Trip Reports - BlissWorld's New York City Trip 06/07

Before I begin, I just want to say that I really enjoy reading many of the excellent trip reports here. That is my primary inspiration for writing my debut detailed trip report :p, I hope you enjoy it :)

New York City is one of my favorite places in the world. I come to the Big Apple several times an year. A few weeks ago, I planned an improptu trip with another fellow Flyertalker. New York City was what we agreed on.

Part 1. United Airlines SNA-ORD-LGA in F

I booked the earliest flight out of SNA in order to maximize my time in New York City. Why not fly p.s. nonstop you ask? Well, just take a look at their prices in the summer, you'd understand ;)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1127/528497020_0578dbc1f6.jpg Morning is my favorite time to drive on the freeway. It is the only time when you won't hear my occasional outburst of inappropriate and offensive comments about other drivers :p. I find it very calming to drive in the morning. The best part is catching the sunrise as you drive, especially along the mountains or sea clifts. Unforunately, I was doing neither. I was on my way to catch my non p.s. flight SNA-ORD-LGA. I am very familiar with SNA. I grew up in OC and had to fly to and from SNA bi monthly during my college days (in the bay area). SNA-SFO wasn't the most economical route for a poor college students, so my routes were mostly SNA-OAK via Alaska or WN. WN was actually not too bad on this route. In fact, I had met a couple of friends on the flights in my college days!

The airport was fairly empty on an early Saturday morning. Just as I was about to pull into the parking lot directly next to the terminal, I saw a huge sign stating "all lots full, proceed to MacArtur." ...? I thought to myself and proceeded past the lots. On a side note, SNA is one of my preferred airports in Southern California because they have parking lots directly across the terminal for $17 a day which is an excellent deal to me since I hate shuttles. Looking over to my left, I noticed some empty spots in the lot so I decided to circle around the airport to go back to the lot. I entered the lot to find plenty of parking spaces. WHO PUT THAT SIGN UP?! :mad: I was getting ready in my car then suddenly a car pulled into the parking space next to me inches away. Why? I asked, when there were 100000 spaces unoccupied. Before I could finish my thought, I heard a loud bang on my car followed by a "oops" . I looked over to express my extreme annoyance and anger. :rolleyes: After they left, I pulled out and parked at another spot.

A very friendly agent helped me getting my BPs. The security line was short, so I was able to get through quickly. Having not been to the SNA RCC previously, I walked around the terminal looking for signs. After a couple of minutes walking around aimlessly, I finally spotted the RCC sign next to an elevator. I took the elevator to the mezzanine level and found a small but charming red carpet club.
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Not happy with my non p.s. choice, I decided to walk up to the RCC agent. I told her that flights from ORD-LGA had been significantly delayed for the last few days (true) and was wondering if I could be rerouted to JFK ;) To my surprise, the lovely lady said she could either reroute me via LAX or SFO to JFK :eek: Then she started looking for upgrades. Unforunately, C was oversold for both the next few LAX and SFO flights. Oh well, I was still happy because I really wanted to try the low fat meal I ordered. Since not many UA FTers had ordered the low fat breakfast, I decided to be among the frist few ;) Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised that the agent was willing to confirm me via a different routing. From what I had gathered from the UA forum, it was officially not allowed. I thanked her and boarded my SNA-ORD leg.

As soon as I settled into 4B, I'd noticed that the entire cabin was pretty empty. With no one sitting in row 1 and row 6, I asked the FA is the flight was going to be full and if not, if I could move up to 1B. She said she wasn't sure, but offered me a drink and told me I may move up after the door had closed. About a minute later, she came back and referred to me by Mr BlissWorld (something I really dig) and told that she had spoken to the gate agent and I could move up to 1B. The door the closed and I was the only person in row 1 :D
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After tuning into ch 9, I finally relaxed and enjoyed my excellent view out the window. We hit a little morning traffic at SNA, so the purser came around taking meal orders. She came to me and and told me that I had a special meal but she hadn't taken a look to see what it was, but if it was not good, I was welcome to have the regular meal instead ^

Shortly after the meal order, we were clear to take off. I love the accelerated take off out of SNA (to make those $$$$ residents in the neighborhood happy ;)). After reaching the cruising altitute, FAs came to serve breakfast. The FA came over to set up my table and turned on the overhead light for me. She asked me what drinks I would like to drink. Yup, not just drink, but drinks. I told her some cranberry apple juice and coffee. She brought over the drinks along with my special meal. As it turned out, my special meal consisted of 4 slices of french toasts with lemon curd along with a bagel, light cream cheese, diet jam, and a side of fruit.
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It was very light and a nice change from the usual omelette. The very friendly FA came over to refill my water throughout the flight and asked me I needed coffee or snack and each and every single time referred to me by Mr. BlissWorld. She was the best flight attendant I had ever had on United. ^ Just before landing, she came over to appreciate my business (an UA thing) while I enjoyed the excellent view of Chicago out of my window

