In a New York Minute

I learned in late June that I needed to be in New York City on July 5 to take a test. (I’ll reveal for what later in the article.) Despite having lived in Manhattan for a brief stint in my twenties and the fact that I now live less than two hours away, I had not actually been to “the city” in over five years. In the interim a lot had happened – mainly 9/11 and my becoming a mother. I’ll admit to a moment of irrational fear about visiting New York again. I decided to face my fear head on and immediately enlisted my best friend to come with me.

But where to begin? After all, there is no PassPorter New York City. (Yet…) We decided to go down on the Fourth of July and spend the night. We also decided that the main focus of our trip would be shopping! Shopping for us means Fifth Avenue, which meant a hotel nearby in Midtown Manhattan. It also meant we didn’t want to spend more than $175 a night for the hotel so we’d have more money in the budget for shoes!

I checked out hotel rates and room availability on web sites like Travelocity and Expedia. There seemed to be plenty of rooms available in New York City that night, so I decided to see what kind of deals I could get on Hotwire. Hotwire lets you see the general location and price of a hotel room along with the amenities available, but not the actual name of the hotel - until after you book. The cost of the room is non-refundable and due immediately, so you are taking a bit of a risk. We chose a 4 star hotel in Central Midtown Manhattan that was labeled a “customer favorite,” for $169/night. After booking we discovered that our hotel was the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, at Seventh Avenue and 53rd St. We would see if $169 was a bargain once we checked in!

Our next decision was how to get to there. You’re probably thinking, “But you only live two hours away! Wouldn’t you just drive?” Not necessarily. Parking in New York City is VERY expensive and driving is, well, let’s just say I’d consider bungee jumping less risky. This left us with hiring a town car, taking a bus or taking the train. A town car turned out to be cost prohibitive - about $400 round trip! Where is Happy Limo when I need them? A bus just didn’t fit in with the image of the glamorous Girls’ Weekend that we had planned. So the train it was!

We looked at the Metro North commuter rail schedule online and decided that we would drive to New Haven and take the train from there. The trains were on a holiday schedule for the Fourth so our options were limited, but on the way home there was a train leaving practically every 5 minutes. While you can purchase tickets online, they must be mailed to you and our trip was too soon for that. We purchased them at the station, which is cheaper than buying them on the train.

Finally, the day arrived! My friend arrived bright and early to pick me up and we hit the road. We boarded the train and arrived at Grand Central Station about 90 minutes later.

Now, had I not been carrying a heavy bag with multiple changes of clothing, we probably could have walked to our hotel. But it was hot, and I am lazy. “Taxi!”

We were greeted at the hotel by a doorman, and entered a lobby that was just gorgeous. Dark woods and large floral arrangements abounded, but alas…no Hidden Mickeys! Check-In was quick and painless, and we were directed to a room on the 10th floor.

The room was very small but beautifully furnished, with two queen beds with cherry headboards, nickel light fixtures, and a desk that ran the entire length of the window. The beds were extremely comfortable and had linens with a very respectable thread count. Not to mention five, count ‘em, five pillows each! We quickly decided that the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers was worth every penny and then some.