NYC potty spots

Got this from Eric Gordon of Beyond Times Square and thought many might find it useful!

The Magic of Porcelain

There is never one when you need one, so you think You just need to know where to look. There are plenty of public toilets to go around. Some are obvious like Barnes and Noble and Starbucks (but beware of Starbucks, many are nasty) and others may not be as easy to find (Police stations and public parks). Below is a listing of rest stops for both groups and individuals in need of some relief.

Good for Groups
The World Financial Center in Battery Park City
Lower concourse of Rockefeller Center
Pier 17 at South Street Seaport
Food Court at Grand Central Terminal
Staten Island Ferry Terminal
The Shops at Columbus Circle
Castle Clinton

Good for individuals
There are bathrooms everywhere if you are on your own. Part of the battle is just being cool and confident about using a bathroom that is not meant for you, such as in a random restaurant. You have to walk in and act like you own the place; like you are supposed to be there and just make your way to the bathroom. If that is not your style, you can take care of business at any of the locations below:
Any of the restrooms listed under groups above
Almost any hotel (go for the five star ones)
Many bars will let you use them because they do not know who is coming or going
NYC Public Toilet in Greenly Square (used to be .50c, now it is free)
Penn Station
Port Authority
Several in Central Park
547 6th Avenue, 3rd floor, 4th door on the right when you exit the elevator. The key is under the blue tile to the left of the door. DO NOT FORGET TO PUT IT BACK, OR I WILL FIND YOU.

TIP: It cannot hurt to carry some extra tissues. You never know when the TP will run dry.

I do want to mention special something that is happening right now in NYC. The wonderful people at Charmin set up free and very clean public toilets at 1540 Broadway (between 45th and 46th Sts) from November 23, to January 1, 2010 (until 2:00 am). So for all the crowds in NYC there is always a clean toilet available in midtown. Besides being clean there are six rolls of Charmin Toilet Paper, an ipod stero playing tunes and soap for your hands. In addition when your mission is complete you can get your picture taken.


So enjoy that third cup of coffee or that extra fiber bar, you have toilet knowledge and knowledge is comfort.


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Thank you for reading.
Please email us at comments@btsq.com.

Beyond Times Square is a receptive tour company specializing in the five boroughs of New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. We provide our group and individual clients with unique and memorable experiences in a friendly and professional manner. We achieve this by listening to what our clients want and incorporating their wishes along with our expertise into our travel programs and other products.

Contact us at 800.999.8160, skype: eric.gordon311 or info@btsq.com

top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010 - #5

Los Cabos

On the peaceful tip of the Baja California Peninsula, Los Cabos has been a longtime favorite among Americans seeking natural beauty, great water sports, and nightlife. This winter, a noteworthy airfare sale and dozens of vacation packages join forces to offer more Los Cabos for less.

Vacation packages are another way to make a winter trip to Los Cabos more affordable. We have a Book Early and Save offer, with discounts up to 50 percent off for air-and-hotel packages, and rates from $375 for roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles and four nights' accommodations. US Airways is offering up to $100 off Mexico vacation packages booked by November 23 for travel through March.

top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010

Bargain #4
Budapest

Budapest was made for winter travel. Hundreds of thermal springs feed public baths and spa hotels around the city, offering endless ways to while away chilly winter days. Plenty of indoor shopping and sightseeing add to the appeal. This winter, air-and-hotel packages offer the best value, though airfare sales and generally reasonable hotel rates provide affordable options as well. And since Hungary isn't yet using the euro, it tends to be less expensive than many other European countries.

Vacation packages provide good value for the Budapest-bound this coming winter. At press time, Go-Today was advertising six night air-and-hotel winter packages to Budapest from $679, and multi-country packages that tack on cities such as Vienna and Prague for not much more. Gate1Travel has an eight-day Budapest and Prague package from $849.

There are ways to save on a-la-carte bookings as well. Delta currently has sale fares between New York and Budapest for $359 each way. Since the city is also well served by European low-cost carriers, combining a cheap fare to a major European hub with intra-European service to Budapest can be an affordable option. EasyJet flies from Paris and London, Ryanair from Dublin, Wizzair from a number of major European cities including London and Madrid, and Germanwings from London and elsewhere.

