Our Annual NYC Holiday Trip!

Our annual holiday trip to New York City is always one of the most popular events each year.  It just doesn’t feel like Christmas until I check out the Rockefeller Center tree, spend a little time watching the energetic singing Salvation Army bell ringers, and visit one or more of the holiday markets.

Usually I head to the shops at Bryant Park, but this year I was planning to visit the Food Hall at The Plaza Hotel, so going to the Columbus Circle holiday market made more sense.  The Food Hall felt a bit dungeon-like to me and, of course, given the high-end vendors, the prices were high.  I bought a mocha latte (which needed a lot more mocha) and did a little people watching.  The hotel is stunning and the holiday decorations were as gorgeous as I expected them to be.  Stopped by the Eloise gift shop, which along with tiny little jackets at $144 a pop, includes a Concierge desk.  Seriously.

I will say that I prefer the Bryant Park shops over Columbus Circle, but I did come across a wonderful young lady who makes the most adorable cat and dog pillows.  Was having a hard time making up my mind until I spotted this one with the duck inner tube—perfect for the guest room of the vacation house!  Unfortunately, no website for this vendor yet, but she expects to have an Etsy page soon (The Strawberry NYC). 

I was very disappointed when Alfredo of Rome closed its restaurant on West 49th Street last year.  It reopened earlier this year as Alfredo 100 on East 54th Street.  It has a more relaxed and cozy atmosphere; however, it’s not nearly as conveniently located as the former restaurant.  Happily, the Fettuccine Alfredo is as delicious as I remember.  I’m always a little surprised when the bowl arrives because the portion seems so small, but once I start eating, I realize how filling it is and I was barely able to finish.  It was a tossup between finishing the pasta or the $12.50 glass of merlot and the pasta won.  I’m not a wine expert by any means, but I’ve had wine out of a box that was far superior to that merlot.

I hadn’t planned on seeing a show on this trip, so I walked around for a while in an attempt to burn off at least a few of the Fettuccine calories.  Was a little disappointed in the store window displays, although I enjoyed the sparkly little trinkets in Harry Winston’s windows.  My energy started to fizzle out, so I decided to go see a movie to kill a couple of hours.  A lot of other people had the same idea and the inside of the movie theater was easily twice as crowded as streets in Times Square.  After multiple attempts to find a ticket kiosk that worked, I finally got my ticket for Annie and then began the trek to the actual theater. I lost count of the number of escalators that it took to reach the theater.  Made it just in time to watch about a dozen trailers of upcoming movies and just as the movie was starting, a gentleman decided to sit one seat over from me with a plate of food that stunk from the moment the movie started until the moment I left the theater.  Other than having to cover my nose for the entire movie, it was pretty enjoyable.  I think they should have called it anything other than Annie because there were very few similarities other than, of course, cute kids singing The sun will come out tomorrow… But it was a nice way to pass some time.

I always like to see the Rockefeller tree in the daytime and then again at night because it looks like two different trees.  The morning crowds weren’t bad at all, but the evening crowd was ridiculous.  I gave up trying to get anywhere close.  

Still trying to decide what trips to do next year, but will definitely be going to NYC on Saturday, May 16, for On the Town and will also have some “On Your Own” seats on the bus.  Will put together a flyer with the trip details in January and send it to our global e-mail list.

Let us know if there is anything special you’d like to do or see next year—we’re always looking for new ideas.  Wishing everyone a VERY Happy, Safe, and Healthy New Year ahead!

OK, SO THE "LAST TRIP" TURNED OUT NOT TO BE THE LAST TRIP...

I figure if Cher can have more than one farewell tour, I can have more than one last trip...

On October 4, we took a trip to the 9/11 Memorial Site and Museum in NYC.  I had mixed emotions about doing the trip.  On one hand, I feel it's important that we not forget what happened to this country on that day; on the other hand, I wasn't sure I was comfortable with how the site has turned into another tourist destination.  So I visited the site in advance of our trip to get a better idea of what to expect when our group went.  Very glad I did.

The museum is large and the exhibits are spread out over several levels.  I found some of the areas to be set up a bit awkwardly which caused bottlenecks as people tried to work their way around those areas.  The museum does provide a nice map to help guide you and there are docents located at various areas who provide interesting facts and details about some of the exhibits.  

