First time to NYC, Nov. 09
Jul 27th, 2009, 05:46 PM
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First time to NYC, Nov. 09
My husband & I are late 20's, traveled in Europe a lot, but never been to NYC. We're going to go Nov 22-27 (Sun-Fri); yes, that's Thanksgiving week. I have been reading old posts, but I still find myself with a lot of questions.
Can someone give me a superbrief summary of the neighborhoods of NYC, or at least of the ones that I will want to consider staying in, as a first time visitor? I know exactly where a first timer should stay in Paris, Rome & London, and I know the characters of the various neighborhoods, but with NYC, I'm at a loss. (Yes, I have a lot of research to do between now and then, but I would love some advice from you experts in the meantime.)
It might help to know what I'm interested in doing while there, and also my budget, because my next question is what hotels can you recommend to me? (I have come up with the Chelsea Pines Inn and Chelsea Lodge as possibilities.) It would be best to keep the hotel price at or under $200/night. My max is probably $250/nt, but it would have to look downright awesome to get me to pay that much (and I'm guessing that's not going to happen).
Here are my hotel preferences: must be clean, located well (I can't be more specific b/c I haven't heard your opinions about location yet), need an in-room shower/toilet, and preferrably quiet (I am a very light sleeper).
With my currently miniscule knowledge of NYC, I can say I'm interested in seeing shows (as in Broadway), going to the Met, the science museum, and I'm sure there'll be a million other things, once I become "educated."
OK, so what can you tell me in response to all that? Thanks to all!
Can someone give me a superbrief summary of the neighborhoods of NYC, or at least of the ones that I will want to consider staying in, as a first time visitor? I know exactly where a first timer should stay in Paris, Rome & London, and I know the characters of the various neighborhoods, but with NYC, I'm at a loss. (Yes, I have a lot of research to do between now and then, but I would love some advice from you experts in the meantime.)
It might help to know what I'm interested in doing while there, and also my budget, because my next question is what hotels can you recommend to me? (I have come up with the Chelsea Pines Inn and Chelsea Lodge as possibilities.) It would be best to keep the hotel price at or under $200/night. My max is probably $250/nt, but it would have to look downright awesome to get me to pay that much (and I'm guessing that's not going to happen).
Here are my hotel preferences: must be clean, located well (I can't be more specific b/c I haven't heard your opinions about location yet), need an in-room shower/toilet, and preferrably quiet (I am a very light sleeper).
With my currently miniscule knowledge of NYC, I can say I'm interested in seeing shows (as in Broadway), going to the Met, the science museum, and I'm sure there'll be a million other things, once I become "educated."
OK, so what can you tell me in response to all that? Thanks to all!
Jul 27th, 2009, 06:56 PM
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I'd suggest finding a good guide to NYC because it will help answer questions you don't even know you have yet.
Hotels well there are litterally hundreds of hotels in the city and I'd suggest you only look at hotels in Manhattan. Just about anywhere south of 96th St on the East or West side will work for you because the subway and bus system is so extensive and runs 24/7.
All that said, look at www.hotels.com for suggestions on hotels that are in your price range. The week you are coming is one of the busiest of the YEAR so alot of the hotels are already booked, and if you find one within your budget still available, BOOK NOW, because you won't be able to find anything within your budget not far from now.
I'd take a look at a new hotel I ran into today The Ace, it's new only been open a month and very urban chic. Don't know what the prices are for the holiday season, but you might check the website, and look for the post I did this afternoon.
Hope this helps.
Hotels well there are litterally hundreds of hotels in the city and I'd suggest you only look at hotels in Manhattan. Just about anywhere south of 96th St on the East or West side will work for you because the subway and bus system is so extensive and runs 24/7.
All that said, look at www.hotels.com for suggestions on hotels that are in your price range. The week you are coming is one of the busiest of the YEAR so alot of the hotels are already booked, and if you find one within your budget still available, BOOK NOW, because you won't be able to find anything within your budget not far from now.
I'd take a look at a new hotel I ran into today The Ace, it's new only been open a month and very urban chic. Don't know what the prices are for the holiday season, but you might check the website, and look for the post I did this afternoon.
Hope this helps.
Jul 27th, 2009, 06:59 PM
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Just checked and the website is www.acehotel.com.