Los Cabos tomorrow

top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010 (cont.)

#3
St. Lucia

Among Caribbean islands, St. Lucia has always retained an upscale, romantic allure. This winter though, you don't need to splurge on a honeymoon to enjoy the best of the island. The rough economy brought prices down this year, and new low-cost carrier service has put St. Lucia within reach of more travelers.

Late last month, JetBlue started new nonstop service three times a week between New York and St. Lucia with rates from $129 each way. The airline is promoting the new service with three-night air-and-hotel packages from $369 per person.

Hotels and resorts around the island are offering their own winter specials, including plenty of options under $100 and discounted rates or added amenities at popular resorts. For instance, winter rates with daily breakfast for two at the Fox Grove Inn range from $70 to $85. At the Marigot Beach Club—with average nightly rates of $237 according to SmarterTravel sister site Trip Advisor— winter rates for a beachfront studio are $181 a night.

Top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010 (cont.)

#2
Salt Lake City

Skiing vacations get pricey fast. But Salt Lake City and the surrounding mountain destinations stand out as an affordable winter vacation spot this year. Domestic airfare sales and ski-friendly offers make getting there a bargain, and more discounts on hotels and ski expenses can bring down the overall cost substantially.

Southwest and United are currently running airfare sales that include Salt Lake City, and Frontier just ended a promotion and will likely roll out another soon. Southwest also has this ski destination special: Book air-and-hotel packages by November 26 for travel through February 10, and every second person flies free to Salt Lake City. Plus, the fourth night is free, as is the third lift ticket day. The offer is valid at more than a half dozen ski resorts near Salt Lake City.

Many hotels and resorts are also offering a fourth night of lodging and skiing free when you book a four-night stay before December 15 for travel through spring. And, more hotels are offering early winter discounts of 10 to 35 percent.

Top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010

From Smarter Travel:
by Christine Sarkis, SmarterTravel.com Staff - November 12, 2009

"Whether winter calls for sun or snow in your book, there are plenty of deals to put a vacation on your horizon. As destinations attempt to pull themselves out of the recession funk, they're offering winter deals worth serious consideration.

I've monitored trends, industry news, and sale patterns to point you in the direction of places that offer the best bargain value for the coming season. Below you'll find examples of deals presently available for winter trips. Like all deals, these are sure to expire; however, a little research on your part can yield similar results when you're ready to book.

Key West

Good deals bask in the sun in Key West, Florida. New air service from two airlines put a winter tan within easy reach. And, a free companion airfare deal for future travel adds value to a trip.

AirTran will become the first low-cost carrier to serve Key West when it begins nonstop service from Orlando and same-plane service from Atlanta on December 17. Flights are scheduled to operate four times each week with fares from $119 each way. Also on December 17, Delta will expand its service between Atlanta and Key West, offering daily flights between the cities.

The well-known Cheeca Lodge & Spa will reopen on December 15 after a major renovation. The property is offering introductory winter specials of 10 to 30 percent off room rates. Not affordable enough? There are also seasonal discounts at more hotels around town.

A stay in Key West can help you save on your next trip as well. The Florida Keys Tourism Council has teamed up with hotels in Key West and other nearby cities to offer free companion airfare vouchers with qualifying hotel stays. The vouchers are good for future travel in the Continental U.S. on participating airlines through April, 2011. Booking restrictions are detailed on the vouchers.

tomorrow - Salt Lake City
(to read the full article go to http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/top-five-bargain-destinations-for-winter-2009-2010.html?id=3826729

NYC Trivia

This came in today from Eric G of Beyond TImes Square. I found it fun and interesting and hope you do, too!

"On my desk I have a lot of things. Papers, contracts, to do lists, maps, a computer, a phone, speakers, an ipod charger, last week's lunch & so on. I also have several books and many of course have to do with New York City I though this week I would share a few bits of NYC Trivia. They are good tid-bits for your itineraries and fun facts for the motorcoach ride.


