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First Time Visitor to New York. Need Help on Hotel.

I'll be traveling to New York for the first time at the end of June. Can anyone suggest a hotel that is in close proximity to major tourist destinations (e.g. central park)? Price range under $200 a night is desired. Also, what are the "must-see" attractions of New York? Thanks.

Hi I live in NYC, so my perspective is not the same as a visitor's, but here goes. First, you really need a guidebook and a map. At least go elsewhere on this website to the miniguide section and design the miniguide to fit your interests. The must-sees depend on your interest: do you like museums, historical sites, views from tall buildings, shopping? What do you like to see in other places? My list of musts would include: Metropolitan Museum, rent an acoustiguide that guides you to the "greatest hits" in various areas of the museums; if you are interested you can always go back again to concentrate on specific areas of interest; Rockefeller Plaza, just to walk around and see it; Empire State bldg and/or World Trade Center; a stroll through Greenwich Village and Soho; a walk through Central Park, perhaps a nice lunch at the Boathouse cafe. Other interesting venues: Museum of Television and Radio, Museum of Modern Art, the Frick Museum. And of course theater. Hotels under $200 in prime locations are difficult. Central Park is very large and covers a lot of area; the hotels just around it are generally quite expensive. For discounts at some hotels, call hotel Connection 800 96-HOTEL; Quikbook 800 789 9887 or go to websites like www.travelscape.com, www.hoteldiscounts.com, or www.hotres.com But have a map at your fingertips so you can check the location of any hotel. The folllowing are hotels I have recommended to people; some locations are not particularly central, but all are decent hotels in acceptable neighborhoods.There's always a bus or subway nearby. On the Ave. Hotel, 2178 Broadway at 77th Street, phone 212 787 9521. Discounts sometimes available through travelscape.com Wolcot Hotel, 4 West 31st St, phone 212 268 2900. Mayfair New York Hotel, 242 West 49th Street, 212 586 0300, discounts may be available from hotres.com The Franklin, 164 East 87th STreet, 212 369 1000 Hotel Newton, 2528 Broadway, between West 95th and West 96th Quality Eastside, 161 East 30th Street 212 567 7720. I know a lot of people come to New York and end up staying in the large hotels north and west of Times Square but as someone who lives here I find that area very congested, noisy, dirty, and parts of it are sleazy at night. If you can narrow things down a bit, I'll be happy to make more suggestions on things to do. For activities, here are more websites www.timout.com/ click on New York www.nytoday.com www,carnegiehall.org/visit www.newyorkmag.com

Also you may want to consider the Hotel Beacon. It is on the upper west side, close to Central Park & Lincoln Center and a short subway ride to Times Square and the theatre district. It is within your price range. www.beaconhotel.com

I stayed at the Hilton in Manhattan and it was great. We could walk to the shows and Central Park.

I stayed at the Mayflower, which faces the west side of Central Park--a great location. It's not exactly a luxury hotel, but it was comfortable. I paid < $200 per night. Keep in mind that most of the hotels have weekend rates. If you can wrap your visit around a weekend, you can average under $200. Just scanning through a NYC hotel list in PreviewTravel, I saw several good locations at that price, but, as I said, my one-week stay included a weekend. By the way, one sight that I don't hear mentioned a lot but I really enjoyed was the Cloisters, at the northern tip of Manhattan. It's right at a subway stop, and has beautiful views of both rivers. There is a park-like trail which takes visitors up to the old church on top. It has some priceless European religious artifacts, some of which have been moved over from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Follw Elaine's advice (above). I purchased two high-quality guidebooks and they were invaluable. Make sure at least one has an understandable subway map.

Certainly am not an expert on the city, but we also stayed at the Mayflower like Ozzie and thought the location was terrific. Close to many sights, across the street from Central Park but right on the top, beside a Trump property at 61st stret, I believe, the upper west side. Again, not a luxury property, but for 200.00 we got a 2 room suite with king size bed, and a pullout in the living room, 2 tvs, a frig as well.

Thanks for your replies. Elaine, thank you for your comprehensive reply detailing the "must-sees". I'll definitely check those websites out. Also, I made a reservation at "On the Ave", the hotel you recommended to me. Is public transportation available near the hotel?

Here are a couple more see-do suggestions from another resident. I agree with Ozzie that the Cloisters are lovely, and they can be a breath of fresh air after strolling the city, especially on a weekday when it's not crowded.. It is an oupost of the Met, housed in a monastary recreated on the spot, and displays their medieval collection (tapestries, etc.). It has lovely gardens and is adjacent to Fort Tryon Park. Great for a picnic lunch. By all means, ride the Staten Island Ferry--it's a free harbor cruise. Take it from the southern tip of Manhattan, get off at SI (you have to), and get right back on. Stay outside, on the right going over and on the left coming back, and get a great view of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan skyline. Especially nice returning at sunset. This could easily be combined with a walk through the Soho/Little Italy/Chinatown area and/or a visit to the World Trade Center. Two museum suggestions: If you enjoy modern art, don't miss MoMA, but also check out the Guggenheim (about 5 blocks up Central Park East (5th Ave) from the Met. They usually have one large and one smaller themed show, but the real draw is the Frank Lloyd Wright spiral building (his only NYC building, too). It's fun from inside and out, so take a look even if you don't want to "do" the museum. If you're interested in history, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is fascinating. Recreates the tenement life of actual immigrant families, complete with their belongings. www.ny.com/museums/alt.museums will take you to an exhaustive list of the city's museums with information and links to them. I second Elaine's suggestion of www.timeout.com; they are fairly thorough and up-to-date, with lots of good info and ideas. If you're interested in theater ticket discounts, in addition to the TKTS booths in Times Square and the World Trade Center, there is www.playbill.com, where you register (free) and can buy discounted tickets in advance, online. There are dozens of good NYC guidebooks; get one and a good map (maybe Streetwise Manhattan, which is laminated and folds out for a good overview, but also has sufficient detail. Once you see a good map of Manhattan, you'll find that it's very easy to navigate, as most of it is just a grid. If you plan onnusing a lot of public transportation, you can buy daily ($4) or weekly ($17) unlimited Metrocards, which you can use on busses or the subway. (Regular fare is $1.50 w/ a same-direction tranfer w/in 2 hours).

Those were all really good posts, and I agree with all of the above. A couple more ideas of things to see are the Zoo in Central Park or go up to the Bronx on the #5 train, to Freemont Ave and walk a block. The Bronx Zoo is one of the best in the country. Also the shopping areas of 34th St and the Manhattan Mall, and on Sunday try the lower east side off Canal St on Orchard St, you can get some great bargins. Every Saturday and Sunday there is a Street Fair somewhere in Manhattan so no trip here is complete without wandering the street fairs and tasting some of the offerings, www.sidewalk.com will give you all the list of fairs and I will find out and post here in case you don't have the time. Have a great time and enjoy the city. gail

I disagree with the above post. The same cheap made in Taiwan crap is sold in all three of those locations. None is a must see attraction. If your spending a small fortune to travel to NY, there are much better things to do than waste your time on 34th, Canal or ANY street fair in NYC.

I would add one suggestion to all of excellent ones already mentioned: Take the Circle Line Cruise around Manhattan.