Saturday, February 10th, 2000 for our 27th anniversary we stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan. This was also a beanie adventure for Joan so that she could get the exclusive "Issy" bear that only Four Seasons Hotel patrons could get.
We arrived around 2 pm and checked in while the valet drove our minivan away to park it after the limousines pulled away. We had a "standard" room (the cheapest) and you don't want to know how much we spent. You can see pictures of our room above. To open and close the drapes you flicked a switch. The small bags of chips and cookies in the mini bar were $4.50 each. When the bellhop brought our bags to the room he asked if we would like ice which we did. Joan asked where to go to get more ice if we wanted some. He told us that only the bellhops have the keys so just call if we would like more ice. Hmmm, this is different already. The large gorgeous marble bathroom had a phone by the toilet and a TV by the sink and two thick terry cloth robes hanging by the large marble shower which had a seat in it. Across from the bathroom was a large walk in closet with built in drawers and mirrors. On the desk in the bedroom was a connection to plug your laptop into a phone line plus a fax machine next to the desk. The TV was built into the mini bar and was on a pull out shelf that could turn.
After inspecting our room we decided to go to Central Park before it got dark. We took a horse and carriage ride bundled up all cozy in the blankets that all the carriages provide. It was about 45 degrees and windy so we appreciated it. John, the driver, told us which movies had been shot nearby and which celebrities lived in the hotels off Central Park. We were very close to the Plaza Hotel which was used in the film Home Alone- Lost in New York. The ride didn't take us very far into the park and if it wasn't so windy and chilly out we would have walked further. Central Park is only 3 blocks wide and 60th Street to 110th Street long. At the 60th Street end you are in the most upper scale part of NY there is. At 110th Street you are at the border of Harlem. There is quite a difference in the streets not only in the buildings but in the trash seen.
After our carriage ride, we started walking toward Times Square at 42nd Street to see if there were any 1/2 price plays we would like to see. We got side tracked by stopping into Radio City Music Hall and decided to take the back stage tour. Our hour and a half tour took us from the lobby to the stage to under the stage to the mezzanines. We saw everything except a show. We even met a Rockette! I hadn't realized that the Rockettes only perform at Radio City now at Christmas time.
After the tour, we looked at what plays were on sale. There were none that appealed to us. The general price of a play seemed to be $85. each ticket. So we passed on paying $40. each for something we didn't care to see. There was an Olive Garden there and we got hungry seeing those great pasta dishes throught the large glass windows so we put our name on an hour and a half wait list for dinner. We weren't in a hurry so we just relaxed and looked out the big windows at all that was going on in Times Square around us. I couldn't believe the number of limousines there are in NY! There are almost as common as cabs! Our dinner was delicious and we had a fun waitress. She is an aspiring actress who just landed her first role in an off-Broadway show. We congratulated her.
We did a little souvenir shopping for the kids after dinner on our walk back to the hotel. Not only did Joan find some souvenirs but a beanie baby cat she wanted called Kaleidoscope. We needed the walk because we were so stuffed from dinner.
We got back to our room early enough to enjoy our snacks we brought with us and watch a fun movie on TV called Men are from Venus with Gary Shandling. We missed the beginning but the rest seemed funny. The Four Seasons is supposed to have such a comfortable bed that Oprah has talked about it on her show and you can order the mattress. It had a cozy down comforter and pillows too. When we came back to our room they had turned down the covers and put slippers by our bed. It was fun pretending to live like the rich. We slept late Sunday. Chris enjoyed reading his complimentary copy of the New York TImes. We didn't have to check out until noon so we wanted to get our money's worth. We had to get our van out of the parking lot by 2 pm or we would have to pay for another day's parking ($42.) That gave us enough time between 12 and 2 to go out for breakfast at a local restaurant. After we had already eaten we went into Trump Tower to see the waterfall they have inside. As it turns out we could have eaten breakfast there, right under the waterfall. At checkout Joan got her Issy beanie that she wanted. Then, after driving around Central Park some more, we finally said goodbye to New York. We had a good time.