Jul 27th, 2009, 08:51 PM
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We were in NYC in June and found the Lucerne was very nice and modestly priced for NYC. The location is ideal, in a residential part of town with good restuarants, yet near the park and the museums. The subway is a block away, though we walked nearly everywhere including to the theaters and beyond .Have fun.
Jul 28th, 2009, 05:34 AM
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Thanks for the link, travelbuff. It's still too much $$ for us though. I plan to go to the library today and scope out travel books and do lots of reading. The more I look at the Chelsea Pines Inn, the better it looks. It has fantastic reviews on tripadvisor too, and is available. Thanks to both of you for the advice.
Jul 28th, 2009, 06:13 AM
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I would probably choose the Chelsea Lodge vs The CHelsea Pines. Our friend stayed at the Lodge. We saw her room. It is small abut with an en suite bathroom. We are staying at the Lodge Suites in October. It's on a GREAT street in CHelsea(tree lined and next to the New School). We prefer CHelsea as a neighborhood. It is hip enough with ready access to the subway.
Jul 28th, 2009, 06:52 AM
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I'd urge you to book your room now at whichever inn works for you price-wise and then keep looking to see if you can find anything better. You are coming on the most expensive week of the year in NYC, and hotels will be hard to come by even in this economy, and anything under $200 should be considered a bargain. Frankly, that week, I doubt that even $250 would get you something "awesome", sad to say. But if you find something better, you can always cancel this reservation and book something else, though I highly doubt you'll find much for under $200, which is why you need to jump on this deal immediately.
Chelsea is a good neighborhood to stay in. Although it's on the west side and not the most convenient for transportation, you can easily walk up to Penn Station or Times Square (or take the subway a few stops) to get better connections). It's a mostly residential neighborhood filled with local restaurants and nightspots. It's been traditionally gay and still has a gay following (Chelsea Pines is strongly advertised on gay sites, for example). But the neighborhood has grown a lot in the last few years, with a lot of high-rise condo buildings and many more families moving in.
One of my favorite restaurants, Tello's, just moved to a larger new location at the corner of 20th and 8th Avenue, and I can recommend it as a particularly good modest-priced Italian restaurant. You'll find no innovation on the menu, but almost everything is under $20.
Chelsea is a good neighborhood to stay in. Although it's on the west side and not the most convenient for transportation, you can easily walk up to Penn Station or Times Square (or take the subway a few stops) to get better connections). It's a mostly residential neighborhood filled with local restaurants and nightspots. It's been traditionally gay and still has a gay following (Chelsea Pines is strongly advertised on gay sites, for example). But the neighborhood has grown a lot in the last few years, with a lot of high-rise condo buildings and many more families moving in.
One of my favorite restaurants, Tello's, just moved to a larger new location at the corner of 20th and 8th Avenue, and I can recommend it as a particularly good modest-priced Italian restaurant. You'll find no innovation on the menu, but almost everything is under $20.
Jul 28th, 2009, 07:02 AM
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A couple of things:
New York is a huge city, but even the tourist area of Manhattan (most major sights) is 8 miles long and 2 wide ps island in the harbor. So a good location is near a subway stop - since you'll be using it a lot. As for type of neighborhood - there's anything you want - but probably not at $200 per night Thanksgiving week - which is probably the most expensive of the year.
And since NYC is a large city there is a LOT of ambient noise, from polie cars and fire engine sirens to commercial carters (garbage collectors for businesses) which are required to pick up in the middle of the night to avoid blocking daytime traffic. They typically clash, crash, boom, bang and grind large loads of trash between 2 and 4 am each morning. the only way to avoid this is to find a street with no businesses (unlikely) or to be in a very high floor of a modern highrish hotel (expensive) or have an inside room (no views except a brick wall a couple of feet away). If noise is a rela problem for you bring ear plugs. (NYC is way louder than London or Paris.)
Youmight want to consider the upper west side - which is residential ad not as frantic as much of midtown and has a lot of good inexpensive restaurants. But I don;t know what hotel rtes will be for that week - although several places - including On The Ave have internet special for fall. This area is immediately adjacent to Central Park and most of the major museums.
