Do It For The Points!: Milan

Is it a Queen or a Double Bed? The DoubleTree Westminster

After taking a great nap we headed back to Milano Centrale and attempted to purchase tickets to Como so we could see Lake Como, something Kelsey had wanted to do from the moment we found out we would be flying into Milan.

We tried to purchase our tickets using the automated machines in the track area of the station, but we quickly found out that our cards would not work in the machines. Even the cards we had with a chip did not work so we missed the train we wanted to take originally. We asked for help from some of the Train Italia agents that were on the track level and the only solution they offered was for us to head down to the -1 level to the ticket office. Once down there we were helped by an awesome agent who was able to book our tickets for around 12 Euro per person one-way to Como. There are a couple of different types of trains that go to Como and they range from 6 to 15 Euros and they vary from local trains to express trains headed to Zurich (which we ended up taking the next day).

Beautiful Train Station in Milan

Como is the first stop out of Milan and so after a quick 40 minute ride we arrived to a very foggy and cold Como. The train station is on a hill above the city so it is about a 10 minute walk to the center of town, but as our luck would have it the clouds started to clear as soon as we reached the lake and we saw the beautiful homes on the side of the surrounding hills and mountains.

Clouds Slowly Clearing

We walked a little around the lake and then wandered through the center of town and were amazed at how many people were out and about for the day after Christmas. Turns out it was a bank holiday in Italy so folks were off of work and school and used the opportunity to just walk around and look in shop windows. No shops were open, but people just wanted to be out and about with their family and to enjoy the day.

After walking for a few minutes we stumbled upon what was left of the Christmas Market for the town, which was an awesome surprise. There were so many different vendors that were selling everything from cheese to candy, cured meats to crafts. The market was spread around the surrounding four or five streets and was centered around the towns Duomo which was very pretty.

Christmas Market

Area Around the Duomo

Como Duomo

After walking around for a bit we decided it was the perfect time to get something to eat...and when in Italy....you have to get gelato! It was my first gelato so we went with coffee and chocolate...and now it all makes sense, it was absolutely delicious and I could have stayed there ordering more and more all day long but we decided to head out to the area in front of the Duomo to people watch for a bit and enjoy our surroundings. Just 6 hours or so before we had been in New York and now somehow we were worlds away in one of the most beautiful places I have visited.

Maybe It Was the Gelato Talking, But I Loved Como

After relaxing and enjoying the people watching for a bit we headed back to the train station and paid a little extra to upgrade to a sooner train so we could get back to Milan before we passed out from jet lag exhaustion. The train ride back was absolutely packed so we were lucky to get a seat.

We got back to the hotel and realized that before we hit the hay we had to grab some dinner. The problem with it being a bank holiday is that most every restaurant was closed so the hotel suggested we head down to the Duomo area of Milan and see if there were some restaurants open down there. I was so glad when they suggested this because it afforded us an amazing view of the intricate Duomo in the Milan city center shrouded with fog. It was beautiful in the foggy light and the stained glass windows were lit so you could see the intricate detail that was present. From there we walked over to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which was built in 1861 and features a beautiful glass dome and walkways. Here we were able to find an open restaurant and even though it featured what I like to call "tourist prices" we were just happy to find something that was open. The food, unlike other restaurants I have dined at near tourist areas, was actually very good. The pizza I got was amazing and the gnocchi that Kelsey got was the best I have ever had. The staff was very nice and the service was very good, so it worked out in the end. After that we headed back to the hotel and turned in for some well needed sleep....and we would need it because it was off to Zurich the next day.

Duomo in Milan

View from the restaurant of the Galleria

Delicious

Galleria Roof

Sunday, January 13, 2013

European Holiday: Hilton Milan

Is it a Queen or a Double Bed? The DoubleTree Westminster

After getting off the Malpensa Express train at the main train station in Milan, Milano Centrale we left the boarding area and took the sloped escalator/people mover combination, they were sloped like an escalator but flat like a people mover at the airport, to floor zero and exited to the front of the train station.

To get to the Hilton Milan you exit the train station on the right side and walk about a half a block to the main road in front of the train station, which is Piazza Duca D'Aosta, and take a right. That turns into Via Luigi Galvani and in two blocks the Hilton will be on your right hand side.

Since our flight arrived in around 7:00 am it was only 9:30 or so by the time we reached the hotel. We didn't really expect to be able to check in so we planned on dumping our bags and going out to sight see. But we were pleasantly surprised when the best front desk agent I have ever come across assured us that he would do his best to find a room for us. He then searched and indicated that as a Hilton Gold member we would receive a complimentary upgrade to the Executive Level and have access to the Executive Lounge where there would be a managers reception later in the evening. He then said he had two rooms he could put us in, one that was slightly larger but didn't have much of a view, or a room that was on the top floor that was a bit smaller but had a balcony and a view of the city. We asked him which he would choose and he said for sure the slightly smaller room. I always figure it doesn't hurt to ask the people while checking in which room they would prefer because they know the layout by heart. So we choose the smaller room and boy was I glad we did. But before we headed up to the room we got an introduction to the hotel, the concierge, a personal letter from the general manager (which was very nice) indicated the benefits of the hotel with Gold status and an offer to have breakfast that morning if we wanted which was a total shock since we hadn't stayed the previous night. We considered going for breakfast, but by that point the lack of sleep on our 1970s airplane ride over was hitting home so we decided to go up and take a nap.

Our room was absolutely stunning. It wasn't the biggest room ever, but it was just very very well appointed and well done. It was located on the top floor of the hotel, which I believe was floor 9, almost at the end of the hallway and was located next to the Presidential Suite.

