We left for LAX at around 7:00 pm for our 10:35 pm departure flight for JFK on 4/8/2022. This is the start of our spring break trip to New York City. We had dropped off Mocha earlier that day, got gas for the car, and packed for the trip.
We made it to the airport parking and went through the United Airlines Terminal 7 TSA security with plenty of time to spare. Since we had TSA-Precheck there was no line for us at the security.
The gate was quite packed with New York bound passengers. The sign read New York Kennedy 10:35 pm departure On Time.
We boarded shortly after 10:00 pm and was ready for our red-eye journey to JFK. But soon after we sat down, the captain announced there was a mechanical issue related to the weather radar and everyone must deplane. However, shortly after the announcement, the captain reneged himself and told everyone that the problem will be fixed in about 30 minutes so sit still. We sat still for about another 5 minutes and were told to deplane and the a new plane will be needed.
We certainly hope at this point that we can still make it to Brooklyn if not for breakfast but at least for lunch at Peter Luger (we had made a 11:45 am reservation).
We got our bags and deplaned.
After 11:00 pm, the gate agent announced the new plane and departing gate. We had a new boarding time of 12:05 am with an estimated arrival time of 8:25 am (the original arrival time was 6:56 am). I hung around the gate crowded with tired passengers and managed to chat up with the pilot of our plane. He was from Brooklyn and now lives in LA. We chatted about his life in the east coast and what he did in Brooklyn. Shortly before midnight, with our eyes at 90% closure, we boarded the delayed UA 516 for the five and half hour journey to NYC over the bumpy sky. We also pushed back our Peter Luger reservation from 11:45 am to 1:00 pm.
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| UA516 On Time (for the moment) |
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| Plane at the gate, all looks good |
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| 10:03 pm, getting comfortable |
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| The Boeing 757-200 will take us there |
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| The new UA516, we hope for 8:25 am arrival |
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| New gate, new plane, we hope for the best |
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| UA pulled this 757 out of the hat |
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| Let's try this again |
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| 1:34 am Pacific Standard Time/4:34 am Eastern Standard Time |
We landed shortly before 9:00 am Eastern Standard Time. Since we had no checked luggage we were on our way to look for our ground transportation.
We had two choices of making it to our hotel.
The first choice was via public transportation. We could take the JFK AirTrain to the Jamaica Station, then take the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to Atlantic Terminal Station. We would then walk about less than 0.5 mile to our hotel - Even Hotel Brooklyn.
The advantage of this option is cost. The JFK AirTrain is $8 per person if you exit the AirTrain either at Jamaica or Howard Beach station to subsequent public transportation option such as the LIRR or Metro. But there is a 10 trip option for $25 + $1 (you have to buy the Metro Card) and can be subsequently swiped.
The LIRR one way is $7.75 for off peak but there is a special ticket to Atlantic Station at $5. So if we take public transportation both ways, the one way cost for the four of us would be:
$26/2 + $5 x 4 = $13 + $20 = $33 or $8.25 per person one way.
The disadvantage of this option is time. Since we were shorted on time due to delay, we opted for the second option which was Uber. The fare to our hotel with the UberXL option (seats 5) was ~$80 excluding tips. We got in our ride right outside of our arrival terminal (terminal 7) and the drive took us less 40 minutes to our hotel located just south of downtown Brooklyn.
On the way in, we were treated with the view of New York State Pavilion in Flushing Queens as well as the Manhattan skyline. The New York State Pavilion, originally designed for hosting the 1964 World's Fair, was made famous in MIB where Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones battled alien species at the saucer shaped observation tower and Metallic Globe. As we drove south on I278, the view of Manhattan skyline came into view. We could almost hear the tune "Manhattan Skyline" from John Travolta's 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever playing as the car was driving.
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| The saucer like observation tower of the New York State Pavilion in Flushing Queens can be seen off the I678 |
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| Manhattan Skyline in view along the I278. The Empire State Building can be seen on the left of the picture |
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| Passing the Junior's Restaurant and Cheesecake just north of our hotel in downtown Brooklyn |
We made it to our accommodation -
Even Hotel Brooklyn around 10:30 am. To our surprise, the staff was able to check us in early. We were provided a room with ADA access on the twelfth floor with a partial view of the Red Hook Container Terminal overlooking the New York Bay.
When we visited NYC on the way back from Iceland in 2017, we stayed in midtown Manhattan. This time we wanted a different and less touristy vibe. So we decided to stay on the Brooklyn side to explore Brooklyn. We also wanted the convenience of being close to metro stations so we can get to Manhattan quickly for our plans.
Even Hotel Brooklyn was a no frill hotel and part of the IHG chain which we had points for. It was a logical choice for us.
It had been more than fifteen hours since our last meal and we got at best three hours of shut eye during the flight. We were ready for a hearty breakfast. It was a raining day with temperature hovering around 55F during the day. The Uber driver with thick Brooklyn accent took us to the entrance of the market on Water Street. The Brooklyn native chatted with us and told us about the pizza places around town - one of them was Juliana's which was our dinner destination tonight.
The Clinton Street Baking Co was a place that I researched and well raved by many YouTubers. When we got to the market the place was packed. We waited in line for the famed Blueberry Pancakes and it was going to take at least 40 minutes for our order. We got our order at 12:27 pm and 10 minutes later we were on our way to make our 1:00 pm lunch reservation at Peter Luger which is located in Williamsburg Brooklyn about a 10 minute Uber ride away. We had to stick to our schedule despite the two hour delay even if it means having lunch immediately after breakfast.
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| Stepping out of Even Hotel Brooklyn, located at Nevins and Schermerhorn |
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| Made it to the Clinton Street Baking Co at 11:35 am |
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| Coffee by Brooklyn Roasting Co. We would eventually make the stop to its store |
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| First sip of coffee after a long night |
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| Enjoying the coffee while we wait for our order and yes free refill for the coffee |
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| Got our order at 12:27 pm, just in time to make our 1:00 pm lunch reservation |
We got in our Uber from Time Out Market around 12:45 and made it to Peter Luger shortly before 1:00 pm. We did not get a chance to spend time around Time Out Market and Dumbo but we will return to this area on a later date.
Peter Luger was founded by German immigrant Peter and Carl Luger in the later part of the 19th century in at that time a predominantly German neighborhood of Williamsburg. After the original owners passed on, the business was sold to one of its customers named Sol Forman. Sol liked to entertain his business guests at this famed neighborhood steakhouse. What better way to enjoy the steakhouse than to actually own it? The business now has been passed onto Forman's family members and has gained tremendous amount of attention due to social media.
On the way here, we passed one of the largest Hasidic Jewish neighborhoods in Williamsburg. MM was quite intrigued by men in black suits fashioning side curls and Shtreimel. Our Uber driver dropped us off at the intersection of Broadway and Driggs ave. For some reason there was a group of NYFD hanging out at the corner. GG and MM had to get a photo ops with New York's finest.
We entered the teutonic bar/waiting room where everyone was waiting to be seated. We inquired about our 1:00 pm reservation and was promptly led to the dining hall with a view of Broadway.
The vibe of the dining hall was very lively. There were international tourists, locals with Yankee jerseys (there was a game that day against the Boston Red Sox), New York City Fire Fighters, a table of young and old Brooklyn Italians, young hipsters, and some loud mouthed tourist bragging about his trip.
We ordered the steak for two, two hamburgers, and a salad to share. Since we had our breakfast at Clinton Street as appetizer, we were ready for our steak lunch.
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