part VI: Train from DC to Newark and Day 1 in NYC (Amtrak)
Part VII: Hotel AKA Times Square
Part VIII: Exploring New York City Days 2 and 3
Part IX: Exploring NYC Days 4 and 5
Part X: Exploring NYC Days 6 and 7
Part XI: Flight EWR-MEX (Continental)

Day 4: Shopping Shopping Shopping

The day before I googled the address of at least 10 stores that we all wanted to go and mad a map in Google and print it.
So early in the morning we started with the some stores that were near the hotel and then we took a taxi to the great and beautiful Fifth Avenue and started shopping. We went to many stores, from Forever 21 to Saks Fifth Avenue and Abercrombie and Fitch. Although it was a long and hot-humid day I'm not going to describe it all but in conclusion we did have fun.

Day 5: Museums and a bit more of Shopping

We started kind of late but ready to have a good day. We first went to the Natural History Museum and spent about 2-3 hours. We then walked around Central Park for about half an hour. After "getting lost in C.P. we took a cab to the Madame Tussauds oh and if you want to save 5 USD per person do a check in at FourSquare. This museum is very cool and although I visited the one in Hollywood it's always nice to go back and see some new figures (sadly K. Kardashian wax figure was taken off apparently she was not that popular :( )

We had lunch at the nice Red Lobster at Times Square and we then took a cab to visit the remaining stores. A trip to NYC can't be done before going to FAO Schwarz and Niketown (and also LV)
After this calm day we headed back to our hotel for some rest.



The famous Big Whale in the Museum



Gotta Love Times Square

miércoles, 17 de agosto de 2011

Part VIII: Exploring New York City Days 2 and 3.

Part I: Summer Vacation Introduction
Part II: Flight MEX-IAD and Day 1 in DC(United)
Part III: Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row
Part IV: Exploring Washington DC Day 2 and 3 in DC
Part V: Exploring Washington DC Day 4 and 5 in DC
Part VI: Train from DC to Newark and Day 1 in NYC (Amtrak)
Part VII: Hotel AKA Times Square
Part VIII: Exploring New York City Days 2 and 3
Part IX: Exploring NYC Days 4 and 5
Part X: Exploring NYC Days 6 and 7
Part XI: Flight EWR-MEX (Continental)

Day 2:

Woke up early and had breakfast in our room, which is a really big benefit of having a kitchen in the suite. We then went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and spent about 2 hours which is sufficient if you have you are in a family with kids. We then went to the Minsk Theatre and enjoyed the Lion King. It really is a great show and specially for families. The only recommendation I have is to don't go and see a play the next day you got to NYC, because of the humidity outside we were kind of tired when we went to the theatre.

We then went to have dinner in the TGI Friday, not the best restaurant but it was ok. Because it was the first day and we got tired we went to the hotel but with a stop in Walgreens.

Day 3: After breakfast we decided to buy tickets for the Double Decker bus. We took the bus at Times Square and went to SoHo where we walked a little bit and had ice-cream. We also visited, just for curiosity, the Kardashian Store which is pretty nice but kind of expensive (10 USD for a bottle of water?)

We then took again the bus to Chinatown and Little Italy, the problem with the Decker Bus is that because the upper part is usually full the button part not always has AC or windows, so if outside was about 105 F inside was 115 F!!
We walked around Chinatown which I personally thought it was going to be a little bit more interesting but it wasn't. We then went to Little Italy and had lunch there, which was good.

We then took the bus to the U.N. which was already closed and could not see anything. So we took the bus again to the Rockefeller Center where we went to Top of the Rock. For anyone that thinks that the Empire State has the best view, then you are wrong, the Top of the Rock is the best view of all Manhattan, it really is.
After Top of the Rock we went to to the shops near and even Magnolia which might be overrated but it is a very nice place to go.

