Monday, January 26, 2009

Have reservations, will travel!

Amidst the Salad excitement, we temporarily put our trip planning on hold, but now it’s back and better than ever. We finally booked a hotel for our two nights in New York City!

Heeding some helpful advice from my new friend and personal travel agent, Jen, I went to priceline.com and various other travel Web sites to look for hotel deals. I admit, it was a bit overwhelming at first (for most places near Lower Alabama, you just know where you’re going and you go there), but after a few hours browsing yesterday afternoon, Gunter and I narrowed the search to a hotel we both felt pretty good about. Here it is, in all its NOT-$700-per-night glory, unlike some others we saw.

It’s in Midtown Manhattan, across the street from Carnegie Hall and just a few blocks away from Central Park. An added convenience would be its proximity to a Starbucks if I were not avoiding caffeine. But don't worry...Jen just sent me an e-mail with a whole list of great places to eat! Woo-hoo! I'm ready to go now! Seriously, I think she's my NYC guardian angel.

Whew! So that’s a big item checked off my list. Now, I'll just take Jen's advice and work on a more detailed itinerary and the best ways to get everywhere.

We haven’t received any details from Liberty about the Israel part of the trip, so I, Planner Extraordinaire, have taken matters into my own hands. In other words, I’m searching the Internet and e-mailing lists of questions to everyone I know who has ever stepped foot in the Holy Land.

Soon, I will begin stockpiling trail mix in large quantities, so don’t be surprised if a vending machine near you is out from now until March.

I thought I’d need 12 days worth of maternity clothes by the time we left (weeks 15-17), but I think I’ll have to address what to pack closer to time. Apparently, you can’t call what I have a “pooch” quite yet, but maybe my Stowaway will be more obvious by then so I can play the pregnancy card as much as possible. For example (in my best Southern drawl), "Would you trade seats with me? That part of the plane is just too bumpy for a pregnant girl." Or how about, "Would you load my luggage, please? I'm not supposed to lift anything heavy on account of the Baby." Even better, "I need to sit in the front of the bus. You know how awful morning sickness can be."

They don't have to know that I've had no morning sickness, do they?

3 comments:

Heather said...

I'm so excited for you!! I'm glad Jen's been able to help with all of the travel plans and provide recommendations for food. (Can you tell we're related? We both love our food.)
I know y'all are going to have a wonderful time. I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!

Sherry said...

NYC! That's fantastic! Hope you have a wonderful time. I'm so glad you don't have morning sickness and I hope you never do!

Jen L. said...

I am thrilled to be your travel agent. :) Let me know what size you are...I may have some cute maternity wear to lend! I popped out in my 15th week, so the chances of you showing by then are good!