New York and Boston
May - June 2024
Day One
We were treated to first class tickets with Virgin Atlantic. On arrival at Heathrow Terminal Three, Virgin has a dedicated first class check in and there were no queues. Security was very good; staff were very helpful and aware. The airport is all fully accessible with flat walkways, disabled toilets and lifts.
As we were first class passengers, we had access to Virgin Lounge, which we made full use of. We were provided with a lovely breakfast and a few coffees, though we could have had even more than that! Pacing ourselves was the main plan, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon!
We boarded the aircraft via a walkway. Cabin crew greeted us and pointed us to our seat/bed. Food was top notch and we could have anything we wanted from a quite extensive menu. There was also a bar where you could sit at and enjoy a beverage. Overall, Virgin Atlantic provided us with an exceptional service. After a restful flight on our comfortable seats, we were ready for the adventure to begin!
New York City
On arrival at John F Kennedy International Airport we disembarked the plane via a walkway. The airport is very accessible with lifts, escalators and disabled toilet facilities.
We arrived at Immigration and we queued up in the special assistance area. We were led to the front of the queue thanks to the awareness of the special assistance staff.
We were out of JFK within forty minutes of landing, quite a record! My dad had pre-booked a taxi online from the UK. After a bit of a struggle to find our private taxi, we were on our way to Manhattan.
After around an hour’s ride, we arrived at Club Quarters Hotel which is located about five minutes’ walk from the Freedom Tower. The hotel had a flat entrance and a spacious lobby. When check in had been processed, we were given the key cards: our room was located on the fourth floor. There were three lifts, going to all twenty floors.
The room was quite compact; two single beds, a desk, coffee machine and air conditioning. Despite it being compact, there was enough room for two guests to move around freely.
The bathroom was a reasonable size with adequate lighting; no bathtub though, just a shower with a curtain. However, there were no grab rails in the shower as we had not specifically requested a disabled room.
The hotel did not serve breakfast onsite. There was a nice coffee area with comfortable sofas to relax.
We decided to go for a drink and went to a bar ‘Bill’s’ across the road from the hotel and had a few craft beers there. However, the whole pub was not fully accessible as we had to go five steps up. The lighting was also a bit dim.
We then went for a stroll and ended up in Ground Zero. It really hit us and a feeling of melancholy overcame us. It is a manmade park without any grass areas but with lots of trees.
In the evening we had dinner at Bill’s with a few more beers…
Day Two
As the hotel did not serve breakfast, we headed out to Zaza’s which was about a five minutes’ walk. This café had an abundant selection of hot and cold options for breakfast, with unlimited coffee! I had eggs Benedict, which was delicious. The café was accessible and had excellent lighting.
The first attraction of the Big Apple was a stroll in The High Line Park. This used to be a freight train railway elevated above the streets of Manhattan and is now a public park with no admission fee required. This attraction was rather busy and the walk was quite long. However, there were plenty of benches to sit along the way.
The High Line walk took us to our next attraction which was a visit to The Edge Observation Deck. This is a one hundred floor open deck and the only difference from all the other skyscrapers is it’s on glass, so don’t look down!
This also offered us panoramic views of the New York skyline as it was a clear sunny day. The Edge is located at 30 Hudson Yards in a very upmarket shopping centre with lifts, escalators and disabled toilets. There was a shop on the observation deck selling souvenirs too.
We went down to the Mall for a refreshing sandwich lunch at Pret A Manger. I was personally famished!
After feeling nourished, we headed in the famous yellow cab to Washington Square which is a popular meeting place. We chilled out on a bench with an ice cream and a Gatorade (a cold fruity drink). The temperature that day was 28 degrees, which was pretty hot.
We then went for a stroll down Broadway and headed back to our hotel. For dinner we went to an Irish pub ‘O’Hara’s Pub and Restaurant’ which was nearby. The pub was flat to enter and we were able to get a table. The lighting was a bit dim; it was a bit of a rowdy pub which made communication a bit more challenging.
Day Three
We headed to a different 50’s diner for breakfast called ‘Georges’. It was a very busy place and it offered very good dishes. Despite the age of the building, it was easy to access the café. The lighting was adequate too.
After a hearty breakfast, we got a taxi to the Docks as we had booked a ferry to visit Liberty Island which is home to the famous Statue of Liberty. The weather was a bit thundery with heavy rain so waters were a bit choppy! Security was rather tight prior to access the boat, with a long queue flowing well. The access to the ferry was rather steep but staff were extremely helpful: they led me to a seat whereas most visitors had to stand.
