Travel on a Dime (or Why I'm Not a Travel Agent) Part 1

It all started with a stressful month. Really stressful. I was homesick, overwhelmed, drained, etc. Rose talks about losing your groove. Yeah. I hadn't seen mine in ages. Eric and I have been pricing weekend trips to New York for weeks anyway, and we already knew that for some reason this weekend was cheaper than the others. However, we worried about spending money so close to Christmas, and had tabled our plans. I continued to monitor prices regularly, just in case, fastened in for the rest of the month before Christmas break, and we quit planning to go.

Well, the other night Eric's parents gave us our Christmas present early--a little money to use however we pleased, or to help toward a trip to the Big Apple. I still had some birthday money stashed away, and my check for mentoring a new teacher was due in the mail anytime. Suddenly, the idea seemed feasible, without having to cut into our regular budget or giving!

Still, Eric had reservations. He doesn't like cities, and didn't really want to go. He was willing to go along with me, but wasn't looking forward to either the cost or the crowds. Kaela, on the other hand, was chomping at the bit at the idea of seeing her uncles--and the biggest Toys R Us in the world! Eric finally gave us his blessing and a $300 limit(!), and I relished the challenge of figuring out how to get 2 people to New York and back for that price! (One time in college I went to Destin for a week on $36. True story. We had 9 girls in the room, and ate out of a vending machine. One of the best trips I've ever taken!)

Ok, so then the question became whether or not to bid on Priceline.com to try for a deal. I was petrified, because they won't let you choose your flight times. It would be conceivable that we would be flying into New York at 2 am Saturday morning and leaving at 2 am Sunday. That's risky even for this risk taker! I was supposed to be in a Christmas presentation at church Sunday night! Still, though, my incessant research over the weeks prior had convinced me that there are very few flights after 2pm on Sunday afternoons....so playing the odds, and with Eric cheering me on, I entered our $100 bid, and waited for Priceline to reject it.

Except they didn't! We received an itenerary within minutes. Kaela and I would be leaving for New York in just 5 hours(!) and would be returning at midnight Sunday night.
Midnight.
After our Christmas presentation was over.
On a school night.

I immediately called Priceline and asked them to change my flight. They informed me that the tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable since I named my own price. I called again (or 3 more times) and spoke to different agents. In mounting desperation. Each of them told me the same thing. I had better start packing.

The flight was non-eventful, and we arrived in New York right on time. Kaela and I caught a bus at the airport, and made our way through the NJ tunnel to Times Square, where Mark and Tiffany live in a 450 square foot apartment. Cool, right? They live right next door to Matthew Broderick's show (we didn't see him), and across the street from the gym where Will Ferrell works out with them (he is in California, shooting a movie).

Mark had the afternoon off, so we went sightseeing. It was incredible this time, since everything is within walking distance. It was also FREEZING! Mark and Tiffany live on the 5th floor of a pre-war walk up apartment building (some famous designer designed their living room before they moved in, too. It is fuschia, with light pink paisley painted on the walls, pink and gold velvet drapes and custom couch, and gold lame' on the ceiling and all the trim. It looks like a brothel. It made me smile every time we walked in that crazy room!). We would see the sights for awhile, then huff and puff up the stairs to the apartment to warm up and recharge, then go out again. I thought my thighs would fall off.
Here are some of the things we saw that day: Outside the giant Toys R Us (there's a Ferris wheel inside + about 2 billion people!), on Times Square, at Rockefeller Center, and Mark and me posing in front of the skaters (Kaela took that one. Nice angle, huh?)





Then Pete came over. Here's the only picture I have of the apartment pink room. Pete was trying to keep Kaela from bothering his computer while he searched for cheap tickets to a show on Broadway. Don't you think they look alike?


We ate at this really awesome BBQ place that night with Pete and Stacy while Mark and Tiffany went to a birthday party. This meal was the only healthy food we ate all weekend! Chicken, cornbread, and baked sweet potatoes for $5.00. Kaela was pooped out by that time, and slept (snoring, drooling, etc) on the table while Pete, Stacy and I caught up.




We went back to Mark and Tiffany's apartment and watched Elf for the first of 3 times while we were there. I'd never seen it, and laughed so hard on parts of it I had tears streaming. It's a new classic for us, for sure! :)