New York has 660 miles of subway track.
There are over 18,000 eating establishment in NYC. Too bad we do not have as many public toilets.
The New York Post was established by Alexander Hamilton in 1803 and is the oldest running newspaper in the USA.
The real name of New York City is the City of Greater of New York, but tha takes too long to say.
There are 6,374.6 miles of streets in New York City.
During the time of slavery in the United States, New York City was second behind Charleston in how much slavery penetrated everyday life. (Not something we are proud of, but an important piece of history, not many people know).
The actual name of the Statue of Liberty is Liberty Enlightening the World, but that is also is too long.
The nation's largest public Halloween parade is the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. It is lots of fun.

There are almost 13,000 traffic lights in New York City. You will get stuck at one.
The Bronx is the only borough in the City of Greater of New York (seems long, right?), that is connected to the lower 48 states. The other four boroughs are all islands.
The best oysters in the world used to come from New York Harbor. (17th and 18th Centuries)
Oreo Cookies were developed and produced in 1912 in a factory in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea.
$362,201 is the cost for the city permit for one year to sell hotdogs outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Northside of the sidewalk. That's a lot of mustard.
Hellmann's Mayonnaise was introduced in Hellmann's Delicatessen in 1912 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan
There are 55 species of bird in Central Park."

An interesting insight into airline frequent flyer programs

Straight from smartertravel.com comes this comparison of Ponzi schemes and airline frequent flyer programs. I found it entertaining and hope you do, too.

Five Ways Mileage Programs Are Like Ponzi SchemesThe Extra Mile
by Tim Winship - April 21, 2009


Frequent flyer programs have come in for considerable bashing from consumers exasperated by their ever-shifting rules and flagging value.

The mileage schemes have been described as unregulated lotteries, cons, false advertising, games of musical chairs, pyramid schemes, and outright scams. And those are just a few of the milder epithets.

The latest term of derision is ripped straight from today's most sensational headlines: Ponzi schemes.

Well publicized pyramid scams operated by the likes of Bernard Madoff and Robert Allen Stanford have cost thousands of investors hundreds of billions of dollars, in the process capturing the public's attention and inviting comparison with the airlines' loyalty programs.

Among the similarities are the following five characteristics shared by Ponzi schemes and loyalty programs.


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1. The Appearance of Propriety

The 'con' in con game is short for confidence. And confidence is key here, because unlike a smash-and-grab heist, Ponzi schemes play out over months and years, as money from later investors is used to create the appearance of legitimate earnings for early investors, which in turn attracts more investors, and so on.

It's easy to forget that until he was exposed, Madoff's credentials were impeccable. Among his resume's line items, he is the former chairman of NASDAQ. And he has a distinguished record of philanthropy. A criminal, yes, but Bernie Madoff was hardly a hoodlum in a cheap suit.

The airlines too have a claim to legitimacy. The major carriers' stock is traded on the venerable New York Stock Exchange. They employ hundreds of thousands of workers directly, and many more through subcontractors and related businesses. Their brand names are globally known.

So while they may be unloved and routinely demonized as nickel-and-dimeing bunglers, the airlines are generally assumed to be essentially upright. As a result, most consumers expect that frequent flyer miles have the full faith and credit of legit companies behind them.

2. Lack of Transparency

Madoff was famously secretive about his investment strategies and tactics, refusing to divulge any details of his trading and insisting that clients should judge him by his results.

There's a similar black-box aspect to frequent flyer program participation.

In place of Madoff's simple "just trust me," the airlines' implicit assurance runs something like this: "If you contribute to our profitability by purchasing airline tickets and doing business with our business partners, we might reward you with a free trip. Or we might not. But hey, trust us. Because ... well, just because."

3. Too Good to Be True

Ponzi schemes are, by definition, unsustainable—eventually they collapse under the weight of promises that can never be met.

Are mileage programs similarly doomed to implode, leaving participants empty-handed?

Just as Madoff owed his investors more than he could ever hope to repay, there are trillions of outstanding frequent flyer miles on the airlines' books. And every year, the airlines issue more miles than consumers redeem, expanding rather than shrinking that unfunded liability. The scenario certainly seems Ponzi-ish in that crucial respect.

But as anyone who has tried to cash out miles knows, the airlines have capacity controls in place that prevent a run on award redemptions that could overwhelm the airlines' ability to fly customers for free.

