CB

My husband and I are planning our first trip to NYC for the end of March 2003.We are going to use Priceline and still feel uncertain about which areas are the most desireable to stay--Upper West Side? Midtown West? Midtown East? We plan to do some "touristy" things, enjoy the restaurants, see a musuem or two, shop, see a Broadway show, etc....and we want to be in good area. Where is our best bet for a 4* hotel?
Any thoughts, advice or suggestions would be most appreciated!

x

Midtown West or Upper Midtown are the closest for what you want.

pat

Midtown West and upper Midtown are on what streets? What hotels are in these areas? Thanks

x

Midtown West is generally considered Times Square, the Midtown area that is West of 5th Avenue. Upper Midtown is 57th Street to Central Park South (59th Street) that is the length of the park. Fifth Avenue splits Midtown into East and West sides.

x

May I also suggest you get a guide book with good maps and familiarize yourself with the city. That may influence what area you decide to stay in.

John

First, go to www.biddingfortravel.com to read recent results and reviews for NYC bids on Priceline, as well as valuable advice on bidding strategy on Priceline.

Note that there have been so many negative reviews of the Grand Hyatt (Midtown East, 4*) that BFT has now added a whole section about Midtown East and why you shouldn't bid there if you don't want the Hyatt. Pity, because it's a good location. If you want to have a shot at MTE 4*, innoculate yourself by getting a Hyatt Gold Passport, which evidently will get you an acceptable room at the Grand if you happen to hit it on Priceline. I wish we'd had one when we stayed at the Grand Hyatt a couple of years ago - what an awful experience.

Otherwise, I'd opt for Midtown West, or Upper Midtown/Central Park S. for your bids. Good luck!

x

John, great advice but CB needs to familiarize himself/herself with the areas of the city first.

JLM

Buzz off, "x" -- you apparently have no idea what it's like to try to imagine what a city is like if all you have is maps and general descriptions in guidebooks. CB is asking a perfectly legit question and one that is particularly well-suited to this kind of forum, where people with personal knowledge are likely to answer (if there aren't jerks who take up column space putting down a question).

CB, you might want to get a little more specific about what you mean by a "good" area. For example, locations right near Times Sq. or the theater district might be noisier than I would like, but you might be delighted by the convenience. I like to stay further uptown because I like quieter, residential areas, but I pay for that by being further from the subway and further from the tourist attractions. Restaurants can be good up there, but they aren't as numerous as in midtown. East is a little spiffier than West but for that reason may be too boring to enjoy. Some people might consider the Village/SoHo/Tribeca area very, very cool to stay in, others would consider them too distant from the tourist attractions.

IMaPricelineUser2

I booked one night stay at the Stanhope Hyatt hotel in UES through priceline for $119/night + fees for early Feb03. A little higher than plan, but still lower than their $300/night rate. I believe you can get hotel in Upper Midtown (le Parker, etc.) for approximately same price. Or 4* hotel in times square area for about $100/night. I've used Priceline for about 2 years and it definetely makes travels much easier on my wallet--used to make reservations in Vancouver BC, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle, Orlando. NYC is the only place where I need to bid high as $100 or more to get 4* hotel; everywhere else is around $50/night.

Sue

Hi CB, Priceline is a great way to book a NYC hotel. Please do not let the idea of getting the Grand Hyatt put you off from bidding the east side. We "won" this hotel for 5 night $75/night last year. We had an excellent stay - from check-in to check-out. We had a large room with king-size bed, decent size bath with nice soaps, lotions, etc., a view of 42nd Street, and because I had signed all of us up for the Hyatt's free Goldpassport program, each morning we had complimentary Starbuck's coffee in the hotel's lobby. The staff was friendly, the elevators were fast, and our room and bath were exceptionally clean. Location was perfect, right next to Grand Central and we walked to theaters, etc. Also, we were never treated as "second class" citizens because we booked with Priceline. DO NOT PANIC if you get this hotel - it is fine!

