Spring Break in New York City

[message type="custom"]I have dug up some posts from my original blog that I started almost eight years ago. Back then, I worked for Netjets - world's largest operator of business jets and as one of the benefits, we could ride on the planes during ferry flights (when there were no passengers flying). I have flown many trips like that so it is no wonder that business or even first class airline travel has never impressed me after that. This is another one of my ferry tales from March 2005.[/message] Where do you go for the spring break? How about New York?

I decided to take my family on a short vacation to New York City since my mom and my sister have never been there. I was there back in 1995 for a day and same for my dad. We booked our hotel in Teterboro [just across the river in New Jersey] since I figured we would have more changes having a ferry flight to go there. On Tuesday evening I checked the ferries and a Falcon 2000 was scheduled to go there from Columbus the next day. It is one of our large cabin aircraft, sitting 10 people and there is also a flight attendant. Not too bad for the frist flight, huh? [that was actually my first ferry flight of many].

I have also got to experience they "beauty" of ferry flights first hand. Just a couple hours before our departure I received a call saying that they are now going to LaGuardia. Oh well, not a big deal - just $50 cab ride to our hotel. An hour before departure I got another call - we were now heading to Farmingdale - a $200 cab ride back to the city. Still, we already had the hotel booked and there were no other ferries scheduled to go to Teterboro, so we went to Farmingdale.

It was an interesting experience going from a top of the line business jet to a shady cab with the trunk half full of water. On top of that, our driver got lost in Jersey and that wasn't fun at all...

We've spent the next three days running all over the city. I think we've visited all the museums out there, checked out the Concorde and USS Intrepid aircraft carrier, the Chinatown, Little Italy, the Central Park, went up to the Empire State Building in the evening, and went downtown where the World Trade Center used to be. I was actually up there, in one of the towers back in 1995 and I still cannot believe that they are just not there anymore...

Surprisingly, there were no ferry flights back to Columbus that weekend so we had to get a car and drive back on Sunday. About an eight hour drive; it wasn't that bad with my dad and I taking turns behind the wheel.

Easy Wealth

Man, it was intense! My back and my legs were hurting for the next couple of days after a good workout in the City.