If you plan to visit the museum, I recommend that you check out the website in advance in order to become familiar with the layout and the exhibits.  Everyone has different viewing preferences, but a guide for time to spend there would be at least 2.5 to 3 hours.  

Keep in mind that the area is basically a business district (meaning not a lot of interesting touristy sites) and it's undergoing a lot of construction (meaning it can get confusing meandering through the streets). Other than the Century 21 department store (I have yet to find any major bargains there), there isn't much else in the area for tourists.  I like Brookfield Place as a place to hit for dining and/or relaxing, but there are plenty of other options including fast food, pizza, and pubs.  

It rained on the day of our trip, so the photos contained in this post are a combination of my first visit and the October 4 trip.  For those who couldn't make the October 4 trip, shoot me an e-mail to ddavis@davisdaytrips.com and let me know if you are interested in joining us on a trip in 2015.   

LAST TRIP, FIRST BREAKDOWN!

While I haven't sent out the official announcement yet, I did recently make the decision to close up (yes, again).  Davis Day Trips will still provide custom group trip planning as we've always done for school groups and other organizations, but for a number of reasons, we feel that it's time to "take a break."  Last year was very successful and encouraging, but this year was, well, not so much.  Perhaps it's still the economy, or the fact that we don't have enough time to spend promoting our trips, or that we aren't offering the trips that our customers want.  Or all of the above...

In any event, our last trip ended up with a breakdown at Exit 7 on the NJ Turnpike. Believe it or not, after all of the trips over all of the years, this was my very first breakdown!  There were actually many "good" things about the breakdown though:  We had an excellent driver (thank you Eric Harding!) who got us over to the shoulder of the road where we were completely safe until our replacement bus arrived.  Also, we were on the way BACK from NYC, rather than on the way TO, so itineraries weren't impacted. And everyone was very patient and understanding, which I appreciated more than they will ever know.  No one (especially me) likes being stuck on a bus for an extra couple of hours after a long day, but they all made the best of it and I thank them for that.

On the positive side, it was a beautiful day to spend in NYC and I started my day with the Rockefeller Center Walking tour.  Well worth the $17, but they certainly don't make it easy for you to find where the tour actually starts.  There is plenty of signage for the Top of the Rock observation deck, but nothing to show you where to queue up for the walking tour.  So you do need to ask one of the nice folks who work there in order to find out: 1) if your tour is actually taking place (I had ordered my ticket online and I learned that it had been rescheduled to a half hour later) and 2) where you need to go to wait for the tour to begin.  It's amazing how many times I've walked around all of the buildings that comprise Rockefeller Center, yet I never took the time to stop and appreciate the incredible artwork.  

The walking tour includes audio headsets so that you can hear the guide from wherever you are which is great so that you don't miss anything he/she says.  But you do still need to keep an eye out for the guide because ours was a fast walker and we lost him briefly a couple of times along the way.  There's an awful lot of information covered during the tour and while I learned a lot, it left me wanting me more so I'll be looking for a book or two to fill in the gaps.

Speaking of books, another nice thing about the tour is that your ticket includes the opportunity to purchase a very nice hardcover book for only $5 about the history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas (the book is normally $30).  They don't make it easy to find the store where it's sold (again, I had to ask) but it's worth the effort.  Super nice enthusiastic young ladies were working there--one of whom suggested that I visit the Rockefeller estate, Kykuit, and she took the time to go online to give me the address.

After my tour, I walked over to the Minus 5 Ice Bar.  Wasn't going to because I kind of resent the $20 cover charge (and that's for the El Cheapo package) but I had time before Cinderella started and I figured since this would be my last visit to NYC for a while, I'd check it out.  It would be a great place to go cool off on a steamy hot summer day and I will say that the $15 Snowflake cocktail had plenty of alcohol in it, so it was almost like getting two drinks for the price of one.  Would I do it again?  Nah, but it would be a fun thing to do with some friends when you want to kill an hour or so.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Cinderella even though I was disappointed that Harriet Harris wasn't playing Madame in the performance (loved her in Fraiser and Desperate Housewives).  Show could have been a bit shorter (it's a bit of a long time for most young kids to sit still) but it's a fun musical that anyone of any age would enjoy.  Still trying to figure out how they did some of those magical costume changes!

