ccason

We are planning a trip to New York the first or second week of December. It is our first tip there and would appreciate some suggestions for accommodations, restaurants and other things or areas to see. I was looking at the Marriott near Times Square. We want to be within walking distance of most things but don't mind venturing out to other safe areas. Would like recommendations for more local places to eat. Not big on the fancier restaurants. Like almost any food but would like to maybe try pizza, deli, Italian or any other good suggestions. Wife would probably like a show and shopping. I would prefer msg for basketball or hockey. Thanks soon advance for any help. Also is it better to fly in to a certain airport. Flying from Virginia .

Thanks
Chris

Dianedancer

Walking distance to most things? NYC is big. Please describe how far you are willing to walk. What types if things do you like to do? I think coming here the 1st or 2nd week in Dec. Is a good idea vs. closer to Christmas.

As far as airports - I would suggest you just get the best airfare and not worry about which airport to fly into.

Times Square is crazy busy, if that's what you want. Walking distance to midtown stuff. But not not to Lower Manhattan, museums on the Ipper East Side, nor any other borough, if you're interested in seeing other places besides the usual. Again, NYC is BIG.

I would suggest you read up on neighborhoods and get a sense of which most suits you to stay in.

How long are you coming here for?

Dianedancer

That should be "Upper East Side"!

IMDonehere

The prices for the Knicks and Rangers are insane.

As noted above, walking is fine, but the major attractions are spread out. For example the Museum of Natural History is 40 blocks north of Times Square and the Met Museum is about 44 blocks north but you must get to Fifth Ave.

And 9/11 Memorial is about 1 1/2 hour walk. The only recommendation of staying near Times Square is there is a confluence of subway lines.

sf7307

Just to clarify - 40 blocks is about 2 miles. I've done that walk on many occasions.

IMDonehere

Friday we met friends by the Natural History Museum and took the bus from 6th Ave and 14th Street to 79th and Columbus on a whim rather than the subway and it took 1 hour and 15 minutes.

SeaF

Choose a hotel handy to a subway stop. If you like Mariotts, there are a couple I've stayed at in midtown less crazy than Times Square. One is on Lexington & 49th. Another at 53rd & 3rd Ave.

SusieQQ

In my opinion the only reason to stay in or near Times Square is if you will be attending a lot of Broadway Shows. It is crazy there and can be difficult to walk through.

As suggested the most important criteria for picking a hotel is being near a Subway Station.

One suggestion I can make is The Lucerne Hotel...it is near Central Park, Museum of Natural History and there is a subway stop right there.

If you want to stay near Times Square then consider The Muse, It is on a side street and is my pick when I'm seeing shows.

BigRuss

>

Look: this is a meaningless statement. People say it for London, Paris, NYC, and various other big cities. The fact is these major tourist cities have numerous notable sites and those are scattered throughout each city. And the cities were not created such that they amalgamated their most touristed areas in one spot.

Even Manhattan's various sites that tourists tend to visit - on what is by any stretch a small island - are not clustered. Manhattan's notable museums primarily are on either side of the Park (although one very high quality one is in midtown), one is all the way at the northern tip of the island, the midtown area will have the best Xmas lights, the 9-11 memorial and site are far downtown. You're not going to walk to and over the Brooklyn Bridge from a hotel in Times Sq.

You need to learn the subway system and be able to figure out how to use it. Despite its high suck level in comparison to London's Underground, it is your friend, especially in Manhattan.

Hobbert

Have you considered the train? We're in NoVa and just take the metro to Union Station and ride the train up to Penn Station- so much more comfortable than flying and you end up right in Manhattan. Usually cheaper than flying so it's worth a look.

tuscanlifeedit

I once got the Marriott Marquis Times Square on a Priceline bid and I can tell you that I hated that hotel. It was incredibly noisy with the worst elevator service I've experienced in NY. I actually don't hate Times Square (I find it exciting at times) but I hated that hotel.

We often try to stay near Grand Central for the range of 4* star hotels in the Grand Central, Murray Hill, Empire State Bldg. area.

One we like is Morgan's, which is not quite a 4* but pretty comfortable.

The Refinery south of Bryant Park is a wonderful hotel, where the prices have climbed a little high for us. Bryant Park has a nice Christmas market, with a good tree and ice skating.

This summer, we're staying at Union Square. Prices are a little higher there than for our usual Murray Hill places but I've been wanting to stay downtown.

There are several New Yorkers on this forum, and I can only give you a fairly frequent visitor's point of view. They'll surely pitch in, and maybe disagree with everything I've said. These are just my experiences, though.