The trip to the United States started on Friday morning at LuxAirport in Luxembourg. We took Luxair Flight LG8013 from ELLX (Luxembourg Airport) to Paris CDG.

In Luxembourg, after checking in, we had to pay my « ticket ». 125€  for the trip from LUX-CDG-JFK. As I read somewhere it would be 200€, this price was a good surprise.

The connecting flight to New York was initially scheduled for 13:40 (1:40 pm) but was delayed to 14:40 due to the late arrival of the plane from its previous leg from SFO. To be true, this delay was not so bad for us as it gave us much more time to go through passport control and to change the terminal (Luxair flights arrive at terminal G in CDG), and, the most important of all, to have some time for shopping.

People arriving from Luxembourg and connecting to other flights do not have to go through security screening once again at CDG which is a big save in time. Count in between 20 to 30min to get from Terminal G to the other terminals at CDG. A few years ago, you needed at least 45min to one hour!

Finaly, the boarding startet around 14:00 and we left the parking gate at around 14:45.

As previously described in one of my former travel articles, we often book our seats in premium economy which gives us much more space, a better service (sky priority) and even a better meal for not much more money than a simple economy ticket if you buy your tickets long enough before your scheduled travel date.

We travelled on flight AF006 which is the Airbus A380 flight to New York. Such a big plane with plenty of space for me. The premium economy seats are all located on the second flight deck. There is more space than in the premium economy on the 777.

In Luxai flights, my cradle has to be closed only during taxiing, take off and landing, whereas in Air France flights it has to be closed (officially) during the whole flight.

After landing in JFK we had to taxi for nearly 55min until we could reach our gate! A lot of traffic that day.

Passing border control was realy quick. A realy nice officer asked us a few questions, rapidly stamped our passports and welcomed us to the US. Then we got our luggage and only the last officer (a nice one too!) took a look at my anti rabies vaccination dates written on the medical examination sheet I received from my veterinarian a few days before travelling. The vaccination has to be valid of course. In the state of New York they accept the three years vaccination. That’s all. They don’t need to see the European pet passport. All in all, it was a five seconds check, nothing more!

Attention: when you leave the airport building, there are immediately some men asking you if you need a taxi: these are usually not the yellow cabs! Even if they are absolutely legal, they try to cheat you. They will charge you for aride from JFK to Manhatten more than 130$! Just go to the official taxi line where you can find the yellow cabs: you’ll get a recipt before entering the cab with the price for the ride (more or less 50$, depending where exactly your hotel is situated). We payed 70$, 52$ for the ride, 11 for the bridge toll (it’s at the charge of the client), and the tip. Far less than the 130$ the other “taxis” would charge you.

After arriving at the hotel and the check in (Novotel Times Square, they don’t charge extra for me) we immediately went to the terrace of the hotel where the view of Times Square is magnificent.

The next day, the weather was really awful. It was raining nearly the whole day, so we stayed in and around the hotel (my owners visited Times square shops like M&M’s, Disney and the Hard Rock Cafe, while I preferred to stay in the hotel room).

Yesterday, we went to Roosevelt Island with the tram. A realy cool experience. You have tremendous views of Manhatten from Roosevelt Island.

There is no problem for pets to take the Roosevelt Island Tram, as long as they are kennelled. The price for a one way ticket is 3$ (2$+1$fee) per person. You can buy the tickets at the station either with cash or credit card. Dogs travel free.

After Roosevelt Island we went on a walking tour on the 5th Avenue. We walked from central park down to the Flatiron House, passing by the Trump Tower and the Empire State Building. Today we are going to Coney Island. So keep looking to my page. Updates to follow.

As I told you, on our last day in New York, we went to Coney Island by car (rental car). It was an one hour drive down to Coney Island beach. A nice place to spend a few hours and maybe ride some attractions while there.  It is one of the eldest amusement parks in the United States.

We stayed a few hours there and than drove to Staten Island an further on to Liberty Park in New Jersey. There you have some wonderful views of Manhattan and Lady Liberty (you see her back).

Philadelphia

On the next day we drove down to Washington DC passing by the city of Philadelphia. A nice town with pretty much history and a nice old part to be visited. And of course the famous Liberty bell (where I was not allowed to enter):

“The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence Hall), the bell today is located in the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park. The bell was commissioned in 1752 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly from the London firm of Lester and Pack (now Whitechapel Bell Foundry), and was cast with the lettering “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof,” a Biblical reference from the Book of Leviticus (25:10). The bell first cracked when rung after its arrival in Philadelphia, and was twice recast by local workmen John Pass and John Stow, whose last names appear on the bell. In its early years the bell was used to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to alert citizens about public meetings and proclamations.

Although no immediate announcement was made of the Second Continental Congress’s vote for independence, and so the bell could not have rung on July 4, 1776, for any reason related to that vote. Bells were rung on July 8 to mark the reading of the Declaration of Independence. While there is no contemporary account of the Liberty Bell ringing, most historians believe it was one of the bells rung. After American independence was secured the bell fell into relative obscurity until, in the 1830s, the bell was adopted as a symbol by abolitionist societies, who dubbed it the “Liberty Bell.”

