Five more days and I will be sitting on an airliner to New York on Friday Nov 21.

We will land at about 9 p.m. and hope to arrive at the hotel by 11 p.m. My daughter says she would be up to taking a stroll down Broadway after we have registered and unpacked. The only kind of stroll I could imagine doing would be towards the bed. We will see how we feel.

Throughout my life and travels I often had made some priority plans  when visiting a certain city or country. It hardly ever worked out that way, but instead I did things – some unusual and much better -  I would not have dreamed of. Now I will share with you what I think I will be doing in New York.

I plan on:

* taking interesting photos

* buying lunch for some homeless

* talking to some interesting people, besides the homeless

* taking a peak into Tiffany’s

This is supposed to be a shopping trip for ladies only and we also have just received our Economic Stimulus Payment rebate from the U.S. government, which was supposed to encourage spending and strengthen the economy (before the crisis). Of course, being loyal to this currency, we plan on taking it right back to where it came from, because we want to stimulate the economy. My daughter will be the biggest helper in doing so.

Having just read Michael Kinsley’s article on Consumer Confidence, it is clear that Americans are in two minds. On one hand, they are encouraged to spend to stop this downfall, but at the same time, October retail sales were down double digits from a year ago.

And then there are new groups which preach against this Shopocalypse. For example, The Church of Stop Shopping is a project that has expanded from a one-man performance artist preaching against consumerism on the sidewalks of Times Square to a 35-person choir and 7-person band with dozens of original songs, a critically acclaimed stage show, a major motion picture and multiple media platforms. The Church is committed to educating the public about the consequences of unsustainable consumption.

And then there is this fake New York Times issue,  a very interesting prankster act. These papers were passed out and nobody noticed the publication date of July 4, 2009. Well, with such good news (the war in Iraq has ended) to be read, I might not have caught it right away either. This quiet and bold act is a good demonstration of what has been brewing this whole time in parts of America. Very clever idea to get to the public. 1.7 million papers supposedly have been distributed. They have planted the seed of dreaming of better days soon to come. Let’s hope for a speedy harvest.

In the meantime, I will go shopping in New York this weekend.

As I had mentioned in a previous post, there is a new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for entering the United States of America on a tourist status.

I had been waiting for my e-ticket to arrive to apply for this travel authorisation beforehand. As of now this method of application is still on a voluntary basis until January 2009.

My travel agent just sent me the USA-Einreiseformular (US entry permit application), which instructs me  to fill it out and submit to the ground personnel before the departure. This made me shiver. Why? Well, I want to know beforehand – while still in Germany – that my paperwork is good enough for entry. I travel with my daughter ( a minor) and a non-English speaking sibling. If my entry got refused and I’d be put on the next plane back, this would leave two stranded folks in New York City.

Why do I want to take extra precaution? For one – I am married to a U.S. citizen and residing in Germany. So entering the United States will put me in the highest risk category for illegal immigration as I have no green card and immigration believes that non-green card spouses would like to stay longer than permitted. Number two – my daughter is a U.S. citizen, which puts my tourist intent in double jeopardy. Immigration officials only do their job and try to fish out anyone looking to stay beyond their limited time. I have no intention to stay more than four days in the United States.

We are what we experience, so here goes my real-life fairy tale:

Once upon a time, in the last millennium, there lived a fairly young German wife with her U.S. American husband in a far away land called Japan. They were so happy when their son was born and they were so proud of him and wanted to take him to the kingdom where his father had been born and raised. His paternal grandparents wanted to hold their first-born son who would carry on the family name. (Back in those days, those things were still important.)

So they planned on taking their son across the Pacific Ocean to be held once by his grandparents for a couple of weeks before the family would continue across the Atlantic Ocean to take on a new post in another old country.

Luckily the couple inquired at a Japanese outpost of the kingdom to learn whether traveling with a one-way pass for the wife would be enough to enter the kingdom. The Consul yet told them there might be trouble as the guards watching the kingdom gate would get suspicious with anyone showing up with a one-way pass. The kingdom thinks of itself so highly and believes it to be so beautiful that once you have entered it, you will never want to leave again.

And because the wife was married to a citizen of that kingdom, then it was assumed she would definitely stay without proper permission from the king. She was advised she was in the same risk category as some dark haired people who liked to swim across the river or sneak through the border at night.

The couple felt very discouraged and tried to think of a way to show the baby to the aging grandparents.

One night they had an idea. If the problem lay with a one-way pass, surely a two-way pass would be sufficient to enter the country for a short visit. The two-way pass would definitely prove the intent of leaving again. Again the couple inquired at the outpost station and were told that a two-way pass held better chances to get in. But still, the couple had no proof of the new post in Germany as in those days, contracts and such were delivered by postal courier only and those sometimes took a while.

