Important things to remember for the next trip

1. If I did not have my heart set on a specific show, I would wait and go to the TKST ticket booth on Broadway in Times Square and get tickets for 1/2 price or less..... We talked to people who did that and got good seats real cheap. You may not have a lot of choice but you will get to see some play and really there are no bad plays on Broadway.

2. Bring a good piece of elastic that I could tie around Harvey's forehead with Gladys attached, then I could just punch in the address we wanted and she would tell us where to turn and I would not have to keep looking up at street signs ( Just joking, but I really really loved the GPS)

3. Remember to bring a good set of ear phones for the plane. They do sell them for $3.00 and West Jet's are 100% better than Air Canada's but one's own I-Pod or Walkman ear phones will fit. All the planes now have built in TV's into the back of the seat in front of you and they do put in time. You can even rent a movie for $1.99 by running your credit card through the reader.

4. Not to worry about having a couple of good places to eat. We ate at 3 great restaurants but we spent about $130 at each and that was with out alcohol. Yes they were very good but we could have eaten at many small places or deli's on any street you walked down. The deli's are really like a combination buffet and confectionery. You can get hot, cold, ready made up or mix and match from the display cases. Breakfasts, lunch or dinner... Every thing was good and you could tell most of the New Yorkers were eating there. Yes it is nice to sit down in a formal place,with fancy eye appealing meals but also expect fancy prices plus the 15 - 20% tip.
This would be one way to cut back on what one spends.

5. Cut back again on clothes. Even though I had taken 1/2 what I had planned, we seemed to wear the same things over and over as they were comfortable. One pair of shorts or casual pants and one pair of dress pants would have been plenty. Of course they should be in a dark color in case of spills. Unless you are travelling with others, you know no one, and no one knows you, so who cares....

6. Remember to pack more "mole skin". If you don't know what that is, it is like a thick spongy bandaid that you can cut to what ever size you want....a life saver when blisters appear on one's feet or just hot spots from walking so much. I had blisters on the bottom of both my feet and after putting on the mole skin I could walk miles the next day.

7. Try not to arrive at the airport 3 - 4 hours before flight time. Even the suggested 2 hours is way more that is needed usually. They have the security check down to a science and seem to have set up so many more check points. Also do not go to your gate until 15 mins before boarding time unless your gate is a mile away. If you do you spend 2 hours sitting in a cold, sterile area looking at others who are looking at you in the same boredom. Look at a map of the terminal and you will know how long it will take to get to your gate......
Now that all changes if you have a laptop with you as who could be bored with that on your lap.
Oh with a GPS and lap top...life would be so much better lol

8. Dress warmer for the plane. They keep it way colder than need be and the wind blowing from everyone else's little ceiling blower makes it very uncomfortable. You can ask for a blanket from the flight attendant but it is as thin as a Klennex and very very small. I put one on one shoulder and it helped a little.

9. Take taxi's more often. They are very reasonable even with the tip and the energy and time one saves allows you to do more for a longer time.

10. Take city tours as they give you a good overview of all important sights and then allows you to decide where to go and see more in depth. The guides are professional and always have some inside stories to add to the tour.

11. Do not take up dress clothes. No one dresses up any more....not even for fancy restaurants, or the theatre. Oh yes the locals dress up but the tourists certainly do not. No shorts would be the only stipulation for some places.

12. Plan, Plan, Plan.......Google, Google Google before you go. Copy the maps on Google and put in your favorite things you might like to see. Some cities like New York can be googled and go to street level where you can walk and look at the buildings, hotels, restaurants etc. If you have a good idea, where you want to go and how to get there you can just go and do your thing and not look like the typical tourist with a big map in one hand and a big Fodors tour guide in the other......