First time visit to NYC
 

Hi,
We have never been to USA, but next year Mrs Muck hits the big 50 (don't tell her I know) and I would love to take her to NYC as a surprise.
She loves cities, and amongst other things I think a show on Broadway would be something she would enjoy.

I am not familiar with NYC at all and whilst I have looked on the maps I would like some advice on central locations to stay around the budget, hotels near to the places that we as first time tourists would visit.

I expect we would visit around the 1st week of June, and stay for 5 or 6 nights.
Budget for hotels is probably around $160-220/night but not set in stone.

This is the start of my research and any ideas, thoughts are all gratefully received.
I will of course need to keep it secret and she will find out when we hit heathrow. (Can't really keep it secret after that :-) )

Look forward to reading all our ideas.

Thanks

Muck

sadly, it will be difficult to stay in a decent place at that rate, but not impossible

That hotel budget is low for NYC assuming you want to stay in Manhattan (the central island of the city where most of the major sights are found).

You might do best by reserving and prepaying for hotel rooms far in advance to get better rates. Or you could try bidding on Priceline - but it's often difficult to get more than 3 or 4 nights at the same hotel.

Don't be concerned about getting around after a show or dinner - NYC subways runs 24/7/365.

Suggest you start looking now if your dates are flexible - or as soon as you have dates - so you have the best chance for bargains. Many tourists want to stay near Times Square (B'way show area) but frankly I think it's just awful - and many of the restaurants are very expensive with poor food. Since the subway has stops almost everywhere you can often get better hotel details on the upper west side (mid/upscale residential that is 10 minutes to Times Square on subway) or the business district downtown (but which can be quiet at night).

This should be your first quest.

For discount tickets to a B;way show look at broadwaybox.com. It provides discount codes which you can use at the show's official ticket seller - and have a better choice of tickets without wasting time standing on line at TKTS booth. Discounts appear for about 3 months at a time. If you set on going to a specific hit show - go to the official ticket seller online and start looking for tickets 6 months in advance to have the best choice of dates and seat location/price.

There's no need to limit yourself to hotels near your touristy midtown destinations. A $10 cab ride can save you $100 or more on the room rate and put you in a more pleasant neighborhood. Plus, every area has something of interest to tourists.

Thats fine so far,
so upper west is an option, checked some hotels and they are well within the budget. although the budget is not set in stone.

Any other areas or specific mid range hotel recommendations ?

Muck

A location near a subway will make it possible for you to travel citywide inexpensively and quickly.Busesw and taxis often sit in traffic.

Tell us which hotels you are considering. there are a few - including the Riverside Towers on the UWS - that are total fleabags and should not be considered.

Sorry - you can look at midtown east side or central park south - but prices will probably be higher.

You can also look at SoHo, Tribeca, Chelsea, East Village - or downtown (financial district) - where discounts will be uneven.

Early June prices aren't terrible for hotels in June. You can always bid on Priceline.

Mucky, check your email.

Have a look at Chelsea Pines, Affinia Gardens, Milburn ... And add a few $$ to your budget.

Bokhara x

Mucky we spent a week in New York last month and stayed at The Beacon Hotel in Upper West Side. Its on the corner of Broadway at 75th St and I couldnt have been happier with where we stayed. The subway was just over a block away and it is a main station so several lines stopped there. It was easy to catch a subway ride to the tourist spots and travelling at night to a Broadway show is a breeze. There are restaurants nearby and a great market across the road if you prefer to eat in to save some money. It isnt in the price range you are searching for but I know when I was looking for hotels there werent many at that price range that had consistently good reviews.
I would go back there in a flash. (not only the hotel but New York. It is amazing and I fell i love with it)

On the couple of times we've visited New York for a vacation (as opposed to work), we have not stayed in midtown; I like other areas more. We liked the Upper West Side, and stayed at the Milburn. The location and the hotel both worked very well.

On a more recent visit, we stayed in the Murray Hill area, another location that we liked a lot. That time we stayed at the St. Giles, which may be above your price range. This location was closer to more of the restaurants we ate at.

when budgeting your hotel be sure to include in your room rate the hotel tax you can figure that out when you look to book online and see what the final number comes to...

for broadway shows.. broadwaybox.com and playbill.com have discount offers. its hard to know what will be playing next june.. except for the long running musicals.

in addition to bidding on priceline...
if you are not adverse to paying in advance, and selecting a slightly higher room rate that you can cancel generally without charge, you can book through Tingo.com.. its owned by TripAdvisor, and if the rate goes down you will get a credit on your charge card bill after you check out... tingo will rebook it free at the lower rate and send you an email, and you dont have to do a thing to get your refund.. i used this site to book a hotel in italy.. paid in dollars, the rate in euros converted to the same amount.. the fluctuation in the dollar and euro resulted in the rate going down a few times and i saved some dollars off the room price in the end.

do not book any online apt.. short term rentals under 30 days are illegal in NYC and the ones you may see advertised are illegal and scams.

