Triangle Trip

Hilton’s latest promotion is aweak attempt to match Starwood’s (SPG) 500 points per night bonus promotion. SPG was offering 500 extra points per night for stays from January 7 to April 30, 2009 – here’s the link in case you haven’t registered. Hilton’s latest offer of 1,000 points per night will go from April 13 to June 30, 2009 – here’s the link to the Hilton offer.

Why is the Hilton 1,000 night bonus offer weak? Here are the reasons:

1.  Point for Point value – Assuming you do not have status at either chain, SPG’s offer is much sweeter. You get one point for every dollar spent at a Starwood Hotel. The 500 bonus points can be viewed as $500 of your total spent. Hilton gives you 10 points for every dollar spent at a Hilton property. Hilton’s 1,000 bonus points are only worth $100 compared to SPG’s $500 value per night.

2.  Length of Promotion – SPG’s 500 bonus points per night went on for 3+ months vs. Hilton’s 2.5 month promotion.

I am going to be staying with SPG for the rest of the month to finish out the 500 bonus nights. The added bonus is I will make SPG Platinum for 2010!

Now you’ve secured that vacation time, what do you look for when buying an international ticket? For us seasoned travelers, there are only two factors – airline and price. Since each of us have already aligned with a specific airline, our choices probably falls with our primary airline and all of its alliance partners. And of course, since this vacation (unless you’re  Madoff) is not exactly on an expense account, every dollar counts! So looking for the best combination of airline and price becomes a science and a work of art. Does this mean you should click on that “purchase now” button once you found cheapest flight operated by your airline/partners? Not just yet! Check out the following tips to make sure you have fully maximized your purchase!

1.  Co-share – As you price out your ticket, the airline that you see on your itinerary may not actually be the actual carrier. What does this mean? Typically, it’s a partner airline operating the route but using your favorite airline as the label!  Have you even see an UAL flight from LAX – PEK? A quick check on the UAL site says it’s UAL #4456. Look closer, you’ll see it’s actually not UAL, but an Air China operated flight. So what now? To me, this is more of a personal preference. Co-shared flights will still give you the full potential of earning miles and alliance benefits. But every airline (especially foreign) operates differently – age of aircraft, crew experience and expertise, service, cabin configuration, food options, movie options, just to name a few. So do your research and homework before jumping on that co-share flight!

2.  Earn miles – Yes, make sure to earn your miles for your trip!!! This may sound easy, buy a ticket and give the agency/airline your frequent flyer number and you’re set, right?  Not exactly! Depending on your class of ticket, there are actually tickets that do not earn miles. The adage you get what you pay for comes in play here. If it’s too good and too cheap to be true, you may want to double check the class of ticket with the airline. So before you buy that ticket, inquire or look for the class of the ticket (H, Y, K, W, etc).  It varies among airlines, but call them directly to ensure that your ticket class allows you to earn your miles!

3.  Upgradable – We all worked hard to earn our miles. The best redemption for miles? Upgrades! International upgrades to be exact!! Real business class seats, legroom, reclining seats, special meals, and most importantly, that curtain to keep out the riff raffs! Of course in order to enjoy these amenities you must be willing to part with your miles. Ironically, and this has happened to me on several occasions, the airline may not want to take your miles! Conspiracy? Miles dilution? Not exactly. It’s all due to the class of ticket. Just like earning miles above, there are several class of ticket that are not upgradable. So do your math and homework. Find out if your class of ticket is upgradeable and if not, which classes are. Upgradable tickets usually cost a little more, but it might be worth your while to redeem those miles.

Now you can click on that “purchase now” button! Safe travels!

-coach

Spring has finally arrived in New York. I have been getting many questions from friends, family members and clients on where to go in New York City. I initially drafted the post below nearly 10 years ago for a client in Kansas City intending to visit NYC for the first time in his life. I have just updated the information and thought it would be helpful to share it with everyone. If you start your day at 8AM or so from Downtown Manhattan and have an unlimited Metrocard, I believe you can see all of NYC in one day.

NYC is so big and has so much to see. I am sure I’ve missed a site here or there but I hope you find this helpful. Feedback welcome!  Enjoy the Big Apple!!!

Downtown

1.  Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island – located in lower Manhattan by Broadway & Whitehall St. (N or R train to Whitehall; 4, 5, 6 trains to Bowling Green). Tickets can be purchased by the Park located on Broadway by the Staten Island Ferry.

2.  NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) – on Broad Street, 6-10 blocks north from Statue of Liberty Park. Tickets can be purchased at the Exchange. Hours are 10 to 3. (Wall Street stop for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 trains; Broad Street stop for M, J and Z trains).

3.  South Street Seaport – South Street, 5 blocks east of Broadway, right by the water. Nothing special, just a shopping/eating area downtown. Walking distance from Wall Street.

4.  World Trade Center (WTC) – Site of Ground Zero. It’s on Church Street (three blocks north, two blocks west of Wall Street) between Fulton and Liberty. (Fulton Street stop for A/C and 4/5 trains).