After all this "tourist" day, we went back to the hotel and rest.

sábado, 13 de agosto de 2011

Part VII: Hotel AKA Times Square

Part I: Summer Vacation Introduction
Part II: Flight MEX-IAD and Day 1 in DC(United)
Part III: Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row
Part IV: Exploring Washington DC Day 2 and 3 in DC
Part V: Exploring Washington DC Day 4 and 5 in DC
Part VI: Train from DC to Newark and Day 1 in NYC (Amtrak)
Part VII: Hotel AKA Times Square
Part VIII: Exploring New York City Days 2 and 3
Part IX: Exploring NYC Days 4 and 5
Part X: Exploring NYC Days 6 and 7
Part XI: Flight EWR-MEX (Continental)

Finding the perfect hotel in NYC it's very difficult. Location, the room size and most important the price are all 3 very important factors that you need to take in consideration. I was looking for a 4 star hotel in NYC most of them where from 250 USD (not in a great location) to more than 350 USD. Then I found the AKA Hotel. The AKA hotels are long-term stay hotels which offer you great suites with kitchens and a great price. I chose the one in Times Square which is between 6th and 7th 44th St. And it's less than 1 minute away from Times Square. To find a suite this size with a very good location in a great hotel fro 270 USD a night was just great.
Above you will find my review of T.A.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d655944-r115824373-AKA_Times_Square-New_York_City_New_York.html
Check in-Check out.
Both of them were fast and good. At the check in they explain you the apartment details. We asked for a rollaway bed but after knowing that it was 50 USD per night we declined it. Still, without asking, the lady at the Front Desk called Housekeeping and sent some sheets and pillows so we could sleep on the couch.
The check out was very good too.
I give 4.9 out of 5.

Suite.
I originally paid for a 750 square feet without a den but when we got there the suite had a den. The Suite was very spacious, it had a very complete kitchen with everything you needed and a big fridge. There was also a small living room with a large plasma T.V. and a large couch in which someone smaller than 5'6 can sleep very comfortable.
The Den is a small room with a char and a desk, I wouldn't pay for more just to have a den. There was also a small table for two and of course the main room with a king size bed.
The bathroom was the thing I didn't loved, although it was very clean it was very outdated so if the bathroom was renovated the whole suite would be great.
The suite succeed my expectancies and more but it was missing sun light(.I would ask for a room facing the street.) It had everything you needed. The only problem we had was that the first night the AC didn't worked and inside the suite was like 85 F but that's it.
I give a 4.8

Location:
I was undecided between this location and the AKA Central Park and although the Central Park might be in a nicer location the AKA TS has the best location. It' s just 150 meters from Times Square which is good because you avoid the crowds without being to far away. It's 2 blocks away from 2 Subway Stations, (Orange Line and Red Line) And if you just want to go shopping just take a taxi at 6th Avenue to the Shops at the Fifth Avenue (from 50th St. to 60th St) It will cost you less than 6 dollars. The only bad thing about the location is that is in between avenues and do not have a lot of sun light.
I give a 4.9

Service:
Although in this hotel you are not going to talk with a lot of the employees, the few of them that you may have some sort of conversations are very nice and ready to help. From the doorman to the front desk people to the housekeeping lady they are all super nice and very helpful. Because this is not really your typical hotel they just offer you housekeeping service once but if you decide to pay it it's only 25 dollars more.
I give a 5

Amenities:
There are not really amenities at this hotel but you can find the Fitness Center and the Business Center. The Fitness Center is small and just have the basics. The Business Center has 4 computers in which you can use the printer. Also remember that the suite offers internet connection for free which is kind of slow but it's free.
I give a 4.5

Overall:
So I paid 260 USD per night for a large suite in a 4 star hotel. I don't think you can get a 4 star hotel with good location standard room for less than 280 so to get a suite just makes it better. You may not receive the same attention like in other hotels but for what you paid you receive a lot more. I would definitely stay here next time unless I can afford a Peninsula room.

Room Tip: Ask for a suite facing the street or at least with sun light.

viernes, 12 de agosto de 2011

Part VI : Train from DC to Newark and 1st day IN NYC

Part I: Summer Vacation Introduction
Part II: Flight MEX-IAD and Day 1 in DC(United)
Part III: Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row
Part IV: Exploring Washington DC Day 2 and 3 in DC
Part V: Exploring Washington DC Day 4 and 5 in DC
Part VI: Train from DC to Newark and Day 1 in NYC (Amtrak)
Part VII: Hotel AKA Times Square
Part VIII: Exploring New York City Days 2 and 3
Part IX: Exploring NYC Days 4 and 5
Part X: Exploring NYC Days 6 and 7
Part XI: Flight EWR-MEX (Continental)

