pacenotes

A great example is the ME hotel. We went up to the roof top bar where it was mostly men on couches with empty bottles of champers and women trying to get close to them. One couple even went onto the triangle bit all window thing which gives a 360 view and in front of everyone closed the curtains and locked the door.

The mirror on the ceiling in the room or the sex toy kit in the mini bar didn't help :P

nequine

Great pics from Rockefeller Center!

Tootall33

The OP spends hours putting together this fantastic and interesting report for our interest and THIS is your comment?! Get in the sea.

pacenotes

For our last day in NYC we were going to the top of the one world trade centre. To make sure we didn’t have any issues with queues we booked a VIP trip. We were booked on the 9:45am lift.

The Conrad is two blocks away from the WTC.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

We were the only one in the queue for security and bypassing the 4 person queue to get into a lift we wasted our money on bypassing the queues but at least we were heading up to the top. The lift is surrounded by tv screens showing you New york and you don’t even know you are moving up to the 102 floor.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Where you get off they show you a very nice show and at the end is why you go up to the top. I won’t ruin it for you but lets say everyone in the room said wow.

Then it is out onto the deck to see the 360 views.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

The roof of our hotel and the Irish hunger memorial.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Looking back up town.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

We skipped breakfast so went and got a bagel at the café at the top. It’s a salmon cream cheese again. Not as good as our ones in Boston.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

They have guides doing talks around the decks so we listened for a while before heading back down. On leaving the queues had started so if you would like a stress free entrance get there early.

We went around to the WTC towers memorial.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

We then joined the queue for the 911 memorial. As we had the NYC pass we were in a separate queue. Now for an interesting thing that happened. We were 2nd in the queue when a worker brought a family up to the front of the queue and slotted them into a booth to get some tickets. Now above the window said family and workers tickets but they were taking NYC pass holders too. The French couple in front of us took great offence in this. They stormed up to the window barging past the family and tried to order tickets. Well an argument started with the worker and the French couple. It went on for a while and ended when the worker said ‘3000 people died here and I don’t think you are in the right frame of mind to visit this site today. ‘ They both stormed off thankfully.

We were given tickets for noon 20 minutes away so we waited and got in at 11:45.

I’m not going to post many photos but it’s a great museum. You forget about the other attacks that day in Washington and Pittsburgh.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Some more of that TV antenna.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

We then visited the areas were no photography is allowed. It's very moving but left me wanting more. It's just so much information to take in that you just have to go home and research it. I found the bit in the Newseum alot more moving. When leaving we both said we kinda get why so many Americans are against Muslims, In the UK the 77 bombings killed 56 people this event murdered 3000 people. Such a day has changed so many lives.

When we left we visited the Irish Hunger memorial.

They have a native rock from each county of Ireland here is the one from where I grew up.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

The main reason for most visitors was to it was for a selfie with the WTC.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

by A Con, on Flickr


We went back to the room and checked out a bit late but they didn’t charge us.

We left our bags with the concierge and went up to the roof top bar.

They specialize on ice lollys in big glasses of prosecco. Now the Prosecco came from a tap so it wasn’t prosecco but it was booze.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Nice view

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr


We spent a few hours up there. Interesting crowd all very young women in groups, No ID asked so I think word got out and it was bubbles on tap.

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We went down and ordered an uber to JFK and got a VW jetta. It was a young kid working his second job. He shouldn’t of told us but he got a few hours sleep in the car and was just about to finish his uber shift and go back waitering. Crazy. The GPS kept us off the freeways and we got to see the Bronks. With saving the tolls and helping us take our bags to the pavement we left him with a good tip.

Now for JFK concord room and a quick trip over the pond.

nequine

Great pics from the top of the WTC.

Can you book in advance to see the 911 memorial?

pacenotes

You can but you have to queue too. They seemed to let people in bunches.

pacenotes

We got dropped to the kerb and went inside. Looks like a tiny terminal but we only seen probably a tiny bit of it as it's all so compact for F passengers.

First check in had a small queue with mainly gold card holders. Why I know they were gold is that they don’t get brought to the front of the security queue.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Once our bags were tagged our passports were taken and the check in agent walks you the front of the queue at security and hands your boarding pass and passport over and is checked by the TSA agent. Bit awkward but you're through in seconds so you don’t have daggers for too long.

Security was quick as the TSA lady on the door was very slow so was straight through with no one in front of us. (The queue outside security was quite long with about 20 people in it)

Once past security the Concorde room is up the ramp and to the left.

concorde room by A Con, on Flickr

We sat down and ordered some champagne. A bit of a humid day.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr


Some random photos of the area.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

After a while we went and had some food. They have a dining area with an order as you want menu.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on
Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Some bread rolls but tasted as if they were just out of a microwave!

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I had the scallops.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

My wife had the soup.

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We both had the steak for main.

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Cheese for pud.

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With a glass of port for me.

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And a coffee for the wife.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Then I sat back down while my wife went off and spent the rest of the dollars.

