John Siddle, Southport Visiter, chronicles the tragic tale of Bev and Jim Foggitt of Southport, U.K., who won a luxury weekend in New York, flew all the way across the Atlantic, and ended back in Southport the next day without having seen New York.  

Besides a 20-minute stroll on Broadway, the closest the couple got to the famed New York experience was staring out of the taxi window to and from the airport. For Jim was diagnosed with an embolism. He was advised by hospital staff to return to England. Sky-high medical fees – a bed in hospital would have cost over £500 per day – forced the couple to seek the next available flight home. As walk-on passengers, the couple had to pay a premium of £1,700. Bev added: “We left at 5am on the Thursday and were back in Southport at 3.30pm on the Friday. What was meant to be a luxury freebie has ended up costing us an awful lot of money.

Comment from Abbey, the company which sponsored the luxury weekend in New York contest - Abbey is therefore not responsible for any medical or related costs incurred by Mr Foggitt during his trip.

Oh please! Gimme a break. Those poor people not only had their dreams shattered, suffered excruciating inconvinience, exhaustion and pain, but also had to pay for it? And to rub salt into their wounds, their NYC cabbie happily took the bottle of champagne they offered and still charged them….

This is not just about an old couple from a place you’ve never heard of. This is about New York. About a guest in your home who got socked by fate. Is NYC going to stand by and let an old couple suffer just because they wanted to see the City of their dreams? Is this what happens to people who run out of luck in New York?

Here’s what I’ll do. This is what Abbey writes about their Corporate Social Responsibility. Abbey is committed to being a good corporate citizen and to treating all those who come into contact with us in a fair and ethical manner. We take into account how we deal with our customers and employees, how we manage our ethical and environmental responsibilities, and how we support the communities we work in.So ok, I’m listing contacts for Media Relations at Abbey (they’re a London based bank, part of the Santander Group), and let’s allow them to fulfill their ‘corporate social responsibility’. If you think the Foggitt’s have been treated badly by Abbey, send them an email requesting Abbey to help out the couple. Be nice and polite, if you do send the email.

Media contacts - Abbey

Holiday Inn Express and their smartmeter is keeping track of what the Presidential candidates are spending on hotel stays. I’ve heard of voters kicking the tires to check candidates for common sense, horse sense and a lotta other senses, but this is the first instance of a website cataloging politicians’ travel sense. Seems the site, Stay Smart, America compares the actual hotel stay costs of each candidate against what they would have spent (saved), had they stayed at Holiday Inn Express.

Seems Hillary Clinton spent a total of $309, 351 on hotel stay in the first three quarters of 2007. And she could have saved $65,364 if she had opted to stick with Holiday Inn Express. That’s a 21% savings on hotel stays. Barack Obama spent $833, 247 during the same period, and he could have saved $364,952 if he had stayed at Holiday Inn Express. That’s 44%.

For the record, the Stay Smart offer at Holiday Inn Express includes a free breakfast bar with hot entrees, cinnamon rolls and coffee, free high speed internet access, unlimited free local calls, in room data port and microwave, swimming pool, fitness center, fax and photocopy service, and rewards for extended use including free stays, sir miles and freebies like free movie tickets. Best of all, children under 19 can stay free in parents’ room.

As far as New York is concerned, the hotel has 56 branches in New York State, including the Madison Square Garden hotel  and one on Fifth Avenue. Parking here is about a $1 per hour or $24 per day, which is a steal, if you’re familiar with NYC parking.  Room rates start from $192 if you book online and in advance , and if you’re a member of the Priority Club, you get all the freebies and prizes and stuff listed above.

It’s a pretty smart idea to focus on cost savings, especially at a time when everyone is looking to cut costs and the economy is sputtering. Personally speaking, though, I find the idea of restricting my hotel stays to one hotel not only dismaying but also against the basic tenets of travel sense. I mean, you travel because you need a change. If you’re to end up at a clone of the last place you went to, might as well stay at home and save all the money, instead of saving a little by curtailing your choices. So I suggest you keep an open mind, and opt for a smart stay only if you find the other options not up to your standards, regardless of cost.

