Not to derail this into another tip thread but if why are you tipping them if you don’t use their service & how long is your typical stay if you’re leaving a flat amount?
Remember US security rules only allow 3.4oz or smaller containers of liquids thru security. Only small tubes of toothpaste or shampoo or ___ can go in carry-on luggage. Doesn’t matter that that you maybe can get two more toothbrushings out of that tube as it’s clearly almost empty if the container size is too large you’ll have to toss it. About the only exception is you can take an empty (insulated?) water bottle thru & then fill it up inside the secured area & carry that onto the plane with you, saves buying ridiculously overpriced single-use bottles in the airport.
Generally, they should be okay, but if customs doesn’t recognize them, they may take them away. One thing is that sometimes meds you can get at the store in your country might not be available here or only available with a prescription. But that shouldn’t be a big deal. We have all that same basic stuff even if it’s not exactly the same as what you get.
I can’t remember if you mentioned the country you’re coming from, but NYC has immigrants from every country. They often settle in specific neighborhoods. For instance, if you were from Poland, you could go to the Greenpoint area of Brooklyn and find Polish stores that carry Polish products. So if you find you need something from your home country, there’s a pretty good chance there’s a store in NYC where you can find it.
I just meant I have the Do Not Disturb sign up during my stay so they’re not there on a daily basis. When I leave of course then they have to then clean up. Leaving them something for that just seems like the right thing to do.
I’m sure you can buy equivalent over-the-counter medicines in New York, I’m trying to avoid unnecessary expenses if the need arises.
However, I was thinking of bringing a blister card of prescription pills for me, but they’re not vital per se. I’d feel more comfortable having them, but I can definitely do without.
In any case, I’m NOT going to stuff pills in a plastic bag, of course. I’ll keep them in the original blister cards. If they’re taken away, it’s OK. I just do not want to have problems at customs, so if it’s better not to take anything, I won’t.
That’s a nice thought, but I can do without stuff from my home country for 8 days. I want to discover new things !
Best practice will be to have the blister card inside the prescription-labeled package (leaving behind what’s not needed in the travel). I’ve crossed borders with prescription meds w/o any issue but that’s mostly because at no point have I been required to actually subject the content of my bags to customs inspection (the security scan only scans for security purposes).
Chances are you won’t get a thorough check. A few random people do. Even if you get a more thorough check they are there to look for specific things. They aren’t there just to inconvenience you. A small individual amount of medicine in it’s original packaging shouldn’t cause a problem. I wouldn’t try it with narcotics but other than that they won’t care about your medications.
So long as they aren’t opioids, or other controlled substance, you’ll be fine. I routinely travel with my meds in a pill minder, and no one has ever asked me about them. I’m sure they are visible on the security scan. Granted, I’m a middle aged white woman, so not especially likely to be hassled, and old enough that it’s normal for me to have meds. (I’m sitting in an international airport right now, in fact. I have two pill minders in my luggage, one organized with my daily doses, and a second that has “extras”, with each drug in its own compartment. And i have some little tins with other stuff. They are all boring drugs, and all but one can be purchased OTC in the US without a prescription.)
We’ve just come back, seriously jet-lagged, so I’m not going to write much for the moment. Suffice it to say that the stay was a complete success.
I really want to thank you all for your suggestions. While I couldn’t follow, or even acknowledge them all, the wealth of information I got from you allowed me to avoid bad surprises, and much more importantly see and do things daily that put huge smiles on my daughters’ faces.
A few days ago my daughters were watching videos of New York and I told them that they needed to stop otherwise they were going to make me want to go back.
So, we’re going back, obviously…
It’ll be a short stay, one evening, two full days, and one morning. Like last time, I’ve asked them to come up with something they’d like to see on a very limited budget this time.
My younger daughter hasn’t settled on anything yet.
My older daughter wants to visit a baseball stadium. She’s sure that it’s possible to do that for free because she visited a football stadium in Spain last year and she didn’t have to pay. I told her I doubted it would be possible and, indeed, a quick google search yesterday night turned up no results for free visits. Which leaves me with two possibilities. Either find a small stadium/pitch where we can walk around or perhaps see amateurs playing if we’re lucky, or do a guided tour which will of course not be free. We’ll be in the Battery Park area and it looks like there’s a relatively quick ride to the Yankee Stadium. Any advice on the best solution?
If we end up going to the Yankees Stadium, we might stop in Harlem on the way back to Manhattan, then reach the northern half of Central Park because these are areas we didn’t explore at all last summer.
Finally, since we all enjoyed the Williamsburg area, I’ve decided to go back to Brooklyn. At the moment, I’m leaning towards the Promenade, and Brooklyn Heights, down to the Old Stone House. And I’d love to see some brownstones. What would be the best area to do that?
Most of the neighborhoods within a mile or so of Prospect Park’s northern end should fit the bill: Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Prospect Heights, Fort Greene. Cobble Hill or Carroll Gardens could also work.
The Yankees, Mets Mutts, & many/most other teams have paid tours. They will frequently take you to areas that you can’t see as just a ticket holder, like taking a peek in the locker room., the batting cages, etc. Definitely worth paying for IF you’re a big baseball fan.
There’s a cute show called “Younger” where the characters live in Williamsburg. It’s on Netflix and some other services. My daughters enjoyed it and I enjoyed seeing Williamsburg as the background for many shots. Your daughters might enjoy it as well.
When you’re looking at brownstones, keep an eye out for any hosting an open house. It’s interesting to see them from the inside. Keep your checkbook at home! You don’t want to get caught up in the moment and make an offer your bank account might regret. The Tenement Museum is also interesting. It shows how the immigrants lived and can give you some added perspective when looking at the brownstones today.
I don’t believe the Yankees give full stadium tours in the summer during the season. I know for a fact they give pre-game tours during the season that don’t give you the same access (of course places like the locker room are in use). To go to the pre-game tour you also have to have tickets to see the game. It doesn’t sound like that’s what you are looking for. The stadiums are not open to the public except for paid tours and games for various reasons.
It’s not that far, but I wouldn’t call it a “quick ride.” Subway would work for sure. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to Yankee Stadium via subway, so someone else can chime in on how long it takes.
Depending on where in Battery Park you’ll be and how long it takes to walk to the nearby subway, it’s probably around 50 mins to get to Yankee Stadium. Less so if you are close to a 4 train stop as that goes direct to Yankee Stadium.
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