DH and I stayed 6 nights at the Regency in NYC on DVC points. We used 330 points, which I didn't really want to do, but DH didn't want to pay the price of a decent hotel room in NYC. The hotel is about three or four blocks east of the southeast corner of Central Park. It was about a 15 minute walk to the Times Square area. If we had paid cash for a hotel, I would have preferred to stay closer to Times Square area. But as it is, it was a great spot, because one evening walking back to the room we saw Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. She was in NYC promoting her new film and they were going to the Metropolitan Club. I was about 2-3 feet from her, but Brad didn't get any closer than 12 feet or so. I did get some pictures though. Then the next day we saw Rev. Al Sharpton standing outside our hotel door.
We walked about a block or two east of the hotel to a DR store (kind of like a small Walgreens) to buy soft drinks, snacks and water.
The hotel doesn't have an ice machine. You have to call housekeeping for ice. They bring it in a pewter type ice bucket. The room was in good condition, king-size bed was comfortable. Along one entire wall (the window wall) there was a built-in desk with an office chair. There was a more comfortable club-type chair to sit. The closet was fairly large--sliding doors, not walk in. The bathroom was small--single sink in the bathroom, so only one person could get ready at a time.
We did the usual things first-time tourists do. Took an evening harbour cruise to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, bridges, and all the other buildings from the river. The guide did an excellent job of pointing out all the buildings and through in alot of stories.
We went to the "TOp of the Rock" which is the Rockefeller Plaza building. Scary for someone who is afraid of heights. There are three levels of decks, two with tall thick glass panels that help shield you from the wind. The pictures of the people who built it were amazing. You see them standing on I-Beams that were just a few inches wide, 80+ stories high.
We took the NBC studios tour and saw the studios they film Conan O'Brien and Saturday Night Live in.
Walked through one of Trump's building (the one a couple of doors down from the World of Disney). Of course, we had to go to the World of Disney. DH thought it was a little juvenile that I had to wait for the photo op with Ariel and Snow White. They were very gracious to this grandmother who didn't happen to have her grandchildren with her in NYC! DH was embarassed because there were little kids all over the place behind me in line. Even the hostess mistakenly said "You three will be next", pointing to two kids behind me. Oh, well.
We went to see the Broadway show Jersey Boys. Absolutely great show, especially if you remember the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. DH barely tolerates musicals, but said this was the only one he likes and would see it again. Just a warning: Don't go if you are offended by the F-word.
We purchased a 48-hour bus pass. Took the downtown loop to catch the sites like World Trade Center site. (Be sure you see the little church east of the site that George Washington worshiped in. His pew is there to see. The church housed alot of rescue workers and volunteers who gave aid and fed the rescue workers. On this tour we also saw Little Italy, China town, SOHO, etc. Also took the night loop to see all the sites at night. We crossed the Manhattan bridge and looked back at NYC across the river with the lights on. Looked like a postcard. And then we took the Updown loop. This went through Harlem, all the condos around central park where Jackie Kennedy Onasis, Robert DiNiro, Bruce Willis, Bono, and lots of celebs live. Also saw the Dakota Building where John Lennon lived and was killed. We took a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park and saw Strawberrry Fields, dedicated to John Lennon.
Oh, I almost forgot, the main reason we went to NYC was to see a Yankees game in Yankee stadium before they tear it down and move to a new one they are building next door. We also took a tour of Yankee stadium. The tourguide was great. Had been doing it a long time and knew all the players who are no longer around. Had some great stories, you know, the kind of guy who would be doing it for free if it wasn't a paying job.
The process of reserving the room was very easy. Just called MS and they checked availability and sent us a reservation which looked just a little different than the DVC ones do. We were charged $75 or maybe $90 for the fee.
Anyway, we had a great time. Only advice is to wear GOOD walking shoes. Our feet never hurt so much. And there is no place to sit. A few benches around the park, but none on the streets. No place to sit when you are waiting for buses or subway.
We walked about a block or two east of the hotel to a DR store (kind of like a small Walgreens) to buy soft drinks, snacks and water.
The hotel doesn't have an ice machine. You have to call housekeeping for ice. They bring it in a pewter type ice bucket. The room was in good condition, king-size bed was comfortable. Along one entire wall (the window wall) there was a built-in desk with an office chair. There was a more comfortable club-type chair to sit. The closet was fairly large--sliding doors, not walk in. The bathroom was small--single sink in the bathroom, so only one person could get ready at a time.
We did the usual things first-time tourists do. Took an evening harbour cruise to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, bridges, and all the other buildings from the river. The guide did an excellent job of pointing out all the buildings and through in alot of stories.
We went to the "TOp of the Rock" which is the Rockefeller Plaza building. Scary for someone who is afraid of heights. There are three levels of decks, two with tall thick glass panels that help shield you from the wind. The pictures of the people who built it were amazing. You see them standing on I-Beams that were just a few inches wide, 80+ stories high.
We took the NBC studios tour and saw the studios they film Conan O'Brien and Saturday Night Live in.
Walked through one of Trump's building (the one a couple of doors down from the World of Disney). Of course, we had to go to the World of Disney. DH thought it was a little juvenile that I had to wait for the photo op with Ariel and Snow White. They were very gracious to this grandmother who didn't happen to have her grandchildren with her in NYC! DH was embarassed because there were little kids all over the place behind me in line. Even the hostess mistakenly said "You three will be next", pointing to two kids behind me. Oh, well.
We went to see the Broadway show Jersey Boys. Absolutely great show, especially if you remember the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. DH barely tolerates musicals, but said this was the only one he likes and would see it again. Just a warning: Don't go if you are offended by the F-word.
We purchased a 48-hour bus pass. Took the downtown loop to catch the sites like World Trade Center site. (Be sure you see the little church east of the site that George Washington worshiped in. His pew is there to see. The church housed alot of rescue workers and volunteers who gave aid and fed the rescue workers. On this tour we also saw Little Italy, China town, SOHO, etc. Also took the night loop to see all the sites at night. We crossed the Manhattan bridge and looked back at NYC across the river with the lights on. Looked like a postcard. And then we took the Updown loop. This went through Harlem, all the condos around central park where Jackie Kennedy Onasis, Robert DiNiro, Bruce Willis, Bono, and lots of celebs live. Also saw the Dakota Building where John Lennon lived and was killed. We took a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park and saw Strawberrry Fields, dedicated to John Lennon.
Oh, I almost forgot, the main reason we went to NYC was to see a Yankees game in Yankee stadium before they tear it down and move to a new one they are building next door. We also took a tour of Yankee stadium. The tourguide was great. Had been doing it a long time and knew all the players who are no longer around. Had some great stories, you know, the kind of guy who would be doing it for free if it wasn't a paying job.
The process of reserving the room was very easy. Just called MS and they checked availability and sent us a reservation which looked just a little different than the DVC ones do. We were charged $75 or maybe $90 for the fee.
Anyway, we had a great time. Only advice is to wear GOOD walking shoes. Our feet never hurt so much. And there is no place to sit. A few benches around the park, but none on the streets. No place to sit when you are waiting for buses or subway.