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With a empty cabin and exceptional team of FAs, this was the best flight I had ever taken. Finally. Today was the day. I gave out my first ever Going Beyond The Extra Miles chit to the FA. She seemed so surprised and very grateful to the chit. Even the other FAs thanked me for giving out the chit and told me it meant a lot to them. Well done UA ^

I deplaned and discovered that the same aircraft was actually going to be my flight going to LGA. I was relieved to find out that the flight was scheduled to depart on time. After phoning my friend who had already arrived in JFK, I went to the RCC at C terminal to relax before the next flight. I used one of my drink chit leftover from my other int'l flights and ordered a mimosa.
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I was surprised to find that they actually served sparkling wine at the RCC. For some reason I thought RCCs didn't have sparkling wine. Anyway, I was happy and shortly after, I went to board my ORD-LGA flight.

The flight was pretty uneventful. The FAs were friendly, but pale compared to the previous SNA based crew. After a glass of water, I settled into 4D listening to ch 9. As it turned out, I had the same pilot and first office from SNA! What a nice surprise! For those of you who has never tuned into ch9 at ORD, you absolutely have to! It's spetacular! ORD is one of the busiest airports in the world and you can certainly tell from ch 9. Normally, the tower control people tell 1 flight at a time to tell them that they are clear to land, take off, or their sequence, and then wait for the individual flight to respond. Not at ORD! The tower control person was telling 10 planes at a time telling them what to do and where to stop and which run ways to move to! :eek: ^ It was very enjoyable! Unfortunately, there were a lot of planes waiting to take off and we got stuck for about 45 minutes.

Since no meal was served, I requested a glass of water and watched my favorite show on my laptop :D (House MD, for those of you who are interested in knowing). As I was getting into my second episode, we hit an unexpected turbulance. We dropped a little, then a lot and then the pilot screamed something like "Flight Attendants, SIT!!" I saw the FA next to my seat with a service item immediately sat on the floor! Two seconds later, we dropped a good 100-200 ft!!! I was floating and so were my laptop and my glass of water! I grab onto both of them. A minute later, we finally passed the turbulance and the pilot came on to ask if everyone was OK. Indeed, everyone was, but it was kind of fun! :D I'd never been in those situations before. It was scary, but it was fun seeing my laptop floating in the air :D :p

Shortly after the turbulance, we reached La Guardia and were getting ready to land. While we decended, we flew over Manhattan. From 4D, I was able to snap these amazing photos
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We landed smoothly at LGA. With a short 15 minute delay, I was able to get to manhattan in a reasonably amount of time. It was time to meet my friend at the Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Chelsea.

Part 2 Four Points by Sheraton Chelsea Manhattan

After arriving at Penn Station, I decided to walk to the hotel on 25th between 6th and 7th ave. While it normally would be a very nice walk, the weather in New York City was on the hot and humid side over the weekend, so the walk became long. For some reason, I thought the hotel was between 7th and 8th. Getting lost with luggages in humidity was not fun. So, I called my friend and sorted out the exact location.
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The hotel looked decent with a small but stylish lobby. I had to re-check in with my credit card in order to receive my SPG Platinum benefits. It appeared that they had preblocked me into a room that I had requested and given it to my friend with the Platinum folder even though he's not a Platinum. The room was on the small side, even with New York standards. We requested a double room so it came with two four points beds.
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The bed was very comfortable by Four Points standards, but subpar with other Starwood brands (since Four Points is the lowest category in the chain). I didn't take too many pictures of the room because there wasn't anything spectacular with it. I did, however, find a really nice surprise on the bed: a bag of cookies left by the hotel along with a letter.
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We had a view, sort of, kind of, I think :p of the Empire State building and a bunch of water towers on the roof of the building across the street.
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The bathroom was really small without much shelf space but very clean and adaquate. There wasn't much of a noise issue since the A/C created a white noise blocking most of the noise from the streets. The A/C, though small, was more than enough to cool a hot room down. I think the problem was that there was a motion sensor (I hate when hotels do this to conserve energy) so when there was no movement in the middle of the night, the room immediately became a sauna. :rolleyes: The hotel was a fine choice with the price. However, if I wasn't a Platinum with SPG, I would not have had stayed at this hotel. They do give out bonus points to offset their price to Platinum members. Unfortunately, I don't think I will return to this property. Not that it's not a bad place, but I would rather pay up a premium to stay at W Times Square. To me, NYC is loud, flashy, bright, filled with lights, and FP Points didn't have these qualities.

