Like the three famous sailors, I am going to be in New York for one day only on Monday, 7 June, arriving at 7.30 a.m. on the Queen Mary 2 at Brooklyn harbour (to be confirmed).
Tom has booked another cruise holiday: Six days sailing to New York; eight hours ashore; six days sailing home. AND it's a suite so we will have a butler.
14 January:
I'm starting to get really excited about this cruise, I have the dogs booked into the kennels; organised the carers, Nita & Kelly, who used to work for us before she went to university; she got on great with Lex when we were up in Scotland, so I know I get on with her.
15 January:
Tom thinks the four-hour visit to the Rockefeller Centre will be the best for him, and he wants lunch from a hot dog stand in Central Park, just like all the detectives in the movies have. I'm still waiting for the company to get back to me before we make any final plans. I still can't believe I'm going to NYC.
18 January:
Vega Transportation has been in touch and given me a link to help look at timings & access to plan the visit. The two carers are quite excited about the trip, so I think this one is going to be really good.
21 January:
I'm not a big fan of people, let alone crowds . . . hmmm . . . remind me why I'm going to spend 12 days in a confined space with a lot of people and a day in New York. Oh yes, I remember; it's the shirred eggs & caviar or filet mignon for breakfast.
We looked at sample menus last night; the breakfast one was so big, we never made it to the lunch one. Tom had said he was a bit worried, as we would be eating with all the millionaires as we are in a queen's suite. I said I wasn't; I knew which knife & fork to use and we paid for our ticket just as they have.
Then I saw the menus. I may know what cutlery to use, but I've never heard of the food; I'll have to Google the menus before we go for our meals, so I know what to expect on my plate.
29 March:
I have now received the final itinerary for the cruise, so felt confident enough to make a decision on our day trip in NYC. I have attached the details from Vega Transportation below. I think it should be a really nice day out.
I've booked a guide because we could just wander about aimlessly; with only a few hours, we may miss some interesting places or get lost and not make it back to the ship on time.
Ed Kelley, Director of Sales & Marketing,
Vega Transportation, writes:
My suggestion is that we pick you up at 10 a.m. and drive you to Manhattan, where we will meet the guide at 11 a.m., then four hours with the guide, and leave Manhattan at 3 p.m. back to Red Hook.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Vega specializes in fully-accessible tours in New York City. We have researched all restaurants, facilities, and destinations to ensure that they are all fully accessible. We have a coalition of businesses dedicated to serving travelers with disabilities called Accessible NYC. Please visit the coalition website HERE.
Since 1985, Vega Transportation has specialized in luxury ambulette services and has the best personal service in New York.
We have one of the larger & newer fleets in New York's paratransit industry. Our vehicles are customized with wheelchair lifts, high top roofs & doors, special suspension, front & rear air conditioning, wheelchair locks, and our newest ambulettes have a TV with DVD player.
Vega utilizes cutting-edge technology to guarantee that the passenger is on time for his/her important appointment. All our vehicles are equipped with GPS and are tracked by satellite to pinpoint their exact location. In 2009 we achieved a 99.4% on-time rate.
We put safety first. Vega Transportation has a perfect ten-year safety record with no major accidents or personal injuries.
Vega is one of only two ambulette companies recommended by NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission and provides wheelchair-accessible transportation for over 150 luxury limousine and black-car companies in New York City.
Please visit our website HERE.
[WE NOW RETURN TO OUR
REGULARLY-SCHEDULED WEBSITE]
On 31 March, Jackie continues:
We will have a scenic drive to Manhattan, where we meet a professional guide. We will go to the top of the Rockefeller building, visit Central Park, Times Square and anything else that the guide thinks we can squeeze in. Lunch will probably be "on the hoof". So much to see, so little time, although we might stop for a coffee somewhere.
24 May:
I've not even started packing yet. I take the dogs to the luxury hotel, at 10.00 a.m., then home to pack my bag, load the car, check the house is locked, and all the other things, then we plan to leave at 6.00 p.m. It's a bank holiday on Monday, so we hope the traffic will have died down by then.
We should get to the hotel in Southampton about 9.00 p.m.; time for a few gin & tonics before bedtime.
The next morning, I have to drop Tom and the cases off at the docks by 11.00 a.m., take the car to the parking place and get the coach back so we can board by Noon to enjoy a champagne lunch.
I finish work at 3.00 p.m. on Friday, so I have all weekend to cut the grass & clean the fish tanks (my friend is coming in daily to feed the fish). I groomed the dogs yesterday so they will just need a quick brush through to keep them tidy looking.
Nita is very excited about the cruise and Tom is getting a bit excited. I just get nervous in case I forget something important, I'll get excited when I board the ship.
Just thinking about putting The Wild Bunch in the kennels makes me miss them, but I think they need a spell away just to let them see how lucky they are to live with me. They have all been so naughty this weekend: Mr Mac grabs Mahri's back leg and runs dragging her. We keep trying to stop him 'cos he will hurt her one day and the monkey did it to me - ran past me, grabbed my ankle en route and put me on my derrière, then leapt about just out of my reach, throwing grass in the aire. I'd swear he was laughing at me. Elle has screamed at everything - birds, rabbits, dogs, dandelions, and Mahri had to help her by barking at them. I was glad to go into work today to give my ears a rest.
|