Our older daughter is a freshman in high school and sings in HaZamir, The International Jewish High School Choir. http://www.zamirchoralfoundation.org...ms/hazamir.htm

The kids practice weekly and there is a gala performance yearly in New York City. I believe they alternate between Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. This year’s performance was April 3 at Carnegie Hall. Kids from across the United States and six cities in Israel perform at the performance, after spending 3 days secluded in a hotel in the Hudson Valley. They practice their songs all year long in their local choirs, but really only have three days of practice together. Over 400 singers are on stage at one time.

Once we learned of the date of the concert, I looked up Carnegie Hall on google maps to get an idea of the location in Manhattan. I saw that the Le Parker Meridien (SPG) was right around the corner. I booked a room with cash & points as did my inlaws. My parents booked too late and were forced to book using all points. We all live in Baltimore, so driving up was easy. My parents went up a day or so earlier to visit with my sister in Forest Hills and to see the other grandkids.

The car was packed and we (wife and younger daughter) picked up my inlaws for the drive up. I don’t mind driving and with so many people it is more economical than taking the train. The drive is basically around the Baltimore Beltway to I-95 to Jersey Turnpike to Lincoln Tunnel and then to the hotel. The GPS and Waze kept us on the right road. I think we made it to the hotel in about 3:45 or so, including a stop at the rest stop. We made one quick stop at the James Fenimore Cooper rest stop. He was the author of “Last of the Mohicans”.

Here are some car pics that I snapped at the rest stop. Some Starbucks drinks were purchased and that did cause a bit of a wait...






















Pulling up to the hotel was pretty easy. There isn’t a big sign or overhang for the hotel, but the GPS and Waze told us we were there. Everyone got out of the car and I went to park around the corner. When in NYC, I try to get a groupon or some kind of coupon for parking. I went through ebates and then bought a groupon for Icon parking. The lot was about 2.5 blocks away and a very easy walk. I took pics of the hotel on the street of the parking lot and also of the street sign showing the cross streets. The piece of paper that I printed out for the lot gave multiple addresses (depends on what street you enter). Yes, there were lots closer, but not as cheap. I think I saved about $15 or $20, enough for a glass of orange juice at breakfast. Kidding, but not really. New York City is really expensive.


Here is a picture to show how little the name of the hotel shows from the street. The flags are a bit of a hint.




Below are the pics I took so I could find my way back to the car...Little breadcrumbs




We played musical rooms a bit and finally got the rooms squared away. My FIL suite talked his way into getting one suite and that was given to us. Our daughter was going to stay in our room, so the larger space was welcome. The room had two sofas, so everyone gathered to watch the first half of the second semi-final NCAA game later that night.

Here are some pics of the hallway (nothing special at all) and a little bit of the bathroom in the standard room and then some more of the bathroom in the suite. The shower was really slippery and I actually put the bath mat down so I wouldn't kill myself. Make sure to get in the right elevator























I don't recall if this was from our room or one of the other rooms, but it's a nice view.


There was some shopping to be done at Bloomingdales and we (my family and inlaws) all walked there. It was a nice walk/stroll of about 15 minutes and I got some shots of interesting things on the street.

Lots of bikes


All jacked up


Is he home?



Some art in the window and on the street






We have arrived!




My wife likes the Flip Burger in Bloomingdales and I agree that it was a good meal. We ended up eating about 2pm or so and had dinner reservations for 6pm. My daughter and I split a milkshake (just like our ski trip – did you read that trip report?) and I ended up with a tuna burger. I tried my wife’s wagyu burger but didn’t see that it was any better than my daughter’s regular burger; maybe because my wife cooks it more? Anyway, the food was good and when they declared that they were going to shop, I made my exit and walked back to the hotel.

Some images from Flip Burger










Do you notice they start the tipping at 18%? Welcome to NYC.


Here are a few photos from my walk back to the hotel










When I got to the hotel, my parents were in the lobby hanging out. Pretty poor lobby to be honest. My mom went up to the room for a quick nap and my dad and I took a little walk on Central Park South.