Dinner at Frankie & Johnnie's ended the day and it was a bigger treat than normal because I got to enjoy it with my friends Ginny and Shirley.  The only downside was that Mario was not there, but fabulous Roxy and the rest of the amazing staff took excellent care of us.  Still have not found better salmon ANYWHERE and they have a new dessert menu (I recommend the raspberry crumble cheesecake)!

So this is it.  At least for a while.  I know I'm going to miss doing all of the research for new trips and traveling with all of my friends.  But I've learned never to say never, so we may be back again with fresh new trips some time in the future.  I'll keep you posted...

Yup, Beecher's really DOES have the "world's best mac & cheese"!

A few years ago, I conducted a search for the best mac & cheese in midtown Manhattan and I believe that I gave Virgil's the honor.  I've since discovered Schnipper's which pushed Virgil's into second place.  Now that I've been venturing out of midtown more often, I discovered that Beecher's in the Flat Iron district is my new favorite mac & cheese in NYC. They're even nice enough to put their signature recipe on their website which, of course, means that you should most definitely buy their cheese before attempting the recipe.  (I don't think substituting a block of Kraft will have the same effect.)   While you're at Beecher's, you can actually sit (on milk can stools) and watch the cheese-making process.  You might not think that's very interesting, but I spent a good five minutes mesmerized by the curds and whey.  Then again, I'm a confirmed cheese freak...  


If you're not into baking a batch of mac & cheese yourself, you can buy frozen portions in their cheese shop or order it online and have it shipped to you at $58 for two 20 oz. trays--which may seem like a lot, but is actually cheaper than buying it in the restaurant ($11 per serving).  It was served piping hot in an au gratin dish (my server felt the need to advise me to not lick the dish because it was so hot) and the portion size was just right for a lunch meal.  I actually left about $1.50 worthin the dish because I just couldn't force those last couple of bites in.  If you're ever in the Flat Iron district, stop by for a free sample of the mac & cheese and grab some free samples of their flagship cheese--I promise you won't be sorry.

Right around the corner from Beecher's is the birthplace of Teddy Roosevelt and I arrived just in time for the 2 p.m. tour.   There's no charge (donations are appreciated) and it's an excellent way to spend an hour.  The building is actually a reproduction of the original building which was demolished in 1916 and (excluding the addition of air conditioners), each room has been recreated as it would have been when  lived there as a child.   Our guide was very informative and very happy to share all of his knowledge about Theodore (our 26th president did not like being referred to as Teddy).


I'm really enjoying the time that I spend exploring other areas of NYC.  There are so many fabulous buildings, beautiful parks, and interesting stores that are a nice change from the tourist areas and souvenir shops.  Don't get me wrong--I love Times Square and the theater district but when the weather is nice, I like to walk around and discover different areas and neighborhoods.   

The Flatiron District 
is named after the Flatiron (Fuller) Building which got its name because the triangular shape of the narrow building resembles a cast iron clothes iron.  It's not available for touring, so I had to limit my photos to the exterior, which I had to shoot in sections due to the height of the building.














In addition to plenty of shaded areas to sit and relax plus free WiFi access (just sign up for a free account), Madison Square Park (named for our 4th president, James Madison) also has the Shake Shack .  There was such a huge line of people that I wondered if maybe they had the "world's best shake" so I had to join the line to find out.  We moved along fairly quickly and I ordered a chocolate shake.  It was OK.  Not spectacular, not bad, just your average shake.  But I learned that what IS special about the Shake Shack is that a portion of each purchase benefits park maintenance and programs and they've raised quite a lot of money.  If I hadn't already stuffed myself with mac & cheese earlier, I would have tried the cheese fries because they did look awfully tasty.  They also offer dog-friendly items on their menu as well.  So I understand now why the long line.

I had planned to stop by Eataly to check out the rooftop restaurant Birreria, but I ran out of steam and time (did I mention that I had walked from 49th Street and was also walking back?).  There's a lot more to see and do in the Flatiron District, so it's worth a visit back at another time.  OK, the real reason for returning will be to get more mac & cheese, but there are a lot of other neat things to do and see.

We truly lucked out with the weather again on this trip. Both of my recent NYC trips fell smack in between some nasty weather systems, so I hereby give my thanks to Mother Nature.  Hopefully she will smile on us again when we head to the Bronx on August 30 for the Yankees vs. Orioles game.  We've got some great Field Level seats available and we even supply the Cracker Jack!