So the couple packed up their belongings and traveled via Taipei/Taiwan and Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia to Frankfurt/Germany. Then they went to a travel merchant and bought a two-way pass for entering the kingdom.

Two days later they crossed the Atlantic Ocean to meet the child’s grandparents and everyone was overjoyed.

All together, they had to travel 27,000 km because the kingdom’s guards thought the wife to be a prime risk for illegal immigration.

The wife’s kingdom never questioned her husband’s entry on a one-way ticket.

-The End-

The moral of the story: Always travel with your complete paperwork, but be prepared for the unexpected.

With my upcoming trip to the USA in November, I took the time to look into any changes in regards to entry requirements etc. At the present you can still enter the U.S. with a valid passport until Jan 11, 2009. As of Jan 12, 2009 all international travelers who are seeking to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program will be subject to enhanced security requirements.

Visiting the U.S. embassy site, you will be advised that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) computer system and any related equipment is subject to monitoring for administrative oversight, law enforcement, criminal investigative purposes, inquiries into alleged wrongdoing… Don’t let it scare you off. Once you are on the page, you have to click “OK” anyway.

All eligible travelers who wish to travel under the Visa Waiver Program must apply for authorization (U.S. embassy) using the following process:

Complete your application – Submit your application -Receive and record your application number – Receive response to your application

From the time of this new form’s implementation of travel authorization on August 25, 08 until Jan 12, 2009 when it becomes obligatory, all registrations are voluntary and free of charge (which might be likely to change in the new year).

For more information in German visit:

Diplomatische Vertretungen der USA Deutschland

The board of Airline Representatives in Germany e.V. (BARIG) recommends the usage of the new system. As stated in a press release, this new visa-waiver program was initiated early August and is supposed to improve travel conditions. The application can be filed as late as 72 hours before the departing flight to the U.S. This new application will replace the green I-94 W which passengers had to fill out on board a flight to the U.S.

This application can also be submitted by parents for their child/children and travel agencies. Passengers with a valid visa do not need an ESTA permit. Once the Department of Homeland Security has issued an ESTA permit, then it is valid for two years or until the passport expires.

Important: This new travel authorization process also applies to all transits – wether you change planes in Florida to travel to South America, are British and accompany your spouse on a business trip to the U.S.A., or you just visit a tiny spot in the States while touring Canada – you must apply for this authorization in a timely manner for any touch-down on American soil happening after January 11, 2009.

We have booked our hotel for the trip to New York City in late November. We will miss Macy’s Thanksgiving  Day Parade which is the week after, as well as the famous Christmas decorations of the city put up right after Thanksgiving. Oh well, we can’t have it all.

The Stanford Hotel is situated right in the center of Manhattan. It is located on 43 West 32nd street between Fifth and Broadway and just steps away from all the attractions & things to do in Midtown Manhattan. We will have immediate access to all the major midtown business and major tourist attractions. We are only a few minutes of a walk to Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, Jacob Javits Convention Center, the Empire State Building, the Broadway theater district, Fashion district, and the Manhattan Mall.

I had contemplated booking a lower-priced one out in New Jersey – which claims to have excellent bus service to and from Manhattan – but we want to see and stay in New York for the nights as well. We won’t be going out much at night as I will be traveling  with my by then eleven-year-old daughter. It will be nice just to stroll up and down the street, while staying near the hotel, to see the famous lights, hear the big-city sounds and do some serious people-watching. And November in New York City will be cold – another reason for getting a hotel nearby, therefore limiting the wait at a dark and drafty bus-station to get back into the cozy warmth of our hotel room. I wonder how cold it will get…

Another factor for staying in Manhattan is that I tire easily even after only three hours of shopping. It will be so nice to have the hotel in walking-distance to go back and take a rest – and unload some shopping bags, too.

Last, but not least. Our hotel is in Korea town as well, where I will have my favorite food – Korean cuisine – at hand. I was told I should try Sul Long Tang (beef soup) at the restaurant Gam Mee Ok, which serves supposedly the best Sul Long Tang in the whole world.

While I was doing some research for the upcoming trip to New York City, I stumbled upon this youtube clip.  It is quite useful because it serves as a simple reminder for the dos and don’ts while in New York. The audible AND visual instructions make it easier for non-native English speakers to understand. After all, it is mostly us foreigners needing information on this topic. The clips contains not only common sense pointers, but also some very interesting tidbits. I will be watching this a couple of times to take mental notes just before we leave for NYC.

And I might want to add for teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) – the instructions are so precise that they could be used in English lessons as well.

Watching U.S. movies, with actors hailing a cab, is just not enough in regards to taxi life in NYC.