darby00

My wife and I will be traveling to NYC, for the first time, in early May/09. I'm going for business for the first couple of days, but we'll have time to enjoy ourselves in the afternoons and will stay on for a couple of extra days. I have a couple of questions for you seasoned NYC veterans.

1. We have narrowed our accomodations to either the Salisbury or the Radisson on Lexington. I have to be rather frugal, as a client will be paying for accomodations. I've seen some positive reviews of the Salisbury, but little on the Radisson. Which would be preferable, or are there other, more attractive options. I need to be close to Midtown, as I have meetings there.

2. What are the must see/do things for 2-3 days. We love art and must take in a show. Otherwise, what should we try and get done?

Thanks for the advice!

vjpblovesitaly

"What are the must see/do things for 2-3 days. We love art and must take in a show. Otherwise, what should we try and get done"

This is covered in about a bazillion guidebooks and threads. Maybe you should just look through some of them and narrow it down for yourselves.

sf7307

The "primo" museum in the city is the Met at 82nd and 5th Avenue. It is enormous, could probably take a year of trips to see it all, so you should access their website and narrow down what you want to see to particular areas -- that way you'll have a plan and not spend the entire day wondering where to go next. The other art museum that is highly highly thought of (at least on Fodor's!) is the Frick.

How much are the Salisbury and the Radisson? Knowing the price per night will help others to comment on whether there are alternatives that are better (or not). Sorry, I don't know either hotel.

As for a show - are you interested in musicals or non-musicals? There are several very popular musicals playing now for which you'd have to get tickets NOW - South Pacific, Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys (if tickets are even available for May). Again, knowing your taste will help others make suggestions.

Have a fantastic trip!

nytraveler

To get tickets to a hit show - do order them now. Ifyou're willing to see somethng older check for discounts on broadwaybox.com abut 6-8 weeks before you arrive.

If youlike art at a minimum I would do

The Met (check the web site and pick a few key departments)
MoMA
The Frick

Also - depending on your special interests one or more of dozens of other museums

And everyone who comes to NYC should do the Top of the Rock and at least visit Central park briefly.

The free Staten Island ferry is also a great deal - nice view of the harbor and LadyLiberty - as well as incredible views of the Manhatan skyline on the way back.

DalaiLlama

One of the Circle Line Sightseeing Tours from Pier 83, West 42nd Street - www.circleline42.com/

Margo_Chester

From what I have heard you may want to avoid the Radisson. It used to be referred to as the Rattyson - but maybe they have renovated recently, I don't know. The Salisbury, although not fancy, is known for larger (clean!) rooms and nice service. I would look at recent reviews for both on TripAdvisor and compare.

iamq

I'm not an expert, but when I visited for the first time, I consulted and used the DK Eyewitness Top 10 New York book. It proved very useful and covers most of the "must sees" that one might want to hit on a first trip.

mjt0719

Stand on the 1/2 price tix line in the am see 75% of the shows in the fist 10 rows for 1/2 price. Just saw Young Frankenstein 6th row center for $62 can't go wrong.

mjt0719

I forgot to tell you it is in Times Square right in the middle brand new just reopened you can ask anyone when you arrive for the 1/2 price tix booth. I live in Northern Jersey we go a lot!!! Good Luck

mclaurie

1) The Salisbury is a popular if faded budget hotel with a great location on west 57th st. not far from Central Park. The Radisson on Lexington is pretty dreary with poorly supervised staff and an old building that's not well maintained. I'd be curious to know how you came to narrow down to these 2. There are dozens of better options imo. The Salisbury will not offer any business services if you need them. These 2 hotels are not near each other. Midtown is a huge area. Where in midtown are your meetings?

2) You might like to do an overview bus tour. The most popular is the Grayline hop on/off tour and in good weather, it's a decent option. onboardtours.com is another that's not hop on/off with better quality tour guides.

Take some sort of boat ride whether the free Staten Island ferry or the nywatertaxi.com or a Circle Line half circle tour or nywaterway.com

Make sure to visit Grand Central terminal and if you're here on a Wed. or Fri. there are free tours available.