Magnificent Morning in Morningside Heights

I've been wanting to visit The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine for several years and yesterday was finally the day.  I don't necessarily have a fear of heights; however, I do have a bit of claustrophobia which made the Vertical Tour a challenge.  I'm not a fan of spiral staircases to begin with, but the stairs on this tour were as narrow as they could possibly be.  At one point I even considered staying put and rejoining the group when they made their way back, but there was an 80+ woman in our group and I decided that if she could do it without whining, then so could I.

The first batch of steps truly was the worst because there were so many of them before we finally reached the buttress.  After that, each group of steps seemed a little easier and the views at each stop along the way were reward for the effort.  

For those who want to enjoy the cathedral without climbing the stairs, there are a variety of other tours or you can explore on your own (donations are appreciated).

Being a fan of the TV series White Collar, I knew that the mansion used for the exterior shots of Neal Caffrey's home is the Schinasi mansion at 351 Riverside Drive which was an easy walk from the cathedral.  I was very disappointed to see the condition of the exterior, especially since it's for sale (at the bargain price of just $13.5M).   I have to believe there was some serious PhotoShopping that went into the exterior shots on the realtor's website.  Check out the website and then look at my photos and you decide...

Spent some time wandering and trying to decide where to relax for a while.  Saw an Irish pub across the street (you can't go wrong with an Irish pub in my mind) and waited for the light to change.  Happened to turn around and realized I was standing right next to the Underground Lounge which was a place I had wanted to check out.  So I headed down the stairs (stairs being the theme for my day apparently).  It's a small place, staffed by very friendly people.  There was a brunch taking place in the back room where they normally hold shows during weeknights and it seemed to be very popular.  Would have happily spent more time hanging out there, but I wanted to explore some more.  

Came across lovely Straus Park, named in memory of Isidor and Ida Straus who perished on the Titanic.  Isidor was a successful businessman (ultimately owning R. H. Macy & Company), congressman, and philanthropist.  Although Mrs. Straus had the opportunity to escape the Titanic on a lifeboat, the New York Times quoted a survivor as saying, "Mrs.

Straus declared she would not leave her husband...They were standing arm in arm as the last boat left.  As she refused, she clung to him, and they went down arm in arm with the boat."      

I coordinate a lot of group trips to NYC for schools and other organizations and the groups often like to include a meal, so I wanted to check out Buca di Beppo which recently opened in Times Square at the same location as the newly remodeled Planet Hollywood.  I was not impressed.  While I was warmly greeted at the entrance to the building and seated quickly when I arrived at the third floor restaurant, my server left much to be desired.  Even though there was just one other occupied table in the entire restaurant, my server seemed rushed, spoke much too fast, acted slightly annoyed that I was even there, and made me wish that I had chosen Planet Hollywood on the second floor instead.  I ordered the cheesy bread Florentine appetizer and a peach Bellini.  Appetizer came fairly quickly and was OK, but the drink took much too long to arrive.  I popped in PH on my way out of the building.  It looks like they have far less memorabilia on display but they had a lot more patrons and they all appeared to be enjoying themselves much more than I did at Buca.  When I first heard that Planet Hollywood was going to add Buca to their location, I was confused.  I'm still confused.


It probably goes without saying that I stopped by Frankie & Johnnie's to visit everyone and I had a quick drink there.  Have been going there for at least 15 (probably more) years and what keeps me going back is the people that work there (and the fantastic salmon).  Maybe the Buca people should send their servers to F&J for some training on how to treat customers??

Heading back to NYC on the 19th.  Half the folks are going to see The Lion King and the rest of us will be on our own.  Haven't decided what to do yet, but you can bet it will not involve a lot of steps.

Sing Low, Sweet Harriet...

We met up with our tour guide, Sheri, of Cambridge Lady Tours, at the Sailwinds Visitor Center in Cambridge and I knew right away I had selected the best possible guide for our Back Roads to Freedom tour!  

Sheri entertained and informed during our Underground Railroad driving tour through Dorchester County, MD.  (If you had joined us, you would understand the title of this post.)  She also corrected some misconceptions that I had held about Harriet Tubman and her role in the Underground Railroad.


Most of the tour was spent on the bus which was a blessing since it was on the chilly and windy side.  But Sheri did "make" us get off of the bus at the Harriet Tubman historical marker on the site of the Brodess Farm because she wanted each of us to have the experience of standing on the same soil that Harriet walked on as a child.  

