From the Inside Out

My bags were packed and the countdown to vacation had begun when I received an unpleasant call today. American Airlines had cancelled our flight. Of course, I should have known it was coming. Something always happens when I try to go to New York.

Apparently, there was a major snafu in the American Airlines terminal at JFK airport today. The software that controls the baggage sorting conveyor belt malfunctioned. This caused American to delay and cancel flights in and out of the airport. My flight was one of those cancelled.

American was nice enough to automatically rebook us on a flight the following morning with a layover in Orlando. Uh, not cool. First of all, I had already paid for our hotel accommodations on Wednesday night. Second, I don’t want a non-direct flight (in addition, Orlando flights are the worst — packed with annoying vacationers and lots of screaming children). Anyway, after a long time on the phone, Gary got us rebooked on an earlier flight going into the Newark airport.

Once at the airport, more delays ensued (gotta love air travel). However, I’m happy to report that we finally made it to the city. The W Hotel is in the middle of Times Square. It’s an amazing location. You step outside the door and are immediately immersed in the excitement of NYC.

We arrived late. I think it was somewhere around 11 pm, but the city was alive and we were hungry so we set out to see some of the sites (and grab some food).

Here are a few pictures from our first night. To view all pictures, check out the photos section of the blog. I’ll be uploading pictures daily.

W Hotel

Times Square

As my plane landed in Dallas today, I was greeted with a pleasant thought. My next trip will not be for business; it will be for fun! At the end of this month, Gary and I are heading to New York for an extended weekend trip. Since my work schedule won’t allow me to go on a real vacation until October, we’re jetting to NYC for a quick getaway.

We’re staying at the W Hotel in Times Square (my favorite hotel chain). It’s located in the heart of the theater district, with museums a few blocks north and downtown a quick subway ride away.

During our stay, we’re going to check out Wicked, the popular musical currently playing on Broadway. I’d also like to stop by ground zero, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center/Top of the Rock, Central Park, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

For those of you who are familiar with New York, what else should be on my list of things to do? I visited the Statue of Liberty on a previous trip. Are there any other tips you can share or “must see” places I should go? If so, please leave a comment!