The bell acquired its distinctive large crack some time in the early 19th century—a widespread story claims it cracked while ringing after the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835. The bell became famous after an 1847 short story claimed that an aged bellringer rang it on July 4, 1776, upon hearing of the Second Continental Congress’s vote for independence. Despite the fact that the bell did not ring for independence on that July 4, the tale was widely accepted as fact, even by some historians. Beginning in 1885, the City of Philadelphia, which owns the bell, allowed it to go to various expositions and patriotic gatherings. The bell attracted huge crowds wherever it went, additional cracking occurred and pieces were chipped away by souvenir hunters. The last such journey occurred in 1915, after which the city refused further requests.”

(Quoting from Wikipedia)

We also visited Elfreth’s Alley, one of the oldest Streets in Philadelphia and maybe the United States.

At more or less 6pm we left Philadelphia and continued our trip to Washington DC. To be updated.

Washington

Arrived at more or less 10pm at the hotel, the famous Watergate hotel at Georgetown, we immediately went to the rooftop bar. We were a little surprised when they told us that they would close at 23:00pm as in the book you have i  your room, they say that the bar opens till midnight. So we went down to “The Next” bar, specialised in Whiskeys from all around the world. Not bad, but very expensive. And they also close very early.

On the next day, we visited the National Mall with the Lincoln Monument, the Capitol, etc.

We even went to the Hard Rock cafe Washington, where I had the worst experience evert woth Hard Rock Cafes as I wasn’t even allowed to be at the terrasse! Big deception. On my earlier trips to Hard Rock Toronto, Niagara Falls, San Francisco, Miami, I always was allowed to go to the terrasse, but in Washington the rules are bit different. Maybe they consider me as a treat to national security here. By the way, they hace sometimes very strange rules in this country. In Georgetown, we got a draft beer in a Cafe with a small terrasse outside (self service at the bar) just to be told that you cannot drink your beer on the terrasse. On a hot sunny day! No alcohol outside. In a country were you can have a gun outside, you are not allowed to drink a normal beer on a terrasse. Sometimes they are just ridiculous. But that’s America too. This said, the city is realy worth a visit. Even the president came out of the White House to see me!

Tomorrow we’ll fly to Fort Myres, Florida and we will stay some nights in Naples (FL) before we will deive to Miami. To be updated 🙂

Hi. Here I am. From Miami. We finally got to the last stage of our trip. But before getting to Miami we passed 3 nice days at the Gulfcoast. In Naples. A nice town with a nice 5th avenue with plenty of shops and restaurants. Also the beach is realy nice, much better than on the atlantic coast of Florida. But we also had realy heavy thunderstorms. We stayed at the Hyatt House at the 5th Ave. Nice hotel, with a realy cheap valet parking (15$ overnight), complementary breakfast, wifi, a nice pool, a marina, and from 4 to 7pm happy hour with reduced prices for some cocktails and some snacks. At a more or less 30 to 40min walk from the beach. Attention: they charge a 75$ pet cleaning fee!

Room N. 313 has a wonderful view and a balcony. 

5th Avenue:

At a more or less 30min drive from Naples to the north is a realy nice dog beach where dogs can enjoy swimming and playing without being on a leash at the beach. You have to walk to the beach  through more or less knee deep water depending on the tide. 

At Lovers Key, 8800 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

But there are surely other nice dog friendly beaches around. 

Today we drove through the Everglades directly to Miami. We took the U41, a realy nice street with many stops to visit the Everglades, and, not to forget, the smallest post office in the United States. But it is not a realy good idea for a dog to go there as it is infestes with moskitos. 

So. That’s all for today. More to follow in the next updates. 

We drove from Naples to Miami using the U41, as there is much more to discover than taking the I75 more to the north. We passed the world smallest Post Office, the Ochopee post office. 

In Miami, we stayed the first three nights a the house of some family members we have there. We visited Southbeach Miami y some other places. The last three days, we spent at the hotel East Miami where we have already stayed some nights last year. A very nice modern hotel in Brickell with an adjacent shopping mall, the Brickell City Centre. 

A visit worth is also the Lighthouse at Key Biscayne with a nice national park. Dogs are allowed there, as long as they are on leash. 

At the East Hotel Miami, the took a 100$ pet fee for my stay. 

To summarize:

Visit to the vet prior to travel: 35 €

Fee to travel on Air France:   125€

Fee at Novotel Times Square:    0€

Fee at Watergate Washington:  0€ (150$ refundable deposit at check in)

Fee for Jetblue to travel:          100$ (88€)

Cleaning Fee at Hyatt House Naples: 75$ (66€)

Fee at the East Miami Hotel:   100$ (88€)

Fee to travel back home on Air France: 125$ (110€)

Total (+/- considering the $/€ change rate):

512€ / 585$

In all the hotels, they have been extremly pet friendly, with a 5* rating for the East Miami and Novotel Times Square. 

At Novotel Times Square, I was allowed to enter the bar and the terrace. It was a little bit difficult to find some relief areas around the hotel. We had to walk a little bit westwards. 

At the Watergate Hotel in Washington, relief areas were all around the hotel, but I was not allowed to enter the bar. 

At Hyatt house in Naples, the only area I was not allowed to enter was the pool area. Relief areas were all around the hotel. 

At East Miami, relief areas were also all around the hotel. We did not try to enter the restaurant area to see if it was possible or not. But I could enter the shopping Mall adjacent to the hotel, the Brickell City Centre, where I was allowed to enter many shops and even some restaurants. 

In Miami South Beach, I even could enter the interior part of the cuban restaurant La Fontana at 512 Española Way.