Going to New York with 14 Year Old
 

My friend has just invited me to join her and her 14 year old daughter on their first trip to NY. I have had very good luck with priceline.com , but since there will be 3 of us, that's not an option this time. I respect their rules and would not take the chance or ever expect to get 2 beds.

SO, we are looking for a reasonably priced (ie cheap!) hotel. Does anyone have any recommendations for under $200. I do realize how expensive NY is, but I guess I've been spoiled by priceline. Also, thanks to the wonderful advice on this board, I did get the Courtyard Times Square at Christmas for $99.
I'm hoping someone out there in Fodorland knows of some similar deal.

Also, what would be a good show for a 14 year old?

I'd be grateful for any ideas.

If you're going at school break, you may have a hard time. If you're good on PL, one option to consider is getting 2 rooms. It could wind up costing the same and you'd have more privacy and 2 bathrooms. Otherwise, I'd consider one of the suite hotels for the 3 of you so you can get 2 beds plus a sofabed. $200 for a room for 3 may be tough though. There's a brand new Residence Inn in Times Square but it will probably be expensive. If the trip is soon, look at Travelzoo as another option. There have been some good deals on the Rihga Royal since it's under renovation. No rest. for now, but it should be fine.

A good show for a 14 year old? Hairspray, Rent, Pajama Game...Check for discounts on broadwaybox.com

Mclaurie, what a great idea! I never thought about getting 2 rooms on Priceline, but it sounds like a good idea. Thank you.
We are actually planning on going the first weekend in April , Thurs to Mon.

And thank you for the suggestions for theatre. I have forwarded the site to the young lady for her to look at.
I think if she starts to look at some sites it will add to her excitement.

I always stay at the Belvedere, I wa s last there over Columbus Day week pd $155 a night, fridge ,microwave, coffee etc in room..
I last saw Wicked, your daughter may enjoy that or Lion King is always great!!

kinsocal, Thank you. I will check out the Belvedere. How great it would be to have a microwave and fridge. A real bonus. Lets hope the price is right !

I always stay at the Belvedere also. The rooms are big and are good for three people in a room. However, I checked for the first weekend in April, the rates are $244-$324, depending on the night and the room. I am going to NYC the week before that (last week of March). I booked my room about 5 months ago at a rate of $165. I have had the experience in the past of rates going high during sring break as mclaurie said so booked them way in advance.

consider Wicked for the show.

Quick check on biddingfortravel. Around your time period, the MTW 4*'s are going for around $160 Marriott Marquis, Hilton. The 3* that people seem to be winning for around $110 is the Paramount. Don't know much about it but the reviews aren't great-very small rooms. You might be able to get MTE Grand Hyatt for around $120. I like mclaurie's idea of one of the suite hotels.

The Belvedere has become so popular that they've jacked up their rates. I don't think it's really worth more than about $200/night but you might disagree. I agree with Paula that bidding on PL for 3* is "iffy". A lot of the 3* hotels have very small rooms. I would definitely try for 2 4* rooms on PL. In the meantime, the question is where to book something cancellable.

Most of the specials listed on travelzoo end by 3/31 or before. April starts busy season so prices are not very good.

Assuming you mean the 6th-10th, I checked on quikbook. The Salisbury is $203/night for a room with 2 double beds. That's a suite hotel so not sure if you'd also get a sofabed. YOu will get a kitchenette there. It's a good location near Central Park and not far from Times Square.

The Rihga Royal shows for a Royal Suite (which it says is for 2 people max but I would double check that) $249 for the first 3 nights and then $229 for the 4th night. I really think for that weekend, that's a good deal. But that might only get you a queen bed and maybe a sofabed.

You can get a 2 bedded room at the Four Points Sheraton Chelsea for $205 (on their own website).

You might want to check with www.apartments2book.com They're a website that handles some of the suite hotels (like the Beacon, the Best Western Hospitality, Murray Hill Suites) and often have better prices than the hotels themselves.

Check out the affinia hotels. got to there website (www.affinia.com), and look for special offers. Many of their hotels have suites and kitchens. We had visitors stay at the Shelburne and they were all pleased. The 1 bedrooms are quite room (bedroom with 1 king or 2 queens and pull out sofa in living room).

As far as shows for a 14 yr old girl, there are several: Hairspray, Wicked, Spelling Bee, Rent, Lion King, and Phantom. Have her read about them on playbill.com. You also should look into advance sale ticket discounts. Check for discounts on broadwaybox.com, and playbill.com. WIcked & Lion King probably aren't discounted but they other very well may be.

YOu guys are great! Thank you so much for all the wonderful responses and great ideas.
I've got my work cut out for me. I will check each hotel and see what I come up with. As it stands now, I like the idea of a suite, and also like the idea of 2 rooms with Priceline. So, I'll go from there.

