NYC/Long Island
As of May 1st this year, I became fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and felt comfortable enough to fly on a plane again. My first trip post-quarantine (note that we are still in the middle of a pandemic) was to New York! All five of us sisters came together in mid-May to celebrate my sister Savannah’s birthday in Long Island.
Despite the fact that I got the vaccine and that travel restrictions loosened, I wore two masks while navigating the airport and on the flight. Southwest Airlines allowed use of the middle seat again, and I didn’t want to take any chances. The mask mandate is still in place at the airport but no one follows social distancing guidelines in the check – in lines or at the boarding gate.
I booked a black car service from LaGuardia Airport to my sister Kristine’s apartment in Manhattan. The price to take an Uber in New York City has skyrocketed during the pandemic because there are less drivers and the demand is low. My sister said that it can cost anywhere from $60-$100 depending on the time of day. The car service worked pretty well. I didn’t have to wait, the ride was smooth, and I paid a little less than what the current price of an Uber would be. I spent the first part of the day relaxing in Manhattan while my sisters worked. Kristine’s apartment is a block away from Times Square and there was a lot of noise and construction as the city was opening up from the pandemic. Savannah and I walked to Bryant Park and we all enjoyed lunch from Hudson Bagels. Did you know that the original style of bagels in the USA started in New York? After Kristine came back from work, we drove through the intense NYC traffic and got to Long Island by nightfall. Savannah brought a step stool for me to use in the Airbnb. The area we stayed in is called Bay Shore, which is a short distance from the coast.
Highlights of the trip included going to the beach in Robert Moses State Park (we went in the late morning and it was chilly!), dinner at Takumi Hibachi, and wine tasting at Loughlin’s Vineyard. When we first got to the winery, the host said I didn’t need to show an ID because I was a “child”. My sisters and I all chimed in together saying that I was an adult and the host stood there surprised watching me as I took out my driver’s license to show her that I was of drinking age. Like with many encounters, I did not let it bother me by shrugging it off and moving on. Later, the host came by our table and gave us a free bottle of wine as an apology for her ignorance.
The weekend went by quickly, but going to Long Island with the sisters was a much needed getaway after a whole year of quarantine.
Tampa Part 2: Alice Weds Nick
In early June, I got to travel back to Tampa, FL and witness my best friend, Alice, marry the love of her life! My friends Ivory and Kaveri came with and were my plus ones for the wedding; I was also looking forward to get some good vacationing in.
Florida in my opinion, is one of the states that didn’t take the COVID-19 pandemic as seriously as other parts of the country did. I was a little nervous about flying there as they didn’t have a mask mandate but it helped being fully vaccinated. Plus, Alice and Nick kept the pandemic in mind and limited the number of guests for their big day.
The wedding mass took place at the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Jesuit High School, which is the school that Alice teaches at. I was in awe of how gorgeous the chapel was. The ceremony followed Catholic rituals and the hymns were sung in a-cappella by the boys choir. One of Alice’s former students played the organ. It was such a lovely ceremony, and Alice looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress.
The reception took place at the West Shore Grand Tampa, which is the hotel that we stayed at on our trip. The hotel advertises itself as a luxury property since it’s a “Tribute Portfolio” hotel under the Marriott chain, but it wasn’t as upscale as I expected. It was a nice hotel no doubt and definitely better than a Holiday Inn or Hilton Garden but no different from say a Hyatt property. Alice booked a block of rooms at a discount rate for the wedding guests. When I made the hotel reservation a few months prior, I wasn’t sure if I could get the lower rate because I was staying for five nights. Alice could only get the discount for two nights, and I couldn’t use it for more than that. However, the hotel actually ended up giving me a long-term stay discount so it worked out and was less expensive than the regular rate and the wedding discount combined. I was also impressed by the process in requesting a step stool for the hotel room. The hotel reservations department transferred me to a lady named Mary, who is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) liaison and works in the corporate reservation office. She took down my request and communicated it directly to the hotel guest services manager who said they will provide the stool. It is imperative for all hotels to have an ADA liaison to ensure that people with disabilities get their needs met.
When I checked in at the West Shore Grand, the step stool wasn’t in my room yet. The staff’s reasoning was that due to COVID-19 regulations, they didn’t know what room I was staying in and that they needed extra time for the room to be cleaned and reset after the previous guests checked out. They ended up bringing a step stool a while later. The beds were also surprisingly higher than usual. Even an average sized person would have to climb up to get on the bed. Thankfully, they ended up lowering one of the beds for me, but they should not be that high in the first place.
Here is a list of all the activities we did and restaurants we visited outside of the wedding:
- Pre-wedding Festivities with Alice: Nails done at Summit Salon Nails Academy and dinner at Armature Works
- Kaveri, Ivory and I checked out the Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg
- Breakfast at the Maple Street Biscuit Company (Carrollwood location), Another Broken Egg Cafe in Clearwater, Waffle House, and Brunchies
- Dinner at Yah Mon, a popular Caribbean restaurant in Tampa
- Ice Cream at Revolution Ice Cream Co. – I can’t stop thinking about how yummy the “Euro Trash” flavor was, which is Nutella ice cream with biscoff cookie crumbles
- On the last day – Kaveri, Ivory, and I hung out at Clearwater Beach and went on a beautiful sunset cruise. The cruise was through Tropics Boat Tours and it was a fitting end to the Florida vacation. Be sure to carry a lot of sunscreen when visiting!
Just a Little Traveling... 