Lobby Pictures




We walked by Carnegie Hall and found this poster. The picture of Carnegie Hall was taken after dinner on the walk back to the hotel.




Dinner tonight was with all the grandparents and my sister and her family (husband and two daughters). We ate at Landmarc at the Time Warner Center. This is a nice mall on Columbus Circle and an easy walk from our hotel. The restaurant was perfect as it took a reservation using Opentable and was friendly with younger kids. The food was pretty good, even though my mom didn’t love her clams. I had a chicken burger that was excellent. Sorry but I forgot to take pictures of the meal. I think there must have been too much going on with everyone at the table etc.

A picture of Columbus Circle with the mall behind the statue



We had a nice walk back to the hotel and only then realized that there is another door to the hotel that is on the other side of the block (the back door of the hotel) and therefore closer to Central Park. After dinner we all went back to our suite and watched some of the basketball game and enjoyed some sodas/snapple that I purchased from a Duane Reed around the corner. Everyone left at halftime and we all got in bed with our kindles to read or watch a show. I didn't get a picture of it, but the tv was hung on a wall and the wall could swivel between the bedroom and the living room. Pretty cool, but no way for both rooms to watch tv at the same time and I don't thing there was any kind of door between the two rooms either.

The next morning I got up and decided to go for a walk in Central Park. I haven’t been in the park for several years and it was really great. The walk to the park was just a few minutes and even though it was really cold, I had a great time. The park is a real jewel; I forgot that there was a zoo in the park and even got to see a seal.

Below are pictures from Central Park. A great walk, even in the cold.









































After my walk in the park, I went back to the room and showered and then we all packed up to leave the hotel. Everyone checked out and left their luggage with the doormen/baggage guys. Rue 57, our restaurant for lunch was just a few blocks away and we made our way by foot. We were a few minutes early and waited for my sister and her daughter to arrive. Somehow there was a confusion and she thought we were eating at the hotel. Once it got squared away we sat down for our meal. The food was pretty good and we enjoyed our meal, even though we didn’t care for the waiter. The desserts were a highlight. I particularly loved my meal.

My meal of shortribs with poached egg and our desserts of profiteroles and beignets (oreo)









Once the lunch was over we made our way to Carnegie Hall. What a thrill to see your child perform in such a historical venue. You can see videos of the performance on youtube. I've included a for a timely song. Passover is coming up! The kids were wonderful and everyone was very proud of the performers. They really dedicate a lot of time throughout the year and it shows in their performance!






After the show I had to go to my daughter’s bus to collect her and her belongings. Lots of buses parked around Carnegie Hall, but the correct bus was easy to find as they had bus numbers prominently displayed in the windows. I got to chat with some other parents I knew and once I spotted my daughter, I gave her a big hug! A very proud moment for sure.

The two of us walked back to the hotel so she could change and everyone decided to eat a quick bite of dinner before getting in the car and driving home. We ate at one of those markets that sells a lot of prepared foods as well as some regular groceries. The entire upstairs was dedicated to eating in. They have microwaves to heat your food. I ended up with a pretty basic sandwich, chips and Snapple. No pics. Not sure why I forgot.

I walked the few blocks back to the parking garage and made my way back to the hotel. We all climbed in and our daughters squished into the third row. In this car, it’s not so great for legroom in the way back, but that’s where they go. It wasn’t too bad on the way up as it was only one kid, but with two….oy.

We made it out of the city pretty easily, except for the problem getting to the Lincoln Tunnel. Not so bad really with the GPS and Waze going, but with construction, the roads don’t quite work the way they’re supposed to.

We made one stop on the way home. People needed to stretch their legs, get a drink, use the facilities etc. After about 4 hours on the road, I dropped my family off at home and then took my inlaws to their house. It only took a minute to bring their suitcases into the house and then I was home in 10 minutes.

What a great trip. Mazel tov to all of the people that put on that concert!!!