I sent my friends the website for the broadwaybox and the young lady has already expressed an interest in Rent.
I want it to be a special trip for both of them, so I'm easy with anything they'd like to do.

I'll tell you just for interest sake, 14 years ago, I was there for the birth of this young lady, so she is really special to me.

Thank, everyone.
I'll let you know how I make out.

Check Eleisurelink.com. They sometimes have good prices at hotels in NYC.

A friend of mine just took her 12 year old daughter to see Hairspray and she loved it!

Check out www.applecorehotels.com and see what's available for your dates.

If you go to see Wicked, buy her the CD before you go. She will absolutely fall in love with the music!

I just checked the rates for the LaQuinta in Manhattan for your dates and it's an absolute steal.

I checked their website (as well as the Hilton group) because they are the places I usually stay at while on the road. I wasn't even sure there was a LQ in Manhattan.

The rate was so good, I checked www.tripadvisor.com to see what the property was like. The reviews are good if you are looking for a good, clean hotel in a good location. The LQ free breakfasts are usually good (with make your own waffles).

Check out www.lq.com if you are interested. I was amazed at the rate I found.

Starrsville, I jsut checked and thye seem to only have one bed, being a queen of king. NOt enough for the three of us. I may be readying it wrong. I worked long hours today and I'm just off to bed.
Much more research tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone. We'd love a suite or apartment....

gotta go. til tomorrow..

No. I didn't check the details. The rate quoted was great, but I didn't check the bed configuration.

Happy planning.

Check this tour out. It is an absolute blast!

http://www.foodsofny.com/greenwichvillage.php

Starrsville, I did this!!!!! And you are right, it was a blast. I took my niece on it when we went to NY for her 30th birthday. It was truly wonderful and I'd recommend it for anyone going to NY.
I'll have to see if my friend and her daughter would like to do it. I'd gladly do it again.

Hi, Starrsville,

We're taking our almost 16 year old daughter to New York in April along with 10 year old little brother. I'm thinking that she may enjoy the food tour while we send Dad and Brother off to Blue Man or a museum that he would like.

Our daughter loves vintage/flea markets. Do you know of a tour that is more of a shopping tour of the Village?

Thanks for any suggestions.

The same company does a Chelsea/ Meatpacking district trip. kodi, you may enjoy that for the change and DownSouth, it may include more boutique type stores.

The cool thing about the tour is that you learn so many neat things about NYC that you would not otherwise find out. I bought goodies as I went along to take to a friend who lives (and grew up) on the UWS and she was shocked about what I had learned that she was not aware of. She wants to go with me the next time I do the tour. Yep, a "jaded" New Yorker - probably would never even entertain the idea of such a tour and wants to do it after she found out where we went.

You don't sit down along the way, but "taste" foods in about half the places - including bread, cheese, CHOCOLATE, pizza etc. I loved the stop at Chumbley's the speakeasy.

DownSouth, you get a "back door" tour of Greenwich and there are plenty of places your daughter will probably want to retrace her steps to visit shops she saw along the way.

It truly was a blast.

Teens love Rent and the play is much better than the recent movie version.

Starrsville, I will definately check out the Chelsea/meatpacking tour.

DownSouth, DO seriously consider the Village eating tour. Starrsville is quite right. IT is a wonderful tour. And even though you don't sit down anywhere along the way, we were stuffed when it was over. Everything we had was delicious. And, yes, we learned so much about the Village. I can't say enough good things about the tour.

OK, my daughter and I will do the food tour in Greenwich Village. I'm very excited and she will love it!

What to recommend for 10 year old son and dad in this area? Blue Man group doesn't have a performance until that night. Any suggestions?

What about a Central Park Bike Tour - although that would be fun for all of you!

http://www.centralparkbiketour.com/b...htm?nyctourist

DownSouth,
When in April?
If the 15th or after, how about a tour of Yankee Stadium?
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASAp...dium_tours.jsp

If your daughter likes flea markets you should check out Hells Kitchen Flea Market(I believe its between 8th and 9th Ave. on 39th St) Sundays only but they have some great stuff!
I just came back from a trip to NY and the 3* we won on priceline for $110 was indeed the Paramount. I have to admit after reading some reviews I was scared to death to see it but much to my surprise it was very well detailed, clean, funky and different, and a fantastic location for shows. I wouldnt hesitate to stay there again but DO be forewarned...the reviews about the rooms being small are VERY true. It was indeed THE smallest room I have been in and Ive been in some pretty small ones...lol. Having said that it was a decent place to stay and considering we spent so little time in the room it didnt matter. Good luck with the trip!