Liberty Island was all flat with excellent views of New York City even on a cloudy day. There was also an accessible gift shop and a fast food diner; disabled toilets were available.
The next stop on the ferry was Ellis Island which was all flat too. Disabled toilets were also on site. Similar fast food hall there which got very busy as it was lunchtime.
Back to the Docks in New York City, we had to wait for our turn to get off as the waters were still choppy (we were the last ones out!). You need to allow two to three hours for the whole trip as you might have to wait half an hour or so for a ferry.
I had booked tickets to visit the 9/11 Memorial at 4pm on that day so we headed to Ground Zero which is located underground. Security was very tight but there were no queues. It opened in 2011, exactly ten years after the events of September 11th 2001.
We found it a bit hard to navigate in the museum as there were various lifts to access different levels. Some areas were quite dark to reflect the sadness of the event: it was indeed a very emotional experience. We were there for around two hours as it is quite a large museum. Disabled toilets were available on site. Some areas were lacking places to sit.
We decided to go to the famous Morton’s steakhouse which was adjacent to our hotel and asked to reserve a table on the ground floor rather than in the basement. Staff were very happy to accommodate our needs. An hour later, we returned and enjoyed a mighty fine steak feast! My dad and I agreed it was the best steak we ever had, delicious!
Day Four
After a hearty breakfast at Zaza’s we got a taxi to the famous Empire State Building. On arrival, the taxi driver got up to assist me getting out as it was a bit tricky.
Upon entering the Empire State Building, there was a normal door to avoid the revolving doors. I found the patterns on the floor somehow a bit confusing with all the barriers in place keeping the queues flowing. There were also disabled toilets separate from the main ones.
We took a lift up to the eighty-sixth floor which offered panoramic views. The observation deck is all open air. As it was a very clear day, we were able to capture some amazing scenery.
After stopping in Starbucks for a coffee and having some grub in a nearby cafe, we did some retail therapy. Levi’s, Macy’s and Old Navy were all accessible with lifts and escalators. Macy’s being a huge department store had five floors and toilets at the top, including disabled toilets.
We then preceded to Times Square which was very busy.
From Times Square, we got a taxi to Rockefeller Centre. On arrival, we had plenty of time before our booked slot so we went down in a lift to find a good selection of cafes and restaurants.
After a pizza meal we then headed back up and found a lift to get us to the top of the building. This attraction probably has the best views of NYC and to top it off, we were there at dusk.
As it was a clear evening with the sun gleaming, it got very busy so we sat on a bench and waited for the queues to dissipate.
For our last evening in New York we decided to go for a drink at Bill’s before hitting the sack.
Day Five
After breakfast at George’s, we got a taxi to the Penn Station as we had booked the 11am train to Albany. On arrival at the station, we entered via electric doors. We waited for our train in the waiting area which had some disabled toilets nearby. When it was time to board, we had to ask staff to find the correct lift to access our platform which was a bit narrow and I struggled with my suitcase.
There were refreshments available on the train and fairly large toilet with hand rails. Although it was a fast train, the journey lasted two hours and forty minutes; I had not realised that New York State was as large as it is!
When we arrived in Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak Station, a member of staff offered to cart our suitcases. A lift took us up to the main bridge across and our cousin greeted us there for our seven night booking at Flynn Creek!
Day Nine
Halfway through our stay with our cousins, my dad and I drove up to Lake Placid for an overnight stay.
On the way, we stopped at glorious Lake George, which is absolutely massive (
There were places to eat but parking was not easy to find due to the amount of bikers!
After some grub in a nice shack which was accessible and had disabled toilet, we carried on to Lake Placid. We checked in Lake Placid Inn Boutique Hotel, which had disabled parking available and the entrance was through electronic doors.
Our room was spacious with two double beds and it had all the amenities you would expect including air conditioning. The bathroom was spacious too with a self-standing shower easily accessible through sliding doors.
We decided to go for a stroll and stretch our legs. It was a bit hilly although the pavement was very smooth and even. We walked to Mirror Lake which had a concrete promenade around it. There were also plenty of benches to sit and take in the scenery.
Afterwards, we decided to go to a pub and have a crafty ale at Lake Placid Pub and Brewery; ‘Unicorns and Show Ponies’ was very tasty! The pub was accessible; however, it was rather dimly lit inside.
Lake Placid is a sleepy town in summer but lively in winter as it is famous for tobogganing and ice hockey.
Day Ten
After a lovely continental breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and explored Lake Placid Town Centre. A few shops and cafes were still open, which appeared to be accessible. We then headed back down to Troy.
Day Twelve
It was time to leave Flynnland and head to Boston via Shelbourne and Rockport, with our cousins.
