I just got back from the Big Apple, where I celebrated a birthday trip to NYC on points and miles. And no, it wasn’t for me, a friend, my daughters, or any adult—it was for my ten-year-old grandson, Kai, Alex’s son. She and I take her boys to celebrate their tenth birthdays wherever they choose. Eli went to Washington, D.C., Cruz to San Antonio, and Kai Guy picked the big city to see some shows: Harry Potter and Stranger Things. I love that he knew just where he wanted to go and that it was a place I love to visit, too!

 

 

Flights

We all flew Southwest® Airlines. Alex used her Southwest® Companion Pass for her and Kai, and, since their flight was connecting through Denver,  I decided to fly it, too. I had recently done a status match to Southwest® from United, so I had A-list Preferred status for the trip. I got a great bulkhead seat with tons of legroom.

Southwest’s A-List Preferred status includes several useful perks that frequent flyers will find valuable, including:

• Priority boarding
• Two free checked bags
• Free same-day standby
• A dedicated customer service phone line
• 100% bonus Rapid Rewards points on paid flights
• Complimentary in-flight Wi-Fi

Pretty good for the girl who never flies Southwest. However, with the assigned seating, that may change.

 

Hotels

Alex had a Hyatt Category 1-7 free-night certificate, so we spent the first night at the Thompson Central Park, which is always a good stay. We then hopped across the street to the Park Hyatt. We were sad that no upgrades were available because we would have loved to try out a suite there. We spent 45K points per night for two nights there.

 

Activities

We had to have been with the chillest boy in the world in NYC. He wasn’t that interested in seeing all the sights. He just wanted to experience New York, see some plays, eat good food, and do some shopping (e.g., FAO Schwarz and the LEGO store). Our activities consisted of:

• Chelsea Market for Los Tacos
• Times Square 
• Rockefeller Square
• Summit One Vanderbilt – amazing views!
• Harry Potter
• Stranger Things
• The Lion King (finally a musical)!
• Chess (for me) while they went to see Stranger Things (Chess was great!)

 

Bottom Line

Who would have thought we’d be taking a ten-year-old to NYC and staying at the Park Hyatt for a birthday trip? Never, ever! However, the magic of points and miles has let our imaginations soar, and anything is possible, even ten-year-olds dancing on the piano at FAO Schwarz!