Our trip report-Dec. 18 for 3 nights

We arrived at Hyatt, Sunday at 9:30 AM. Was told when booking that we could get early check in. We weren%26#39;t able to check in until 5:45PM. Did a little complaining and was given breakfast vouchers for both mornings. This usually costs $25 per person. I would never have paid that for breakfast. It was a small concession I guess. We loved the hotel. It was very busy. This is where the strike negotiations were taking place. This day we went to Canal Street. Didn%26#39;t really care much for this. Same stores, same knockoffs. Went to see the Rockefeller tree and it was absolutely beautiful. Watched the musical snowflakes at Saks. Very nice. We started a conversation with a man who knew we were from the South. Could it be our accent??!! He said he wanted to find a Southern woman, s Southern Belle, and had been to Charleston. He didn%26#39;t find one there. He said he couldn%26#39;t find anything to eat after 10 PM in the South. We thought that was funny.

Monday we hailed taxis everywhere. Went to NY baking company and got sanding sugar, and edible glitter, and dragees. Ready for cookie making next year. Went to Doggie Do and Pussycats Too. Got some freshly baked goodies for my two Rotties, Max and Lucky. My neice went to live taping of TRL. Johnny Knoxville, Carmen Electra and somebody named Daddy Yankee were there. She enjoyed that very much. Also saw Hairspray this night. We all loved this.

Tuesday got very expensive. Because of the strike the taxis could charge whatever they wanted. We were so nieve. We wanted to take a taxi from the Hyatt to Bloomingdales. The driver wanted $10 per person !!(5 of us). We started walking. Didn%26#39;t go all the way to Bloomies because we stopped in so many stores along the way. We had to check out the Hyatt and go to the Beacon for our last night. Remember this is Day one of the strike. The best deal the bellman got for us was a limo. From the Hyatt to the Beacon, for the 5 of us---$80.00. Yes, $80.00. I know the Beacon gets good reviews, but I didn%26#39;t like it much. A little ragged, the doors all banged up and scratched. Narrow halls and low ceilings. No one helped us with our bags. From here we walked a little in Central Park. Stopped at a cafe for hot chocolate and dessert. The cold was bitter. We are not used to that.

Wednesday, because of the strike we were advised to leave early to be sure to get to the airport. The hotel arranged for transportation. We booked a private van, but ended up on a BUS with about 8 other people. That set us back $19 per person. A deal I guess compared to the limo ride. Got to the airport and guess what? Our plane had been downgraded in size, so they were offering people $200 in Delta dollars to take a different flight. We took advantage. We did have to go to Orlando to get to Columbia, SC, but we only got home an hour later. We can use those Delta dollars for our next trip. Next time we want to come in October maybe. We were there in extreme heat in August, and in extreme cold in December. But we already know we will want to return to NY again and again.

Our trip report-Dec. 18 for 3 nights

Thanks for lovely trip report! Glad you made the best of bad situations, but you are a pro at that after your original Delta ticket snafu! (If I remember correctly...)

Glad you went to NY Baking Co. What are ';dragees';?

Feel free to chime in when others post questions about things you have done. Nothing like the wisdom of experience. Don%26#39;t forget to add your reviews of the hotels on the T.A. hotels page.

Happy New Year!

Our trip report-Dec. 18 for 3 nights

Sounds like you were all up to the challenge of the strike. Good thing you were able to get transport.

I don%26#39;t think the Hyatt and the Beacon are comparable. One%26#39;s a modern business class hotel, and the other is a budget tourist class hotel. You can%26#39;t expect even similar amenities. But did you get a chance to explore the upper west side?

What a lucky break to get those Delta dollars. It%26#39;ll certainly help with your next NY trip. October is usually nice here.

Wow. What a NY experience you had. Yes, after the Hyatt I%26#39;d imagine the Beacon would look a bit worn on the edges. Mid-late September is my favorite time in NYC. ;)

Dragees are the small edible candies that look like tiny silver or gold pellets.

And yes you all are right about comparing the Hyatt to the Beacon.

We didn%26#39;t get to explore UPS very much. We walked into the Time Warner Building, Urban Outfitters, and Filines Basement. This is the area we also stopped for hot chocolate and dessert, can%26#39;t remember the name of the place. We left the hotel at noon on Wed. to make sure we got to the airport on time, so we really didn%26#39;t have a lot of time.

One thing I was proud of doing, and it%26#39;s because of the info I got here, was when we hailed a taxi, and he rolled down the window and asked where we wanted to go. When I told him, he shook his head, said no and left. I was yelling ';you can%26#39;t do that!'; When the next taxi pulled up, he asked us where we needed to go. I said ';you%26#39;re not supposed to ask us that.'; He motioned for us to get in and off we went.

See? We%26#39;re getting the ';hang'; of things there.

just want to say about the taxi%26#39;s that what he wanted to charge you was correct for the strike time. It was on all the news reports that it would be $10 per person per zone, new york was divided into zones and taxi%26#39;s could pick up more than one passenger during that time.

He wasnt trying to con you.

Sorry you were in NYC during the transit strike but it sounds like you made the most of it. BTW, Daddy Yankee is a Puerto Rican performer. I forget what type of music he performs--it has a unique name. The local paper had a big article about him. Plus, when we were in town and rode the D train, his picture was in every car in a radio station ad.

sounds like a miserable time, i%26#39;m surprised you want to come back!

I%26#39;m guessing the music you%26#39;re referring to is reggaeton. It is rapping in Spanish to a reggae ';dance-hall'; or calypso backbeat.

P.S....those gold and silver thinigies are edible? Who knew!

where is the ny baking co we also want edible glitter for wedding cake thanks

56 W. 22nd Street. Their website is nybake.com.