Sleepless in the Big Apple
We’ve got money in our pockets again, so where better to spend it than New York... and you can be back by morning
IT was the ultimate Celtic Tiger indulgence... heading to New York on a whistlestop shopping trip. And now that times are good again, it’s back, and you can even turn it around in a day, which for a busy man, and a father of three young kids, like me..! Just think! No hotel costs, you sleep on the plane. And no jet lag – you don’t have time to adjust.
Well, maybe a bit of disorientation, but keep focus. There are all those lovely bargains just waiting to be snapped up.
I have a shopping list in my hand from my wife Melanie and a final instruction as I leave the house: ‘The baby (my one-month-old third son, Patrick) and the boys do need a lot of new clothes.’ Nothing there about me, you’ll notice.
Of course, the first obstacle to negotiate is that no-one believes you would fly all the way to New York from Dublin for just four and a half hours shopping... not least the US immigration officer who quizzes me at the ungodly hour. ‘But you guys have shopping malls here?’ she asks.
I eventually win her over with tales of discount baby clothes and show her my return ticket and I am on my way.
So who have I signed up with for this 24hour shopping expedition? Only Norwegian, whom I had heard described as the Ryanair of transatlantic flying. So let me clue you in on what you’ll get. Yes, there is no in-flight entertainment but you can always load your iPad or tablet with movies or Netflix before boarding.
And for €65 each way you can add meals, (the breakfast was good) checked luggage and seat reservation at time of booking. Hand baggage is max 55x4x23cm and one small personal item max 25x33x20cm which combined weigh 10kg.
It is €35 if you pre-book a bag online.
I’d strongly urge you to bring a checked-in bag if you want to do some serious shopping damage on the ground though as hand luggage is tight. So, sorted! My seven-hour flight to Stewart airport, an hour and a half outside Manhattan was relaxed, the cabin crew friendly and the planes bright and airy with plenty of legroom.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I felt as comfortable as I have on any trip to the States.
If anything the lack of inflight movies prompted me to read a book, a luxury I haven’t enjoyed properly in peace since baby No.2 arrived three years ago.
Stewart Airport is small which means you skip off the plane and within 20 minutes you are reunited with your luggage and are ready to roll.
Woodbury Common, the popular outlet centre in Central Valley, NY, is just a 30-minute shuttle transfer from Stewart Airport, in Orange County while a bus to Midtown Manhattan takes around 90 minutes.
It is paramount that you book the bus before you travel as they won’t stop at the outlet unless a prior reservation has been made and tickets cost $20 return.
It is just before noon when the bus drops our party off at the mall, a vast sprawling village of capitalism that is about the size of Maynooth.
Built in 1985, WC is the largest outlet in the world with 910,000 sqft and 240 shops including Prada, YSL, Tommy Hilfiger, Fendi and Armani.
They offer a concierge service and lockers where you can leave your cases and drop off your purchases intermittently. Alternatively a lot of people bring their empty cases around with them and fill ’em up as they go.
It was about 28 degrees when we were there so I’d advise the locker approach if you want to avoid melting.
The Common is divided into various colour-coded shopping boroughs and named after famous regions like Niagara or Saratoga to help you get around. But even with these pointers I’d still recommend using the interactive map on the website.
And so to the shopping. And here, a tip. The sales tax is just under 9% which practically off sets the current exchange rate.
So, which brands to go for? Well, the choice is yours. GAP is about a quarter of the price over here as are American Eagle and True Religion.
For high-end kids clothes Ralph Lauren’s children’s factory was superb. Preppy t-shirts and hoodies as well as coats and shirts were a snip.
Ispent $200 here without blinking an eye. And you’d pay at least double in Brown Thomas back home. Carter is another US chainstore along the lines of NEXT for kids but again at a fraction of the cost. I got babygrows, baby shoes, baby blankets.
There is a Disney shop which is great value. I picked up a pair of Lightning McQueen bomber jackets for my boys for $20, reduced from $50. They also have the most comprehensive selection of Star Wars merchandise which I loved.
Of the sportswear brands adidas disappointed, but NIKE has many of last season’s shoes reduced by more than half.
You could also pick up a pair of Puma classics for $40 while New Balance had a sale of buy one get a second half price on discounted stock. I bought three pairs of children’s shoes.
Under Armour had the best selection of fitness wear for gents of my age and size but Nike was also competitive. I like Levi jeans (I’m a 501 stonewash king) and again pairs were available for just north of $50.
But I learned quickly that an American 36 inch waist is a lot more generous than a European so make sure to try them on or you will be walking around Ireland looking like a Weight
Watchers poster.
It is important to point out that the mall is not shopping for high-end designer goods.
But a couple of well-schooled shoppers in my party managed to get serious bargains with one getting a Prada skirt reduced from $2000 down to $400. I did buy a Guess shopper bag which was over half price for Her Indoors reduced from $170 to $74 (before tax) which was my biggest saving.
They have Boss, Barneys and Breitling but not for me on this trip. There are a number of European designers like Paul Smith, Ted Baker and Thomas Pink, but again you have to get lucky as they are not heavily discounted from at home prices.
FOR nourishment there is a food court and a plaza worth visiting. Le Pain Quotidian has good wholesome sandwiches and salads as well as craft beers while Black Dirt Bourbon serves cocktail or beer if you need a boost. And I made a last-minute dash to Shake Shack for a burger and beer (it was as good as they say) before grabbing the 5.30pm shuttle back to the airport.
Laden with two bags of swag with my credit card on fire, I reckon I spent just under €800 and saved €400.
At 8.30pm I was ready to board and even readier to sleep and it is a wonderful testament to the comfort levels that I slept the whole six-and-a-half-hour flight home before touching down in Dublin shortly after 9am – 25 hours after departure.
So here is the rub. New York is a long way to go for a day trip. I arrived home shattered, somewhat musky; with a battered credit card but a shed load of booty for my family.
For the ten minutes a day they remain clean they will be smart and dapper so it was mission accomplished.
Would I do it again? No, I’d say it’s a one-off. But then again my wife might have notions on going – and then we truly will be broke.