As usual, 15 ports of entry were responsible for 84 percent of overseas entries to the United States last October. This is an increase of two percentage points from October 2008, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The top three ports were New York JFK, Miami and Los Angeles, together accounting for 39 percent of all arrivals from overseas. These three ports gained one percentage point of “arrival share” year-over-year. But, only four of the top 15 ports of entry posted increases from October 2008 to October 2009: Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale. These changes come based on an increase of 1 percent in foreign visits to the United States.
Take a stroll down Lover’s Lane at the Strand
Warning: if you surprise your lover with a trip to the Strand this Valentine’s Day, you’ll have a hell of a time coming up with a gift next year.
Manhattan‘s newest midtown hotel, the Strand is offering a fantastic deal for the romantically inclined. Stay any weekend in February, and you can take advantage of the “Lover’s Lane at the Strand” package. For $498, you’ll get two nights in a deluxe room with overlooking the Empire State Building, a daily European continental breakfast, a dinner at the Black Duck Bistro (by candlelight, of course) and limo travel to and from the airport. As if it couldn’t get any better, you’ll also enjoy champagne and truffles at the hotel’s rooftop bar, Top of the Strand. The retractable room will protect you from the elements.
The Strand has only 177 guestrooms and junior suites, so you won’t need to worry about running into too many other guests, and two-storey waterfall is sure to grab your attention.
Some business travelers benefit from the recession
A growing number of business travelers is trading the appellation “road warrior” for “day tripper.” Tighter corporate travel budgets are prompting these frequent fliers to complete their roundtrips in one day, rather than assume the expenses of a hotel stay and meals while on the road. Also, it comes with the perk of not being able to entertain, which cuts travel expenses further. These jaunts tend to involve flights of no more than three hours, even though some people are going coast-to-coast and back without bothering to check in to a hotel.
For some, it isn’t just a case of budgetary discipline, though that factor will never disappear in a recessionary environment. Business travelers are also drawn to the notion of being able to get home at night. Even a late-night arrival means plopping your head on your own pillow and having breakfast with the family.
Of course, these one-day runs are grueling. Even for a two-hour flight, you have to get to the airport an hour early, and unless you live right next to the airport, you’re probably looking at another hour to get there. So, to catch a 6 AM flight, you’re leaving the house at 4 AM (with a wakeup of around 3:30 AM at best), and you’re not touching the ground at your destination until 8 AM … assuming there are no delays. Depending on traffic and distance, you get to the office at 9 AM and work the entire day. To catch a 7 PM flight, you leave the office at 5 PM to get there an hour early. After two hours in the air (again, assuming nothing goes wrong), you’ll probably get home by 10 PM. That’s an 18-hour day; it’s tough.While the actual cost savings is being questioned, in my experience, it’s substantial. In 2003 and 2004, I made frequent runs from Boston to New York. With the rate my company had with the Delta Shuttle, coming home at night was a no-brainer. On longer trips, the savings may not be as substantial — as you have a higher fare and likely a less expensive hotel than you’ll find in Manhattan — but you’re still looking at more than $200 a night, assuming a $150 room and meal expenses.
The cost savings, however, may come at the expense of your health. Some experts see this sort of aggressive travel as rough on your body … and I can tell you it’s a bit rough on the spirit, too. But, if you have enough time between one-day runs, it isn’t so bad at all.
And, don’t worry: even though you lose the hotel points, you’ll still pick up the miles.
Lifelong New Yorkers are unreliable for directions
Don’t ask New Yorkers for directions. Don’t get me wrong, we’re more than willing to help. But, you could wind up with some bad information. A recent poll of lifelong New Yorkers conducted by New York Pass, an attraction discount card, shows that most of us don’t have the city’s basics nailed down.
- Less than half of New Yorkers think the Top of the Rock is atop the Empire State Building: 41 percent (it’s at Rockefeller Center, and only 16 percent got it right)
- Few realize that the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Natural History Museum sit on opposite sides of Central Park: 28 percent
- Yet, we know where the Transit Museum is: 44 percent responded correctly that it’s in Brooklyn
- How many New Yorkers know that the seven points on the Statue of Liberty‘s crown represent the Seven Seas and the Seven Continents: 18 percent (but, I’m sure more know where the statue is)
[Photo by James Trosh via Flickr]
Big Apple beats the Mouse: New York City tops tourists’ lists
Tourism to New York City dropped close to 4 percent last year. For a city already beleaguered by the financial crisis, this represents lost revenue we really could have used. But, the damage wasn’t as bad here as it was in Orlando, which slipped from its spot as the top tourist spot in the United States. This is the first time America’s cultural and financial capital has been the #1 tourist destination in the country since 1990.
Last year, 45.2 million people passed through New York City, and the projections for 2010 are for an increase of 3.2 percent. And, that’s in what is still expected to be a tough travel market.
[Photo by joiseyshowaa via Flickr]