This was a girly four nights/ five days with my mum and sister and one carer. I'd not long come out of hospital with a nasty urine infection so physically it was quite hard on me but enjoyable nonetheless. We managed to take in all of the tourist attractions that we'd planned. There were some pitfalls however.
We flew with Virgin Atlantic which I booked independently and looked after us really well. I travelled with just my powered wheelchair and it arrived to the gate in one piece. when we saw the queues for immigration with very relieved to be setting the "handicapped"line. Apparently in the states you are handicapped not disabled and you don't queue, you stand in line! Giving my fingerprints was interesting considering and able to straighten my hand but they were very insistent and we managed in the end.
Prior to leaving the UK I'd arranged for a wheelchair taxi to meet us at the airport. We were totally ripped off! I was expecting a friendly New Yorker but got a Russian dude who didn't speak English and charged us an absolute fortune. Unfortunately, there was little we could do at this point. When I booked that I had agreed a price but unfortunately our flight was delayed and therefore he charged me extra.
Wheelchair taxis within Manhattan quite simple but you have to be starting your journey in Manhattan. You just telephone and they send out a taxi. It worked really well going back to the airport but unfortunately they wouldn't start the journey at the airport. Click here for more details on how to get taxis within New York.
After much research we booked a hotel. Unfortunately it all fell through from lots of complicated reasons and about a month before we were due to go we were left with no hotel! I spent a lot of time in front of the computer looking for something reasonably priced but also accessible and we ended up staying at the Roger Smith hotel. Click here for a link to the hotel website. On arrival one look at the room I had booked showed me that it was not accessible in any way! It had been booked through booking.com. The manager was on duty however and showed us every room in the hotel and ended up giving us a Superior suite as well as a junior Suite at no extra cost. They couldn't do enough to help us throughout the entire stay. I would say the bathroom was not really accessible but I was able to have a shower with some help. Looking at the website they have redecorated and upgraded a little which it was in need of. There was no wheelchair access onto the rooftop terrace and we found that with a lot of the bars. It was however in an ideal location and meant that we could walk pretty much everywhere we wanted to in New York.
After much research we booked a hotel. Unfortunately it all fell through from lots of complicated reasons and about a month before we were due to go we were left with no hotel! I spent a lot of time in front of the computer looking for something reasonably priced but also accessible and we ended up staying at the Roger Smith hotel. Click here for a link to the hotel website. On arrival one look at the room I had booked showed me that it was not accessible in any way! It had been booked through booking.com. The manager was on duty however and showed us every room in the hotel and ended up giving us a Superior suite as well as a junior Suite at no extra cost. They couldn't do enough to help us throughout the entire stay. I would say the bathroom was not really accessible but I was able to have a shower with some help. Looking at the website they have redecorated and upgraded a little which it was in need of. There was no wheelchair access onto the rooftop terrace and we found that with a lot of the bars. It was however in an ideal location and meant that we could walk pretty much everywhere we wanted to in New York.
The USA use different voltage to the UK and thankfully I had already checked with my chair manufacture and purchased a new chair charger that would work on this in different voltage which was a good job as we walked miles and miles.
Getting about was relatively easy as we were able to walk everywhere. I would say that dropped curbs can be quite steep, there can be quite a sideways camber but it's possible to walk everywhere. We also got a city sightseeing bus tour and could hop on and off wherever we wanted for two days and that took us to the main attractions. We negotiated this ticket and got a reduction for a carer and also the boat tour included.
Attractions Visited
1. Rockefeller Centre
This was awesome, brilliant views from the top, it was all completely accessible. We went fairly early in the morning to avoid some of the queues but it was busy nonetheless. Although I didn't try it my research told me that it was better to do the Rockefeller than the Empire State as easier in a wheelchair and better views from the Rockefeller. Certainly we were not disappointed!
Picture below left, shows the base of the Rockefeller and below right shows the view we had of the Empire State.
2. Times Square
We used the city sightseeing bus to take us to this iconic area of New York. Times square is not actually a square!
In all honesty it was a bit crazy for me, really busy and I was still recovering from flight and illness. We had a wander round and did some people watching and my sister enjoyed going into the shops. A lot of them had steps in but I was happy just watching.
3. Ground Zero/ World Trade Centre
The guide books recommend pre-booking this to avoid queues however, we ignored this advice! When we got there, there was a huge queue however I made myself known to one of the officials and we were able to queue jump all the way to the front which we all felt slightly guilty about, but it was worth it!
Once you get past the queue's and into the actual area, it's a really quiet, contemplative area.
4. Boat tour
This was a good chance to look at the skyline and take in New York. Unfortunately Ellis Island was shut and we weren't able to get on, but we got some good views as well as a good view of Brooklyn bridge. The boat was fully accessible
5. MoMA
After the boat tour we wanted some time away from the crowds so went to the Museum of Modern Art in midtown Manhattan. Everything was walking distance in a fully charged chair! If you are into Modern art, this is the place for you. It was relatively quiet compared to the rest of Manhatten and a nice place to collect our thoughts. Click here for a link to their website.
6. Bloomingdales
7. Central Park
Decided to try and chill out for a bit in Central Park. We went in the Spring so it was really pretty. It was a Sunday so even this was heaving with people on the paths, but it was nice just sitting in the sunshine watching the world go by.
From Central Park we walked down and had a look at the outside of the Guggenheim Museum. Unfortunately we were running out of time and energy so decided not to go inside, but save it for another time. We walked from here to Grand Central Station.
8. Grand Central Station
This was Mum's idea, I thought it was just going to be another railway station but it was impressive! Spent ages just looking at the Ceiling and the architecture as well as watching the people go by.This was followed by a late lunch/early supper in the apparently world famous oyster bar.
It was a short and exhausting trip to New York but definitely accessible. In retrospect the hotel was a great location in Midtown Manhattan, and it was a reasonable price, but accessibility was difficult. Hotels in Manhattan are expensive particularly the ones with good wheelchair access. A lot of restaurants were difficult to enter and it took time finding places to eat in the evenings. If your prepared to walk/wheel long distances, it's great as everything is quite compact.
Has anyone else been to New York? How did you find it?
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