The airlines, in other words, are effectively issuing a currency they are under no legal obligation to honor.

4. Lack of Oversight

While Madoff's activities were clearly in violation of laws and regulations on the local, state, and federal levels, he managed to avoid detection for over a decade, operating in plain sight of those charged with preventing just such misdeeds. (The full story of that regulatory breakdown has yet to be written.)

Loyalty programs don't so much elude regulators and law enforcement agencies as they preemptively exempt themselves from oversight. In a neat legal maneuver, the airlines in their terms and conditions have claimed for themselves the right to modify the programs howsoever they choose, whenever they choose, no matter how negative the consequences for consumers.

Imagine how many more investors Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff might have bilked had they reserved the right to operate pyramid schemes.

5. Benign Beginnings

Neither Charles Ponzi nor Bernard Madoff started down the road to perdition with criminal intentions. Rather they eased into criminal behavior gradually, as their bad bets required ever-larger illicit countermeasures to conceal their escalating financial insolvency.

Mileage programs too began on the up and up, as uncomplicated rebate schemes. The Travel Pass program of Western Airlines, for example, awarded $50 in travel certificates to passengers that flew five trips with Western. The earliest versions of the modern era's mileage programs were similarly straightforward in the value propositions they offered travelers.

In the cases of Ponzi and Madoff, it was a combination of greed, desperation, and a lack of regulatory oversight that gave rise to criminal activity.

Significantly, those same forces are in play in the case of airline mileage programs.

Madoff Under Indictment, an Industry Under a Cloud

Having pled guilty to 11 felonies—including securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, perjury, and misleading the SEC—Ponzi schemer extraordinaire Bernie Madoff is currently incarcerated as Inmate #61727-054 at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center, while he awaits sentencing.

Madoff was eventually exposed not because of any regulatory perspicacity, but because he ran out of money to maintain the illusion of solvency, as all too-good-to-be-true propositions must.

Throughout the history of Ponzi schemes, investors who cashed out early—whether by chance or through prescience—escaped the crushing losses faced by those whose money remained invested when the meltdown occurred. There's a lesson there for frequent flyers.

Whatever you call them, mileage programs pose a clear risk to participants. Even if the programs remain a fixture in the travel landscape, the long-term trend is decidedly negative: A frequent flyer mile earned today is less valuable than a mile earned a year ago; and a mile earned a year from now will likely be worth less than a mile earned today. The best way to minimize that risk—short of abstaining altogether—is to redeem miles as soon as award thresholds are reached. In the language of finance: Minimize your exposure.

For all the similarities, it's not clear that loyalty schemes are truly Ponzi schemes. The very fact that they haven't collapsed under the weight of their liabilities suggests that they're not. Still, consumers would do well to treat them as though they were.

Complaining as an art

This is straight from Fodors.com this morning and it really hit home with me. I try to be a "good complainer" so these tips were a good help to me. The first sentence says it all!

No-Nonsense Traveler's 5 Simple Rules of Complaining
February 17, 2009 | Posted in Tours & Itineraries
Travel is always fraught with risk. The question is how you deal with setbacks. Here, our No-Nonsense Traveler shares the five simple rules he used to overcome a recent ticket booking nightmare.

If you were one of the unfortunate many who had to travel by air this past Christmas, you may have fallen victim to the extensive delays and cancellations in the days before and after Christmas. While I had no problems flying to Tulsa, Oklahoma on December 20, it was quite a different story when I tried to return home to New York on December 27. Through dogged persistence and not a small amount of luck, I was able to complain my way to a happy solution, but many others weren't so lucky. Here's how I did it.

Complaining is a Form of Negotiation
My partner and I arrived at the Tulsa airport on a beautiful but chilly morning and waited for our United flight to board. When boarding time had come and gone (and when we realized that we had no chance to make our connection in O'Hare), I went to the gate agent to change our connecting flight. I volunteered to give up our seats and go out on a later confirmed flight that afternoon in return for two round-trip vouchers on United. I haven't decided yet if this was my downfall or the sweetener that makes the rest of the debacle so easy to swallow.

