Help in Choosing from Two Hotels in NYC
 

OK, I have now narrowed down my choices to two :

1) Staybridge Suites near Times Square

or

2) Affinia Dumont in Murray Hill

Price will not be the deal breaker here since they are similar, although Staybridge is somewhat cheaper.

At Staybridge I get included Wi-Fi, full breakfast and drinks/snacks on some evenings. At Affinia these are either non-existant or quite expensive.

At Affinia I am getting an entire apartment, i.e. large bedroom with two separte large beds (we are 2 women), a huge living room/work room plus full kitchen, large closets, etc. At Staybridge it is one room with a kitchenette although it seems like good enough for the amount of time we will be spending in the room.

I have been to Affinia now twice and liked it. Never been to Staybridge. Staybridge worries us a bit regarding the area and what I have read so far so would appreciate your learned opinions on that.

It seems like Staybridge area would be better suited for what is on our short list, i.e.
Broadway show
Chelsea area
Hell's Kitchen restaurants and bars
Shopping

Please let me have your input.
Thanks in advance!!

While the Staybridge is not in as nice an area as the Affinia
with the short list you provided I would probably stay there.
TripAdvisor gives it good reviews and you will save on
transportation since you can walk to most on your list.
Plus you can go back to hotel for rest stops.

Is there any reason that you want to check out the restaurants and bars in Hell's Kitchen, rather than in another neighborhood? I'm asking because with all the bars and restaurants here in NY, I would not think that that neighborhood would offer anything special.. I cannot remember the last time I chose any restaurant in that area for a meal. If you are based there, fine, but not as a dining destination.


Unless you are planning to go to theatre in TS every night, and even then, I would stay in Murray Hill because I rather dislike that whole Times Square ambience. But no question, TS is popular with a certain subset of visitors; the crowds are thronging those streets every night!

From the Affinia, you might walk to Chelsea (or take crosstown bus); you are within walking distance of Flatiron/Union Square, as well as the 4,5.6 trains that will take you down to Soho, or north to midtown. Little India is also close. Second Avenue Deli is very near.

Coincidentally, this TS hotel was featured in the NYTimes Travel today. Comments about the area reflect the opinion of some residents although it is admittedly close to theaters.


http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/22...tml?ref=travel

Thanks Rhea and eks for your replies.

eks - thanks for the valuable insights. I thought that HK was THE place for restaurants, other than of course the UWS from which I shall be quite a bit far away. As for walking, since I will be there at beginning March, I fear the weather would preempt most walking and I will end up having to take public transport instead. Of course I WILL walk whenever and wherever I can because I just love the feel of that. I will re-think the Affinia.

Do you know of any specific restaurants/bars in the area of the Affinia that you can recommend?

I'll get back to you on that later today. Give me some guidance--price range (give price for dinner for two people, not including alcohol); type of food--ethnic?


We have to orient you further as to the restaurant issue. UWS is NOT considered a great place for restaurants, although like almost every area you can find decent places to eat. Depending on your tastes but as a general guide and with many exceptions, I would say that the more interesting restaurants these days tend to be located south of 23rd Street. But before people jump on me, that is a general feeling of mine based on my own taste. I live in midtown very far east, and unfortunately, I very rarely eat within walking distance of my apartment--I always seem to be taking the train or bus downtown for dinners out. (The overwhelming number of nights I cook at home)

Ok..we will "talk" later! You were such a catalyst and help for my Puglia trips and I hope I can help in a small way with your NYC visit!

Staybriges are nice little mini apts low on staff usually but well located way better for a short stay than Murray Hill.
For me usually best deals priceline.com bidding hilton or
similar mid town from $110/nt betterbidding.com

Neither UWS nor Hell's Kitchen is a restaurant "destination". The UWS has a host of moderate/inexpensive places of every possible ethnicity - I know - I live here and we eat out or order in all the time. And the food from the places we eat at is fine. But these are only a few "special" restaurants - they are the everyday type. Hell's Kitchen is similar - better choices for people saying in the TS area - where MANY places are either not great or over priced or awful chains. But not places you would go to for great food.

The trendy restaurant areas are further downtown.

And the really great restaurants are sprinkled all over the city.

There is no way I would stay in TS - but them I'm a local and it's attraction is a mystery to me.