The places you're looking at are downtown, more trendy/funky, and closer to other sights (Statue of Liberty, Staten Island ferry, Wall ST etc) and generally have very low prices (for perspective). And don;t forget there is 18% tax on top of the room price you are quoted.
New York is a huge city, but even the tourist area of Manhattan (most major sights) is 8 miles long and 2 wide ps island in the harbor. So a good location is near a subway stop - since you'll be using it a lot. As for type of neighborhood - there's anything you want - but probably not at $200 per night Thanksgiving week - which is probably the most expensive of the year.
And since NYC is a large city there is a LOT of ambient noise, from polie cars and fire engine sirens to commercial carters (garbage collectors for businesses) which are required to pick up in the middle of the night to avoid blocking daytime traffic. They typically clash, crash, boom, bang and grind large loads of trash between 2 and 4 am each morning. the only way to avoid this is to find a street with no businesses (unlikely) or to be in a very high floor of a modern highrish hotel (expensive) or have an inside room (no views except a brick wall a couple of feet away). If noise is a rela problem for you bring ear plugs. (NYC is way louder than London or Paris.)
Youmight want to consider the upper west side - which is residential ad not as frantic as much of midtown and has a lot of good inexpensive restaurants. But I don;t know what hotel rtes will be for that week - although several places - including On The Ave have internet special for fall. This area is immediately adjacent to Central Park and most of the major museums.
The places you're looking at are downtown, more trendy/funky, and closer to other sights (Statue of Liberty, Staten Island ferry, Wall ST etc) and generally have very low prices (for perspective). And don;t forget there is 18% tax on top of the room price you are quoted.
Jul 28th, 2009, 07:31 AM
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I'm w/ny trav on this: If you're a light sleeper, wear earplugs.
My parents live in an apartment in Chelsea on the 14th floor of the building and you can hear noise from the street with relative ease. You want serious quiet in NYC, you have to stay in the 'burbs. Relative quiet is about the best you can hope for.
My parents live in an apartment in Chelsea on the 14th floor of the building and you can hear noise from the street with relative ease. You want serious quiet in NYC, you have to stay in the 'burbs. Relative quiet is about the best you can hope for.
Jul 28th, 2009, 07:51 AM
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The things you list as wanting to see/do are all in different neighborhoods so there's not one location that's going to be dramatically better than another for you. While you may well find some hotel sales for that time period closer to your trip, right now there's not a lot available under $200/night. The 2 places you mention are well regarded "inns" but both have some rooms with shared bathroom and some with private so be careful about what you book. The Chelsea Pines is also known as "gay friendly" and while lots of straight couples stay there, you should know this in advance so you're not surprised. Chelsea in general has a large gay population but is also where a lot of the trendier restaurants and clubs are.
There are some cancelable options on quikbook.com under $200 like the Hampton Inn Soho. This hotel is about a year old, the area is good for restaurants, bars and shops and rooms while small are comfortable. If you stay flexible, you may find good deals on travelzoo.com later on. There are lots of places online with descriptions of the various neighborhoods but really I would find hotels you like in budget and then start eliminating/weeding down the list based on location.
There are some cancelable options on quikbook.com under $200 like the Hampton Inn Soho. This hotel is about a year old, the area is good for restaurants, bars and shops and rooms while small are comfortable. If you stay flexible, you may find good deals on travelzoo.com later on. There are lots of places online with descriptions of the various neighborhoods but really I would find hotels you like in budget and then start eliminating/weeding down the list based on location.
Jul 28th, 2009, 08:21 AM
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For Broadway tickets, use broadwaybox.com or theatermania.com (or is it theatremania.com)? You can get discount tickets to lots of the shows...the line at the TKTS booth is usually long and you're going at a busy time of year.
Jul 28th, 2009, 10:35 AM
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Yay, thanks for all the info. I just remembered I have a friend who may be able to get me a discount at Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Clarion, etc.), so I'm looking into that. I was reading today and think the Upper West side might suit me, like nytrav suggested. I found a Comfort Inn around there but it doesn't have very good reviews on tripadvisor. However the Comfort Inn Midtown has great reviews. So I'm leaning toward that one, if my friend can get us a good discount. (Yes, I know it is not on the upper west side, but I'm thinking midtown, while busier, would be an ok place to stay too?)
