First time visit-NY
 

My husband, my 22-year-old daughter, and I are planning our first trip to New York City n the middle of December. I have booked the Comfort Inn for $129. Could someone let me know if this is a good place to stay and also, should we wait till we get there to buy play tickets at the discount places I've heard of? Any other tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Sandi, I have never stayed at the Comfort Inn, but it is in a great location. You can walk to a lot of great areas, and not to be missed, Rockefeller Center,the Christmas Tree,St Patricks Cathedral and all the wonderful stores on 5th Avenue with their Christmas windows.It depends on what play you want to get tickets for, one like the Producers would probably be impossible to get, you might look into getting tickets for Contact..If you know where you want to eat any special dinners, be sure to reserve ahead, bring a hat and gloves:) and have a wonderful time in NY~

I believe there is more than one Comfort Inn in Manhattan - please advise of the location. There is a new/refurbished hotel in NYC under either the Quality Inn or Comfort Inn name (can't recall which). It's located on 32nd Street between Dyer and 9th or between 9th and 10th. NOt a good location - lots of tunnel entrance noise and one of the very few locations in or near midtown Manhattan that's dicey at night. If this is your hotel I advise changing to a better location.

42 W 35th Street one block from 5th Avenue.& Macy's<BR>That is the Comfort Inn I know of in Manhattan.

Thanks for the information. The address of our hotel is Comfort Inn Midtown 129 W. 46th St. One thing I really want to do is take a carriage ride through Central Park, hope it's too expensive, but I'll still do it especially at Christmas time. Thanks again.

Sandi-It shouldn't be too expensive to take a carriage ride, and so charming.Take it in the late afternoon when the lights are coming on all over the city and when the ride is over, you will be right by the Plaza Hotel, go in and have a drink or tea or hot chocolate.Have a wonderful stay~

The best thing to do in New York is to eat. Restaurants here are the best in the world. Avoid the turist traps in Midtown Manhattan. Go to Queens (15 minute subway ride) for authentic and cheap ethnic food. Chinatown Queens is by Main Street ('7' Subway to Main Street) and the food is great. Take the '7' train to 74th street in Queens and get the best Southa American food. There are so many good places that one should not ever pay $15.00 for a hamburger in Midtown just because the retaurant has a theme.

I have just gotten back from NY on Sunday. Stayed at that Comfort Inn, and it was very good, in my opinion. The room was small, but I only needed somewhere to sleep. The free breakfast was an added bonus. You might like to try their website www.choicehotels.com as I was able to get a mid week rate of $89. I found lots of bargains shopping in SoHo, but even Macy's is on sale. Have fun!

The last time I checked (some months ago) the carriage ride was $34 for 30 minutes/

Sandi, this is not a tip from personal experience, as my trip to New York starts in a week and a half: but have a look at www.bigapplegreeter.org. This sounds like my kind of thing.... maybe yours, too?

Thanks again for all the additional information. I actually looked at bigapplegreeters.com and it did sound very interesting to me and a good way to really get to know the area especially Greenwich or Soho. Hope you have a great trip, let me know how it goes.

Sandi<BR>I too am going to NY in Mid Dec. I went to BiddingForTravel.com for hotel info. This website is priceless for great deals on great hotels. Have fun!<BR>

Some things that you can do:?<BR><BR>Broadway Plays: Get tickets at TKTS in Times Square. You get tickets in the day (about 3pm - get there earlier though, the lines can get long) for that night's performance. Tickets at TKTS are ALWAYS discounted - half price usually I think. Dont buy from a scalper.<BR><BR>Empire St Building: Go to the top at night, or when its gettng dark at least. <BR><BR>Eating: There are hundreds of places to eat in Manhattan. You dont need to travel to Queens for ethnic food. Stay in Manhattan and enjoy the sights.<BR><BR>Rockafeller Center: Its Christmas, where else would you go? (I like to go to FAO Schwartz too... and they just opened that new Toys R Us Theme Park thing).<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

Sandi.<BR>Location of hotel is super!<BR><BR>Tickets? advance or same-day; If you really want to see a certain show and $$ isn't too big an issue, buy in advance. Seats make a difference. <BR><BR>As rfq points out in other posts, the Visitor Center on/near Times Sq (across from TKTS, I think) has discount ticket coupons you can use to purchase at the box office. You have to go inside to the round desk near the back and ask to see the spiral notebook. Page through all the shows, then request the discount ticket(s). If you get in town and want to buy in advance, you should first check to see if the shows have two-fers (not really 2 for 1 though).<BR><BR>TKTS - Personally, I like to arrive after 7pm for even. perfs. because there is virtually no line. <BR><BR>Any other tips? A broad question. Walk or take the subway (buy a weekly or daily Metro card) where ever you go. Get a plan. Look over NYC books and have each person choose 1 thing they definately want to do, and plan around it. Buy a map and study it. Go to Jersey to see the skyline. (Take a $5 water taxi to Liberty State Park, for example). Forgo time-intensive meals and spend more time at the museums, etc.

Go to Chinatown for dinner...arrive early and wander through the little shops, food stores, art supply shops, after dinner stroll around Little Italy and have a gelato or tiramisu for dessert at a cafe..A ferry to Liberty State Park is a great idea~Check out the Circle Line, take an afternoon cruise, stay on the side that lets you see Lady Liberty..see the city from the water.