My latest update.
I've just spent my Friday evening pouring over sites on the computer following up leads for a suite or hotel room. It's too bad that most of the good deals seem to end at the end of March.
I could not find a suite in our price range that would sleep 3 of us.
So, I have booked a room at the Courtyard Manhatten East on 3rd Ave. But this will only be my back up hotel. I'm still confident that I'll have good luck with Priceline. I'm so glad that mclaurie suggested getting 2 rooms. That seems to be the best bet for us. Then we won't have the three of us females sharing one bathroom!
Thank you all very very much for the help.
And I think we are going to go ahead and book tickets for RENT. So we won't have to worry about trying to get tickets once we are there.
Ahhh, we are all so excited.

Panhandle, thanks for the info. I won't be afraid to bid on Midtown West. After reading the reviews, I was nervous, but I'll go prepared to stay in a small room, if I get that hotel.

Again, thanks to all.

kodi, I've bid 4* MTW and got the Hilton on 6th every time. I really like the Hilton. Join Hilton Honors NOW and present your card upon check-in. I've been upgraded to the club level - or at least access to the club lounge - each time. It's great! Free breakfast and afternoon snacks. Pretty lobby area on a high floor with a view of Central Park a few blocks away. No guarantee that they will give you the club level access - but it's worth signing up for HH anyway.

It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to sign up for the frequent stay programs for all the 4*MTW hotels (check biddingfortravel or betterbidding for a list) in case you get another hotel. In any case, you'll get points for incidentals you may charge to the room.

My favorite meal in NYC is actually a picnic in the Hilton room in late afternoon. We come back to the room exhausted from sightseeing and it's great just to rest for a while before going out to see a Broadway show. I drop by the deli/grocery across the street on 54th and buy sandwiches, chips, sodas, cookies, etc. and bring it back to the room for our own pre-theatre meal. Even if we don't get a nap in, it's great to rest for a while (especially if folks are getting tired and cranky).

If I do eat out before a show, I love Sam's (I think on 44th).

HI Starrsville. Yes, my niece and I got the Hilton when we were there for her birthday. We were very happy with it. I won't mind at all if I get that one again. But from what I'm understanding, the prices have gone up. But I'll try!
I have joined all the 'clubs' but didn't really think they'd do me any good for priceline hotels. I'll 'flaunt' my card this time!

Thanks for the info on the deli/grocery on 54th. I don't remember it, but it will be great. We don't want to do any 'fine dining', so your idea of a pre theatre meal sounds like a great idea.
What type of place is Sam's?

Starrsville,

Thanks. We will arrive late Friday, April 14. Since my husband played baseball in college and our son LOVES baseball, Yankee Stadium is a great idea.

Any suggestions for Easter Sunday? Someone along the way in my research recommended the Easter Parade on 5th Avenue. We only have Lion King scheduled so far for that evening.

Glad the Yankee Stadium idea may work out. I would LOVE to see the Easter parade :-)

kodi, the deli/store is on 53rd near 6th (or was - I can't imagine it's not there anymore)

Sam's is at 263 W 45th - right in the midst of the theatres. Shhh...don't tell anyone. I just love this place. You walk down a couple of steps into a bricklined tavern on the left with a small restaurant to the right. Italian. Reasonable prices. Caters to the pre-theatre crowd. Food and service have always been good for me. It feels like my own little NYC hideaway. I stop by the bar to rest my feet during the day and it's where it eat IF I eat out before a show. Shhhh...don't tell anyone though. When I took family members (inclduing a teen about the same age) they really enjoyed the ambiance - as well as the food. Here's a link I found with some reviews.

http://www.menupages.com/restaurantd...taurantid=3625

Dang. Y'all are getting me in the mood to head to Manhattan! :-)

An update and a big thank to mclaurie for the suggestion of getting 2 rooms with priceline. We had made a back up reservation at the Marriott Courtyard.

I started bidding a couple of weeks ago and was getting very discouraged. I've alwasy had great luck and so wondered if it was because I wanted 2 rooms.
I went away for a week ( Sand and sea in Florida) and came back ready to dig in again.

My plan was to bid on 3* in one of the midtown areas, but just for fun I decided to throw out a couple of lowball bids for 4 *. Imagine my surprise to get the Four star Intercontinental Barclay for $110 a night for each room.
We are really thrilled.

Thanks again for the great advice.

Now on to getting thickets for RENT .

I do mean tickets for Rent! I must have been tired last night.

Hi! Glad you got your rooms, don't forget to cancel at the Marriott Courtyard! Have a wonderful time!

I'm so thrilled this worked out for you. The Barclay is just a lovely hotel. $110 is a real bargain. Now you and your friend should join their frequent guest program online for free.
https://secure.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d...mp;secure=true

It may yield nothing, but you never know.

Make sure to check broadwaybox.com for discounts for Rent. It's not a show that should require paying full price. Have a great trip!