the vacation: NYC

JFK roof

chew toy in our pet friendly sweet suite

Sushi Twist, oh that's good stuff!

cool graffiti near W 22nd

Ah, my nice warm fuzzy blog, how I missed your ability to comfort me from the cold harshness of work and all things productive. I don't really know how to encapsulate what a great vacation we had, but I figured maybe by location and loosely chronological would be good (when I get to the Italy part, hopefully I can label the towns correctly).

New York was a lot of fun, but unfortunately I spent most of it in a mental fog. Still suffering from bouts of coughing, the trip added jet lag into the mix and that pretty much made me a walking zombie. There was semblance of life, but I'd eat your brains given the chance and could not make proper change if I were running the till.

The good news though was that I was getting better, and by day 3, I could put together cogent thoughts and thoroughly enjoy our visit to the Met and delicious meals at a favorite restaurants of our NYC residing friend, Heather (who thankfully played guide for the day - thanks Heather!!). Who knew the Met had a roof garden? Not I! I was grateful to have another shot at properly going through the armory unlike during my visit years ago. It must be the D&D geek in me, but I so do enjoy the Samurai swords, ornate armor, and chain mail; and am glad I don't have to use any of it (though the sword would probably come in handy in long lines).

I almost forgot! Sushi Twist on 66 Madison and E 27th is the home of some seriously delicious vittles! We got to catch some live jazz there because it was Monday night. Here's a tip: skip Monday nights. The music was good, but was just too freakin' loud! The wait staff couldn't even hear our orders! But other than that, the food is amazing, drinks are good, and everyone is super nice :)

Logistical info:
JetBlue again comes through with another great flight and the TV helped to pass the time. Book anything row 9 and up and enjoy extra leg room! At the airport I decided that we should take the SuperShuttle because I had a good experience with them before. BIG mistake!!! The driver had no clue what he was doing and no pride in asking for a tip after taking us on a completely unnecessary detour through all of Manhattan that took almost two hours (he was a decent fellow, but I'd probably try trip him down some stairs if I ever saw him again). My advice, pay the money and take a cab! Or fly into Newark and take the train in...

...which we should have done since we stayed at Affinia Manhattan which is about 2 blocks away from Penn Station. I can't say enough about how fantastic this place is! It's pricey at $400 a night. But that price is calculated after taxes and fees, and instead of staying in a (literally) rat infested room the size of a shoe box for $350-$380, the extra money spent was well worth it. Affinia hotels only have suites - no rooms. Ours was about 700 square feet with two full baths, a living room, a kitchen with a stove and full sized refrigerator, and a bedroom with a king sized bed, TV and bureau. Luxury!! Even better was our placement in the back corner of the building and 21 stories up; we hardly heard any of the hustle and bustle of the city.

The only downside is that it's on 7th and 31st, which isn't the best part of town and kind of far away from everything. But walking isn't so bad, and you're always a short subway ride away from something interesting!