Would have to agree with NYTraveler that it's pretty crowded around Times Square and glad we stayed in Midtown East when we went this summer.

Since there were 5 of us, we needed a suite and that hotel runs high for just 2 people, so not helpful for you. I also saved websites of hotels I studied up on and could afford in case I made it back to New York some day. I just now checked the Gracie Inn (which I got from another fodorite) and it is in your budget: http://www.gracieinnhotel.com/ $199/night before tax.

Others on my wish list were: the Cosmopolitan, Hotel Belleclaire, Washington Square Hotel, and the Beacon (mentioned above). Backups but tolerable were the Salisbury or the Lucerne. Also, Stay the Night, an uptown Bed and Breakfast which is legal unlike the apartment rentals. Again, I haven't stayed at any of these, so please doublecheck with others who either have stayed there or locals can tell you the pros and cons of the neighborhoods.

Mucky:

Try looking at the discount sites for a hotel http://www.kayak.com - http://www.travelzoo.com - http://www.quikbook.com

Hotel reviews on http://www.tripadvisor.com

Happy planning.

Sandy

When looking at those sites be very careful about location. They typically misplace hotels - even listing those in New Jersey as within a couple of miles of Times Square - ignoring the fact that the very large Hudson River is in between (with no way to cross without making a long, time-consuming and expensive circular trip).

Whatever you do - you want to stay in Manhattan (listed as New York, NY) - not any of the suburbs or at/near the airports.

Thanks so far everyone.
Exactly the info i wanted
Currently looking at alternate date in may.


back soon

Muck

Mucky:

Weather will probably be nicer in May. June often hot and humid.

Once you get your hotel choice down to about three come on back and many on this board can give you help on final decision.

Agree with nytraveler worth a few more $'s to stay in Manhattan and if you find something you like on one of the discount sites try for the same offer on the actual hotel site.

Love love NYC - have been many times.

Sandy

5-6 days is not enough. Consider flight time to USA.
Also, by June it's already tourist season, and getting hot and humid. April-May, Sept20-Nov10 are best times to visit NYC.

As for site seeing, buy 2 or 3 guide books, with photos and subway maps.
Check out google images for whatever you'd like to see. I hear Little Italy is close to extinction, so check it out before it's all gone.
BTW, subway fare is going up to $2.50

the weather in May and June are generally nice..though the closer to July the hotter it gets. Keep in mind that there are many colleges and universities in NYC and that graduations are generally in May. So hotels may be busy.

At present many hotels are also being used to house those who have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Of course by the late spring hopefully people will be able to move back to their apartments and houses that were damaged in the storm. That being said, once you know your dates, see about booking a hotel.

I really reco May over April. NYC is a lot colder than most of the UK in winter and we don't get trees in leaf or most of the flowers until late April. (Central Park won't look like anything.) And April can still be quite cold at night - especially out on the water.

As for hotels, they are being used only temporarily for those made homeless by Sandy. I heard it will be ending in the next couple of weeks, it's really supposed to be enough time for people to et back into houses requiring fairly minor repairs. Sadly, quite a few houses will have to be either razed or completely rebuilt - and it's expected the residents will have their insurance money and have time to find apartments for the six months or more it will take their houses to be rebuilt. And some will need to find completely different sites - since the shoreline has been changed in some places and their home sites no longer exist.

There are many great and some free (tip only) walking tours of NYC on weekends and they are wonderful. Pick up one for the lower eastside. A unique area and you can get there by bus to people watch or subway for very little money. NYC is a great walking area and you can eat ethnic very cheaply. Send for free tickets to the David Letterman show. Free & fun. Staten Island ferry is also free as is the 9/11 memorial. Both must sees.

Have a look at Radio City Apartments too, close to Time Square, Rockerfeller Centre. However you normally have to book many months in advance to get a reasonable rate.

We are staying in Astoria Queens at the moment, only a short ride away on the Subway. We have made a lot of use of our 7 day unilimited Metro card.

