Recomendations and advice please

So
I have been lurking on this site for a while and am at last ready to commit my hard earned pounds to take my Mum,Sister and her Husband on a big family holiday.
I have travelled a bit and used Virgin upper class once before,but mostly flown with United (yuck)
My Sister and her Husband have never left europe before and we have agreed (ish) that we should go the states to visit an old family friend before my mum is unable to travel and mainly decided to to New England, DC and NYC
So to the point (at last you say)
DO I splurge and go upper class both ways?
Should we fly into Dc and out of NYC or other way round?
If back from NYC. which flight is the better or should that be which plane type is the better?
What have we really got to make sure we do whilst there?
Best place to stay in NYC?
Should I look at the "Other airline" or remain loyal to VA?
I am just a lowly Red Card holder and tis my bank account that is bearing the pain

Advice welcome and wanted

y) y)

Hi Crofty and welcome to the boards.

Having flown UC yourself before, you know what the experience is like, but only can decide if you want to splurge out on the costs involved. UC is a great experience and it's the only way I fly to NYC these days. Its true what they say, "Once you turn left, you never want to turn right again".

I can't comment on whether to fly into DC or not as I've never been to DC, NYC is my poison and I'm heading back this year for the 6th time and the 3rd time in as many years.

You will get a lot of personal views on the best place to stay, everyone has thier likes etc, for me its the Distrikt Hotel, which I found 2 years go and am going back there for the 3rd time this year. A lot will depend on what your looking for in terms of a Hotel for your stay.

NYC has a lot to offer and lots to see, again it depends on any preferences you have and when your planning to go etc. NYC is a great city, there's the must do's, Top of the Rock, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park, 5th Avenue, etc. One option you could look at is the New York Pass, which is well worth the money, just do a web search and you'll find the details.

As to the other airline, I guess a lot will come down to your budget and what's available in your price range. You've just missed the latest UC sale, though not that the fares were that discounted, but depending on when your planning to go another sale may come along what will make the decision easier.

Feel free to ask questions, we are a good bunch on here and will happily share our knowledge / experiences etc.

If you want to drop me a message with any specific questions feel free, I'll try to help.

Welcome

You will get different answers from different people. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about whether you fly into DC or NYC - doesn't really matter, in my view. Do whichever is most convenient. Obviously there are many more options to/from NYC.

UC is a great treat but PE is perfectly OK for a day flight. Perhaps fly UC out there (so you benefit from the Heathrow clubhouse), and then PE back? Remember there are day fights from NYC, which many prefer.

In tems of planes, again I wouldn't worry too much. In my view PE is much better on the A346 and 333. UC is great on the 346, great in the nose of the 744, and OK in the new A333. Personally I would avoid the A343.

As for what to do... well, where to begin!

If back from NYC. which flight is the better or should that be which plane type is the better?

Choose flight times based on your travel needs rather than being on a particular plane type.

Plane types are far more likely to change that departure times.

And ditto on the new york pass That is the one I have used several times and it is incredibly good value and can often get you faster admission as well.

True it looks expensive initially but it does more than pay for itself.

My biggest tip for NYC is to do some advance planning to group attractions together rather than randomly visiting them all over the place. Bear in mind that whilst most museums close one day a week it varies by museum.

You will need to book to the 9/11 memorial in advance via their website. Tickets are free and there is nothing to stop you visiting more than once.

You don't say when you are visiting but the Statue of Liberty is still closed due to Sandy damage with no date for when the island will be open. It was the island infrastructure (docks etc) that was damaged rather than the statue.

I really would save the UC for the night flights, PE is great for a short flight like UK to NYC....we only do UC on night flights.

I really would save the UC for the night flights, PE is great for a short flight like UK to NYC....we only do UC on night flights.

Have to I disagree . I don't value my sleep at UC rates and, as a lowly red cardholder, doing UC on the way out is the only sure fire way of getting the LHR Clubhouse experience with the bells and whistles of DTCI. That said, the Clubhouses at JFK, EWR and IAD aren't too shabby

DC is a city of monuments, museums and restaurants and bars. Some things it may be wise to book for - such as the tours of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Otherwise, it's a question of taking decent walking shoes and taking in the WWII, Korea and Vietnam memorials (each very different to the other), the Lincoln Memorial and, for me the most interesting, the FDR Memorial. The Smithsonian is the obvious destination museum, but I also found the National Postal Museum fascinating (as disinterested as I am in philately). You can get a great view of the city from the Clock Tower of the Old Post Office Pavilion...

The Smithsonian is the obvious museum,

v( v(

There isn't a single Smithsonian Museum - you won't find a building with 'Smithsonian Museum' on it - it's made up of at least a dozen individual museums which you will have heard of but won't necessarily know they are part of the same organisation. (And as it gets federal funding to the tune of $750m a year admission is free unlike many of the NYC museums)

I remember reading when I came back from my last trip to DC one of the travel blurbs where the 'journalist' (who had been there the same time as I had) said she had been to the Smithsonian and had been dissappointed but what she had been to was 'The Castle' which is basically a central visitors centre and NONE of the individual museums.

Yes do a walk of the Mall which now has the new MLK memorial as well as large areas of re-soded turf and the reflecting pools have been refurbished too. Take a picnic (there are few food stands especially down the tidal basin end where Lincoln is) and make a day of it. BTW it is a longer walk that it looks on the maps!

Something not many people know about is the State Department Diplomatic Reception Rooms - you need to book in advance and there is a bit of security rigmarole but there are some wonderful antiques to look at. The risk is that tours can be cancelled at short notice if the are needed to greet foreign diplomats.

You can also book in advance via the web to do a tour of Congress but you can just go to the $1bn visitor centre which is still only a couple of years old and see if there are any on-the-day tours available (The same 'journalist' said you couldn't do a tour unless you knew a congressman - ignoring the large tent in the grounds (replaced by the new underground one) where I and others managed to get a free timed tickets)

Mount Vernon (Washington's home) is also a nice day out (and doable by metro and bus with a little planning) as well as Old Towne Alexandria.

The Smithsonian is the obvious museum,

v( v(

There isn't a single Smithsonian Museum - you won't find a building with 'Smithsonian Museum' on it - it's made up of at least a dozen individual museums which you will have heard of but won't necessarily know they are part of the same organisation. (And as it gets federal funding to the tune of $750m a year admission is free unlike many of the NYC museums)
.

Well, that's me told... B)

To add to the DC suggestions: the National Gallery of Art is impressive and well worth a visit if you are a culture vulture. We like the zoo, too.

In NYC bear in mind that some of the big museums offer periods when entrance is either free or much cheaper than normal - the Guggenheim does this, as does MoMA (although it's a bit of a scrum). Both are worth a visit if you are into art (or if you are not). Ditto the Frick, which in my view is a marvellous collection. Or the Cloisters museum at the northern tip of Manhattan. Another good museum is the Museum of the City of New York. The list is endless. And that's just the museums! ):

Above all, Manhattan is a truly great place for just walking around and seeing what you find.