ksera123

Hello~
I am planning a trip to New York City September 13-16, 2011. There are two of us in our upper 30's and we've never been to New York before. We'll want to do some of the 'tourist' stuff: Time Square, China town, Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, etc.
I've been trying to figure out the right area to stay and am getting more confused the more I try to research it. I'm hoping someone can give me some direction or specific recommendations.

I'd like to spend less than $400 per night or around there. Clean and safe are of course my biggest concern.

Thanks!

Aduchamp1

All the hotels you would consider are in safe areas and the sights are spread out but all are easily accessible by subway, buses, cabs, or walking.

You must decide whether you want to stay in an area like Times Square or one in that is less hectic.

starrs

Virtually all of NYC is clean and safe. Everything you want to do is accessible via subway or taxi so it doesn't really matter which neighborhood you choose. If you plan to see a lot of Broadway shows, I would recommend the Times Square area. It's my favorite area when I plan to see shows and they are plenty of places near - but not IN - the craziness of Times Square.

With your budget you can easily find a lot of options of nice hotels. If this is your first visit to NYC you may enjoy an overview tour that takes you to many of the place on your list.

Do a bit of research and reading of trip reports on this board to get a lot of great ideas. It's a wonderful city. You should have a great time.

starrs

This overview tour company has received great reviews on this board -

http://www.marvelousmanhattantours.com/

And in my opinion, this is the best walking tour I've taken of city neighborhoods.
http://www.foodsofny.com/

They started with the Greenwich Village tour and have added other neighborhoods, including Chinatown. VERY well done tours.

Many newcomers like the hop on-hop off buses. A lot of people, including locals, do NOT like them...but IMO they are a good way to get an overview of the city and a way to move around to the most popular tourist sites without worrying about cabs and subways. There are several companies that offer the HOHO service and it's been too many years for me to recommend a particular one.

starrs

With your budget, I'd probably choose anything from Central Park through Midtown West areas. I've stayed in almost every neighborhood in NYC over the last 20something years (business and leisure trips) but that area will offer you plenty of options in walking distance and easy access to the subway and/or taxis to see things further away.

nytraveler

You don't say who the two of you are - or if you are able toshare a bed.Many/most hotelrooms in NYC have one double bed. If you want/need a room wiht two beds you need to specify that and realize you will be gettering a larger and therefore probably more expensive room.

Agree that any tourist area is safe and since sights are spread out all over the city you wil have totake subway to some no matter whereyou stay. So the key thing is good subway access - whereveryou decide to stay.

Many touriss like tostay i the Times Square area - which is frantically busily - with theaters and also a major business district. Ifyou prefer an area that is busy - but less frantic - and has many better dining options you might want to consider the upper west side or Chelsea/SoHo. There are alsoa number of hotels in midtown east and Central park South - again busy business areas - but not as frantic as Times Square.

If you plan on visiting the Statue of Liberty you should try to get tickets now (they may already be sold out) - in which case you can get a reasonable view from the free Staten Island ferry. Or, if you want to visit the Ellis Island Immigration Museum (which is brilliant) you can get SoL ferry tickets (in advanace to avoid hours of waiting line) and see the Staute close up, although not actually go inside.

If you can give us an idea of what type of area you want ot stay in- frantic, trendy, relaxed- people can make recos there. Check out the discounts on travelzoo.com and hotwire - since Sept is the start of the busiest season and hotel prices do start to rise then.

doug_stallings

I would probably not stay in the Financial District, on the Upper East Side, or west of 9th Avenue. Otherwise, I don't think it matters much where you stay as long as you are in Manhattan. At that price point, you'll have choices.

You're probably already too late to get tickets on an early ferry to the Statue of Liberty, but you should try. Otherwise, it's just not worth it to go for such a short visit because it will take up a whole day. If you can get tickets before 9am, then do it; otherwise, skip it and take another harbor cruise or the Staten Island Ferry.

starrs

You don't have this on your list but I highly recommend it -
http://www.tenement.org/

You didn't mention museums, but this is my favorite in NYC -
http://www.frick.org/

It's often a good choice for someone who says "I'm not a museum person". Incredible art in a fairly intimate space. Not overwhelming in size, but amazing nonetheless. I like the other musuems in NYC but LOVE the Frick.

If you think you want to see a Broadway show (or off-Broadway) check out the discounts available at Broadwaybox.com.

ksera123

Thank you for all of the great insight. It helps a lot.
I probably don't want to stay right in the more frantic areas. I don't mind being right on the edge of it.

To answer one of the questions, we will only need 1 bed so that should help.

I was thinking of trying priceline, but that's where I got a little hung up on the different areas to select from.

