My 19-yr-old daughter and I will be taking a month off to spend in New York City over the holidays. I’ve been twice before, but this is my daughter’s first trip. A friend lives on 85th Street near AMNH, and he will be a resource we can draw on (and he is an usher at the Metropolitan Opera).

My thought was to do a bit of hotel-hopping, spending some time in different districts to get (perhaps) more of a feel for what the city is like. The trip is organized loosely on a Harlem-to-Battery Park theme, with already-ticketed shows and New Year’s Eve providing some structure to work around.

In some places we’ve gone really budget, opting for bunk beds and a shared bath to try to keep the lodging budget to an average of $200 per night. Not every activity is in the district where our hotel is, but each one should be an easy ride on the subway.

Here is a tentative schedule, with proposed hotels and attractions. We arrive at 5:35 a.m. on December 18 and leave 4:45 p.m. on January 15.

I’d sure appreciate any thoughts you might have, from attractions I’ve missed, to other ways of looking at things. All shows are ticketed already unless followed by a question mark. All hotels are booked except Washington Square Hotel, which needs a deposit.

Thanks everyone!

Harlem (Days 1 and 2)
B&B: Allie's Inn
Activities: Walking Tour, Apollo show or God Bless Us One and All opera (by subway), Abyssinian Baptist Church service, Sylvia's for dinner

Budget Upper East Side (Days 3-6)
Hotel: Morningside Inn
Activities: The Merchant of Venice (by subway), Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Gardens, Cloisters, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Columbia University Walking Tour, Guggenheim Museum

Upper East Side (Days 7-12)
Hotel: On the Avenue
Activities: AMNH, Holiday Decorations (by subway), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, NY String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall (all by subway), Central Park Walks
Christmas Eve?
Christmas Day: Chinese Food & Movie?

Times Square (Days 13-15)
Hotel: Comfort Inn Times Square
Activities: NYE on 44th Street (near hotel), A Little Night Music, Spiderman Turn Off the Dark, NY Public Library, Museum of Modern Art, Other Student Rush show if we're awake

Midtown (Days 16-19)
Hotel: La Quinta Inn Midtown
Activities: Carmen (Met Opera by subway), Metropolitan Museum of Art (by subway), Rockefeller Plaza, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Intrepid Air/Space Museum, Penn Station/MSG (Wintuk or Knicks game??)

Greenwich Village (Days 20-24)
Hotel: Washington Square Hotel??
Activities: Tosca (Met Opera by subway), Chelsea Galleries & Walking Tour, The High Line, Village Walking Tour, UCB Theatre Standup, Balthazar Brunch, Soho Galleries/Shopping/Walking Tour,

Lower Manhattan (Days 25-30)
Hotel: Cosmopolitan
Activities: SOL, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge Walk & Brooklyn Museum
Chinatown Walking Tour, Seaport District, WTC Memorial, Lower East Side
Walking Tour

Guess the first question will be why are you moving from hotel to hotel? Maybe it's because you want to feel part of each neighborhood and maybe budget is part of it but to change hotels every 2 to 4 days makes no sense. Using the subway you can go from Harlem to lower Manhattan in 45 to an hour. Many places are only 20 minutes away. You are going to be spending a big chunk of your time just checking in and out of hotels. Maybe spread your 30 days over 2 places.

Could I just say that for $6,000 you might be able to get a room at one of the Affinia hotels for the full month (the Shelburne unsed to rent out rooms by the month, and the average rate goes down ... though this is the holidays), or at one of the Oakwood Executive Apartment hotels for about the same price. There's also a Marriott Execustay Hotel on 3rd Ave. at 37th Street. Frankly, it's quite insane to switch hotels to get a sense of different neighborhoods; you'll get a better sense of what it's like to live in the city if you pick a place and just stay there. You'll be able to get to know certain neighborhoods over the course of the month anyway. I think that for this long a stay, you should have access to at least minimal kitchen facilities unless you plan to budget another $6K for meals.

The only bad thing is that you've left this for the last minute, so the frantic hotel-hopping thing may be your only alternative.

In short, I'm saying do a short-term apartment rental. You'll have more room, and it's legal for one month.

I agree w/ the above -- I'd never move hotels 7 times. A one month rental would be a lot easier (IF you can find one at this late date).

If a month-long rental is 'unfindable'/impossible -- then I'd pick, at most, three different hotel bases.

I agree that you're moving around hotels quite a lot. On your upper East Side days you're mostly planning activities on the West Side (or the Bronx) so you won't really get much of a feel for the neighborhood, anyway.

