Help! Trip not going well.

#1 Feet hurt badly #2 Hotel (Avalon) room so hot we can%26#39;t sleep/they told us, ';open a window'; #3 one of the 2 hotel elevators not working #4 the crowds are terrible #5 teen daughters mad at each other #6 waiting time for restaurants we want to go to is long and wait time for ferry to statue of liberty was 2 hours(we said forget it). I am usually the MOST optimistic person. Just needed to vent. We are here until January 3. I just wanted this to be a great vacation for our family. Anyone have any suggestions?

Help! Trip not going well.

Just read about Sole. I think I must make an appt. and I will try a different pair of shoes today. Thanks to all of you New Yorkers that reply to our posts.

Help! Trip not going well.

I don%26#39;t know what to say except I hope things turn up!

Nothing to do about the hotel. As for crowds, this is the most crowded week of the year in New York -- I don%26#39;t go out except to go to work, and do some errands in the neighborhood, and will wait til next week to catch up on movies, museums and shopping.

But since you don%26#39;t have that option, try going to less crowded areas -- get away from midtown and explore tthe West Village or Chelsea or the Upper West Side. Central Park has plenty of open space and has a more rugged beauty this time of year.

As for restaurants, pretend you never heard of the ones you already had in mind and go discover some fun funky places -- you%26#39;ll feel like an adventurous New Yorker. Ninth Avenue in the 40s and 50s is particularly good, as is the East Village. There%26#39;s a terrific Ethiopian restaurant, Meskerem at 468 W 47th St New York, between 9th and 10thh Avenues.

You gotta be like a New Yorker; that old cliche about when the going gets tough is true.

But you should feel free to vent here. A lot of New Yorkers would just do it on the street. :o)

Wow, sorry things aren%26#39;t going the way you expected. Teenage daughters locking horns, with all of you in one room? Ouch, that%26#39;s gotta hurt!

1. Sorry about your feet, but this is a walking city. Are you wearing sneakers? Sole is WONDERFUL! You won%26#39;t be disappointed. The only disappointment is you still have to use your feet afterwards. Wish they provided a ';carry you home'; service.

2. The best way to counteract over-enthusiastic heating system that you can%26#39;t adjust is to open a window. Or sleep naked.

3. That stinks. I%26#39;m assuming taking the stairs is out of the question?

4. Crowds? What crowds?

5. Buy them each a MetroCard, give each a map, spending money and some quarters (or a cell phone). Tell them to go their separate ways and come back in two hours. Worked for my parents!

6. Waiting times? What waiting times?

(Seriously - where are you eating? Are you going to touristy restaurants? Try eating at ';off hours'; and going to Chelsea, Murray Hill or Gramercy Park. I%26#39;ve been eating out all week, and not seen crowds.)

Don%26#39;t forget to drink lots of water. Since your room is hot, you are exercising a lot (by walking more than you are used to) and there is low humidity, you may be dehydrated and not realize it. I suspect this is a factor. Re-hydrating will reduce foot swelling, fatigue and crankiness.

p.s. get an umbrella - it is supposed to rain the next couple of days.

In adddition to PontMarie%26#39;s great suggestions re: the dining situation, I would suggest considering eating an early dinner, say around 5 p.m. Most places, especially off the beaten path, will seat you immediately at that hour. If you all think you%26#39;d be hungry later in the evening, then buy some snacks and drinks. Sorry to hear that your hotel room is so hot. You could look at it this way--it%26#39;s better than being too cold. I have a 20-year old daughter so I know how moody teens can get. If you haven%26#39;t already, ask them what they would like to do (within reason, of course!). We did that with our daughter when we went to NYC with her. Of course, we drew the line when she said she wanted to go to H%26amp;M and do a lot of shopping! I have found with most vacations, you do have some down days that don%26#39;t go as planned.

Have just returned from a Xmas stay so would suggest - Top of the Rock - no queues at all, only five of us up there. Let teen daughters explore on their own. I had blisters on blisters - painkillers were my only solution. Have you tried Statten Island Ferry ?- this will go past S of L and is free. Hope things get better for you and your family.

You%26#39;ve gotten great advice. The only thing I%26#39;ll add is start heading south. Just south of you in the teens and 20s there are lots of restaurants and shops that will be less crowded.

Fifth ave. in the 20s has lots of shops the teens will like. Go to the Forbes museum (free) on Fifth ave. %26amp; 12 st. From there keep going south to Otto%26#39;s for pizza at 1 Fifth Ave. You%26#39;ll be right in front of Washington Square Park. Then keep going south (or west) into the village. You%26#39;ll all like it.

I can offer great sympathy my feet were terribly painful. It wasnt blisters it was a problem with the arches. I took different shoes and rotated them but nothing worked they throbbed so bad. My husband went to duane reede and got me some arch supports and also some of their own brand pain reliver cream and we rubbed that in my feet every day and it numbed them nicely and really helped somewhat!

the crowds were bad the 2nd half of our holiday after that weekend (the one before xmas) and it was really bad then so we gave up on the places to eat that had the crowds.

we had probs with our two eldest killing each other they are 16 and 12 and it was hell, to be honest they ruined it and tears from me didnt help but rest assured seeing as they couldnt control their tempers for 5 mins we informed them this would be the last family holiday with both of them together and sure as sure they are being shipped to grand parents next december whilst we take the little one to disney (the big three have already been and me and hubby need a break from them!)

with the hotel, maybe bluff and say you are a travel agent and you shallnot be sending any more business this way or give send an anonymous email to the them with a link a new subjet on this site saying something like the hotel avalon lacks customer care....maybe then the publicity will do something!

hope it gets betters!

Try the Jekyll and Hyde Club for the teenagers. It%26#39;s entertaining and will give the kids something to do for 2 hours or so. We just got back from NYC 18-21 and stayed at the Avalon, me and a friend and our 2 teenage sons age 14 and 15. The heat wasnt an issue with us, but the plumbing was. We had to move rooms 2 times, thank goodness it was only the 2 of us in a Junior Suite. IF you continue to have problems, ask for a room change or upgrade. We did and got it!!Go to website eerie.com for directions to the Club. I think its at the edge of Central park, or in that general area. We went on a Monday night and had no lines, and they told us usually during the week you can get right in. Only long lines on the weekends. Hope things work out for you! Its a shame about the Avalon. Beautiful hotel, but major problems with lack of service, etc. Maybe because of union workers on strike? Anyway, good luck!!!

Just returned with our teenage son and we agreed that next time we will come alone and doo all the things we want to do but as others have recommended go south out of midtown and you are sure to find many less crowded places to eat - the vallage, soho etc. Also, get down to the Staten Island ferry - no crowds and its freee and you also get good views of SOL and the south Manhattan skyline from the river.