But those later confirmed seats evaporated when the later flight was delayed and delayed and delayed, making any connection through Chicago impossible. By this time, there were no more flights on Saturday to book, and I was told that the earliest we could expect to get back home was … Tuesday. I now had a sinking feeling that the vouchers I'd so happily jumped on were a sinking ship. That's when I had my fateful and fruitful conversation with a customer-service agent in Manila.

People often bristle when they realize that they've called a customer-service number in a faraway country. But while this agent was formal and played by the book, I could sense that he still had some compassion. I asked him if there was any way I can be rerouted through a different airport and still get back to New York before Tuesday, but all the United flights were already overbooked. I was polite but firm; perhaps there was a hint of despair in my voice (a lonely cat, a job to return to on Monday morning). Since I would be delayed much more than four hours, I asked, could we could be put on a different airline? "Perhaps." That was the opening I needed. We went through virtually the entire outbound flight schedule while he checked the flights in his computer.

We finally found two seats on American Airlines to Newark via Dallas for Sunday morning. Sold. But he told me that he would need American's permission before he could put me on the flight. Would I hold? Yes, I would hold. And I threw in a hearty salamat (thank you in Tagalog). A few minutes later, I was booked. While myriad other travelers sat sadly or screamed loudly at gate agents all across the country, how had this happened? I have my theories.

Five Simple Rules for Complaining
1) Take a deep breath. When things aren't going well, I can be emotional. I think my relative sense of calm from the outset helped me succeed in this situation.

2) Say exactly what you want but be reasonable. I wanted to be in New York by Sunday, and I was willing to do anything to make that happen—except pay extra. I think part of the reason I got what I wanted was because I didn't muddy the waters asking for free hotel rooms and meals, which might have caused the rep to bristle.

3) Sell yourself. As silly as it might seem, making a self-deprecating remark or trying to identify with the person who has the power is one of the wisest moves you can make. I knew a couple of words of Tagalog, and I'm not sure if that made any difference at all, but I was looking for every possible thing that might help me. The almost-tearful sound in the voice doesn't hurt either.

4) Be nice, no matter what. Bottom line: you'll attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. Neither of us became exasperated, and we just kept working together until we solved the problem.

5) Never take the low road. I can't emphasize enough how important it is not to disparage someone's English-language skills when they have your travel fate in the palm of their hand.

My situation could have ended up very different. The woman at the United Airlines counter in the airport expressed sincere skepticism when I walked my transfer voucher over to her for endorsement. Apparently, many people had much worse luck than I did in rebooking their flights for Sunday. So we ended up spending the night at the airport Hilton Garden Inn. I wasn't happy to have to pay for a hotel room or meal, but I was happy to get home.

Oh, and one other thing. We ended up stuck on the tarmac in Dallas on Sunday morning for almost 3 hours. While that could have been an additional exasperating delay, it was much easier to take when we discovered on check-in that, not only had United booked us on the American Airlines flight, but that we'd been upgraded to first class. And we got miles. Salamat.

Forbes list of dollar-friendliest countries

Where U.S. currency now buys more--luxury included
Think for a moment about the word “value.” It originates from an Old French verb, valoir, which means, to be worth. Today it is used to describe the financial measure of something’s true worth. A meal of truffled foie gras and roast Maine lobster may be rare and delicious, but if the price-tag is too high, which it often is, it offers little value. Ditto for a bargain cheap burger and fries: You get what you pay for. But an inexpensive lobster meal for half the cost? Bingo.

Rich or poor, consumers are becoming increasingly savvy and virtually everyone these days knows how to find a deal and examine the value of it. This is especially true in the travel world, where hyper-customizable deal booking web sites, luxe-for-less newsletters, and airline, spa and hotel e-sales are filling junk mail boxes on a daily basis. But this year it’s been a bit difficult to stay abreast of where the best vacation values are found. Collapsing economies, wildly fluctuating exchange rates, and security issues in long stable countries (Kenya, Thailand, and India) have made choosing an affordable luxury destination especially challenging for 2009.

See the article at http://www.forbestraveler.com/luxury/budget-friendly-countries-story.html?partner=fp_dollar-friendly