5.  New York City Hall – On Broadway (N train City Hall stop) and Chambers Street. You can actually walk north of WTC and stay on Broadway which will take you to City Hall. Park has been renovated and has free wi-fi.

6.  Brooklyn Bridge – Steps away from City Hall, you can actually walk across this bridge on a sunny day. Bridge takes you to Brooklyn and offers a great view of lower Manhattan. Brooklyn Bridge is approximately 10-15 blocks north of Wall Street; 2 blocks east of the WTC. (Brooklyn Bridge stop – 4, 5, 6 train).

7.  Chinatown – Largest Chinatown in the US. Radius: Worth Street to Broom, East Broadway to West Broadway. Chinatown is approximately 1 mile from Wall Street. If you’re in a walking mood, you can walk north on Broadway and it’ll take you to Chinatown (make a right turn/east on Canal Street). You would want to walk Mott Street, Chinatown’s busiest Street. Mott Street is 6 blocks east of Broadway. (N, R trains to Canal St).

8.  Little Italy – was one of the largest Italian neighborhoods in the US. It is located inside Chinatown. Mulberry Street is the busiest street (Mulberry’s right next to Mott Street).

SOHO/Village

1.  SOHO (South of Houston Street) – ranges from Broom Street to 4th Street along Broadway.  SOHO’s famous for art galleries and alternative fashion. It’s just north of Chinatown. You’ll want to walk a few blocks east and west of Broadway to check out the culture. (N, R train to Spring Street)

2.  Greenwich Village – also known as “The Village.” Northwest of SOHO. Definitely NYC culture. Located west of Broadway. The Village ranges from west of 5th Ave to 7th Ave,  between West 4th to 14th Street. There are lots of boutiques, bars, restaurants, clubs, strange people, etc. New York University is also located in the Village. (B, C, D, F, E trains to West 4 St).

3.  East Village – East village is located east of Broadway. It ranges from west of Broadway to 2nd Ave, between East 4th and East 14th Street. (6th train to Astor Place).

Midtown

1.  Herald Square – 34th Street and 6th Avenue. Macy’s, the world’s largest department store, and a lot of other large retail shopping stores are located in Herald Square.  Madison Square Garden is located on 34th Street and 7th Ave, 1 block west of Macy’s. (Nearly all the trains go to 34th Street – B, D, N, Q, R, etc.)

2.  Empire State Building – 34th Street and 5th Ave.

3. K-Town – Koreatown is located right next to the Empire State Building (one block south). You can find great Korea food from 31st to 33rd Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue.

4.  Rockefeller Center/Radio City Music Hall – the place where they have the big Christmas tree during the Holidays. 49th Street and 5th Ave. (49th Street stop on the B, D, Q trains).

5.  St. Patrick’s Cathedral – across the street from Rockefeller Center. 5th Ave and 50th Street.

6.  Time Square – 42nd Street and Broadway/6th and 7th Ave (All the Avenues converge). Time Square actually span more than 10 blocks – from 40th Street to 52nd Street. (Nearly all the trains go to Time Square – B, D, N, Q, R, 7, etc.). David Letterman’s studio is on 52nd and 7th, a few blocks north of Time Sq. You can also catch a great “Broadway Show!”

7.  United Nations – Located on 42nd Street and 1st Avenue, east of Time Square (FDR Drive). No trains go to the UN, taking a cab from Time Square is your best bet.

8.  The Intrepid Museum – located on 42nd and 12th Avenue, west of Time Square (West side Highway). No trains go to the Intrepid, taking a cab from Time Square is your best bet. The Intrepid is an old Aircraft Carrier with a lot of WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War planes and helicopters.

9.  Circle Line Cruise – located next to the Intrepid museum. You can take a 4 hour scenic tour around Manhattan. Circle Line also offers a helicopter ride around the city. The cost of boat tour is approximately $10, helicopter ride will cost you approximately $100.

10.  Lincoln Center/Columbus Circle – home of a lot of symphonies. Located on 59th Street and 7th Ave, right across the street from Central Park, north of Time Sq.

11.  Central Park – The Park is huge. Ranges from 5th Avenue to 7th Ave, 57th Street to 86th Street. The Park has a zoo, the Great Lawn (it’s in a lot of movies), NYC reservoir, etc.

12.  5th Avenue & Madison Avenue from 50’s to 80’s – where most famous designer boutiques have shops are setup. You’ll find Tiffany, DKNY, Prada, FAO Schwarz, etc.

Uptown – East (Museum Mile)

1.  Museum of Modern Arts – 53rd Street, between 5th Ave and 6th Ave. Walking distance from Rockefeller Center.

2.  Museum of National History – Central Park West (also known as 5th Ave) at 79th Street. A must see!

3.  The Guggenheim – 5th Ave and 89th Street.

4.  Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) – 5th Ave and 82nd Street. (4 or 5 train to 86th Street, walk 4 blocks south and 4 blocks west).

5.  The Planetarium is also along the Museum Mile. . .