Reviews for Seward, Anchorage & Chicago rooms are here
http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...eviews/alaska-point-of-view-suites-24111.html
http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...ces-and-reviews/days-inn-anchorage-24114.html
http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...ws/chicago-embassy-suites-lakeside-24144.html
Jet Blue Flight 908 Chicago ORD to JFK-A320, Seats 2A & 2C
Seated in row 2 after spending an extra $15 to obtain the extra legroom of 38 inch pitch. All looked well as the captain came out to the cabin & announced we would be leaving early & enjoy tailwinds & only 1hr 45 min. We then sat around & were finally joined by a deadheading pilot & family & we scored one of the daughters in between our window & isle seats. Seems the delay meant we missed a slot & then taxied for a long time, were warned we may have to return to terminal as it looked like exceeding 3hrs (some US time limit) but after cutting engines & sitting for a while we received new times & departed approx 50 minutes late. We also ended up with a flight path up to north so we ended up approaching with a southward run and arrived just over an hour late.
Couple of small notes re flight
- extra leg room was excellent, there were approx 40 live v channels ( use own headphones or buy for $2) plus radio stations
- daughter of pilot ( maybe 8yr old) sitting in middle eventually threw up just before decent but most landed on floor or her backpack & thankfully had no aroma
- Dog on board-supposed to be in carry on & weighed. Was across aisle in row 2. Not sure what happens with fellow passengers with allergies or number 1 & 2 moments. Owner kept it in rug, basically sitting in a cabin bag & patted it throughout.
- Crew provided a soft drink & choice of crisps style run & generally Ok without being noticed doing any extras
- Baggage claim reasonably prompt & then onto link to Jamaica Station (surprised at how far this took us) to get out of the airport.
We then caught a train to Penn Station (express service helped to catch some lost time) & then walked short distance to 33rd Street Path station. Being a Sunday we had to travel via Hoboken which meant a longer trip to our B & B at Jersey City near Journal Square. We stayed in Jersey City as a compromise of price, excellent reviews of B&B & not sure of our desire to be “right in the thick of things”. The B&B is about 12 minute walking from Journal Square but with rain & all our gear we opted for the $5 cab ride.
Spending Time in New York
First night in we order in a good supply of very cheap but good quality Chinese takeaway. Beers & sparkling were purchased during our local surveillance walk.
Being walkers we plan to get around mainly using public transport rather than guided tours. First up is a short taxi ride to the Jersey City site for the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island ferry service. The day is a bit foggy & not totally ideal but we still get decent photos & experiences. We walk around to the Hudson St Jersey City area & have a great pizza lunch. Then it is on the path again & over to the Twin Towers area then walking down to Battery Point then back up via Wall St area then back home on the Path. Dinner was down to Exchange Place at the Iron Monkey Inn on the rooftop terrace. New York steaks a bit overcooked & beer choice was limited to craft style beers. The walk home in the dark from the station posed no threats & the trip in the train was also very uneventful.
Day 2 was concentrated on seeing some of Central Park. The trip to 33rd Street is just over 20 minutes from Journal Sq & then a walk to Empire State Building, Times Sq & on further to SW corner of Central Park. More walking saw us see the Carousel, The Mall, Bethesda Terrace, Loeb Boathouse, Belvedere Castle, the Great Lawn and The Reservoir before we emerged out at 86th street. We caught the subway back to just south of Times Square, grabbed some good pizza, did some browsing in Macys & other stores & had a drink in a pub off Broadway before catching the path back to Journal Square. Dinner was Vietnamese at Nha Trang restaurant in the traditional area of Jersey City- nothing special but nice & fresh.
3rd full & final day we walk to Journal Sq & again pass the church celebrating its 350yr anniversary. We head 1st to Greenwich area that appears to be a nice compromise between nearness to action & quiet times but bars & restaurants. After a good walk around we go via subway to Brooklyn & then enjoy a leisurely walk back over Brooklyn Bridge- many people, cyclists but a good pleasant experience. We then walk up through Chinatown & Little Italy & have a light lunch & drink. All refreshed we hop on the subway & head to 81st street where Mrs RB is happy to buy her first pair of Merrell joggers at a heavy discount to the Aust price. We walk & subway back towards 33rd . I spy the New York golf shop from a distance & score a great bargain on a polo shirt. Then we drop into Macys which is a store that is overwhelming in size for 1st time visitors. Mrs RB is subdued in the 45 minute stop but I score another 3 heavily discounted golf/sports polos that I consider to be great easy care quick dry material. (score the 10% bonus as a visitor). A quick disoriented walk sees us back at 33rd street station where it seems we need to reboost our metro card (thought $50 was going to see the pair of us through). Both got a seat despite peak hour & arrived back to see market day was still happening outside Journal sq station. Picked up some beers & walked back to B&B for a break. Ventured up to Journal Sq pub for a few drinks & meal (good chicken pasta & burgers & cold ales) then home to prepare for tomorrows transfer to Boston. Again no concerns with traffic or safety on way back to B&B in the dark. Day transfer from Jersey City B&B to Sheraton Back Bay Boston involved walk to Journal Square station, path ride to Newark then catching the Amtrak train to Boston Back Bay.