We decided to explore the area around the hotel. This part of Chelsea was quite boring as we didn't find any interesting places. We went to the Whole Foods across the street, bought some items, booze ;), had some street food and went back to the hotel. On the way back, we came across an awfully familiar building: The Hampton Inn. Take a look at the pictures below:
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Deja vu? The Hampton Inn looked identical to the Four Points!!! We thought that was funny. These two hotels must have been built and owned by someone else before they were acquired by Hilton and Starwood.

It was time for Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant at Chelsea Market.

Part 3 Morimoto, New York
(Iron Chef Morimoto's Restaurant in Chelsea)
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I had always wanted to sample Mr. Iron Chef's cusine so my friend and I made a reservation to this popular restaurant in New York City. We decided to walk to the restaurant from our hotel since it was only a few blocks away. The temperature was much cooler in the evening making the walk much more enjoyable. We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early, so we went down to a small bar to order some overpriced drinks ;)
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The bar was chic, thought not nearly as happenin' as I thought it would be. They did offer some special drinks like the sunrise (which I ordered): grey goose vanilla, orange liquor, pinneaple juice, passion fruit juice and some other concoction. Though small, the delicious drink served its potent purpose for the evening ;). After observing the bar and its patrons for a few minutes, the hostness escorted us to our table.
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Our waitress showed us the menu and explained their specialties. After ordering a bottle of sparkling water, we sent her away so we could feast the restaurant with our eyes. The main dining area was nice with simple modern touches. There were an open kitchen and sushi bar. The dining area was divided into sections with colorful walls and elevated platforms creating the allusion that the place was bigger than it was. We were seated on the elevated platform. The tables were quite close to one another making it enticing to join our neighbor's private and juicy conversations. I must say, however, that I was disappointed in their choices of topic since they were limited to the woo's and ah's of the menu items and their observations at other restaurants like Nobu. Just as I was about to join my neighbors' pretentious conversations, the Iron Chef himself appeared at the table across from ours. He was very friendly and agreed to take pictures with the ladies. After the pictures, he walked around asking people about their experiences. He seemed to be very humble. Our neighbors shook his hand. I just smiled and nodded.

I decided to order the Morimoto sashimi as an Appetizer.
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It was absolutely delicious. I loved the presentation. Our waitress explained the ingredients and the accompanied sauces placed in droppers along with my faovrite flower, hibiscus :). The sashimi combination included seared toro, salmon, eel, hamachi, caviar, and other items that I don't remember. For my entree, I ordered the "duck duck duck."
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I liked the presentation. The duck was served with a red wine reduction sauce and a typical plum sauce. The interesting thing was the sunny side up duck egg yolk. It was also served as a dipping "sauce." It was delicious, but not as good as I thought it was going to be. It was my fault, I should have ordered an Japanese item like the exceptional appetizer.

An unexpected event occured :rolleyes:, so we decided to skip dessert and head back to the hotel. Overall, the meal was very good though did not meet my expectations. I was still very happy to have visited the restaurant and got to sample his food.

Part 4 W Hotel Times Square

W Hotel Times Square has always been one of my favorite hotels in the world. To me, New York City is all about the flashy lights, noisy streets, people, broadway, etc. W Times Square has everything that I look for in a NYC hotel. I find the rooms to be modern, hip, and wonderfully comfortable. The staff treats me exceptionally well. I have received consistent upgrades at this SPG property and the staffs are well trained and provide excellent customer service.

After a full day of shopping in SOHO, we went to W Times Square to check in for our second night in New York City. I knew I had already been upgraded to a fantastic suite the night before (I'm a SPG Platinum). A friendly agent spotted my coming out of the elevator and immediately greeted me with a warm welcome. He confirmed my suite upgrade, package items, rate and offered my platinum amenity. I asked him what floor the suite was on and he told me he had to call the manager. After a short phone call and some typing on the computer, he sent me to my suite on the 44th floor facing Times Square. I really like the W Hotels because the front desk agents always make me feel welcomed when I check in.