Then we had an amazing sunset over NYC. The sky line looks fake it's so perfect. The detail cant come out on a camera but if you get a nice day you will have a perfect view from the concorde room.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Time for us to leave the lounge as they had started boarding.

No one in the priority lane (As they didn’t announce it yet in the lounge!) So we got straight on.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Champers handed out straight away.

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New IFE which was turned on straight away. I started to watch Eddie the eagle which was an easy film to watch. Bit funny too.

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Started to get dark before we pushed back.

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The remote for IFE (It is also touch screen)

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Seat controls

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Blind controls & USB charger port.

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Our projected route home.

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The spirits list was the same as the outbound flight. Champagne was the same.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Menu for dinner.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Breakfast.

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The crew handed out some hot rags. With how humid it was it would have been better if they were cold!

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We pushed back on time and made it out the runway in record time and were away turning left over the bay very quickly and I seen nothing of NYC.

Nuts and Champagne ( Blanc de Blanc) was handed out.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

I opted for dinner as soon as possible. As did everyone else. I think it was the crews hope we wouldn’t order anything about 5 of us ate. A few went straight to sleep and a couple of us couldn’t sleep.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

For starter I had the prawns which were very tasty.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

For main I had the salmon ravioli and it was so bland and dry it was horrible.

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A Jonnie Walker blue for my bed time drink.

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We were flying very fast tonight we had hitched a ride on the end of a storm.

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With that the crew quickly made up and my bed and I slept for 90 minutes. Not perfect sleep but I only really sleep in my bed at home perfectly. I woke up with 90 to go so asked for a cup of tea.

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For some reason I wanted to try the Philly steak. I wish I didn’t bother.

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I only had a bite before I sent it back.

With only a couple of loops of London we landed 90 minutes early!

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

The bird that brought us to Boston.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

As we had a big star in with us in first (the male actor from 50 shades of gray) the cabin crew really made sure we were first off the plane today blocking everyone from view. You could tell we had a couple of fans in the cabin crew today.


Bye bye 747.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

We followed the special services who was bringing the vip through the airport yet he got on the same carriage as us on the train over to the main terminal and was left at the passport queue to fend for himself. (At least all E gates were open and we were through in a couple of minutes) He was actually very nice ( We had a baby in F and when the cabin crew were giving excuses he was saying he has two kids and knows how they feel.) I think the crew were the ones who made more of a fuss.

We then went to the arrivals lounge. We were asked at the door if we were eating as we could use the concorde room but we said no. I then went and asked if a shower was free and was given a room where as my wife for the novelty and asked for a bath.

The shower pods are just a plastic pod with a shower a toilet and a sink. There is a towel and a ground towel in there for you all ready. Excuse the rubbish photos but its tiny.

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr

Untitled by A Con, on Flickr


After that we ordered a cab and met them at departures and was home in 30 minutes. That ends our honeymoon.

I might do a what went well & what failed in an other post.

nequine

Thanks for sharing your honeymoon with us via your reports, I have really enjoyed reading them and looking at your lovely photos.

roadwarrier

This was an incredible read. Thank you for sharing.

pacenotes

First off I do look back and say Why the hell didn't we go to a beach but what would we remember of that! We got to experience so much of eastern USA.

My favorite bit was the Washington auto route such a huge contrasting difference to sea level and a mile in the sky.

If you visit NYC try do a helicopter tour it is a magical way to see NYC.

My favorite hotel was the Taj Boston, Great room but the bar was too small and got crowded very quickly.

Now for the bad points.

Hertz charged my the full amount for the car when I had prepaid so when I opened the amex app it was a bit of a shock.

AA losing my bag was interesting and lucky I found it. At DCA you can just walk in and pick up any of the many bags sat at arrivals. Im suprised no one has started that scam.

The NYC pass was a waste of money, The main point of the pass was you were able to skip queues but it turned out that these passes had longer queues than the normal queue! We paid over $500 for two and it felt like a scam.

I wouldnt get BA F over night again, No point in my opinion. You get a lie flat in CW and all right booze. Much better to use your points for day time F flights. I am hearing good things about the day time JFK to London flights. Some are saying they are easier for jet lag.

The concorde room was quite full while we were there. It was the start of the public school holidays so it was busy. There were no seats inside but we did want to sit out on the terrace anyway. As someone said recently in the BA forum, It is all leisure travel now in F & CW where as business travel is back in WT+. ( It is for my company anyway )

We had a great 3 weeks with our marriage intact I call that a success.

I have to say these Trip reports take ages to do, I wrote most of them on the road during the holiday but have to give it to the likes of SFO77 it must take alot of time to write one of these.

Thanks for the comments it made it worth while. Over 15,000 have read this and I hope some will find it helpful in the future.

offerendum

Know the full Concorde-room well. Only found a place on the terrace myself in the past

Azulcactus

Really cool report. Interesting to see an in-depth report of less common and more low-key travels in the US.

peterk814

A rounded piece of bread from au bon pain is as much a bagel as cup of noodles is to ramen.

pointchaser