When you walked into the room you were met with a beautiful set of dark blue drapes that covered the sliding glass door to the patio. The rich color was very well appointed for the room and made it look very very nice. The king bed was on the left side of the room and on the walls surrounding were pictures of Milan, both old and new, that put a really cool local touch on the room. In front of the bed were two chairs and a table along with a desk and desk chair.

Bed and Awesome Photos

Sitting Area and Desk

Hallway to Closet and Bathroom

To the right of the table and chairs was a suitcase area so you didn't have to worry about putting the suitcase in the middle of the room on a stand. From there was a side hallway that featured a built-in closet with a safe, a mini bar and a coffee/tea maker. To the right of that was the bathroom, which was very large.

Coffee Maker, Mini Bar and Closet

Bathroom

The bathroom had a nice marble floor and marble sink area. The tub/shower was very big, but the floor of the shower was very very very slippery and if you didn't position the shower curtain correctly you would end up with water completely covering the floor

Shower/Tub

One of my favorite parts of the room was the patio that was right outside our room. It featured an awning that automatically extended out with the push of a button so if it was hot or raining it could be fully used. It was a bit cold when we were there so we didn't make full use of the patio, but in the nice weather, it would have been brilliant to use!

Balcony with Awning

After unpacking and taking a quick shower we laid down for a nap to burn off some of that jet lag and around noon we headed back to the train station to catch a local train to go visit George Clooney's neck of the woods, Lake Como.

Friday, January 11, 2013

European Holiday: JFK-Milan Malpensa (MXP) in AA Economy

Is it a Queen or a Double Bed? The DoubleTree Westminster

After checking out of the Radisson we met up with a friend for lunch and since we were in Korean Town we figured why not try out a Korean BBQ place. We settled on a place just a few doors down from the Radisson on 32nd Street, New Wonjo . The bibim bop that I had was very good and filled me up for the rest of the day. After saying goodbye to our friend we headed back to Penn Station to JFK for our 5:00 pm flight to Milan's Maplensa airport.

It was Christmas Day so the airport was pretty empty. We easily checked our bags and proceeded through security in 20 minutes total. We headed on the people movers to the second part of Terminal 8, which houses AA to our gate. The boarding area was empty until about 30 minutes before boarding time when suddenly everyone on the plane showed up and started crowding the gate area. This is the earliest I have ever seen people hover around the gate waiting to board. It got even worse when the boarding process started and the whole plane....literally everyone on this plane...decided that the invitation for Business Class passengers to board was actually their turn to board. The poor Business Class passengers had to sift through the people to make their way to the boarding area and the gate agents turned at least 30 people away for not boarding at the proper time. We were in group one so we had to force our way through the hoard and slowly boarded to our seats in 30 A and B.

Unfortunately the plane of choice for this route is a 767 which looks like it is still stuck in the 1970s. The Business Class consisted of 2-2-2 configuration with standard domestic looking seats, it didn't even look like there was much of a foot rest or recline beyond the normal recline. The Economy Class was in a 2-3-2 configuration and we were lucky enough to get a pair of seats on the 2 section on the left side of the plane. But when we sat down it was clear that it wasn't going to be that much of a luxury. The leg room was about as much as you get on a regional jet. I'm only 5' 8" and my legs were close to touching the seat in front of me (see picture below). It got even worse during the flight when the person in front of me reclined to get some rest and I lost all of my space entirely. Even better was the pair of teenage boys behind us that screamed and yelled for the whole boarding process, taxi and first two hours of the flight.

Not Much Leg Room

We were lucky and had favorable winds so the flight was only scheduled for seven hours, which was good because much longer would have been rough. The in-flight entertainment was a shared screen for the whole cabin and featured two movies. To listen you had to click the dial on the armrest to get to the proper audio channel and hope it would actually tune to the correct channel.

For dinner there was a choice of chicken with vegetables or vegetable ravioli. I choose the chicken and was surprised that it was actually pretty good, a little dry, but not that bad. The potatoes and mixed vegetables were tough and didn't have any flavor and the white wine they served with it was listed as a pino grigio but it tasted like a $3 chardonay mixed with jet fuel....that bad.

After dinner there was only about four hours left in the flight so we both tried to get some rest. Kelsey was lucky enough to pass out for a few hours, I on the other hand was only able to sleep for an hour or two and read for the rest of the flight.

About an hour before we landed they started a "breakfast" service. By breakfast I mean they gave us a crossant, some jelly and a drink.....I was really really disappointed in this, I would have expected at least some yoghurt or some fruit.

We landed about an hour early and quickly taxied to the gate at MXP. We arrived at the gate and sat, and sat and sat until finally the Captain came on to let us know that they had parked him just past the reach of the jetway and they were going to push us back, but that would take about 10 minutes to get the ground crew over. About 15 minutes later a set of busses pulls up and suddenly people behind us start streaming out the now open back door. The Captain comes back on and says, "Well I guess they are going to have you board off the back and bus you to the terminal...thanks for flying with us."

The bus took us the quick 500 yards or so to the terminal and we made the long walk to immigration where we quickly cleared immigration and customs and picked up our bags on the way. Once out of customs we followed the signs to the Malpensa Express train and bought two train tickets to Milan Centrale station from the ticket desk. Note that there are automated kiosks, but they would not take either of our credit cards, even ones with chip technology. The total fare was 11.00 Euro per person and took about 40 minutes to get to Milan Centrale where we made the quick walk to the Hilton Milan, and our day improved significantly.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Trip Time! Milan, Zurich, Geneva and London - Introduction

Is it a Queen or a Double Bed? The DoubleTree Westminster