The deals on travelzoo all seem to expire the first week of September or end of August so I see what you're saying about prices going up. I'll keep watching it tho.

I would like to try and cram in a broadway show so thanks for that link also.

Thanks again for all of your comments. I really appreciate it.

starrs

Midtown West on Priceline or Hotwire would be the best place to start (based on what you have said).

One thing to keep in mind is the difference between Times Square and the Times Square AREA. There are hotels I would not choose because they are right in the middle of the hustle, bustle and lights of Times Square. Yet, there are hotels that are only 1/2 a block away that are completely different. You are steps away (which is great, especially if you are doing shows) but not in the midst of the craziness.

If that is of interest to you, check out the Hampton Inn Times Square North, the Hilton Garden Inn or the Muse (a Kimpton Boutique hotel). It would be a VERY GOOD IDEA to make a reservation directly on their website (or call) that you can cancel if you get a better deal - via TravelZoo or Hotwire/Priceline. But if you book NOW, you'll get a good rate and know you have a good room - and change it later if you get a better deal. I highly recommend those three hotels for a first visit and if you read travel reports on here you'll find many other Fodorites who have stayed there and really enjoyed the hotel AND location.

Enjoy your planning!

jamierin

I guess it depends on what you are looking for - a large, fancier hotel experience or a smaller boutique experience. If you are looking for the latter, I would suggest looking into the Blakely on West 55th. Perfect area in Midtown West close to the park, and theatre district, and transit. They have lovely suites there within your price range with either one king or two queen beds, and a continental breakfast is included in the rate -which is unusaul for NYC. I have stayed there twice and loved it, although I do find the rooms a bit on the dark side.

NewbE

I think Midtown is a great location for first-time visitors to New York. You can't be close to everything, but from Midtown you can walk to a lot of the things a first-timer would want to see and do, including a Broadway show.

We stayed at the Royalton recently and LOVED it. It's on 44th between 5th and 6th:
http://www.royaltonhotel.com/en-us#/home/

SeeHag

I just stayed at the Renaissance on 57th and Lexington and was very happy with both the location and the hotel. It was close to the park, shopping good restaurants and a subway station. We upgraded to a junior suite and it was less than $400 a night. The room was pretty small but it was well laid out and had a nice bathroom. The employees were all very friendly and the A/C worked great in the 104 degree heat!

ksera123

I can't believe the price increases for mid September. Most of the hotels mentioned above jump to 485-580 before taxes for the week I need. Too bad for me
At least I have a better idea of how to narrow my searches. Thank you for the replies and ideas...much appreciated!

nytraveler

You are coming atthe beginning of high seasonand prices will definitel rise -- you shuold see how high they will be for Thanksgiving week. It's important to look for deals now (checl the hotel'sownweb sites) since the closer you get the higher the prices will be.

You can still find things for less then $400 - but you have to pick a more basic hotel.

mclaurie

Priceline only guarantees 1 bed for 2 people in NYC so if you need 2 beds, it's not a good option. If 1 bed is ok, I think all the 4* hotels on PL in Times Square and the Empire State area are good. I assume you know about betterbidding.com and their hotel lists.

If you want to book something cancelable as a fall back to Priceline, the Blakelyhotelny.com is in a great location and is just under $400/night on booking.com for a queen room and includes breakfast. The Hampton Inn Times Square North is another good option @$379/night plus tax northwest of TS. I looked on kayak.com You might also have a look on quikbook.com to see if there are any secret sale hotels (works like Hotwire) that interest you.

NewbE

jetsetter.com usually has hotel deals for New York. I used it for the Royalton stay, and had no trouble, room was great. You do have to prepay, though.

mclaurie

PS while I agree in principal that midtown west is a good place to be (that's where the Blakely and Hampton Inn TS North are), the 4* hotels on Priceline in that area includes the well past it's prime Sheraton Hotel & Towers, a fairly frequent win.
http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=93&

Bowsprit

You've noted an interest in many sites that are actually downtown rather than midtown so I will suggest you have a look at The Wall Street Inn in the Financial District. The subway access to midtown and uptown is fabulous from this hotel. Take a look at Oyster.com for discounts.

Bowsprit

I meant to include that we stayed there last October at a rate of $149.00 a night. I know hotel rates have since skyrocketed and this hotel is often advertised for double that rate but you might find a bit of a discount on oyster. Good luck; ask for a room facing the front of the hotel; the rear of the hotel overlooks outdoor seating for a variety of good restaurants and some find these rooms a bit noisy. We didn't hear anything! Delmonico's is steps from the Wall Street Inn. This has become one of our favorite NYC hotels. (hidden gem)