My friend and I are going to visit New York for a week at the end of April. This will be our first time and of course we want to do all the touristy things! Sight see, shop, eat, etc. How do we decide
My friend and I are going to visit New York for a week at the end of April. This will be our first time and of course we want to do all the touristy things! Sight see, shop, eat, etc. How do we decide which part of New York to book a hotel in? Does anyone have any suggestions as to what part we should consider staying in? Pros, cons...one area over another? Any suggestions in helping us decide would be great.
Many tourists like to stay near Times Square since they thingk most sights are nearby. This simply isn;t true - major sights are spread out all over Manhattan - an area 8 miles long and 2 wide - plus isnlands in the harbor. What is most important is being near a conveninet subway stop - so it's quick gettig to all parts of the city - although walking shorter distances - less than a mile or so - is recommended.
Without knowing your budget it's hard to make specific recos - but I would do a residential area - you get many more choices of good and inexpesnive/moderate restaurants than you do in the area around Times Squaare. Also, while they are busy they aren;t so frantic. Look at the upper west side and SoHo or Tribeca.
Forgot to mention what our budget is like. Both of us are foodies so there is no real budget for food. We would like to try the famous street vendor food and good, talked about restaurants. We watch the food channel and New York restaurants are highlighted alot. We want to visit as many interesting sites as time will allow and are considered must sees while in New York. We also don't want to break the bank on hotels but we will be splitting the cost on the accommodations. Nothing over the top but something middle of the road. A boutique hotel would be nice if not overly expensive. So I don't know what area is best to stay in as home base. We will be taking the subway and cabs if we need to. We will also probably be walking alot too. Hope this helps answer my question.
We'll need a $-per-amount or range before we can recommend a hotel. Are you talking $200 per night or $500 per night? What do you consider "overly expensive"?
Also, it sounds like you are just at the very beginning of planning your trip. Have you read any New York City travel guides yet? It's really a good idea to start there, because a lot of your general questions will be answered with that information.
pmatch, We'll need a $-per-amount or range before we can recommend a hotel. Are you talking $200 per night or $500 per night? What do you consider "overly expensive"? Also, it sounds like you are just at the very beginning of planning your trip. Have you read any New York City travel guides yet? It's really a good idea to start there, because a lot of your general questions will be answered with that information. Cheers, David Posted by David Lytle
Hi David: I think our maximum would be about $250 per night. And yes, we are in the early stages of planning our trip. Mo
In Response to Re: Where to Stay in New York City? : well then why would we need forums?? Posted by pmatch
pmatch, I don't see the message you responded to from Shon Smith--perhaps he deleted it--but his question is not out of line.
This forum is a wonderful place for advice, experience, discussion...but it's not the only place for informatin, not even the only part of the Frommers site that offers information on the subject. Like many other regular posters here, I do check Zagat and read guides (although not TripAdvisor), and what I learn there as well as my own experience becomes part of my contribution here.
The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectations.
Can you and your friend share a double bed - or will you want different beds? (Many hotel rooms in NYC have only 1 double bed - and are much smaller than rooms most other parts of the country.) $250 is a reasonable budget - but do realize that if you remove the 18 % tax that actually translates into a quoted rate of about $210. If you start looking now at the various discount web sites (hotels.com, travelzoo, kayak, etc) for rooms with the appropriate number of beds you should find some decent options. then you can determine locations - esp proximity to a subway - and search for info on the places on tripadvisor.com. But you should know that rate is modest rather than moderate in NYC (yes, everything is more expensive here.)
If you decide to stay in Midtown you should consider staying at The New Yorker Hotel. I just went to NYC yesterday and stayed there overnight. I'm not sure how you are getting to NY but if you are traveling by train this hotel is one block from Penn train station. It's only a few blocks from the Empire State Building and walking distance to Times Square, Rockefeller Center and the shops on Fifth Avenue. The hotel was clean, the staff was nice and the price was very reasonable.
The hotel is running a special package now that is on their website. $169+tax per night (it came to $199 with the tax) and it includes a $15 starbucks gift card and continental breakfast daily. You also get a room with a view. We had a great view of the Empire State Building and they upgraded us to a suite for no charge. They also have other packages.
First, relax and don't worry about the neighborhood! While there are bad neighborhoods in Manhattan, there aren't especially bad hotel neighborhoods. Over the years, I've made it a point to stay at hotels in different areas just to explore new little nooks and crannies. You will walk 'til your feet fall off. Find a hotel in your price range with the kind of accommodations you need and worry less about the location. Public transport in New York is everywhere, and I second the recommendation to choose a place near a subway stop. Upper east side, upper west side, midtown, Gramercy Park, U.N. area are all just fine and have interesting neighborhood surroundings. You won't starve and you won't get lost. I also second the suggestion not to stay around Times Square, it's much more touristy and not nearly as interesting. Go with an open mind and you'll have a great time.