Bye bye DC.. Hello NYC
Although I really liked DC I was really excited to go to NYC, last time I was there I was just 10 years old.
The train departed at about 10:30 a.m. so after a quick breakfast and a fast check out we took a cab to Union Station. Fortunately we were going with a lot of extra time because traffic was horrible. The 5-8 minute taxi ride took 20 minutes but we got there still 30 minutes before the train departure. I was informed that not only business passengers can go first but also families with small kids which this was just great.
This was my first train experience in the U.S., I've done it before in Europe and although I didn't expected to be as nice as the europeans train Amtrak offers a really good service and not expensive. The seats are way more comfortable than a normal coach and even some business plane seats. The food variety is not as big but ok. We departed on time but arrived 20 minutes later. We didn't took the Acela because it didn't offered kid rate so it was about + 300 dollars vs 98 USD for all 3 of us, which is great.

We arrived at the Newark Airport which you need to take another train (6 minutes) to the terminal you want. We went directly to Terminal C so my father could check-in for his Mexico City Flight. We then needed to wait about 1-2 hours for my mother to arrive. The bad thing is that her flight got delayed about half an hour and she was about an hour at the Newark immigration. Newark is one of the worst entry points for any hispanic.
Finally she came out and after saying good by to my father we went again to the the Newark Transit Center Station and took a NJ transit train to NYC which was only 25 USD. We arrived to Penn Station and let me tell you, it was about 102 F outside but inside Penn Station was about 115 F and because we had bags we had to make long lines for the elevator. Not the best way to get to NYC in Rush Hour. We then took a cab to the great AKA Hotel in Times Square.
Because we still had some hours to do something, we walked to Times Square, went to the Minsk Theatre to pick up our tickets and had dinner at the Bubba Gump.

We had a good time in DC but much better in NYC.. Continue to read my next posts.

lunes, 8 de agosto de 2011

Part V : Exploring Washington DC Day 4 and 5 in DC.

Part I: Summer Vacation Introduction
Part II: Flight MEX-IAD and Day 1 in DC(United)
Part III: Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row
Part IV: Exploring Washington DC Day 2 and 3 in DC
Part V: Exploring Washington DC Day 4 and 5 in DC
Part VI: Train from DC to Newark and Day 1 in NYC (Amtrak)
Part VII: Hotel AKA Times Square
Part VIII: Exploring New York City Days 2 and 3
Part IX: Exploring NYC Days 4 and 5
Part X: Exploring NYC Days 6 and 7
Part XI: Flight EWR-MEX (Continental)

Day 4: We woke up kind of late but it was Sunday. Because the restaurant breakfast was already closed the concierge recommend us a nearby restaurant which although I don't remember the name it was part a library and part a restaurant. The food was ok but what I really didn't like was the atmosphere. People were almost screaming, it was kind of hard to enjoy our breakfast.
We then went to the Smithsonian U.S. Air and Space Museum which is suppose to be the most popular museum not only in DC but according to the USA Today of the whole U.S.A. I had big expectations and although the museum is very interesting I just didn't get that wow factor. After the museum we went to Georgetown. Georgetown is just beautiful it's near the Potomac River which looks great and the whole place is just lovely. It's kind of Europe meets U.S.A. because of the nice and short buildings but of course with all the american stores I love.
This is a must in DC even if you are here just 24 hours, to come here and spend a couple of hours walking around it's amazing.
We had lunch at Sequoia which is just 2 blocks down the main street of Georgetown. It offers great views, good service and the food was ok. (My TA review:http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g28970-d450449-r115824494-Sequoia-Washington_DC_District_of_Columbia.html)

Because my dad didn't quite felt good because of the Hot weather and going in and out of the stores with high AC we left to the Hotel to relax.

Day 5:

The Last Day in DC and we still had many things to do but because of the AC in the room that never turned off mad my dad feel more tired but still with some energy we all went to the National Spy Museum. It's actually a pretty cool museum. You do learn a lot of stuff in a fun way, I do recommend this hotel for all the families that visit DC. We after took the Metro to the Arlington Cemetery which is just nice to walk around. We then went to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City where we had lunch at the Fast Food and walked around the mall. Then we went back to the hotel and started packing.
DC is a great city, not your typical american city which just make me love it more and hope to come back when the temperatures are not as high as they were.