We took the express elevator to the 44th floor to the Fantastic Suite. Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was a $1500 Bang & Olufsen stereo system on the table along with a sirius satellite radio controller.
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Man, that thing was awesome! I was suprised that little thing could produce such amazing sound. I'm sure my neighbors hated me for the afternoon but :p oh well. After playing with it for a few minutes, I went back to the door and observed the actual living space.
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The living room had a sofa bed, chair, 2 piece coffee table, 42" plasma tv on the wall, bang & olufsen stereo system with sirius, and the usual chic and modern W pieces. I really really liked the living room. There was also a 7' mirror in one corner. At the entrance, there was a walk in closet and a 1/2 bath with an extra table and art pieces inside the bathroom. To the end of the suite, there was a glass floating desk with an amazing view of Times Square.
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To the immdiate left of the working desk was a french door connecting to the bedroom. The inviting W bed immediately caught my eye. There was a welcoming note and a W Teddy Bear waiting for me on the bed. There were also a set of amazing resin nightstands with ambien lighting creating a relaxing atmosphere. There was another sitting area by another window with view of Times Square. Across from the W bed was another 32" LCD tv hanging on the wall. Both TVs were hooked up to a DVD/VCR player in the cabinets. Adjacent to the cabinet was the mini bar offering the usual W items.
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There was another full bath and a closet inside the master bedroom. The full bath was the same size as the half bath except with a sexy shower. The water pressure was amazing. In fact, it hurt if I put it on full blast. In additional to the usual Bliss amenity: sink side 6 pack, there were also upgraded amenities such as shower cap, toothbrush and toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, and a W wash pad. It was very very nice. In the closet, there were 2 plush robes and 2 pair of W slippers (something you don't get in regular rooms).
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After expressing his envious concerns :D, my friend had to take off and fly back to California. So, it was just going to be me myself and I for the rest of the afternoon until my friend came over in the evening. I wasn't worried, I wasn't worried at all. Leave a man in a room full of gadget, he could stay there for days :D. I spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with the awesome bang and olufsen stereo system and listened to some amazing music from Sirius stations. As I completely drowned myself in absolute music bliss, I heard a knock on the door. Who could this be? I thought to myself. There stood a W guy with a bottle of bubbly in an amazingly cool wine cooler (without having to use ice to chill wine) and 2 champagne glasses. "These are sent by the manager!" Looking surprised, I took the bubbly, glasses, and a card and went back into my interrupted music bliss. It was a welcoming card from the manager wishing me a wonderful stay. Nice! I thought, what a nice gesture and this is why I continue to give my business to Starwood ^
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After a few more minutes of my music bliss, I decided to order room service. Having ordered room service from W Times Square before, I already knew that they had some amazingly delicious items. Their room service items are provided by Blue Fin restaurant downstairs, which is an amzing place by itself. So, I put on some DVD (House) on the 42" plasma tv and ordered me some grubs! I ordered some oysters, lobster sandwich, ....KNOCK KNOCK, wait, another knock? Who could it be this time? I opened the door to find a lady offering turn down service. Wanting to go back to my food-drooling-coma, I politely refused. She said good night and gave me some really good quality W chocolate
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Sorry, going back to my ordering dinner...so I ordered some oysters, lobster sandwich, and a special California Mango roll made with real crab meat and mango puree dipping sauce. They had some really creative items and I wanted to order them all! With my package, I got a free dessert and a drink, so I ordered the pistachio white chocolate creme brulee and a glass of orange juice (so I could make mimosa with the bubbly I just got :D). Still deep in my food-drooling-soma, I heard another door knock. What? Food here already? I opened the door to find my friend standing there for a surprise visit :) Good timing! Shortly after, the real food arrived
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With doctor house, amazing food, amazing view, amazing suite, and the company of a good friend, we really turned the evening into eternal bliss, well temporarily at least
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After the meal, me and the guys head out for a good time in the beautiful city of New York City.

The next morning, I awoke from minor jetlag and the fun from last night aftermath by a phone call reminding me my spa appointment. I smiled as I looked over to find Times Square outside my window. I quickly freshened up, put on my robe, and headed down to the Away Spa on the 10th floor. I was greeted by a friendly receptionist who offered me drinks. My massage therapist arrived shortly after. She took me to the treatment room and started the amazing session. The spa was very relaxing and she did such a good job. I went into yet another eternal bliss awaken occasionally by the ever so loud new york fire truck sirens. That was good, it reminded me of where I was.

I stumbled back to my fantastic suite and found a voicemail message waiting on my cell phone. After retrieving the message, I heard the dreaded "Hello, this is United easy update message..."

Here are some photos for my DEN flight for your enjoyment :)

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So this concludes my trip to the big apple. I had a blast!

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Worms are certainly a type of low-fat protein! :p

Great report & pix Bliss!

I wish UA had treated me even 1/2 as well before I gave up on them. Glad they treat you well though.

Perfect trip report and thanks for the pics!

Great pics & narrative, Blissworld!

Fantastic report & pictures! ^^

I actually stayed in the exact same suite back in 2003 on level 44.

Back then there was no LCD screen, no B&O. But I love the size and the views. It seems they upgraded all the furniture as well.

They were using Aveda products back then, however I prefer the Bliss products they have now.

Great report, and I agree...W Times Square is an excellent NYC hotel. I love the street level ceiling with the water pouring on it. :D