Long Winter Weekend in New York City

The Holiday Inn Express is in a great location in Midtown Manhattan. Walk left, out the front door, and you are less than a block from all the shopping on 5th Avenue. Walk right out the front door, and you are about a block and a half from Times Square. We were very pleased with the hotel. Our group had two rooms: one on the third floor and one on the 15th floor. The rooms were a smaller than most Holiday Inn rooms, but it was plenty big for two adults with four suitcases. The room was very clean and visited by housekeeping each day while we were out sightseeing. The beds were very soft and comfortable.

The cable TV system was awesome! Not that you would want to watch much TV in NYC, but if you wanted to watch some, there are about a thousand channels to choose from. The bathrooms were plenty big, very clean, and well-lit. The front desk staff was very nice and very willing to help with anything from subway directions to dinner recommendations. Continental breakfast was served each morning in the lobby. Hi-speed Internet was also free.

The hotel is very tall and thin with only 6 rooms per floor. The hallway has awkward angles that made steering a bell cart slightly difficult, especially in the morning, when housekeeping also had their carts in the hallway. There were at least three delis and a pizza place on the same block. Overall, we would gladly recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a no-frills hotel in a great location.

On our first night in NYC, we decided to dine at Carmine's. By the time we got checked into our hotel, it was past lunchtime but not yet dinnertime. However, our group was starving, so we decided to eat a big meal. At 4pm on a Thursday, we got right into Carmine’s but were told they would need the table back by 5:30 for a dinner reservation. The atmosphere was very pleasant. The meals are served family-style and are giant. The menu is a big sign on the wall.

Our group of four started with Carmine’s salad while we decided on our main course. The salad was very large and very good. A bread basket full of different varieties was also served. We decided to order two entrees: cheese ravioli, which was $20, and the vodka penne, at $23. Both were, in our opinions, just above average. One thing I did not like is that there are no free refills on tea or sodas. Our table ordered a pitcher of iced tea for $12, and it was barely enough for us.

I found the waitstaff to be a little rude and standoffish, but then again, they seemed to be busier preparing for the pre-theater rush than tending to us. Would I go there again? Probably not, but everyone should dine at Carmine’s at least once.

We called about 1 hour before 6pm and were able to get in then on a Friday night. We were led upstairs to a table for four. Along the way you will see the private wine collections lining the wall. The wait staff at Morton’s is fantastic, five-star all the way. The waiter will bring out a large tray of steaks and describe all the different cuts of meat, along with the lobster and the side dishes they offer. We started with an appetizer of scallops, which comes three to an order, but they can add a fourth one if you'd like. Each member of our group of four ordered steak and two sides to share. Then we all split two orders of hot chocolate cake. Everything was delicious. We all tried each other's steaks and agreed that the filet mignon with Béarnaise sauce was the best. For one appetizer, four steaks, two sides, two desserts, and four iced teas our bill was $260, plus tip. Although it was very pricey, it was the best meal I have ever eaten and would strongly recommend a visit for any special occasion.

What a view! We went up at about 9pm on a Saturday night. There was no waiting, and it was not crowded at all. You get a wonderful two-sided map of the skyline that points out the buildings in both a daytime view and a nighttime view. There is a great indoor museum timeline of the Rockefeller building. Then you ride elevators to the top. The elevators have a glass roof that you can see the elevator shaft through, and it seems like it just flies to the top. There are actually three viewing levels at the top; the bottom two have a complete indoor viewing area, and outdoor viewing area has tall glass walls, but the very top is open-air and the best for taking photos. There is an employee at the top who will take your group's picture, which you can buy in the gift shop for around 15 bucks. The views are magnificent. At first I was a little apprehensive about the entry cost: at $17 dollars per person, I thought the price was too steep. But it was worth every penny.

The CNN Insider Tour is located in the Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle in NYC. Finding the studio tour entrance was a little frustrating. We walked through the mall and found an information desk, and the attendant pointed at an escalator and told us to go up to the third floor. The only problem was that the escalator was roped off, but the info desk attendant told us to go on through it. About halfway up the escalator a security officer came down and made us walk back down. Only after telling him we were headed to the CNN tour did he let us through. After we finally reach the CNN store and bought our tickets, we had about a 10-minute wait for the next tour. We thought we might luck into a private tour, but at the very last second a group of 20 bored teenagers joined us.

After going through a security check, you are issued a “Press Pass” to wear around your neck for the duration of the tour. You get to see some neat sets on the tour. We saw Larry King's NYC set, Paula Zahn’s set, Anderson Cooper's former set, and a couple of others. You also get to see the CNNMoney newsroom, but we were there on a Sunday morning and nothing was going on at that time. You also get to see the green screen and one member of your group will get to play weatherman. Our tour guide was so-so. She knew her routine but was not the best at answering questions. The tour did include walking several flights of stairs. At the end of the tour you sit in a neat theater and watch clips of CNN personalities talking about why they became journalists. Overall, we thought it was a great tour but not as good as the NBC studio Tour, so if you plan to do both, do the CNN tour first or you might be disappointed.