A Taste of NYC

September 25, 2012
New York, NY and Eugene, OR

We had an uneventful flight and arrival into Newark last night. We got to the hotel around 8pm. We decided we were too tired to make a go of going into the city, so we had some of my random snacks for dinner and called it a night.

This morning we made our way into NYC. The easiest way to get there from our hotel at EWR was to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport, ride the Airtrain to the Amtrak station and then take the train into town.

We arrived at Penn Station around 11:45am. This gave us two hours and change to explore the city before we needed to return and collect bags for our flight home. With our two hours we decided to go on a walking tour around Midtown. The list of things I showed Ben included, MSG, The Empire State Building, Central Park, The Trump Towers, Rockefeller Center and Times Square among other things.


The Amtrack train into the city. 


Madison Square Garden.


The Empire State Building.


I look forward to seeing this future episode of 30 Rock. 

One thing that is fun about New York City is that each time you visit the city you see something new. This time the UN was meeting. The amount of security in Midtown was insane. Whole streets were blocked off not only for cars but for pedestrian traffic as well. I guess when the most powerful leaders in the world are all in the same place, at the same time, it is some kind of big deal.


The United Nations building. 


One of a million cars in the city with diplomatic plates this week. 


We're guessing leaders from the flagged countries above were staying at the Waldorf. 

Being back in the States Ben was ready for a burger and a milkshake. Before heading out back to the airport we stopped at the Shake Shack for lunch. It was nice to have a big old piece of protein for the first time in two weeks.

We’re now at the United Club at EWR. It’s crazy that we’ve been on the road for 15 days. There were a few longer days than others but for the most part the trip flew by, which must mean a good time was had by all. I’m ready to see my Chippy and sleep in my own bed. The next trip on my calendar is to Phoenix for the Ducks vs Arizona State game in two weeks!

Until then,

Katy

The Lounge

September 24, 2012
Istanbul, Turkey

It was an early morning but it was worth it! Anyone who knows me knows even though I have travelled plenty, my geography is terrible. I didn’t realize until getting to Istanbul that part of the city is in Europe and part of the city is in Asia. There are not a lot of days in your life where you’ll have the opportunity to set foot on three continents. I wanted to make today one of those days. The boys were game to go on my adventure with me, so we met for breakfast at 7:45am.

After breakfast we hopped in a cab and rode it to the ferry terminal where we crossed the Bosphorus to a municipality called Uskudar. The ride was quick. It took roughly seven minutes. We got off the boat, took a few pictures, walked around a little bit, went in the tourist information office and then proceeded to ride the ferry back to Europe.







By 10:30am it was time to say goodbye to Scott and venture off to the airport. As previously mentioned traffic in Istanbul can be terrible, so we wanted to be sure to allow adequate time for our 1:55pm departure. The cab ride ended up taking a little over an hour. By 12:05pm we had checked in, cleared customs and found our way to the Turkish Air Lounge, the nicest lounge I have ever visited by a factor of five. I could write a thesis on its cool elements. Instead enjoy these photos:




Scanners for electronic check in with the barcode on one's ticket.


Lockable luggage storage.


The pool table and library. 


One of many multiple fruit tables.


A salad bar. 


The piano was getting tuned. 


Once tuned, the tuner and a staff member of the lounge set the piano's autoplay 
list through an ipad and the piano's own wireless network. 


The non-alcoholic beverage cooler. 





One of a few hard alcohol bars. Aged whiskey anyone? 


27" Imacs for your web-browsing pleasure. 


The theater room.


What's a theater room without a popcorn machine?


Tables for consuming the endless free yummies. 


The TV wall  of sports and news. 


The pasta bar. 


The pizza bar. 






This laptop projects all current Turkish Air flights in the sky...


... on this wall.


The kids play area. 


One of the video game stations.




A quiet area for prayer. 


The lounge concierge. 


A meeting table for large groups. 


A place to make cell phone calls without disturbing others. 




The women's restroom sinks. 


The women's restroom bathroom stalls. 


The women's restroom makeup mirrors.  


The bathroom sinks.


The burger, chicken and rice bar. 




The nut bar. 


More flat bread pizza. 


The wine bar. 






The dessert bar. 


The single best in lounge food item I've ever had. 


Fruit tart. 


Bread pudding and pastries. 

It’s hard to believe that this adventure with Ben is nearly over. There were certainly days that went faster than others but for the most part this trip flew by. Ben has never been to NYC, so we are going to spend 24 hours in the city that never sleeps before making our way back to Eugene. For now I’m going to enjoy the perks of business class travel from Istanbul to Newark.

See you in the States!
Katy