Advice for NYC
 

Is 2 nights enough to see the main attractions i.e. Statue of Liberty,Ellis Island, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central Station, Top of the Rock? The Empire State Building has two observation levels, is the higher one worth the extra money, is the view any different? One other question is what is the cheapest (as far as hotels) and least crowded time to go to NYC? What is a good hotel for 150 or less a night? I guess most of the sites I want to see is in Mid-town to Lower Manhatten, so I want to base myself somewhere in there. Is the subway the fastest to get around?
Thanks-

PS: When I ask when is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, I meant to say a time of year that is not too cold. So, what time of year is the least crowded and cheapest and isn't too cold?
Thanks-

Hi, Asdaven!

Two nights in New York are enough to see SOME of the main attractions.

As far as the cheapest time to come visit New York, I'd say between late May and early September. We are now entering (late October) the most expensive time of year to visit. Wait until next May, if possible.

Yes, in general the subways are the quickest way to cover long distances and to get around. Keep in mind though that mid-town and downtown are both compact areas that can be easily walked. It's getting between the two that requires a subway.

Enjoy your visit!

When you say 2 nights, does that mean you will not be free during the daytime to see these sites as well? I don't believe you can visit the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island at night, but the other sites could be seen in 2 nights. Ellis Island is a good half day and the Statue of Liberty adds another hour or two to that trip.

As for a hotel at $150 or less, please know that the average room rate in Manhattan is now over $200 a night. It will be hard to come by a hotel for less than $150 (especially if you want to include taxes -- which are significant) in that amount). At that price, you may need to come in Jan/Feb when it will be very cold.

I live in the Washington DC area, so I am not far away, only about 3-4 hours. So, technically I will have 3 days, with 2 days being partial travel days. I would probably leave early in morning to get there and late from NYC to come home. Now, I am not sure whether to drive, take the bus ($60 apiece), take a train (over $100 apiece), or take a plane (about the same price as the train) to get there. What do you suggest? Least crowded is more important to me because that reduces wait times for the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. I was assuming cheapest would mean least crowded also. What about late March or early April? I have created an basic iternery:
Day 1- Travel from 6 to 10AM or so. Go up in the Empire State Building, see Grand Central Station, walk around Midtown and Times Square.

Day 2- Go to the Statue of Liberty and go inside the statue and see Ellis Island. Walk around Lower Manhatten. Check out and walk on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Day 3- Do Top of the Rock and walk around Midtown some more. Leave for home by 2PM.

Would this work or should I consider spending 3 nights? What am I missing? Is it necessary to go to the 102th floor in the Empire State Building and spend the extra money or is the 86th floor basically the same? The 102th floor is technically higher, but does the view seem any higher from the 102th than the 86th floor?
Thanks-

A lot of people on this board suggest skipping the ESB altogether and doing Top of the Rock as an alternative (and certainly not both). TOTR gives you a specific time to go up, so you don't have to wait in line.

asdaven, I agree w/pp that it would be hard to find a "good hotel for 150 or less a night", but would suggest that you consider taking the Chinatown bus from DC to NYC- for 35-40/roundtrip. it's not the loveliest of experiences, but it's by far the cheapest way to get between NYC and DC. I think your itinerary is do-able, but unless you're used to walking a lot, you might be exhausted. I have been to the Empire State Building 2x, and have never gone to the 102nd floor, but I would guess it's probably not worth the extra $$, IMO.

lisettemac- By two nights, I mean staying over two nights. It is 3 days, 2 of which are partial travel days. NYC is 3-4 hours from my house.
dmlove- I have read a lot how people prefer TOTR over the ESB. But, this is my first time to NYC and I have to see the Empire State Building. It is very famous. Basically, TOTR and the ESB are the only observation decks in the city except the one on the Statue of Liberty's pedestal, which I am going to see also. I also forgot to add in wall street and South Street Seaport into the things I want to do. As far as hotels, is it better to book in advance or on a moments notice? I am sort of flexible when I can go. I was wondering if I can keep a watch on the hotel rates and see if they put out "last minute deals". Like if a hotel is not booked up enough, they will give cheap rates in order to fill rooms. Another reason to go when it is least crowded. When is it least crowded other than Jan or Feb? I have seen hotel deals cheaper than $150. It is just a matter of searching.
Thanks-

A full 3 days would be better, if possible. NYC is a huge city, and just like in a lot of cities, the time seems to fly by!!

If you can do a full 3 or 4 days, that would be better than just 2.

Also, there are a lot of good suggestions on cheap NYC hotels on this forum.

Have a great time! :)

Two weeks is enough time to see the major sights in NYC. Two days will barely scratch the surface.

The least expesnsive time to visit is Jan and Feb (except the Valentines Day/Presidents Day Week). After that the warmer the weather the higher the prices - until you get to true high season (from end Sept until almost Christmas.)

$150 per night is a very low price for NYC except in Jan/Feb. (The average hotel room - not deluxe - is about $300 per night - and much more in high season.)

You best bet is to try to late April/early May and bid 4* midtown on Priceline. You may well get an acceptable hotel for that. Also check Travelzoo for deals (but not until you're closer to the date).

It makes no sense to do both Empire State Building and Top of the Rock - way too similar. The latter IMHO has better views and is more convenient.

You have not listed any of the major museums (the Met, MoMA, and on and on - of which NYC has hundreds), even one Broadway show, Central Park or exploring any of the neighborhoods that are unique to NYC.

Realistically to see the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum (which is brilliant - and you take the same ferry) takes almost a whole day - including waiting on the various lines.

The best method for shorter distances is feet - NYC is a walking town and you will miss a lot if you don;t walk as much as possible. For longer distances the subway is safe, convenient and inexpensive.

