Cheap stays outside Manhattan: Which is most convenient?
 

My wife and I are considering a trip next month to NYC and are looking at Orbitz for flight/hotel combos. As you can imagine, it gets a lot cheaper once you get outside the island of Manhattan. My question is, are any of these locations more convenient than others when going into Manhattan every day? Some of the locations offered by Orbitz are Long Island City, North Bergen, Secaucus, Jersey City and Carlstadt.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, for we are completely ignorant of the geography of NYC. Thanks.

Alonzo

Of the ones you mentioned, Long Island City, Secaucus and Jersey City would be the most convenient.

However, I would strongly discourage you from staying outside of Manhattan if you are planning to visit Manhattan. You will spend time and money getting in and out of the city each day. You may be locked into a train schedule or the "last train of the night" syndrome. It isn't worth it. Find a hotel in Manhattan that meets your budget and enjoy yourselves.

Long Island city is just over the river from the east side of Manhattan. There is no issue with the last train since the subways run all night. I can walk to LIC from my home in Manhattan so if you can really get a good deal there, I would not rule it out.

I didn't know that there are hotels in Long Island City. It's just across the river and are the next subway stops out of Manhattan and into Queens. Very convenient.

The next most convenient could very well be Exchange Place in Jersey City. It's a nice area and only a short hop to the Path trains to get to Manhattan.

I think the LIC hotel might be a LaQuinta, which received a pretty good review whereever it was I read someone's trip report. Can't say for certain.

We once stayed at the Hilton Gateway in Newark. Right across from the Newark Penn Station, so we had choice of PATH, NJT or Amtrak.

I'd recommend Long Island City (the Comfort Inn there is a relatively new hotel close to all the subway lines) for ease of travel into Manahttan. It's no more inconvenient to stay there than to stay in a hotel on the Upper West Side or Upper East Side or even in the Financial District. You can each the area by cab from most parts of Midtown if you are out late, and the subway makes it relatively convenient.

The second-most convenient area would be Jersey City, but the PATH trains don't run on a very good schedule late at night.

If you don't plan to be out late, then it probably doesn't matter much where you stay. North Bergen, Secaucus, and Carlstadt are all much less convenient because there are no direct public transit options. (There are buses from the Meadowlands area to the Port Authority, but these run on very limited schedules after normal commuting hours.)

It's true that Long Island City is just across the river from Manhattan, and that the subeay ride is short and the subways run 24/7 - but may only be every 30 minutes later at night.

However, it is NOT Manhattan. the atmosphere is completely different, and instead of just walking out the door of your hotel and seeing the sights it is a walk to the subway, then a subway ride to get to anything you want to see and do.

Also, although Long Island City is a more popular residential area than it used to be - it simply doesnt present the dining, theater, cafe etc opportunities that you find in the city.

I would investigate all other opportunites before staying outside Manhattan. Don;t be stuck with the Orbtiz combos - which are often not the best deals. Investigate options on your own and you may find Manhattan affordable.

Check out the applecore group of budget hotels, which get generally good reviews and are often modestly priced. And since it's only the 2 of you you could also consider Priceline. Check out betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com to see what hotels they are getting for what prices the weekend you intend to go.

If saving money is a consideration, I highly recommend staying in Jersey City (many tourists are doing this already). I'm assuming you mean the hotels along the waterfront. If you can get the

1. 5 minutes to World Trade Center (by path train), 15-20 minutes to mid-town.
2. Path train is nicer then subway and it does run all night.
3. Can take ferry or path train.
4. Great views of Manhattan from the Jersey City side and from the ferry.
5. Jersey City and Hoboken are interesting neighborhoods for those who want to get off the beaten path,a little.

Sorry, hit the post button too soon. I meant to say if you get the Hyatt hotel in Jersey City, you'll be very happy with the view and the location.

I totally agree with nytraveler - from experience. I once stayed outside the city (NJ) and swore - never again. Seems like it wouldn't matter but it was definately a completely different experience than staying in Manhattan.

Have you tried the Travel Inn? I've had friends stay there and it's very reasonable from what I understand - and very clean.

I don't know where you're coming from but there are lots of reasonable flights to NY if you look. I would again agree that you'll probably do better booking your flights and hotel yourself.

I agree that staying outside the city is NOT the same experience. While Long Island City is the closest to Manhattan and probably the easiest commute, it's not very tourist friendly/attractive. It was an area of mostly warehouses and industrial businesses and is slowly being gentrified. It ain't there yet. Read all the reviews here and have a look at photos.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._New_York.html

Jersey City, specifically the Hyatt Regency and the Doubletree Suites is the best compromise. These are both right near the PATH train. There are other hotels in Jersey City that are NOT near the train and a long walk. Not a good idea.

There's also a Sheraton on the Hudson in Weehawken, NJ that has a ferry right in front of the door to Manhattan M-F (on weekends, there's another ferry you take down the road.)

I realize not everyone can be flexible about when they travel, but Sept. is a very busy, popular month and you've left it to the last minute. I would consider coming at another time when hotel prices are not so high so you can enjoy the city to the max. (Right now til Sept. 5, there are much better deals) I also agree with newyorktraveler than air/hotel pkgs. are often not the best deals. They often pawn off the hotels that are the least desirable and difficult to fill.

Check kayak.com and mobissimo.com for pksgs. and individual air/hotel prices. Check quikbook.com and travelzoo.com for hotels.

I don't disagree with the sentiment that it's not worth the trade-off in price to stay outside of Manhattan, but I was just answering the question.

While I would probably prefer Jersey City as an area, it's not often that much cheaper to stay in the hotels there, particularly when prices start going up, as they will next month.

Only alonzomosley can decide how much the trade-off in convenience is worth. I'd suggest trying to book someting on Quikbook or Hotels.com and seeing if you can get a decent price on a hotel in Manhattan. Hotels by Apple Core Hotels in Manhattan are usually mid-price chains (Red Roof Inn, Super 8, etc.) and are pretty decent.

Wow! Thanks so much, folks. For the record, I decided to stay in Manhattan after all and got a room at the Pickwick Arms. One of my best friends stayed there with his girlfriend several years ago and loved it. Thanks again.

I used to live down the street on E 51st from the Pickwick. If you are a light sleeper don't be near the front of the hotel.

Across 3rd Avenue is one of the busiest fire companies in NY and a police precinct. It is a GREAT location. But, if you're not used to the noise of a city, sleep might be a problem.