Was just there at the beginning of January and stayed in Murray Hill! Loved it esp. compared to Time Square. MH is still very close to so much-great breakfast spot called Penelope on Lexington-so good! Also, it is just enough out of the "tourist" area and in the residential/business side of Midtown to be fun and interesting and still have lots of options on restaurants/bars/ shopping. The broadway show are still very close. You can walk (if you are a walker) or take the subway. Chelsea is FAB too. Went to Chelsea Market and loved it! I ended up walking in HK one night (early evening) and prefer not to do that again.

Thanks again everyone for great ideas and insights.

To answer some questions -
I am not looking for expensive, over-the-top fancy restaurants, i.e. those with "top chefs" in their kitchens. I like good wholesome food in a restaurant which gives me good return on the money I spend, where I can hear myself and companions speaking and enjoy our time together, and where I don't feel like I have to leave after an hour or two.

I am not savvy anymore really to prices but let's say I am willing to spend $100 on dinner for two without alcohol (re eks's request above) - is that reasonable for a place like that I describe above or are we talking more?

We are happy to try most ethnic places, with the exception of Indian food and seafood. We mostly love Italian but one of us is gluten sensitive so it would have to be a place that caters to that.

bigcitygirl - what is "HK"?

bigcitygirl - scratch my question. Brain fart for a moment!!

flame-
Having stayed at Staybridge Suites over Christmas, I'm hoping I can give you a first hand account of the area, since that seems to be your biggest concern. The hotel is situated between three other hotels, all of which are brand new and generate a lot of foot traffic. The street has a steady stream of pedestrians and cars/taxis at all hours. Seemed like any typical NY street to me; we never felt uneasy. We stayed at the hotel because of its proximity to TS (5-7 min walk), but what turned out to be the biggest benefit is the proximity to 9th Ave. We were surprised at how vibrant it was, with so many bars, restaurants of all types, bakeries, an amazing cheese shop, etc., one could spend their entire NY visit along 9th Ave., and be totally happy. We never had to get in a cab to go to dinner and we left wishing we had more time to explore the many restaurants we saw (we mainly went north of the hotel.) I'm a 2-3x/yr NY visitor and have tried the trendy restaurants. They're fine if you like being overcharged and you're motivated by telling people where you went, not how good it was. Enjoy your trip!

Hi again, Flame: I think your price range will absolutely allow you to sample many of the restaurants that I consider to be very good.

To comment on the post above this one, I also tend to avoid places that are "trendy" because I do agree that much (but by not means all) of the time, this does not concur with good value or great food. But there certainly are exceptions. This is a food obsessed city and for a place to be very popular for more than a minute may very well mean that the food is great, apart from anything else.

For example, one of the better new restaurants to open in the past two years that I've tried is a very hard reservation to get and perhaps might be called "hot," or "trendy." This is ABC Kitchen and you can certainly eat there for $100 for two w/o alcohol. But like you, I try to avoid places where I can't hear my companions talk. So you must go on the early side if you want to try it. If you can eat at 6pm, you should be able to get a table for 2 by booking a week or two in advance. Worth taking a cab or train/bus. They also offer a price-fixed lunch "deal" for about $29 or so which I have not tried. Again, booking in advance advised. High recommendation.

I can't say that I know Murray Hill well as far as dining. But here are a few thoughts on places within a walk, or a very short ride, from the Affinia:


There are some well-regarded Chinese places (Sichuan and Hunan) a bit further north of Little India, on Lexington in the 30s. And on West 39th Street, just west of 5th Avenue, first-rate Sichuan food can be found at Sichuan Gourmet and Lan Sheng.

http://hunanauthentic.com/
http://szechuangourmetnyc.com


There is also a newer Chinese place near the hotel where I've not been, but have read good reports; atmosphere is a cut above the norm for Chinese in NY. Focus is Sichuan:

http://cafechinanyc.com/about.html


Turkish Kitchen and Sahara are reliable and well below your budget for Turkish. Pio Pio is an inexpensive Peruvian place known for their chicken and with a full menu, but w/o too much atmosphere. Popular with workers at the local hospitals, they may also deliver to your apartment. I would not go out of my way to eat at any of these but they have their fans and are, again, reliable.