We stopped at the Portside Restaurant for lunch.  According to Sheri, this is where the locals go and the food was quite good and prices reasonable.  Unfortunately, the weather didn't allow us to take advantage of the deck and the wait staff wasn't as prepared as I had hoped to handle our group, but it was a nice break in the day.

Sheri stayed with us as we headed to the historic downtown area of Easton in Talbot County.  The sun was now out and we spent a pleasant afternoon visiting the unique shops and sights along the brick paved sidewalks (next time I'll remember to wear flats).  I particularly enjoyed The Trade Whims, Crabi Gras (great hot sauce selection!), and The Green Phoenix.   

For even more shopping opportunities, you can visit "Talbot Town" and, yes, there actually is a Talbot's store there!

Stopped at the ice cream parlor on the way back to the bus.  Perfect way to end the day!

Based on all of the positive feedback that I've already received, I may be running this trip again, so let me know if you're interested in coming along (you will NOT be disappointed!)  

Of course, you could take a driving tour yourself and it would make for a great day out, but it's so much nicer to have a skilled driver at the wheel so that you can focus completely on the sights and a personal guide who can give you details you may not discover on your own.  

Our first annual Bus to the Brews trip!

I love it when a trip goes off without a hitch and the Bus to the Brews was one of those trips.  Donna Emel brought along the most fun group all decked out and ready to celebrate St. Patty's Day.  You gotta love a guy who will wear an over-sized plaid newsboy cap with a pom pom on top!  And the ladies definitely raised the fashion bar up a  couple of notches.

This was our first visit to Fordham Brewing Company in Dover, DE, and, as I've said before, I'm always a bit nervous going to a place for the first time.  But Marketing Coordinator Lauren Bigelow was ready and waiting for our group and we were warmly welcomed, given our first sample, and then gathered up to begin the tour.  I always try to remember to write down the names of the tour guides so that I can mention them  in my posts, but I completely failed on this trip.  So, my apologies to the gentleman that led our tour for not including your name, but I do extend my thanks and appreciation. 


And I'll also admit here that I rarely pay attention to what's being said during tours--I'm more concerned with making sure that everyone stays together and has a good time and I try to get some good photos while the tour is going on.  Every now and again, a bit of knowledge does actually sneak in, but I figure I'm better off not giving away too much information anyway because that way you can just join me on a future trip to learn everything for yourself.  

A nice touch at Fordham is that at the end of your tastings, you exchange your sample glass for a pint-size glass to take home as a souvenir.  LOVE getting free stuff!  Wishing now that I had bought a case of their handcrafted sodas.  Next trip there I will be bringing one back for sure.   

I've been to Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, DE, before but hadn't had the chance to take the tour, so this was another first.  I had contacted Janelle Miley of their marketing team to set up our groups and she was a pleasure to work with.  

We had two separate tour guides (again, their names never made it into my notebook, but they both did a great job).  Lots of big tanks and big pipes and like I said earlier, I'm not going to give you details about this tour because if I do the trip again, I want you to sign up and find out for yourself!  I will say that there's plenty of interesting stuff to learn.  There's a whole lot more to brewing beer than just throwing stuff into a tank and hoping for the best.


I do enjoy the Dogfish Head gift shop.  It's a fun place with the requisite tee shirts, baseball caps, and glassware, but you can actually purchase their beer at prices much cheaper than your local retail place.   And if you have a whole lot of extra cash that you don't know how to spend, there are a couple of collectible growlers for $125 each.   

Ended the day with a dinner stop in Rehoboth.  Paul and I went to Dogfish Brewpub and met up up with my friend Peggy and her kids Nathan and Lindsey and Lindsey's husband Jon.  Jon is a Pittsburgh native, so he and Paul have that "Burgh Bond."  Despite the fact that Lindsey slipped and told Paul the Penguins had won the game that afternoon, we had a fun time (just teasing Lindsey!)

Will definitely be doing more Brew Bus trips in the future, so keep an eye on the website.

Off to Florida tomorrow morning to visit the in-laws.  Looking forward to seeing them, as well as the sun.  Next trip:  Back Roads to Freedom Underground Railroad tour.  Another "first" for us and I'm really looking forward to it.