TheBevitts

Hi. Husband, 18 month old toddler and I will be spending 10 nights in NYC this early June. Budget is a main concern, so we are considering on staying in long island city to save around $1000 (we have searched and searched and cant find a place in manhattan for 200 USD a night in June). one hotel we found in LIC is the paper factory hotel which boasts 200 m from the nearest subway.

our question is- will the subway rides into NYC be ok with a stroller - with husband and I we should be able to easily manage stairs etc. many people say its only 3-4 stops into midtown from LIC but my concern is after spending a full day in NYC i'm sure we are going to end up in all sorts of parts of NYC and not sure how easy it is to get on the N and Q subway trains to get back to LIC from different parts of NYC as doing several line changes could be challenging with a stroller? and with 10 days worth of the commute we don't want to end up so stranded or with expensive taxi rides that might negate our savings of staying in LIC

ALSO- IF anyone knows of a way we can get hold of Manhattan hotels with 10-night stay deals in June it would be greatly appreciated

Thank you in advance

nytraveler

The subway is perfectly doable with a toddler as long as their are 2 parents. One folds the stroller and carries it up and down the stairs and the other parent carries the child in a snugli.

Be aware they trying to put an open stroller onto the subway will be very difficult - since you are near the city - so the trains will generally be quite full when they get to you (standing room only). Note that once you are into Manhattan folded strollers can also be used on buses.

What you have to be careful of is the most crowded areas - like Times Square - where there is so much foot traffic that a child in a stroller will be surrounded by knees and tripping on the stroller is possible. You should stick to streets/areas that have more moderate foot traffic.

The subways run very frequently from about 6 am until 10 pm at night - less frequently after that but still convenient until the small hours (at 3 am you might have to wait 20 minutes).

$200 a night in June for a triple room is a very low budget. (many double rooms are too small to bring in a crib for the baby).

One place that you might try in Manhattan is the Newton hotel - a reliable budget property on the upper west side (a mid/upscale residential area only blocks from central park, right next to the subway and with tons of inexpensive/moderate family friendly restaurants). You didn't give your dates but they are showing rooms available in your price range if you are willing to pay in advance. BUT, it looks like there are only a couple left so I would investigate it now and book it immediately. (This hotel often sells out 3 months of more in advance.)

TheBevitts

thankyou nytraveler. our dates are 5-15th June 2016. I just checked out the Newton hotel and they do have availability in one of their superior queen rooms. They offer a non-refundable price for $600AUD more than the LIC paper factory hotel price for a similar sounding room (and this is the best Manhattan price I have found so far). Would you say the Newtown hotel is a) clean and comfortable for a good long 10 night stay and b) the extra $600 is really worth it to stay in Manhattan (will it be more convenient?). I do think the UWS area sounds very nice (much nicer than LIC) but as a tourist we will likely (I think) still be getting on the subway most morning to explore greater NYC?

jubilada

With a toddler I would much prefer to stay in an area I really want to be, if only so that if the child needed a break midday one could go to the hotel and one parent could stay in and the other could nap,same in the evening.

I have no idea whether that convenience is worth the extra money to you. For me the extra money would be well worth it.

ellenem

Another way to make your stay in NYC more affordable to shorten your stay there. I see from your other thread that after NYC you will take a two-week road trip. What if you stayed in NYC for only 8 nights? That is still a generous visit to NYC and the 2 extra days in cheaper accommodations on the road may give you a bit more room in the budget for a hotel in Manhattan.

janisj

I was thinking the same thing as ellenem. Instead of scrimping and staying in a (lot) less than ideal place for 10 nights, why not stay 7 or 8 nights and stay someplace more convenient/nicer. . . .

nelsonian

LIC is perfectly convenient, we stayed there for a ten days when visiting our daughter, and used the subway all the time. There is nothing wrong with the area, why pay more when you don't have too. I thought travel on the subway was great. I couldn't believe how cheap it was, and how it hardly took any time to get into Manhattan itself.

nytraveler

I would grab the Newton like a shot. Much more pleasant area and you can get to Central Park, the Mus Nat'l Hist and several other places easily with a toddler in stroller.

Also much better selection of places to eat and shop in the immediate area than in LIC.

Dianedancer

LIC is only a few stops fromManhattan, as you mentioned. Staying in Manhattan itself doesn't mean you are right in an area where you want to be. If you're staying on the Upper West Side, what if you want to go to the Lower East Side, or Brooklyn? Its a trip. So, staying in another borough doesn't necessarily mean a less convenient stay overall.

doug_stallings

Long Island City is very convenient for Manhattan, but my only concern is that you have chosen a hotel that's only along the N/Q subway lines and not well located even though it's close to the subway. The N/Q occasionally shuts down for the weekend for repairs. If you stay closer to Queensboro Plaza, you will have multiple subway options and be a bit closer to Manhattan.

The Comfort Inn & Suites Long Island City is more convenient to that subway station and offers multiple transit options and free breakfast. (You can even walk across the 59th Street Bridge if you want.)

