Hotel & US Open
 

I will be visiting NYC in late Aug, for the US Open. I would like advice on nice Hotels that may have a shuttle service... to and from the Open.
I will be taking my 14 yr. old Grand daughter. We would like some recommendations for shows, shopping and restaurants!

NYC hotels don't as a rule provide any sort of shuttle services. And taking a cab or car service can be excrutiatingly painful - traffic backs up for mikles and you can wait 30 to 45 minutes for a car picking you up to get to the pick up point. The best way backand forth is the subway - fast, convenient and inexpensive.

If you want to arrange a car service (you can get cab from the city out but there won;t be any coming back) - you could contact some of the basic car services - Dial 7, Carmel etc - but prices will be high because of the traffic jams/waitiing time.

(If you really want to search for a shuttle you can try the hotels near LaGuadia Airport - which is also near the site of the Open. But - they're not very nice hotels - and getting into Manhattan to see/do anything else is quite inconvenient and time-consuming. The hotels are really just for the airport next to the highway hotels - and there is no shopping or restaurants nearby.)

Separately, hotels sell out fast for the Open - and prices are often high - so I would reserve something you can live with now while you search for better deals on what you might prefer.

For restaurant recos - NYC has dozens of great restaurants and hundreds of good ones - so you would need to tell us what cuisines you prefer or dislike - and your budget - and if that's for the entree alone - or a whole meal with beverage, tip and tax.

I would like a safe way for us to get back and forth to the matches. We do not know the city, very well! Last time I was there was 93' I would worry about the two of us taking the subway!Maybe I am being an over cautious Grandam!

We like all kinds of food. We are open to any place you think a teenager would like.

Also, what Broadway show's would be fun for the two of us? Any ideas for sightseeing tours?

You are indeed being overly cautious. The subway will be perfectly safe for you and your granddaughter. And, it's definitely the easiest way to get there from Manhattan.

I agree the subway will be fine. If you're uncomfortable about taking it home after an evening match you can arrange for a car service pickup from a co. like carmellimo.com or telavivlimo.com

The # 7 train which runs along 42 st. is the one that goes to the stadium so any hotel in the 40's would work well. The west 40's is in/near Times Square and the theater district. The east 40's is a bit quieter. Some hotels that are worth checking from west to east (look at reviews on tripadvisor.com and check "candid travelers photos" on those pages)

Hilton Times Square
the Casablanca smaller boutique hotel
Residence Inn
Courtyard by Marriott Times Square South
the Sofitel (pricey but very nice)
Courtyard Fifth Ave.
the Library (not sure if they have any rooms with 2 beds but lovely)
New York Helmsley
Millenium UN Plaza (has rooftop swimming pool)

subway map
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

For shows, some that are popular with teens include Hairspray, Rent (you may not love this one), Avenue Q (a bit raunchy but fun-I took my 13 yr. old godson and he loved it). Legally Blonde recently opened and would be fun. The off Broadway show Altar Boyz is a big teen favorite too. Look for discounts on broadwaybox.com

For shopping,
>H & M (several locations but the one nearest to the hotels I mentioned is on Fifth ave. & 50 st. at Rockefeller Center.

>Strawberry is a chain of inexpensive shops

Here's a good thread on the subject
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35010958

For restaurants, Ellen's Stardust Diner has singing waitstaff and is popular. John's pizzeria in Times Square (west 44 st.) is good pizza in a converted church. Serendipity is popular for their frozen hot chocolate dessert but waits for a table for just dessert are long. If you go for a meal you can make a reservation. (granddaughter might like to watch the movie Serendipity before coming).

Keep in mind that after your tennis matches the subway will be filled with other tennis fans such as yourself. It really perfectly safe and the fastest way to get back to Manhattan. If you're really concerned, try getting a seat in the car with the conductor. The city and subways are even more clean and safe than in 1993.

Nytraveler's description of traffic problems around the tennis center are accurate. On an average day with no tennis taking place, this is one of the worst areas in NY for traffic delays--with tennis, and perhaps Mets baseball at the stadium across the street, 10 times worse. Since the Mets are building a new stadium, their parking areas are closed and it is mass consuion on game days.

I went to the Open a couple of years ago with clients - and naturally used a limo service rather than the subway. Not only was the traffic hideous getting there - but when it was time to leave we had to stand in a mob of people for almost 40 minutes while cars picking people up crawled past in a continuous line - and you had to rush out and get into your car as soon as you could identify it from the sign with your name in the window. (Cars were not allowed to stop.)

We paid in excess of $300 for the RT - including waiting time.

As for other places ot eat you might try Trattoria del Arte (fun Italian with great antipasto), the Rock Center Cafe - and Tao if you want something trendy. My step-daughters loved it - for the chance to see "someone".

There will be thousands of other people taking the subway to and from the US Open.

Here is a link to a package for championship weekend starting at $795 per person including two nights hotel and tickets to the women's final and the mens final.

Thanks to all... for the helpful info.

I still would like more info on other hotels. I am not sure about the Time Square area? When I was there last, it was a bit seedy. I realy would like a nice hotel in a good area.

Candace,
If you take the subway, you will be traveling back and forth with a few thousand other US Open attendees. If you're concerned about the subway, the Long Island RailRoad runs trains from there, as well.

Traffic to and from the Open can be brutal. A bus may be one of the worst ways to get there.

In terms of NYC, SIGNIFICANT changes have occurred since 1993. The crime rate is now about 70% less than it used to be for robberies and violent crime.

BTW, NYC has consistently been mentioned as the nation's safest largest city according to the FBI. Statistically speaking, you are 3 times more likely to be a crime victim in Dallas.

That said, crime does occur. Tourists are an easy target for pickpockets. But, most major tourist destinations in NY has a significant police presence now.

Apart from the Hilton TS, none of the other hotels I mentioned are right in the middle of Times Square. What sort of budget do you have and what are your dates?

We will be there the last week of Aug.

I was planning on spending about $250-300. per night. I was hoping that would get us a nice room, in a good location