MarciaK

My husband is in a manual wheelchair. We are interested in staying in NYC for 2-3 nights. Would like to visit the Met and MOMA and hopefully walk around a bit. Looking for a nice hotel that would be accessible. Maybe upper East Side?? I am early 60's but very fit and used to pushing the chair. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

IMDonehere

Both Museums are wheelchair accessible. For the Met, the entrance is to the left of the grand steps of the main entrance.

You will not be able to take the subway because it will be extremely difficult to negotiate with a wheel chair, but all City buses are equipped to accommodate wheelchairs.

doug_stallings

There are very few hotels on the Upper East Side, and most are not convenient to transit and sights, so I can't recommend that. I think you'd do better to stay close to MOMA and then take taxis or the bus to get to other sights. This will give you proximity to more restaurants and stores, and you'll be in a convenient location. There's a brand new Marriott Courtyard at 55th/Broadway, or there's another older one at 53rd/Third Ave. Both are within walking distance of MOMA. There are definitely closer hotels ... the Hotel Elysees for example. So it really depends on how far you can push the wheelchair and how much you want to spend. But without a budget it's impossible to make real recommendations.


If your husband can walk short distances, this shouldn't pose many problems. You can simply take taxis and put the wheelchair in the trunk. But getting around Manhattan can be a challenge if he can't walk at all.

MarciaK

Thank you so much! Yes, my husband travels in our car all the time, so can easily get into a cab if they can put the wheelchair in the trunk. Is that something they would do? So, I don't need a "special" cab?

Christina

I think staying near MOMA would be a good idea, solve one problem. The Hilton Midtown and Warwick are very close by, within a block. I think one closer more moderately priced hotel is the Wellington at 7th and 55th.

nytraveler

Any cab can fit a wheelchair in the trunk. But there is a special number to call - sorry I don;'t have it - that can get you a wheelchair accessible cab - although that doens't seem the best bet for you. The kneeling buses are fine and there's a dedicated spot near the rear door where you can attach the chair.

As for hotels I would check with them on steps at street level and if the baths are wheelchair accessible - on the phone - before you reserve.

Agree the upper east side is not great for hotels - they tend to be either very expensive or at at the end of hell and gone. The upper west side has a bunch and that might work for you since it's a residential area with more room on the sidewalks than midtown - and a ton of restaurants of all types lining the avenues.

Generally easy to pick up a cab there and there are several buses up and downtown as well as crosstown buses on 86th, 79th and 72 Sts.

Dianedancer

These might help:


http://accessiblenyc.org/index.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/ar...heelchair.html

MarciaK

Thank you all again. We have friends on Long Island and now may stay with them. Visit the city with them. Still working out the details and not 100% sure.

doug_stallings

It's a schlep from Long Island into the city, and the trains can be very crowded. While you can certainly do this (and I'm sure it would save you a lot of money), it's not a strategy I'd employ for a short trip. Too much wasted time commuting (for me at least).

nytraveler

I too would avoid staying on LI unless the friends volunteer to drive you into and out of the city. Taking the LIRR and dealing with Penn Station with a wheelchair is not going to be fun. At rush hours the trains are very crowded - sometimes standing room only - and late in the evening (after a show or late dinner) trains don't run very often. And getting to and from the local LIRR stations is also a pain since there are few cabs