And so the journey begins. as always I like to stay at the airport the night before to avoid the dreaded M25, plus the trip starts a day early.
Booked the T5 Hilton including parking. sadly Mrs tynmar was involved in a small accident and we had to get a lift to the airport while the car was being repaired. tried to change the rate to exclude parking but it was prepaid, the flexi rate jumped up to the same as what I paid so no major loss.
as HH diamond we were bumped up to an exec lounge access room, tried for a suite as never had one here on previous stays, maybe next time
The Soundproofing here works a treat and hardly heard a peep. Have seen many complaint on both FT and TA, this hotel is not directly attached to the terminal as the name might suggest. the hoppa bus is always on time and just a few quid each way.
After a bit of a queue at the club world desks we were through security and headed directly to the lounge, via the Spa booking desk. the last 4 times I have approached the desk someone asks me can they help, I explain I wish to book a treatment and they ALWAYS refer me to the person next to them? Why ask if you cant help as more than 50% of walk ups are to make a booking
nothing available at the south lounge was but they were able to fit us in to the B gate location, perfect as that is where we were due to depart.
Usual lack of Bacon but managed to get a glass of champers before heading over to the spa at B. both treatments were great and we were on the plane before we know it. (oh seen on BA EXEC page people reporting the disappointing magic beep, "step this way for an extra search please sir" this happened to me, backpack turned inside out and told to move on
)
Photo time ^
standard nuts and kir royale for me
view from 64K
salad along with pesto and mozzarella starter
didnt fancy the beef cheek so picked a curry. is curry a good idea on a plane? @:-) preordered online weeks before which I enjoy doing
pud
mood lighting in the new Hi J cabin
quick stretch of legs to remind myself, be greatful of every flight in club :-:
have done more than my fair share of world traveller seats over the years.
back to my seat in time for afternoon tea. followed by a good chat with the two gents serving the upper deck. both were awesome and thanks left on BA well done page.
and my final snap of the flight. love this
JFK imagartion wasnt too bad but waited longer than we had liked. I usually book a towncar but opted for a classic NYC cab to take us to the CONRAD for the first 3 nights
was upgraded before the stay to a hudson view which I was grateful of. second time at this hotel and would return in a heartbeat.
1st night 70,000 points. 2nd 28,000 and around $150 and 3rd night $250
a quick walk around the area to explore before passing out
view of NJ
Having seen WTC being built from the ground up over various trips it was a sight to see it finished. a trip to the top was booked as the first activity the following day.
Breakfast vouchers issues, value of $20 per person per day.
there is a diamond only section of the menu which covers certain items which equal the same value or close enough.
enjoying the view looking up
Elevators were super quick and was at the top in no time at all. I wont say any more about the experience at this point but what they have done I found very special ^
forgive the pool quality of this one. digital zoom on iphone
Staff sharing lots of information on both building and NYC in general. enjoyed this too.
A quick stop at the Bronze Charging Bull and then through wall street.
Then the subway up to the central park zoo. first time for me and we both really enjoyed the zoo, lots to see and great value.
No zoom here, this guy flew in to the other visitors scaring the life out of some visitors. Nervous but managed to get close.
how sweet
Sunbathers
standing tall like a boss (sorry I mean Baws)
showing off and making a splash
was a beautiful day
I know I know.. lots of places for food espcially pizza but I do enjoy a classic sbarro visit
time square busy as always
later that day we left the hotel mid evening and decided to walk down and take the staten island ferry to staten island. for all of 4 minutes
tad chilly but always enjoy the view both leaving and back on approach
popped in here on the walk back to the hotel. Done many W hotels around the world but didnt feel like alot was going on.
the following day after a 4am wake up call from noisy neighbors (HH points were issued as these guys were loud!)
I managed to talk Mrs Tynmar in to a cinema visit. as the lincoln square IMAX was one of the few screens in the world to show Batman V Superman in glosious 70mm we enjoyed the film very much after a morning of shopping around town.
More SPG bingo and popped in here for a drink. very cool and good location as right off times square.
inside the W. we managed to get a pod which had speaker control. party time
ok maybe not quite but it was a laugh
five guys for dinner before heading to MSG for a WWE house show.
Kevin Spacey and the empire state building behind.
no added MSG
a snap from the show bringing NYC part of the trip to an end.
Up early the following morning as we head to FLL on a bargain fare in first with virgin america..... to be continued.
