Phil - Croatia to New York

With Nicole and the kids dispatched back to Berlin after a fantastic week in Croatia, I set off on my journey to New York. 

It ended up being an awful experience. The plane from Zagreb was 1.5hrs late (no problem, happens all the time and is part of travelling) We made Frankfurt, and the ground crew for Lufthansa rang the gate, confirmed my name, and said "yes, you can just make it but you will need to run." 

I made it to the gate and was met by the Lufthansa check-in guy who told me that they had just given my seat to a wait list passenger (!!!??!!) Why tell me to run, when you know I am coming, to then give my seat away! The plane was still at the skybridge, so I hadn't even missed the flight. I was sent to the ticketing counter. 

It was so much trouble for them that I wouldn't accept an overnight stay in Frankfurt and fly the next day (I would miss a key meeting) and need a rerouting. Well, it seemed that way. Eventually I was booked to London, and to NY from there. 

To make the London flight, I was told I would again have to run to the gate (only to get there and wait 20 minutes for flight to board). When I got onto the Lufthansa flight to London, there was a feedback form, which I enjoyed filling out! 

I got to London and had to run again to Terminal 3, where I was told I was too late for the flight. After appropriately expressing my feelings, the guy rang the gate and found out that there was enough time, but I would have to run!! 

With the extra security checks, I finally made it onto the plane. Business travel, there is nothing like it!

After some days of meetings, I had a chance to look around New York by myself.  Part of the social program of the meeting included a guided "Sex in the City" tourOn top of the Empire State Building.

After not knowing what to expect, I really like a lot of stuff about NY. Central park is great. The city is enormous but walkable. Taxis are everywhere. The subway is great. Times Square is completely OTT (especially at night)! What a waste of advertising space - how can you compete with the other billion watts of lighting and advertising there?? The Statten Island Ferry at dawn is super, and you get a good view of the Statue of Liberty. There are some really pretty districts and very modern and interesting corners of the city.I stayed down at Battery Park, which is 'downtown', near Wall St. It is not far from 'ground zero' (the World Trade Centre site). This has to be the most photographed construction site I have ever seen. People sticking their cameras through the fence to take photos of a crane, a digger and a big hole in the ground. A bit sad, really. 

I also found a quilt shop for Nicole and purchased an excessive amount of fabric to add to her stash.