http://www.saharasturkishrestaurant.com/menus.html

http://www.turkishkitchen.com/TURKISH%20KITCHEN.html

http://www.piopio.com/#/pio-pio-murray-hill


One last thought: A friend of mine who is long-time a Bay Area professional chef usually stays in Murray Hill when she visits 2-3 times a year for theater and eating. Her standby near the hotels is Da Ciro. I have never been but she knows food, and considers it to be good. Moderate prices. I mention it for convenience, not because it would be among the best Italian in town. But I've no idea about the gluten issue and one dish that my friend likes a lot is their Robiola pizza.

http://daciro.com/home1.aspx

And we must not forget 2nd Avenue Deli, which I consider a must if you've not yet been:

http://www.2ndavedeli.com/



I'll add more ideas about places outside the immediate area as I think of them... for example, I like I Sodi in the West Village for Italian (Tuscan). Tiny space; local favorite; good value. I discussed it a bit on this thread about West Village eating.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...estaurants.cfm

My only concern with your restaurant requirements in you desire to stay for more than 2 hours. NY restaurants make money turning tables - they can;t survive (except for a very few very expensive places) on one seating per night. So staying longer than 2 hours isn't realistic unless you are going for the last dinner service. If you start dinner at 7 pm they will expect you out the door by 8:30 or 9 at the latest - unless you keep buying drinks.

Good point about the time issue, which I did not notice.

Although this may not necessarily be true across the board, here was my recent experience at ABC Kitchen on a recent weekday evening: Four of us arrived, and were seated, a few minutes in advance of our 6pm reservation. Our dinner check (happen to have it handy!) was dated 9:12pm. The four of us consumed 3 drinks between us.

I almost never dine out on weekends, so don't know if the situation would be different then..

randomsr - great report, thanks a lot. I will take it into consderation.

eks - thanks for all the recs, I shall take a look at them and at your links.

nytraveler - thanks for the heads up about the timing issue. I may have exaggerated - I guess a two hour timing would be fine enough for us.

So I guess from all of these posts, it seems like the Affinia would be a better choice. Hmmmmmmmmm.....

we spent 9 nights at the affinia dumont over christmas. we absolutely loved it and, more importantly, my sister-in-law (much more of a martha stewart type) loved it so much that she took back all the negative things she had been saying about nyc.

the cross-town bus stops right in front. the subway is just a block away. you can get anywhere very easily. the area is a wonderful respite after mad times square. we went to the theater many nights, and had a very easy time getting in and out.

get a view reoom. it's so worth it. so many great delis around there-- good breakfast places-- and having a kitchen is so great either for a quick breakfast (saves lots of time) or to heat up leftovers from a wonderful dinner.

hope to return later this year... had such an amazing time.
kawh

I would stay at the Staybridge Suites, especially if you are doing Broadway shows and even more so in winter. For me, it's worth a lot to be close enough to walk home after a show. For me, it's almost priceless to be able to walk just a few blocks home on a cold winter's night.

The SS isn't in the craziness that many think of when they think "Times Square".
The SS is not in a bad area - as some locals will imply. Read radomsr's post above or bwino's recommendations - she spent weeks there one winter.

The "Don't stay in TS" vs "TS is a great place to stay as a tourist" debate will never be resolved. Just keep in mind the obvious bias as you make your decision. Any place in NYC is convenient enough via subway. The SS is uber convenient because you don't have to take the subway, hail a cab or wait for a bus. In the time you are still in transit, you'll be "home" after a show.

If you do stay at the Affenia, check out Sam's Place nearby. It's on my to do list for a good, small, family owned Italian restaurant. I'm looking for a sub to my old favorite, Sam's - in the midst of Times Square. I still mourn its closing.

I do agree with the others that there are plenty of restaurant options in the Hell's Kitchen area. Read NeoPatrick's trip reports for some great ideas. He has spent a month at a time at an apartment in Times Square and shared a lot of great ideas. That's where I stayed for years at a friend's apartment as well. Despite what many will say, it's a very good thing to be that close to Broadway shows and other things of interest to tourists. It's a very good thing to be a very short walk away - than a ride away. And even a 1/2 block off Broadway makes a big difference in the "craziness". I've stayed in many different areas of the city, and it's definitely still my #1 choice when I'm doing shows - especially in winter.

Flame, there's not a right or wrong answer here. i think the issue is more about how you 2 feel about having some more space, 2 tvs, a separate room should one of you want to nap while the other doesn't (the Dumont) vs the freebies like free breakfast and snacks and drinks 3 nights/week that the Staybridge offers I think either location will be fine for you and each has pros and cons.