I was also looking at your itinerary and all your hotel hopping. For instance, the first 2 nights you are staying in Harlem on 136th St and then you move to the Morningside Inn which is Upper West Side (107th) not Upper East Side. You could easily do all your activities for those days from one of those locations. Also you are going to the Gugggenheim Museum which is on the East Side while you are staying on the west Side. And you are doing Carneige Hall which is on the west side while you are staying on the east side.

My whole point of this is that it doesn't really matter where you stay in Manhattan, you are going to be using the subway to get you to different parts of town no matter where you stay. Also are you going to be using the subway everytime you move? It's not easy to navigate luggage through the subway and I would guess you will have big suitcases since you will be staying for a month and will have winter clothes. Cabs to move from one location to another can get expensive.

Did you check to see if Columbia has a walking tour the dates you mentioned? School will be out and the campus will be empty. I was there last Dec 15 and the campus was empty. Looked at a few of the buildings and was done in no time. It was also a very cold day. You need to take that into consideration when you are talking about the Zoo or the Botanical Gardens.

I certainly don't understand why you would stay in two different hotels in midtown. The Comfort Inn and La Quinta Inn are not that far from each other and I can't imagine their pricing would be that different.

It is late to be changing your hotels but I would seriously think about it. Doug's idea of having some type of kitchen facilities makes sense for such a long stay.

I haven't waded through all of this but I have to agree with the others that staying 2 days here and 2 days there sounds just AWFUL and is the craziest idea I've ever heard. It is totally unnecessary given the transit system here, gets you nothing in terms of value as far as I can see ($6,000 really???) and you'll be like gypsies for a month. I don't know if "booked" means paid for, and if it does, why post now and why didn't you ask about this concept before?

" I don't know if "booked" means paid for, and if it does, why post now and why didn't you ask about this concept before?"

She did last week, but unfortunately no one responded after her final post.

>>mclarie,
Still looking for some nights, but here's what I have locked in:

12/25 - 12/29 Morningside Inn 235 W. 107th Street
12/29 NOT BOOKED YET
12/30 - 1/3 Comfort Inn 129 West 46th Street
1/3 - 1/10 On the Avenue B'way at 77th

We may change some of those, but I thought it was important to lock in someplace to stay.

mclaurie-It really is one of the craziest ideas and I also wondered why the OP didn't ask questions ahead of time.

to badWaddy-Since you are staying until January 15, hotel prices drop considerably in January. So you could spend a little more in the December part of your trip and make up for that with lower rates in January. I do think that an average of $200 a night is doable even with changing reservations. You really truly need to think about this and I hope you haven't prepaid everything.

If you like theater, joint TDF, if you qualify: http://www.tdf.org/TDF_Article.aspx?id=285&do=v

There is a special rate for those who live out of town.

HTTY

I'm TERRIBLY sorry I missed that last post but the original question on the thread was an open ended one about scheduling sightseeing and had NOTHING to do with accommodation. Honestly and truly I don't think I've ever "flipped out" as much about a hotel plan as this one. You will waste a few hrs. every other day or so by having to move hotels and so many of these are so ordinary to not very nice.

On the Avenue is not bad at all and that's booked for 5 nights so that's good. I would definitely eliminate the first 2 places and find something else for those 6 nights. If you want help, post the dates. I would NOT move from the Comfort Inn to the La Quinta. The Comfort Inn is ok. Stay there if you can. Washington Square & Cosmo are both ok, but again, I wouldn't switch and if all or some of those days are in Jan., you can probably find cheaper options.

mclaurie: "I'm TERRIBLY sorry I missed that last post but the original question on the thread was an open ended one about scheduling sightseeing and had NOTHING to do with accommodation."

Oh -- I wasn't commenting about your lack of response (in fact wish I hadn't included your screen name in my copy/paste - I just copied the full post w/o editing)

I was just showing where part of her plan came from.

janisj and mclaurie-I also missed the post where the OP asked questions. I am always researching hotel rooms for NYC since I visit there often so I try to help people if I can.

mclaurie-I am like you, too. I have also really flipped out about this hotel plan. I think it's because I know as a visitor to NYC and also someone who travels a lot for business, that checking in and out of hotels is a pain in the ass and also very time consuming. Especially in a city like NYC, there is no reason to change hotels. Maybe the OP could break up the visit betweeen 2-3 hotels. Maybe one on the upper east/west side, one in Times Square for New Year's Eve (which I understand) and then in January stay in the village/lower Manhattan. At least that is only 3 moves instead of 7.

Since you have 30 I can understand you interest to relocate and support it to an extent. I think you will have a better chance to get the feel of a neighborhood if you stay longer in each one. Also, I think because you have such generous time, it might enjoy staying in more residential areas to get the real feeling of living in NYC and establishing yourselves as a regular at the local deli or coffee shop.