If not, I will def look at the Chelsea Lodge. And no matter where I stay, I will take everyone's advice and bring my earplugs. Thanks again!
If not, I will def look at the Chelsea Lodge. And no matter where I stay, I will take everyone's advice and bring my earplugs. Thanks again!
Jul 28th, 2009, 12:59 PM
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The Comfort Inn UWS is awful with very small rooms. The only thing good about it is the location. The Comfort Inn Midtown is a good budget hotel. One thing to keep in mind is the balloons for the Thanksgiving day parade are blown up the night before on the UWS so hotels in that area might be pricey for your dates.
Jul 28th, 2009, 01:45 PM
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Well, I have just booked at Hotel Newton on the far north UWS, for (drumroll) $122/nt, including ALL taxes. I got it out of Frommer's 09 guide, and it has great reviews on tripadvisor. We decided we could do a double bed (to save even more $), but we'll have our own bathroom. My biggest debate was to book it or the likewise recommended and well-reviewed Hotel Belleclaire, but then I noticed Newton has a 20% off discount if you book 3 or more nts in Nov. That decided for me. I went thru the website to get the discount, in case anyone's wondering (go to Specials). Thanks again for all the tips. I will be lurking thru the old NYC threads for the next few mos, I'm sure.
Jul 28th, 2009, 03:20 PM
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THe Newton is in a good location and your concern of noise at night should not be much of a problem in that area, which is all residential. I'm a few blocks north of there so know the area well. There are lots of restaurants several on each block and a little shopping. The subway is just a block away and the bus runs up and down Broadway for easy access as well.
On Wed night the balloons are blown up on Columbus Ave which is just a few blocks away from your hotel so you might want to wander over to see or stop by the Museum of Natural History and skate at the new skating rink there.
I'm glad you were able to find a hotel so quickly. I know alot of the hotels in the city are already fully booked so you got a great deal.
Have a great time while you are here.
On Wed night the balloons are blown up on Columbus Ave which is just a few blocks away from your hotel so you might want to wander over to see or stop by the Museum of Natural History and skate at the new skating rink there.
I'm glad you were able to find a hotel so quickly. I know alot of the hotels in the city are already fully booked so you got a great deal.
Have a great time while you are here.
Jul 28th, 2009, 04:22 PM
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The Newton isn't the far upper west side - it's only 94th St. The upper west side goes up to 125th. At the moment they're doing street construction on Broadway in front of the hotel - but hopefully it will be done by November.
You're a little farther from things - one more stop on the express train - but still a great neighborhood right near Central Park and an easy walk (or quick bus across the park if you prefer) to most of the major museums.
You're a little farther from things - one more stop on the express train - but still a great neighborhood right near Central Park and an easy walk (or quick bus across the park if you prefer) to most of the major museums.
Jul 28th, 2009, 05:00 PM
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Thanks for the votes of confidence, travelbuff & nytrav. I feel really good about the hotel, and even more so now. Being close to Central Park became a big draw for me as I looked today b/c we love to run, and can't wait to explore the Park. Thanks for the skating suggestion too; that sounds great. Anyone know if there's, like, a NYC Superthread on here somewhere? That would prob be helpful...
Aug 3rd, 2009, 11:23 AM
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We stayed with our children at the Holiday Inn Midtown on 57th for 4 nights in June 2008--it's just a few blocks south of Central Park, and about a block from a subway stop. The location is really convenient. The rooms list for about $200.00/night but we got them much cheaper by shopping around online and grabbing a really lucky deal--don't know how the rates will be for a holiday weekend. We found it through online hotel reviews--it was rated well for what it is, and I wasn't disappointed. We'll stay there again.
It was a basic hotel, but very clean and in a safe residential neighborhood. I felt very comfortable walking around the neighborhood with my children after dark. The rooms are really large for NYC. It seemed to be pretty popular with European tourists. I can't remember if it had a restaurant or not--we spent our days wandering around the city, and went back to the hotel just to sleep and shower. Good luck!
It was a basic hotel, but very clean and in a safe residential neighborhood. I felt very comfortable walking around the neighborhood with my children after dark. The rooms are really large for NYC. It seemed to be pretty popular with European tourists. I can't remember if it had a restaurant or not--we spent our days wandering around the city, and went back to the hotel just to sleep and shower. Good luck!