2 nights would provide almost 3 full days. Like I said earlier, 1st day travel from 6-10AM, 2nd day is a full day, and 3rd day leave by 2-4PM. When is the least crowded time during a warm part of the year (no earlier than March, no later than October)? I will work really hard to find the cheapest price I can on hotels. Do the prices go up at the last minute, is it cheaper to book far in advance? I would prefer to book at the last minute to keep everything flexible.
Thanks-

You don't seem to be interested in museums but rather just tourist sites, so you probably have enough time. Devote most of your full day to Statue of Libery/Ellis Island and then a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. That will get you finished about 3 or 4pm if you take the first ferry of the day (buy it online in advance).

For your budget, the best option would be to stay at the Comfort Inn Long Island City, which is one subway stop from Manhattan. Unless you can snag a wonderful weekend hotel deal, none of the good places in Manhattan are within reach. Definitely try Priceline and bid as much as you can afford. There are some exceptions ... the exceptionally well located Larchmont hotel or the newly renovated Pod Hotel both have rooms under $129, but they require you to share a bath; if you're willing to do that, you can certainly stay in Manhattan.

Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways. The cheapest and least crowded times to visit NYC are also the coldest. Sorry, but that's just life. But I wouldn't hesitate to do a city vacation during the winter because you can just bundle up and enjoy a lot of warm coffee and hot chocolate.The cheapest time to come to NYC is mid-Jan to mid-March.

I guess you'd better try for early March to avoid most of the coldest weather. You can certainly wait until summer, but my bet is that hotel rates are going to be up then. August is usually cheaper than most other times, but it's horribly hot then.

But there simply are no "least crowded" times for NYC. There are only "most crowded" times, and those coincide with Nov through Christmas (esp. Thanksgiving week), New Year's Eve, and the New York Marathon. Most of those times are in the late fall and don't meet your seasonal requirements.

The "least crowded" time of year within the months you have specified is March (except for Easter week). You're not giving yourself much time but since you live so relatively close you can make many long weekends of it and see what you missed on the previous visit.

You live close enough to NYC that you can go again to make up for what you did not see in one trip, so I would not stress about it. The Chinatown bus is the cheapest way to go, so you should look into it -as far as comfort is concerned it is about the same as Peter Pan Trailways. I go to NYC very often and more likely than not, the weather is little different than in DC although the DC Spring comes sooner.

here's the website for the Statue of Liberty and reserving tickets in advance

http://www.statueofliberty.org/Visit...f_Liberty.html

I think you could do that and Ellis Island in approximately half a day, 4-5 hours. You could go from the Manhattan ferry landing and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge if that still appeals. The New York Stock Exchange is no longer open for tours, and Wall Street is just a street. But a visit to Trinity Church is a lovely way to spend a few minutes and there are concerts there sometimes. Alexander Hamilton is buried in the churchyard.
www.trinitywallstreet.org/welcome/?directions

I am not alone in thinking that the South Street Seaport is a colossal waste of time. A few shops and mediocre restaurants with very little real history.

Top of the Rock tickets can also be purchased in advance, unlike the Empire State bldg observatory
www.topoftherocknyc.com/splash.aspx
There is ALWAYS a very long line at the Empire State, at least during daytime hours.

A hotel in NYC for less than $150 night is chancy. Take a look at the Union Square Inn (no elevator) or Hotel 31, Hotel Thirty Thirty, or Hotel 17, but check here or at tripadvisor.com for comments, I haven't stayed there, I just know they are inexpensive.

Certain times of the year you can probably get a decent hotel for $150 on PRiceline. You can check biddingfortravel.com to get an idea of what bids hotels are awarded at.

In general it's very hard to get a rate at less than $200 any time of year, unless you are willing to have a shared bath. If you are, check out the Larchmont. It's a decent place in a great location.

You can take a greyhound/Peter Pan bus for about the same price as the chinatown busses if you buy an e-ticket via their website.

The greyhound bus is probably more convenient to me. Do you think the bus is the best way to go? What about flying or driving? Flying is just as expensive as the train, so I guess the train is out. Driving I don't know how much parking there is. I'll set $200 for the hotel price limit. I think I am also going to spend 3 nights. 4 days , 2 full days, 2 sightseeing with travel. But, if I do that I may want to check out 1 or 2 museums. The American Museum of Natural History appeals to me. Or the National Museum of the American Indian since I have seen the one down here in DC, I want to see the one in New York. As far as ESB and TOTR, I have to do both. I have to do ESB to say that I have been up in it and to see the building. It is the top of my list. And TOTR to enjoy an uncrowded view.
I will take your advice and skip South Street Seaport. But, is there another place on the water that is like Fishermans Waurf in SF or Inner Harbor in Baltimore with seafood restaurants and a few shops. A place for a good lunch. I guess Wall Street will be a quick pass-by. A place I would be interested in seeing is Federal Hall National Memorial, it is historically significant. One other question, what is the best way to get around during rush-hour? Should the subway be avoided during those times? I heard the subway is very slow while others say it is fast? Does it depend on the line? Is it faster than a cab?
Thanks-

This poster asked all the same questions on the tripadvisor forum and had posters going for 2 weeks. I wouldn't spend much more time on this.

I'm afraid you're a little confused about the weather in NYC. March is not a "warm" time of the year - since most of it is still winter - and the blizzard of '88 - more than 2 feet of snow - happened in March. It is likely not to be as cold as Feb - but you can easily get daily temps in the 40's and colder and damp/windy at night.

To be sure of reasonably pleasant weather I would do no earlier than late April. Also- you won;t get much in the way of leaves or flowers before then either.