Web links: Holiday Inn Express hotels, New York

Normally, a New York taxicab driver is the one who takes people for a ride, in more ways than one. But this one time, it’s New York’s cabbies who are at the recieving end - From undercover officers of the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which kicked off ‘Operation: Secret Rider’, and between 60 and 100 commission inspectors and police officers have been posing as everyday New Yorkers and tourists and looking for violations of the ‘Taxi Passengers Bill of Rights’.

That would mean drivers doing things they’re not supposed to — like using cell phones (hands-free or not) while the car is in motion, not taking credit cards for payment or not paying attention to traffic laws. “It’s sneaky, it’s underhanded,” said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the group [New York Taxi Workers Alliance]. “They’re holding a sword over drivers’ necks.”

Sword? I say hold a smoking gun. If the sting operation works, maybe a visiting tourist could actually manage to hail down a cab all by himself…

The NYT has a great article on how a few hundred dollars can change lives. The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund offers glimpses into the lives of New York’s poor. shows how timely assistance, and the continuing support of the seven agencies that are the beneficiaries of The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, have turned lives around. In October 2005, Mariely Gonzalez was helped along on her path to citizenship with $440 from the Fund. The money covered the citizenship application processing fee.

Next time you spend $300 on a single night’s hotel stay in New York, think about how that money could help someone walking on the streets far below your highrise room at a luxury hotel. All right. Ok. I’m not trying to induce any vacation guilt here. We have enough of that going around with carbon footprints and unsustainable consumption habits.

All I’m saying is that maybe you could consider a vacation where you can spend a few hours doing some good to balance out the pleasures of Fifth Avenue shopping. After all, if you can wipe out your carbon footprint by buying offsets, you can very well buy feel good chits from God by doing some social welfare to wipe out the luxurious stay in Times Square hotels. After all, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, two of the richest gentlemen in the world, spent all their lives hoarding money, and they’re spending the rest of their days giving it away. You think it was inspired by a documentary or a blog post? Nah! That was the good old offset system at work. You paint the town red, then you clean it up. Fair and square. So what does this have to do with your New York vacation? Um…yes…Even if you’re broke or you think your money is better off in your own bank, you can still donate your time.

NYCharities.org is a web site dedicated to helping everyone donate time, money or talent to New York’s 98,000 charities. You can select an NYC region (zip), area of interest (animals, children & youth, environment, etc.) and further filter results based on your age group (kids, teens, seniors, group activities, etc.). For example, a search for education and environment in downtown Manhattan (where the species humano touristo insectos is often found), showed up multiple pages of requirements ranging from a ‘Cook for a Housing Program’ to a ‘Trash Cleanup for Youth in NYC’. Can you think of a better way to spend the day than a swing through Fifth Avenue, followed up by some trash cleaning and winding up the day with a Broadway show. Guilt free NYC vacation guaranteed.

The 2008 New  York Times Travel Show primer. When: Feb 29th - March 2nd 2008
Where: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street, New York 10001
About: Now in it’s 5th year, the NYT Travel Show is the biggest travel event in the United States, with over 30,000 attendees, 8000 travel industry professionals and over 500 tourism boards and official travel organization repesentation last year.

 Features booths providing information about services and destinations, with participation from travel services providers, destination cities, states and countries across the world. Also features state and federal travel agencies and private non-profits who try to raise awareness about specific travel related issues such as eco-tourism and travel safety. Tour operators promote and update visitors with latest deals and new attractions at destinations.

Highlights: Special travel deals and offers which are not available outside the show; Win free trips and prizes; Seminars explaining various travel related issues and tips for travelers; Comprehensive and detailed information about individual destinations, from Caribbean cruises to Asian hotsposts, European capitals and spa vacations; Meet best selling travel writers and published authors of travel books; A taste of cuisine from around the world at the ‘Taste of the World Pavilion’; Shows with music and dances showcasing the culture of various parts of the world; massages available at the Spa Pavilion during show hours.

Tickets: $15 per adult. Children below 18 are admitted free, subject to adult supervision. Online purchase of tickets -   http://www.expologic.com/registration/clients/nytts

Web Links:-
Official site: www.nyttravelshow.com ; 2007 NYT Travel Show video ; Javits Center 
Nearby Attractions: Madison Square Garden, Intrepid Sea Air Museum, Lincoln Tunnel
Hotel near Javits Center: The Westin New York Times Square ; More New York hotels.