For vacation this year we (Mark, Monica, Genevieve age 10 and Charlotte age 8) decided to save some money and use our Frequent Flyer miles to get to New York and Washington DC before they changed the FF rules on us. We were able to get flights into New York and out of Washington DC that were pretty decent. Genevieve also wanted to visit Colonial Williamsburg because that was where her American Girl doll, Elizabeth’s, story was set. Our flight to NYC was uneventful, and when we got there at 11:00 pm local time (only 8:00pm our time thank goodness) we got a cab to take us to our hotel, the Marriott Residence Inn Times Square. The first thing that happened when we got out of the cab is a huge cockroach ran out of the subway grate and nearly up Charlotte’s leg–what a nice New York greeting! The hotel and room were nice, though, in New York rooms are so small that any extra space (in this case the kitchenette and little dining area) is welcome.