I completely agree with october_fun, that The Beacon is a jewel.

Stayed there three nights in early June, and LOVED it. Newly-renovated, very clean and good front desk service, suite-style rooms, perfect location on a pretty parkway in the quieter Upper West Side with lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and directly across the street from a wonderful market. Less than a block from a subway station.

I don't think you can find a better place for the money.

UWS is quieter only in comparison to Times Square. It is busy, but not frantic. The Beacon is a good deal and besides easy access to the subway - although walking back to the hotel after seeing a show will give you a good and relaxing way to stretch your legs.

It is also only 3 blocks from Central Park along with the wonderful Museum of Natural History and the the New York Historica Society(brillant exhibits). And you can walk across the Park - or take the 79th St crosstown bus - to Fifth Ave - with the Met and all of the other great places on Museum Mile.

Any amount of time in NYC is a great time!

My hubby and I were able to spend just ONE day in the city. Took a bus in from Rhode Island, arrived early. Rode the Ferry to the island and didn't get off so got to take a quick look at the sites in the Harbor. Then got to see Battery Park, WTC site, went into the little church across from WTC, then had lunch in Little Italy.. Then subway to Central Park, quick carriage ride. Empire State building and then coffee in Trump Tower. Saw Rockefeller Center, then to Times square for dinner and caught the last bus back to Rhode Island!

While I hope you and the Mrs. get a longer trip, its such a magnificently large city any amount of time you can get there will be a wonderful time!

As of right now, the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Tribeca, which next door to the subway line that runs north-south and in a convenient area full of restaurants and shopping, is in your budget for the 1st week of June. I have not checked for May dates.

I've stayed there many times, very nice, clean, decent, good people at front desk and bellmen, room service, internet included, very good value.

If you book a reservation now, keep checking back as rates could go down between now and May or June, and you will want to rebook at the lower rate and then cancel your current reservation. I have had that happen at Cosmopolitan when I book far out from my date of stay.

As your dates get closer, check Travelzoo.com for hotel deals also.

Thanks everyone.
Trip has had to be delayed.
Various reasons, mainly mrs muck has made some plans around this time.
And casually mentioned after seeing NYC on Tv " I would love to go to NYC around Christmas time"
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
;-)


So ideas are all being saved for use later.

Thanks
Muck

The week right before Christmas (excluding Christmas Eve) offers very affordable hotel rates, historically. NYC is great any time of year. Happy travels!

The few days right before Christmas have moderate rates. The couple of weeks before that - and New Year's - are the most expensive rates of the year (think double and more what you would pay in Jan).

Agree that NYC is magical at Christams - and if you're paying with pounds versus dollars may not seem so exepensive.

As I said, we stayed in Manhattan for under $130.00 a night before Christmas this year, Dec 15-20th.

Dec 18-26 or 27 are usually quite affordable.;)

EmilyPost, what hotel?

Hampton Inn on 35th. Friends stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn on 35th for less the week before. Hope this helps.

I have been looking at the Hampton Inn in Chelsea for about $229.00 a night. It looks nice and has good reviews. Is there something that I don't know about this place? Horrible location? Miles from a subway stop?

You can see how far it is from a subway stop on a map and the info is most likely on the hotel's website also. Google the name of the hotel and a Google map should show up as one of the results.

marlib1951 , if you do as vjpblovesitaly suggests and put the name of the hotel in Google , you'll get a map showing the hotel is one block (in each direction) from 2 or 3 subway lines. Nothing in Manhattan is "Miles from a subway stop"! There's easy access by train, bus , walking to many sites, but probably nothing you'd want to see in the immediate few blocks.

It's a safe neighborhood that's part trendy and part semi-industrial. The hotel is on a side street with old office buildings and wholesale shops. The area is fine, but the street itself will be pretty empty in the evening.

nyer, thanks for the information. We, too, are trying to go on a budget. We have also looked at the Comfort Inn near the convention center. Sorry, if I am hijacking this post, but since we are all looking for a budget place to stay NYC...

Personally I prefer the Hampton Inn location. The Comfort Inn is a couple avenues further west and (I think) near entrance/exit to the Lincoln Tunnel. I have a friend who lives a couple blocks away and I don't think it's an attractive area.

Hotel prices in NYC seem to go up as time passes, so you may want to book something cancellable while you keep looking.

The Convention Center is NOT a good location - very far west and not near the subway. Also - you don;t want to be near the entrance to the Tunnel - very heavy traffic - including a lot of trucks - at all hours.