Boston
After bidding farewell to our cousins, we checked into Club Quarters Hotel which was located in the centre of Boston.
There were automatic doors by the push of a button to enter, and the lobby was a bit small. There were two lifts going up to eleven floors, our room was located on the ninth floor. On the ground floor there was a lounge where you could have coffee and various drinks. Staff was very pleasant, and welcoming.
A key card was used to gain access to the lift and to our room; this made us feel very safe and secure. On the first floor there was a disabled toilet along with some vending machines and ice.
Our room was quite compact with two single beds. There was adequate space to freely move around, the room was just about perfect for two people. The room had air conditioning and a desk with coffee making facilities. There was a fairly large flat screen TV on the wall.
The bathroom was quite small but with good lighting. There was only a shower with a curtain and a step over to enter. Unfortunately, there were no grab rails inside the shower. The hotel did the job for us as we spent most of our time out and about exploring the city.
There was a British pub called Elephant and Castle which was adjacent to the hotel, although separated from the hotel. The access to the toilets was down a flight of stairs, which was not very easy. Nevertheless we decided to have breakfast there every morning and had a few drinks too in the evenings.
Day Thirteen
The next day, after a hearty breakfast in ‘our’ pub (Eggs Benedict, yum!), we had a walk around to get familiar with the surroundings. On the whole, pavements were easily accessible, wide and flat. The crossings were sometimes a bit worn out and we had to be careful.
We had a baseball game booked for the afternoon with the famous Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers. This was my first ever baseball game, so I was really looking forward to the experience!
We arrived at Fenway Park (Red Sox Stadium) with an Uber. We had to go through security and staff were very helpful, offering me their arm to guide me through swiftly.
The stadium was pretty full. There were disabled toilet facilities located in the main areas. Access to refreshments was fairly easy despite some long queues! As our seats were right at the front, we had to go down a few wide steps, without any handrail.
It was a great experience, despite the fact it was difficult for me to follow the game. My dad did brilliant commentary for me so I was kept up to date with the action and the score!
Despite it being a rather hot day, we were able to remain seated for 3.5 hours! Water was readily available throughout the game with sellers offering iced water and sodas. We also had hot dogs served to us in our seats.
Unfortunately, the Tigers won the game 8 – 4. I guess the Red Sox regretted selling Babe Ruth!
Later in the evening, we ate out at a restaurant called The Beehive, which was located
Back to our pub for a drink or two, before hitting the sack!
Day Fourteen
The next day, after a nourishing breakfast, we were ready to do some sightseeing; the Boston Tea Party was first on our itinerary. This attraction was located around ten minutes’ walk from our hotel. On arrival, we each had to pay full adult price. Our tickets were for 12pm so we had enough time to pay a visit to the gift shop, full of varied and interesting souvenirs. The shop was easy to roam around with aisles large enough for me to walk around unaided. As I have mobility issues, I had to be extra careful in the china section!
As the clock neared 12, it was time for us to go in; we went in a room in the shape of a chapel and two men in costumes ran a show explaining the history of the Boston Tea Party. I found it very hard to access with my dual sensory loss (I am Deafblind); I would have benefitted if they had a manuscript available, especially in large print.
After ‘the show’, we went down to a boat full of crates which contained tea reminiscent of the history of that time. There was one step to get onto the ramp leading to the boat. I chose to stay on the deck as the access to the inside of the boat was a bit too tricky for me, a sort of a ladder. In fact the visit was like a tour: we were about twenty-five people. I found it a challenge as I could not visit at my own pace but had to follow the group.
We left the boat and went to a room which was very dark, and I found it hard to get accustomed to the lack of light. One of the tour guides gave us a talk which I was not able to access.
We then went to the museum and the tour guide showed us various artefacts and paintings. It was too fast for me really and there was not anything to touch and feel as everything was kept under a protective glass (an old tea bag for example).
The final part of the tour was a small movie cinema. We were shown a ten minutes short video explaining the history of the Boston Tea Party. Despite sitting very close to the screen I was unable to follow as there were no subtitles available.
The tour lasted roughly 1 hour. It is really a shame that not enough adjustments were made for people with disabilities.
Afterwards, we were able to have unlimited tea in the cafeteria, I enjoyed that bit! We had a light lunch there too. Worth mentioning, there were disabled toilets there.
We then left and decided to do some retail therapy. Some streets in Boston were cobbled, which makes it a little bit difficult for wheelchair users and for people with mobility difficulties like myself. Most shops have a flat entrance, easily accessible.
Later in the afternoon, we decided to go and visit Paul Revere House. We had half an hour before closing time and it was enough to visit. The entrance fee was $6 each. It was a luxurious house at the time.