CB

Thanks to all who provided such helpful responses. I am just beginning my research and have looked at general area maps--but as we all know, it's one thing to look at a map and guide book and another to get input from people who have been there--that's why I love this site! Anyhow, in response to JLM--a "good area" to me means reasonably safe and relatively clean, close to either transportion or attractions, and one in which I will not be worried to leave after dark--and note I live in the San Francisco Bay Area where a perfectly lovely 4* hotel is one block from the a notoriously unsafe neighborhood (particularly for tourists). I think for our first trip being near the "action" is important--so that sounds like Midtown West.
John--thanks for the info as I just checked out biddingfortravel.com today--VERY helpful site. I am excited to use Priceline for the first time! I am also going to use it for a hotel in Washington DC where we'll be flying in and out of.

Any other thoughts or suggestions are appreciated! For example, what are the cool/interesting, "must" go to restaurants or bars in NYC?

Sharon

Go to a bookstore and pick up a laminated fold out map of Manhattan - get one that has the hotels, theaters, and big department stores marked. (something like Silver Linings Best Map of Manhattan is great) You will find it invaluable while walking around - and walk you will !! Bring comfortable shoes on your trip !

Richard

I would suggest the W hotel on lexington and e39th. There are two side by side, the Court and the Tuscany.

From this point everything is nearby, from the Empire State building to Grand Central, shopping galleries and restaurants. At night it is very quite as there are embassies on the street.

And in the morning there is a great Deli 30 yards down the road on Lexington that serves the best eggs benedict.

Forgot to mention, if you go to the Starwood site, go to the W hotels and then look in the Internet Specials.

90% of the time I never pay more than $195 a night to stay there. However it is pre-paid only no refund.

When I first started going there I happen to go into the Grand Hyatt which is just down the road near Grand Central, and pick up a subway map, and area guides for free.

Anyway just a suggestion

x

JLM, if you would read my prior posts, I did give her the information CB was looking for. Do you have to be so nasty? It is my opinion that a guidebook would help CB decide what CB wants to see therefore, what area would work out best for CB.

Flynn

Don't stress yourself with all these terms; I'm a native New Yorker and don't hear Midtown East, Midtown West, used that often. We refer to Manhattan usually as Downtown (Lower East Side, Chinatown/Little Italy, Financial Center, Greenwich Village, SoHo) Uptown, Midtown, Upper East Side. Upper West Side. All these neighborhoods offer interest but it's up to you what neighborhood you want to stay in.

My suggestion is to read about the various neighborhoods which any good Fodors book will describe. You'll then get a better idea of where you want to stay as the neighborhood description will also include what's to see and what's nearby. Don't let the maps intimidate you; Manhattan is easy to navigate because most of it is grid-like. Trust me, once you read a little about the 'hoods, you'll have a better idea where to stay. My personal advice is to stay away from the Times Square area.

staci

Again, I second using biddingfortravel.com. It is a great website. Look under hotels, new york. It tells you all of the hotels and rates currently awarded on priceline.
We used it last year and got a 4* in the midtown area for $90 a night!

Donna

We always stay in Midtown West, just our preference. Hotels in Midtown East are a much farther walk to the theatres, and you just can't always count on taxis, especially if it's raining. Definitely go to www.biddingfortravel.com - study the FAQ's. If it's your first time, best to follow the directions and request bidding assistance.

Postal

I strongly suggest the Midtown West area for first time visitors. I've had excellent luck with four star hotels on Priceline.

Marie

For nervous first-timers, I'd recommend checking Hotwire and Midtown-Central.

Leslie

Danny Mangin (Fodors Editor) actually co-authored the spiral bound New York City AAA guide that you can buy at Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc. (its not one of the free ones from AAA). I used this book when I went to NYC and found it to be very helpful. There are maps in the book, the city is broken down by sections, and it works like any other tour guide.

I might suggest that if your evening activities are going to be theatre oriented that you stay in either MTW or MTE, so that you will be closer to your hotel in the evening.

Saying all of that, I stayed at the Intercontinental Barclay in October through Priceline for $110 per night, and I really liked the hotel, and thought the location was ideal to Grand Central Terminal. There's also an underground tunnel next to the hotel that allows you to walk directly to GCT without having to deal with the weather, in case its raining or snowing. The Radisson is only a block further away, and I've heard good things about the Radisson too.