(As others have noted, two of your choices are on the Upper WEST Side, not the Upper East Side)

Your current itinerary:
Harlem - Allie's Inn on W 136th near Edgecombe Ave (2 nights)
Upper WEST Side - Morningside Inn on W 107th St near Broadway (4 nights)
Upper WEST Side - On the Avenue on Broadway at 77th (6 nights)
Times Square - Comfort Inn Times Square SOUTH (?) on 39th near 8th Ave (3 nights)
Midtown - La Quinta Inn Midtown on 32nd near 5th Ave (4 nights)
Greenwich Village - Washington Square Hotel?? on Waverly near 6th Ave (5 nights)
Lower Manhattan - Cosmopolitan on Chambers near W Broadway (5 nights)

I would choose one of the first three because those areas are close to one another anyway.

Both the La Quinta and the Comfort Inn are on lackluster blocks in business areas . . . little character to experience aside from the one block of Koreatown by the La Quinta.

If you insist on moving to different areas, I suggest:
Upper WEST Side - On the Avenue on Broadway at 77th (10 nights)
Midtown - La Quinta Inn Midtown on 32nd near 5th Ave (5 nights)
Greenwich Village - Washington Square Hotel?? on Waverly near 6th Ave (10 nights)
Lower Manhattan - Cosmopolitan on Chambers near W Broadway (5 nights)

I just realized that you do not mean Comfort Inn Times Square, but Comfort Inn Theater District, which IS on 44th St near 9th Ave--two different hotels!

Therefore, I amend my suggestion to:
Upper WEST Side - On the Avenue on Broadway at 77th (10 nights)
Midtown - Comfort Inn Theater District on 44th St near 9th Ave (5 nights)
Greenwich Village - Washington Square Hotel?? on Waverly near 6th Ave (10 nights)
Lower Manhattan - Cosmopolitan on Chambers near W Broadway (5 nights)

This puts you at On the Avenue for Christmas, and Comfort Inn for New Year's Eve.

ellenem-Looks good and what I was suggesting. Just a question since you live in NY. Couldn't the OP combine the Village and Lower Manhattan? I guess after 10 days in the village, they'd be ready to make a change. Just wondering. Four hotels are a lot better than 7.

Would hope OP comes back for the responses.

I'm real tired with all that moving around and I won't be the one doing this. NYC is of the few places in the world where it's not necessary to change hotels every few days unless you're a spook.

The subway and bus system are too good to be packing up, hauling bags up/down stairs, traveling on public transport and starting all over again. Each move will take 1/2 day from your activities... check-in often isn't till late-morning, if that; might even be 2pm.

Trim it down to three locales if you absolutely feel you have to move - 1) uptown (east or west sides), 2) midtown and 3) downtown (village or southern tip).

Good luck!

Thanks everyone for your GREAT advice. It really DOES sound crazy now that I think it through. I have only reserved--not paid for--any rooms yet. Eliminating the moves makes my whole plan MUCH MUCH simpler. Thank you again.


I'll break it down to three hotels as ellenem suggested.

UPPER WEST SIDE: On the Avenue (13 days)
MIDTOWN: Comfort Inn Times Square [129 West 46th St] (4 days)
DOWNTOWN: Cosmopolitan (13 days)

Midtown: Since the Comfort Inn is indeed the 46th Street location (picked because of its proximity to the NYE madness we'll be observing), should we stick with it or switch to La Quinta for that middle time?

I'd still look for accommodations with a kitchen. Try Oakwood or Execustay.

Maybe it's that you don't get how small Manhattan really is, compared with the other boroughs. Manhattan is only 18 miles long by 1 mile wide (at the widest point which is 23rd or 14 can never remember), anyway you will only want to see points of interest from 80th St and down (on both sides of town, with a couple of exceptions), so why bother to change hotels at all.

If you stayed at one hotel you would probable get a MUCH better rate than if you moved from hotel to hotel.

There's even a cute B&B up in my area that I can recommend that would be probably $2,500 for the whole month, and you could get a kitchette. From here you could easily explore the whole city on the subway.

Staying in one place you will save lots of time in packing, repacking, packing, repacking.

Save your self all that time so you can really explore the city and really enjoy all your time here.

Also, on New Year's Eve there's a wonderful concert at St. John the Divine, with amazing music and it's FREE. It's a full orchestra with soloists, including Lauren Flaigan (Met Opera) Judy Collins to name 2 regulars, a full chorus of 150, a quintet or two, piano soloists etc. We won't know exactly who is performing until November or so, but it is a highlight of the Holiday Season each year with 3,000 in the audience.
The concert starts at 7pm and we are usually out by 9 or so, so lots more time to celebrate.

Hope this helps with more of your planning.