Now about the Newton. It's a clean and safe, albeit very basic, budget hotel in a good location (across the street from an express subway station, on the Upper West Side with lots of cheap restaurants nearby, drugstore downstairs, etc.). My gym is across the street so I'm there two or three times a week. However, their cheapest rooms are VERY small, and I wouldn't recommend staying in one for 10 nights. Larger rooms are pretty good. So I wouldn't necessarily jump on that so quickly. Long Island City is, as I've argued here many times, closer to more of the tourist sights you are likely to want to visit than the Newton, even though it's much more convenient to Central Park.

I can't speak specifically about the Paper Factory Hotel, but I can tell you that while that's a safe area, it's acutely unattractive and far from decent restaurants with relatively little nearby. I get my car fixed over that way, and there'a almost nothing within easy walking distance except McDonald's and auto parts shops. It's a very busy stretch of Northern Boulevard and not an area I particularly like (my car dealership is right there, and I go there often and even know someone who lives nearby, but I've never seen the hotel).

fmpden

I would trust Doug on this one. We frequently stay in the Upper West side between 70th and 80th. It is very nice area, convenient to lots of things with subway stops at 72 and 79th. For the difference of $60 a day I would stay there and try to find somewhere else in the budget to save $60. The toddler is still taking naps in the afternoon so the convenience of quickly get back to the hotel should not be overlooked. And you are close to Central park and the museums around the park.

nytraveler

Yes, but the OP is traveling with a toddler. IMHO being on the upper west side is going to be a lot easier with a little kid.

For a couple - or even a family with older kids I can see saving money by staying in LIC - but the upper west side is easier with a toddler/stroller since you can walk or hops a bus or cab to so many places, making organizing the stroller easier.

Ackislander

I can't even imagine taking a three week trip from Australia to the US with an 18 month old whose body is going to be completely out of synch with the clock and who may well be completely out of sorts because of the flights.

My father was a military officer and we HAD to do this all the time. He got PAID to do it. We loved living in a new place every two years but the process of getting from one to another was hellish whenever we had new additions to the family, which happened with some frequency ;-).

If you were just two traveling in from LIC, of course. But can you take baby back to crash after lunch and then hit the streets again? You are better than I am!

Inakauaidavidababy

I'm jumping on the UWS bandwagon. A better environment for one parent to run to the store or local restaurants and bring back supplies, as the toddler winds down. From what is sounds like the paper factory hotel is in a wasteland with nothing to offer but lodging and auto repair. If junior is having a fussy day, one parent can stay 'home' and take a stroll thru the park while the other parent explores a bit. And I agree with cutting down the number of nights if need be.

doug_stallings

Just to be clear, though, I am advocating for LIC over the UWS, just not that particular hotel. Maybe I didn't make myself clear.

sf7307

The UWS is a family-oriented mostly residential neighborhood. I'd vote for it for that reason alone. You'll be near Central Park, markets, restaurants, shops, people, everything you'd have in any other very nice residential neighborhood in a big city. It's not only the distance to the hotel (which won't be hugely different), it's the environment you're in once you get there.

nelsonian

For heaven's ake NY traveller you keep going on about the lack of places to eat in LIC. When was the last time you actually visited there. There is an wide array of choices there. My DD who now lives in Harlem goes back to LIC frequently to her favourite restaurants.

I agree with Doug you need a hotel close to the subway. We stayed at Quality Inns and Sute, but also stayed in a condo there.

TheBevitts

Hi. Thank you for the suggestions. I am preferring the sound of uws for atmosphere and comfort for immediate dining or needing to return during day or split up (ie one stay back in room for toddler to have nap whilst other wanders around local area). I should offer some more insight. We are very experienced travellers but this will be our first time with a toddler (although we managed a 6 week driving trip around spain last year when our baby was 6 months-we expect he will be more demanding this trip as a stubborn needy toddler).

Also i love new York.this will be my 3rd time to nyc but my husbands first to the usa. My previous solo trips were 8 and then 4 days staying in midtown- both times i felt nyc was just so big and spectacular there was so so much to see and so many areas deserved a day of leisurely walking around and museums that shouldn't be rushed to enjoy it fully that i could have easily spent 2 weeks in nyc (plus the shopping and eating take time) anyway i know things will be even slower with 2 adults and a toddler. But i think i might cut down to 9 nights which will be 8 full days. Or trip was originally supposed to be just nyc but i convinced the hubby to extend and see a couple other places since we are travelling all that way.

Also i am concerned about small rooms esp for long stay with baby hence for the newton i would only consider the superior queen room. Anyone stayed in this? Photos look very dated and bathroom weary and 80s but reviews all say how clean the place is. I would love to increase our nyc hotel budget but husband is a bit reluctant. Any alternatives to the newton welcomed

TheBevitts

I get there might be good restaurants in lic but prob prefer immediate dining/cafes for convenience and atmosphere if we have a bad day/night of needing to stay in/close to hotel.

scdreamer

We stayed at the Dumont Affinia on 34th near the Empire State Bldg last fall - we had a full kitchen and were close to the subway, very clean and big room. Great location, in my opinion.

I see they have rooms with kitchens and two queen beds available for your dates for $268 (plus tax) - considering that you could have breakfasts and maybe some other meals in, would it save you enough to stay in the city?

I think the idea of being able to get back to your room easily between sightseeing destinations so your baby can nap or just take a break might be worth it.