But if you love art, in just 2 or 3 days you'll have a hard time fitting in all the wonderful museums and galleries. I'd suggest you do some serious research in advance and decide which you want to visit. Most have at least 1 or 2 late nights.

trapsma

Mclaurie, I do know NYC quite well, but always stayed in hotels paid for by the company. I, too, am looking for inexpensive, but clean hotels to choose from. Could you name a few?

darby00

Thanks for all of the advice, guys.

My meetings will be at the Hilton at 1335 Avenue of the Americas at 53rd (6th Ave, right?), so the Salisbury is just around the corner. The trip I have tentatively booked has me paying about $190/night at the Salisbury. I thought this was pretty good? We won't be in the room much anyway. Any other suggestions for comparable prices in this area?

We will certainly go to the Met, though we probably won't be able to stay long enough, and plan to spend some time in Central Park, which I would think is very nice in early May.

And we do prefer a musical. Jersey Boys and South Pacific were two we were considering. So I gather we should probably go ahead and get tickets? Or try this 1/2 price line? I don't mind winging it, but my wife is more of the "planned" type.

Citylghts

My favorite hidden gem in NYC is the Federal Reserve Bank. They have tours M-F, but you must make reservations.

The tours last about an hour and you see a short video on the history and functions of the bank and can view the rotating exhibits in the lobby. The highlight is the vault which holds several billion dollars in gold bars that foreign governments and banks have on deposit with the NY Fed. For info and reservations, check their site at http://www.ny.frb.org/

You can keep an eye on the shows you want to see at www.playbill.com. Under Features on the left, select Broadway Grosses. Shows that aren't selling well are the ones you'll most likely find at a discount. You can register for Playbill's free "club" and receive discount offers on tickets and restaurants.

If you do decide to use the Tkts booth, remember there's a booth at South Street Seaport which is rarely busy and has the same selection as the one in Times Square.

britelites

it is a must to see the most glamourous christmas tree in the world

HowardR

Chances of finding discounts anywhere for either Jersey Boys or South Pacific are slim......yes, even five months from now. So, get the tickets now.
(Chances of finding any Christmas tree in May, glamorous or otherwise, are even slimmer!)

DancingBearMD

I believe they'll have taken that glam tree down by May.

mclaurie

$190 for the Salisbury is not a bad price for May, especially if it's a cancelable reservation. 6 Columbus is a newish trendy hotel not far and sometimes has very good prices on quikbook.com Just be aware they have SOME very very tiny rooms called pods that are the cheapest on quikbook. The Warwick is right across from the Hilton and often has specials on travelzoo.com They have one right now but not yet for May. The Empire is another newish trendy hotel near Columbus Circle that also has specials at times on travelzoo and quikbook.

If you know about Priceline, bidding for a 3* hotel in upper midtown usually yields the Hudson (another good hotel with small rooms). The typical 4* win in upper midtown is the Parker Meridien, also a very good location for you.

trapsma, that info should help you too.

trapsma

Yes, thanks, Mclaurie. Your reply is very helpful. Actually, I think I've stayed at the Warwick in the past.

mclaurie

darby, I should have added that the NY Hilton is actually also a Priceline hotel (4* midtown west) and is sometimes won. The only problem with bidding 4* midtown west is you're also likely to get one of the Sheratons which while conveniently located, are not all that nice. Betterbidding.com has a win calendar that shows which hotels people got on what dates and the price. It might be interesting to check your dates from last year.

meath1

I'd like to echo what mclaurie posted about the Radisson. I stayed there last May and was very disappointed. The price is high and service is low. It's a given that most hotel rooms in NYC are small, but the Radisson was old, not well maintained, poor service even at check in. Really nothing to recommend it other than it is on Lexington. I think that you some other posters have given you some good choices that you should look into that will get you a nicer hotel closer to your meeting on 6th Ave. My experience is that you can find some "reasonable" rates at the Hilton and Sheraton on 6th/7th Aves on these sites.