We always stay on the East side in Midtown. Easy walk to lots of places and easy to ride subway. My personal favorite is Hotel Elysee. They have wonderful continental breakfast and wine and cheese at night. Service and location is great. The Doubletree on Lexington is also another favorite because a subway is right out side the door. We used to stay at the Ramada Inn Eastside because the price was right and it was clean and good location. However, it has been several years since we stayed there. I don't know how much it has changed.
Try Apple Core Hotels, a group of NY hotels who offer good value. I often stay at either the La Quinta Mahattan Hotel or the New York Manhattan Hotel. Both are on 32nd Street, between 5th and 6th. A block south of the Empire State Building, 2.5 blocks west of Penn Station (easy walk) and a half block from Herald Square where you can catch the Subway or PATH trains. A good central base. Both properties are very clean and the Korean area they are located have some good resaurants.
you said you were a foodie.... if you like to try ethichs food.. which NY is loaded with it... try Sofrito Restaurant great hispanic food with a modern twist and not that expensive..... they do have awesome mojitos and sangria....http://www.sofritony.com/
stay at the Deauville hotel in the twenties. great location, boutique hotel, on the east side. if you look at hotels.com or booking.com you can get a great rate there. very good ethnic food right in that area
We're staying at Hotel 414 in Midtown - 46th and 9th. I found it on bedandbreakfast.com. I can't review it yet, because I've never been there. It got great reviews on TripAdvisor. It's right in the heart of a great foodie street - 9th Avenue (lots of places where the locals eat). Close to one of my favorite restaurants "Pomaire", a Chilean jewel on 46th between 8th and 9th and also Lidia's "Becco". We stayed in an apartment on 50th street (between 8th and 9th) in 2010. It's close to subways, but we walked to a lot of places too. We loved the area, that's why we're staying there again.
We have stayed at the Iroquois Hotel on 44th between 5th and 6th. It's a very nice boutique hotel in a really great location. Also next door is dbBistro Moderne, a wonderful restaurant by Daniel Boulud. The location couldn't be better....very close to theaters and attractions.
If as "foodies" (gad, I hate that term since it's so far-ranging--no offense to you, btw) you're especially into ethnic, some of the best places are in Queens. I'd check out the Comfort Suites in Queens. It's one stop from Manhattan and just a couple minutes walk from the subway stop. That way you'd have the best of both worlds and could save some of those Manhattan hotel dollars for food.
we found a wonderful hotel at Christmastime the Hotel wales on 92nd and madison, 1/2 the price of midtown hotels, easily reach by bus, you are 7 blocks or less from some major museums 6 restaurants nearby loved the paris bistro and paolas
My favorite place to stay in New York is the Hotel Metro on West 35th between 5th and 6th. It's a small boutique hotel and the rates include breakfast, which is continental. They have a rooftop patio that's awesome, and it feels like you are right underneath the Empire State building when you're sitting up there. The rooms are decent-sized for Manhattan (meaning, not as tiny as many of them are), and the staff is friendly and helpful. It's about 1 & 1/2 blocks from the Herald Square Metro station, about 2 &1/2 blocks from Penn Station, and about 7 & 1/2 blocks from Grand Central station. I looked at their rates for the end of April and they will fit your budget if you are sharing a bed. If you want two beds, you may have to call and ask if they have a special. I agree with other commenters that I would avoid the Times Square area because it's just crowded and noisy and not really "New York" - it's more like a tourist purgatory. The Hotel Metro is in a part of midtown that is on the edge of the garment district, so it's not a hotbed of activity in the evenings. I think it would be fun to stay in a cozier neighborhood if you want to get out and walk around your immediate hotel area in the evenings, so Upper East or Upper West, Soho, Greenwich Village and Tribeca would be fun. I would expect to pay more in the downtown trendy neighborhoods, though. One place I stayed a long time ago on the Upper West side was the Hotel Beacon. It was around 74th street and only a block from the nearest subway station. I ended up there because of a canceled flight (weather) and my company's travel agent booked it at a great deal, so I don't know what the rates would be now. They also have kitchenettes, which I am sure you won't need if you're foodies (except maybe for breakfast). Other commenters here have made good suggestions as well. There are a gazillion places to stay in the City, so I would say if the budget is strict, use Kayak, Cheap Tickets, Priceline, etc. and do your reasearch before entering the credit card info. When I am feeling bold I shop around, get a feel for what room rates are in general for my time period, and then bid half on priceline after narrowing down by neighborhood, and just see what I get! I usually end up happy, even though I'm taking a chance. I would just say no matter where you stay in New York, you're going to walk a lot, take a lot of subways and/or cabs, and not spend a whole lot of time in your room, so don't sweat it too hard. I like to read tripadvisor reviews before I make a final selection, and look at reader photos as well as official hotel photos, and then make the purchase.
I will amend this part of my last post: "When I am feeling bold I shop around, get a feel for what room rates are in general for my time period, and then bid half on priceline after narrowing down by neighborhood, and just see what I get! "
by saying I narrow my bid area down by neighborhood AND star level. This is just my opinion, but I feel that NYC hotels sometimes over-estimate their star level, so I eliminate the lowest star level that I might tolerate in another city.
