area to stay in NYC
 

hi there
I will be travelling to NYC in december and am looking at 2 B & B's but not sure about the areas they are in
one is on West 81st Street
the other is on Avenue C between 7th and 8th Ave
One thing to take into consideration is i am a single lady travelling alone and am soon to be turning 50
thanks
judi

judi,

While Alphabet city (where your second listing is located) has come a long way in the last five years or so, you'll probably want to be on West 81st Street, on the Upper West side, a much more established neighborhood. Unless, of course, you're a particularly adventurous single lady traveling alone who wants proximity to nightlife, in which case Avenue C would be better.

West 81st Street, without a doubt. The Upper West Side is a great residential area -- you'll thoroughly enjoy it.

Definitely West 81st Street.
A correct on the address of the other one: It's on Avenue C between 7th & 8th Streets, not Avenues.

Don;t know anything about the B&Bs in particular bu the upper west side (west 81st st) is a fairly upscale and traditional (for NYC) residential neighborhood with a lot of families as well as singles. The other neighborhood - alphabet city - is much trendier, favored by many younger people, with lots of nightlife and after hours clubs.

It sounds like you would be more comfy in the former.

You def dont want alphabet city - some of the toughest new yorkers i know dont like to go near Ave's C & D when it gets dark out unless they have to, even though it has cleaned up a lot. Upper west offers a ton of great restaurants too.

thanks all for your help
i think i will book jacks place on west 81st street seems to be the most popular place
judi
ps just hoping to get some snow for my trip

As much as I love the East Village, I also think you would be more comfortable on W. 81st. The E. Village is very young. Alphabet City is nothing like it was 20 years ago, but I think it just may be a bit too funky a neighborhood for a single, 50ish person, especially if you are not a 'city' person. Personally I wander around there all the time, primarily looking for good restaurants. It's my favorite restaurant neighborhood, but for a tourist who is over 25, it may be a bit intimidating.

West 81st on the other hand, is a nice residential area, near central park, also with many restaurant options, access to transportation, etc.

Since everyone else has already advised you stay on the Upper West Side, I thought I'd offer you some suggestions in and around that neighborhood.

You can walk around and find plenty of easy restaurants/diners/cafes to stumble into. Some great NY haunts include:

Zabars -- an institution. It's a food shop/deli/kitchenware place like no other
H&H Bagels -- another institution. You can get them there warm. Don't buy ahead for another day because they don't last
Fairway -- a fabulous supermarket/gourmet food store

For restaurants, I like Ouest (may be a bit hip), La Bicyclette (is it still there?), Sarabeth's (brunch) or EJ's (brunch).

There are also some other b & bs in that neighborhood, fyi. There are
wymanhouse.com
countryinnthecity.com

I should have added, another option is the 1871house.com Not in that area, but closer to midtown and shopping.

I lived on W. 81st St. Where is there a B&B??????

130 West 81st Street

Really? What is the place called? I was located at 138 W. 81st!!

Jacksbandb.com

Jack's b and b

hi there
thanks for all the great replies
i tried 1871 but was way out of my price range 295 a night plus taxes
thought that was a bit much
some wont take bookings this early and ask me to contact in about august i wanted to be a little more organised than that and pay for as much as possible up front
judi