Extended Stay in NY
 

My wife and I just retired, and we are talking about a month-long stay in NYC, to visit all the stuff we never had time to see when we were working. Looking for any suggestions.

We are pretty familiar with the city, but have never thought about staying there for a month. I looked at existing posts on this, but most were at least several years old and recommendations were probably dated.

We would not be adverse to staying in Newark or other nearby NJ locations, and taking the Path into the city every day (we have done this before). I found a Residence Inn near Newark airport which was $99 per night, a good deal in my opinion, since you have free breakfast, free internet, maid service, etc. I saw on the posts you can rent an apartment for a month in the city, but then you have to pay an exorbitant realtor fee.

Is there anything available in Brooklyn, Queens, or preferably Staten Island, where we could take a subway/ferry in every day? Not interested in getting something sight-unseen, unless they have a web site, or someone can personally recommend it after having stayed there. That is why I was sort of leaning toward a national chain.

Any suggestions would be appreciated, as always. Thanks.

I think that is a terrible idea! At $100 a night, probably plus tax, you will be paying about $3,000 a month to live near Newark airport? Without a kitchen? For that price you can certainly get a decent sublet in Manhattan. I would imagine most places would have internet service. Do you really need maid service every day? I would begin by checking www.craigslist.org. There are many options available to you that will not involve paying a fee.

I agree -- for $3K you could easily live in Manhattan and save the <i>cost</i> &amp; inconvenience of the commute.

In addition to craigslist, google up &quot;Bridge Suite Apartments&quot; on E. 60th Street. I've known a couple of people who've stayed there for a month.

Good Luck!

Whatever you do, DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER LIVING IN NEWARK. Try vrbo.com for rentals by owners.

I would sleep in Central Park on a bench covered in pigeon turds before I would spend one night at Newark Airport.

Check out the Affina.com properties. You'll definitely want something with a kitchen.

Also, you can negotiate a better price staying for a month.

Contact the local universities (Columbia, NYU, Fordham) to see if any of the faculty has any short term leases.

There are various &quot;executive&quot; or short term rentals in Manhattan that are far better deals, and many do not require paying a big realtor fee.

One really good deal is right in the thick of things of midtown at the Executive Plaza where monthly rentals including a separate bedroom and full but small kitchen go for around $3000 a month. This is in a building shared by the Michelangelo Hotel.

Another really good source is:
http://www.nyhabitat.com/
Here you can enter your dates, choice of area, and come up with a whole lot of options to pursue. We've only used them once, and were very happy with the results. You could spend hours on their site looking. Prices are complete, no extra fees to worry about.

By the way, one thing to keep in mind is that when you look at a per night price, don't forget than there is usually no tax on an apartment rental or sublet. That makes $100 a night more like $85 a night in a hotel (before taxes).

I realized I didn't provide a link for Executive Plaza. These people are very nice. They anxiously showed us a number of apartments when we were in New York. Unfortunately they only rent by the month and we haven't stayed a full month since we looked.
http://www.empirestateproperties.com

You would be much better off with an apartment - even a studio - in Manhattan.

It gives the benefit of no time/money commuting, the excitement of actually being in the city, and the cost savings of making your own breakfast and snacks - and possibly even some lunches and dinners if you want.

There are a lot of buildings that offer this (often for execs on longer-term assignments) - and in some of the residential areas (upper east and west side, village etc) can be quite affordable (even vs $99 a night plus tax and transport back and forth).

If you search here names of some reliable ones will be listed and I'm sure you can google lots more. If you list some you're interested in people that live nearby can give more info.

Wow !! You guys did not like the New Jersey idea !!

Obviously, my first choice was to live in the city, but the apartments I had looked at originally were in the $6000-$7000 per month range -- probably midtown, can't remember, but a lot more that I wanted to spend. Yes, I want to stay in the city, have a kitchen, be where the action is, and avoid the cost and ordeal of a daily commute. I thought NJ might be a viable (though not desirable) alternative.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I found some promising rentals in Greenwich Village-Chelsea area for about $3000 per month, and this would be perfect.

I really liked the NYHabitat web site, found a lot of good stuff there. However, the quoted price is NOT the complete price. I noticed some fine print at the top about an AGENCY FEE. I called them and asked what that was, since they did not post it on their web site. The agency fee for monthly rentals is 35% !!! That is pretty outrageous in my opinion, but it may not be a show stopper. I might rather pay this and get something from a reliable established company, rather than an individual person posting on other web sites. I am also mindful that taxes would not be charged on an apartment versus a room, so that eases the pain.

I am continuing to check out the other web sites that were mentioned. Our trip is not for several months so I have some time to research and do due diligence.

Thank you all for the great suggestions.

(Pigeon turds in Central Park ... good one ...)

That 35% agency fee from NYC Habitat is not always true. In fact if you're looking at the part that says &quot;vacation rentals&quot; and looking at one month there should be no fee at all. Those can be different from the regular &quot;furnished rentals&quot; which are more long term. There wasn't any fee at all for us -- it was the exact price stated!

You might also consider finding a short-term sublet on Craigslist (newyork.craigslist.org). My husband and I were between apartments this summer, and found some lovely places to stay. Though some people charge exorbitant rates, many others are simply trying to cover their rent while on vacation.

You've gotten good info so far. Just beware that vacation rentals in Greenwich village can sound better than they are. Everyone wants to stay there but the accomdations are often basic.

Whatever you do, avoid any apt. under the name Woogo or Yourstay.

There are some b &amp; bs that have apt. like accomdations (kitchens, extra space) that might &quot;do a deal&quot; for a 1 month rental. A Greenwich Village Home is one.

Jack &amp; Judy's b &amp; b on the upper westside is another. jacksbandb.com

Neopolitan: Yes you are correct -- I was looking at Furnished Apartments, rather than Vacation Rentals. The latter does not charge the rental fee. I will search within these pages.

I really like the NYHabitat web site. They have a lot of offerings and appear to be very professional. They were very helpful when I talked to them on the phone. The best part is that they also offer apartments in Paris and the South of France, which, ironically, will be our next destinations.

McLaurie: Yes, thanks. I have been following the threads on Woogo and Yourstay, and will avoid.

Thanks to everyone for their help. This is great information.

You also might put a brief description in a free ad on Craigslist telling your dates, explaining what kind of people you are, and what you are looking for and where.
I did this a couple years ago and was corresponding with a lovely older couple who were leaving for Europe for two months. Their apartment was great, a super location, and they wanted $2800 a month. We were really on the same track, but then we had to change plans and cut our stay to only a week, and at the same time they had a death in the family and so their plans were unknown -- all this a couple months before we were to go.

You have to put up with a few strange replies, but you can ignore them. My favorite was our request for a NICE one bedroom Midtown West was responded to with an offer to use a guest bedroom and share a bath of an apartment at something like 210th for about $4000 a month. Were they serious? On the other hand I got the impression that there were some dicriminating people who would like to sublet but don't like putting their place out there -- if they see your request and feel comfortable, who knows what you might find.