The NYC Adventure Begins

What better way to start a new blog than by combating boredom while waiting for our plane to board.  The theme of the day is modes of transportation, and I'm quickly loving the conveniences of city living.  From our house, we are able to walk an easy 10 minutes to the GO Train station, and for $4.65 each, we are able to take an 8 minute ride down to Union Station.  Deciding it was time for our kids to learn a little more in the skill of travelling, we made it our sons task to find out how we were getting to our plane.  He easily figured out the GO train route, as we take it normally to get downtown - but from there had to do a little internet research (with the help of Dad) and discovered the Porter shuttle picks up passengers across from Union Station at the Royal York Hotel.  Our son led the way as we exited the GO train, and guided us across the street directly to the shuttle bus, which was luckily there already and waiting.  A quick ride through the city centre, we arrived a few minutes later at the foot of Bathurst and boarded the ferry for the shortest trip across the western gap to Billy Bishop Island Airport.
If you've never flown Porter from Toronto Island, I'd find a reason to try it out.  They fly short trips, from Washington DC, east to Halifax and St Johns, north to Timmins (if you find a reason to actually go to Timmins, let me know), and most importantly for us...into Newark, New Jersey - a short bus/, train, or taxi ride into Manhattan - our destination today.  Not only are Porter's rates fantastic (we each paid $210 including tax, return flight), but the lounge is comfortable, spacious, and offers free drinks and snacks preboarding.  To top it off, the view of the city centre from the lounge is beautiful.  Huge windows cover two sides of the waiting area, giving a scenic view of the Toronto skyline as well as the harbour.  Free wi-fi and a business centre to keep our 14 year old daughter occupied with facebook chat, Porter's advertisements are true - a civilized way to fly.
And why, you ask, are we taking this trip into New York City?  I hardly need a reason to buy a plane ticket or plan an adventure...but in the case, we are celebrating our daughters 14th birthday.  My husband and I decided a few months ago that physical gifts come and go, and can be easily forgotten about or lost (eg, cameras, phones, ipods...all lost and or damaged in the past year once, or in some cases numerous times).  Instead, with very few exceptions, any major holiday or birthday will be celebrated with experiences instead.  I say that now.  I might wait until the end of this trip before I make this "gifts of experience" a permanent thing.  Flight 131 now boarding for Newark. And we are off!