one for Chris I think

[Dee Sa]

Hi Chris
can u advise pls ?
I usually do a 3day shopping trip to NY before xmas, fly into JFK and stay at the Marriot Marquis or the Doral. I get the bus from the Port Authority and spend one whole day at Paramus at the Florida Mall there.
Would I be better off flying into Newark, staying near Paramus then going into NY ?
Also what is the Minneapolis Mall like I hear they even have hotels in there would it be worth a 3 day trip for a change to NY ?
Have a nice weekend Dee

[jno]

average December temperature in Minneapolis is about 17 degrees (Fahrenheit) so wrap up if you want to take that option. I think I'm right in saying there are no direct flights from the UK but Chris will probably know more about it.

[Buenchico]

Hi Dee Sa

The USA doesn't feature in the top 50 countries that I'd like to visit. (I doubt that it would be in my top 100). Additionally US airports have some of the least informative websites anywhere in the world. So I'm certainly no great expert when it comes to questions about the USA!

To some extent the answer to your question will depend upon where you're travelling from, your preferred flight times and (of course) the prices of the flights. If you're in the north of the UK, Continental's flights from Edinburgh or Manchester to Newark might be worth considering. Otherwise you're restricted (for direct flights to Newark) to a choice of Continental, BA or Virgin Atlantic out of Heathrow.

If you're only going for a short trip, you probably don't want the time-consuming hassle of changing flights. The only direct service from the UK to Minneapolis is with Northwest Airlines from Heathrow.

I'm also not the person to ask about shopping. (Even if I had the funds to buy a complete new outfit for myself, I'd only pay for half an hour's parking on a pay and display car park. That would give me plenty of time to go through the absolute agony of shopping and then to have a leisurely coffee afterwards!). However these might help you:
http://www.mallofamerica.com/#/main/home/home

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g42881-d109972-Reviews-Mall_of_America-Bloomington_Minnesota.html

http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3666717340

Chris

[jno]

see,I told you Chris would know more than me. I think he's enjoy the USA, though: his own libertarian philosophy is much more in tune with that of most Americans than with the social democratic ethos of Europe. On top of that, Americans are tremendously kind and helpful people.

[Dee Sa]

many thanks to both, I am in Essex and prefer Gatwick if I have a choice, though I must say that hubby [ who is reg blind] recently flew alone with BA [ not my favourite airline] from terminal 5 to Bangalore and on to Goa alone and I was impressed with terminal 5 effiency and he said he was looked after really well on the fllight better than Virgin which surprised me, also really well cared for on Kingfisher for the last leg of the journey.
Looks like I will stick to JFK and NY though, I hate chaging planes all that hanging about with not much to do, you have gathered I am a shopaholic then ?
Dee