That was the fastest trip I have ever booked. It took only 48 hours from conception to the charge of the credit card.
The idea was suggested by me during a perfect dinner with musaka. I said I was going to visit my lab outside NY in 2 weeks, and that the apartment we have there is booked for 4 days after we are done with the experiment, so we could use it to stay there and save money on the trip.
Everyone liked the idea, so we started looking for airfares. The next day we set a meeting to book the flights. Then I said to them that I couldn't get them inside the lab to stay since they have heavy security at the entrance gate. But that fact had little impact to the momentum that everyone had: we booked the tickets anyway, and we set for another meeting later in the afternoon to book a hotel.
Indeed, a few hours later we went over the main options until we finally decided on a $32 per night per person hostel on the upper west side. Not the cheapest option, but we will have our own room.
Now everyone is up and excited! And thanks to Nikos' insight who stayed there for 5 years, we will have in-depth information and suggestions on places to visit (apart from the main tourist attractions).
