Advice on New York City Trip
May 29th, 1999, 09:15 PM
#1
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Advice on New York City Trip
My wife and I would like to plan a trip to NYC in 2000 for her 30th birthday. Since we are coming from the west coast, it may be our one-and-only trip, and we would like to do it right. We would appreciate information on recommended hotels (in any price range) in mid-town/Manhattan, best time of the year to go, how long we should plan in order to take in the must-sees, and anything else you think we should know. Any help you can give is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
May 29th, 1999, 10:31 PM
#2
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Our favorite time to visit is May, June or September, when the weather is pleasant (not too hot and humid) and the hotel rates are a bit more reasonable. Highly recommend "Romantic Days and Nights in New York City", new edition just published. Dozens of terrific suggestions and recommendations. If you want to see a Broadway Show (highly recommend), you can take your chances when you arrive at the half-price ticket booths, but it's best to plan ahead and book early for the best day/time and seats. There's a wonderful website nyunique or uniqueny (can't remember, but if you'll e-mail I'll try to find it). Regardless of how "touristy" you may be advised, our fondest memories include the sunset cruise on Circle Line, the top of the Empire State Building at dusk (stay until dark when all the lights are twinkling), walking around Times Square at night, and South Street Seaport on Sunday. Another wonderful experience is the Brooklyn Promenade or a drink at the River Cafe as the sun sets. Sunday Brunch at Cafe des Artistes was enjoyable as well.
May 30th, 1999, 12:50 PM
#4
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Hi John,
My husband and I visited NYC in January a couple of years ago - that is the wrong time to visit...very cold. Especially to us Southerners. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton on Central Park South. It was wonderful. However, for the amount of time we spent in our room, we could have stayed somewhere cheaper. We ate at an Italian place called Il Cortile (sp?) in Little Italy, a French restaurant near theaters called Rene' Pugot (again sp?), and a steak restaurant called The Old Homestead. All were reasonably priced and wonderful. I agree with Donnar about the view from the Empire State Building - it was incredible - but try to go during the week. The weekends are crowded. Definitely get tickets to a Broadway Show or two. We flew into NYC late Thursday afternoon and flew out around noon on Sunday. Not nearly enough time. I would stay at least 6 nights. There is so much to do. You're gonna love it!
My husband and I visited NYC in January a couple of years ago - that is the wrong time to visit...very cold. Especially to us Southerners. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton on Central Park South. It was wonderful. However, for the amount of time we spent in our room, we could have stayed somewhere cheaper. We ate at an Italian place called Il Cortile (sp?) in Little Italy, a French restaurant near theaters called Rene' Pugot (again sp?), and a steak restaurant called The Old Homestead. All were reasonably priced and wonderful. I agree with Donnar about the view from the Empire State Building - it was incredible - but try to go during the week. The weekends are crowded. Definitely get tickets to a Broadway Show or two. We flew into NYC late Thursday afternoon and flew out around noon on Sunday. Not nearly enough time. I would stay at least 6 nights. There is so much to do. You're gonna love it!
May 30th, 1999, 12:51 PM
#5
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Hi John,
My husband and I visited NYC in January a couple of years ago - that is the wrong time to visit...very cold. Especially to us Southerners. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton on Central Park South. It was wonderful. However, for the amount of time we spent in our room, we could have stayed somewhere cheaper. We ate at an Italian place called Il Cortile (sp?) in Little Italy, a French restaurant near theaters called Rene' Pugot (again sp?), and a steak restaurant called The Old Homestead. All were reasonably priced and wonderful. I agree with Donnar about the view from the Empire State Building - it was incredible - but try to go during the week. The weekends are crowded. Definitely get tickets to a Broadway Show or two. We flew into NYC late Thursday afternoon and flew out around noon on Sunday. Not nearly enough time. I would stay at least 6 nights. There is so much to do. You're gonna love it!
My husband and I visited NYC in January a couple of years ago - that is the wrong time to visit...very cold. Especially to us Southerners. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton on Central Park South. It was wonderful. However, for the amount of time we spent in our room, we could have stayed somewhere cheaper. We ate at an Italian place called Il Cortile (sp?) in Little Italy, a French restaurant near theaters called Rene' Pugot (again sp?), and a steak restaurant called The Old Homestead. All were reasonably priced and wonderful. I agree with Donnar about the view from the Empire State Building - it was incredible - but try to go during the week. The weekends are crowded. Definitely get tickets to a Broadway Show or two. We flew into NYC late Thursday afternoon and flew out around noon on Sunday. Not nearly enough time. I would stay at least 6 nights. There is so much to do. You're gonna love it!
Jun 1st, 1999, 05:29 AM
#6
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John, my wife and I (29 and 30 yrs old) just got back from NYC yesterday after a 3 day weekend. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria this time (I had some frequent Hilton points to burn) and while it was a nice hotel, I wouldn't have wanted to pay for it. It's in a great location on Park Ave and 50th Street with easy access to the Village/Soho/Tribeca/Chinatown via the subway. If you're like me and my wife, these will be your favorite areas. They are more like neighborhoods (with great shops/bars/restaurants) while Midtown is more like a zoo of huge buildings living off of bankers' expense accounts. And while the subway is the best way to get around, if you have to spend 30-40 minutes on it, it's not so much fun. We were 4 stops from the Village and could walk to the other areas from there.
While I wasn't that impressed with the Waldorf, there is a new W across the street that's supposedly very nice (it's a new chain of upscale boutique hotels by Sheraton).
If you'd rather pay a little less, I can recommend the Sheraton New York (not Manhattan) at 7th Ave and 53rd Street. Or if you plan on spending most of your time in Midtown, the Essex House is nice (esp if you can get a view of the Park).
Make reservations (about 30 days in advance) at Gotham Bar and Grill for dinner in the Village for your big night out. It's fantastic.
While I wasn't that impressed with the Waldorf, there is a new W across the street that's supposedly very nice (it's a new chain of upscale boutique hotels by Sheraton).
If you'd rather pay a little less, I can recommend the Sheraton New York (not Manhattan) at 7th Ave and 53rd Street. Or if you plan on spending most of your time in Midtown, the Essex House is nice (esp if you can get a view of the Park).
Make reservations (about 30 days in advance) at Gotham Bar and Grill for dinner in the Village for your big night out. It's fantastic.
Jun 1st, 1999, 05:02 PM
#8
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Three of us have stayed, two different times ,for a week each, at Doubletree Guest Suites. It suited us just fine because the bathrooms had two sinks and one more was in the LR bar area. That helped alot with the bathroom situation for three females. Our room had two doubles and a pull out couch in the LR The restaurant is nothing to write home about and that gave us an opportunity to eat breakfast at other hotels and lunch and dinner at other NYC restaurants. We walked everywhere and were plenty happy to be in the theater district without having to take a taxi to get to the theaters on time. We would recommend this hotel, nothing extravagant or fancy, but probably larger accomodations than most and also, the concierge service was quite good.