Paul Revere was a silversmith and a military officer. He is most famous for alerting the Americans of an oncoming British invasion, “The British are coming!”
There was a museum linked to the house and there was a lift in the museum: you had to make use of the lift to avoid the stairs of the house. This is how the house was made accessible. There was also an accessible toilet in the museum.
There were lots of Italian restaurants in the area, so we had dinner there. You had to go up a step to enter the restaurant; once in, there was an accessible unisex toilet, but with the tables being close to each other, it would have been a challenge for a wheelchair user to access. The staff was very accommodating with a very good level of service. I had a dish of very tasty lobster ravioli followed by an Amaretto sponge, all very yummy!
We went back to our hotel for a rest before going out to an Irish pub, which was about fifteen minutes’ walk away. Guinness gracious me!
There was a step up to enter the very rowdy and busy pub. A bar member spotted my symbol cane and suggested us to go and sit at a table which was marked ‘reserved’.
There was a rather overpowering band playing their own songs and we could hardly hear each other speak but we enjoyed the atmosphere! When we decided to leave, a bouncer helped me down the step; he probably noticed I was a little bit tipsy! A good night sleep followed, interrupted by a few bathroom trips!
Day Fifteen
The next morning after brekkie, we went to TJ Maxx for a bit of retail therapy. There was a Macy’s, Old Navy and Primark all alongside each other. TJ Maxx is a lot like TK Maxx in the UK but is a lot cheaper and has much more clothing choice. There was a lift as the store is on the first floor. The lighting here was adequate with plenty of space to easily move around independently.
Early in the afternoon, we took a stroll around Boston Common which is the oldest public park in America, established in 1634. It is about fifty acres of beautiful scenery. The access is very easy and it has lots of hard surface paths suitable for wheelchairs. There are lots of grassy areas for picnics and lots of trees. There were plenty of benches so you can have a rest if needed. Bikes are allowed in the park so you need to be mindful.
Later on we decided to check out USS Constitution, also known as ‘Old Ironsides’. This is a three-masted vessel and is the oldest American ship, launched in 1797, located in Boston Harbour. This attraction was free admission for everyone. It is not really accessible to wheelchairs as there was a large step to get on and off the ramp. I chose to remain on the deck and not to go down into the boat because the steps felt too steep for me.
As it was our last evening in America, we were invited out by our lovely cousin for a ‘Taco Tuesday’ at ‘Pink Taco’ Mexican restaurant. As it was a warm evening, we sat outside and enjoyed cocktails and Mexican fusion. This is very easily accessible with a flat entrance into the restaurant, good space between tables and spacious accessible toilets.
After saying our goodbyes to our cousin, we went back to our pub (we had become ‘regulars’!), had our last but not least famous Boston beer, Samuel & Adams.
Day Sixteen
For our final day, as the temperature was expected to be very high, we decided to visit Boston Aquarium, a ten minutes’ walk from our hotel. On arrival at the sealife attraction, we both were granted free admission. This is a rare occurrence as America is not known for concessions for disabled people.
The aquarium was fully accessible with lifts and ramps. I did not notice any steps at all. There was a large cafeteria and good disabled toilets. Worth mentioning that, in some areas, the light was quite dim for the need of the sea creatures. The descriptions were also a challenge for me to read as they were printed in pretty small font and the lighting did not help.
We saw penguins, sea lions, jelly fish, turtles and all sorts of beautiful fish. We were even allowed to pet manta rays! Altogether, it was a very memorable experience.
For our last lunch before our flight, we went to ‘Union Oyster House’, which is America’s oldest restaurant, established in 1829. We did not choose oysters though but delicious Clam Chowder soup accompanied with crab cakes and shrimps for mains. The restaurant has made an entrance accessible for wheelchairs and there were also disabled toilets in the main areas.
Finally, it was time for us to depart. We got an Uber to Logan International Airport from the hotel and arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. We got changed into warmer clothes as we expected much lower temperatures on arrival in the UK.
We checked in via Premium class with Virgin; there was no queue for this section. After checking in, we proceeded to go through security which had a lengthy queue. Due to my balance issues, I was permitted to go through the security screening with my shoes on, unlike everyone else who had to take their shoes off.
Logan Terminal E is all fully accessible, with disabled toilets and good lighting throughout. This terminal is quite small, all on one floor so not much to do.
Virgin Atlantic allows passengers with disabilities to board first and we entered the aircraft via a walkway. We sat in Premium class, put on our seatbelts and had a glass of Prosecco, whilst recollecting on another epic father and son adventure…