Aduchamp1

If you are going to go to Times Square On New Year's buy a fireman's helper or an extra bladder.

BudgetQueen

Travelbuff- how nice of you. YES, I want to go. I don't need 5 tickets, just 1 or 2. Thank you, sincerely. I have never been inside.

travelbuff

Ok you are on my list. Love to have you come and hear the concert. Last year Lauren Flannigan sang and she was amazing. We've had lots of Broadway stars too over the years, so as soon as I hear our guest this year I'll let you know.

elielieli

I've stayed at Milford Plaza Hotel and it usually has good prices,check on it,maybe you can find a bargain and it s also near Times Square (near but not in it that is good!)

travelbuff

Sorry but the Milford Plaza will be closing shortly and will not be open for the holidays. They are doing a TOTAL redo of the hotel and expect it to be open again in 2011.

elielieli

@travelbuff : I am so sorry I didn't know it...now I understand why everytime I try to make a reservation for 2010 on their website,the answer is always negative!!!thank you for the info

divineMissM

Book a room at the Hampton Inn Meadowlands, Secaucus New Jersey. You can cancel anytime, and meanwhile you can look around at other options. But at least you'll know you're on you're way and have a place to sleep should you need it.
This Hampton is very nice with a decent breakfast and shouldn't be more than $129 per night. Best of all you're just a 15 minute ride into NY on the Port Authority bus and then you'll have a few minutes walk to Times Square. Lots of people stay at this location for visits to New York and you can check the reviews...the bus picks up directly across the street from the hotel and there is plenty of dining etc nearby. I'm sure you'll meet other people here who are making the trek into Manhattan for New Year's eve as well, and the hotel will give you a bus map and everything else that you need. BOOK IT, WESTERN CANADA, YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY TO THE BIG APPLE ! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

divineMissM

Are you flying from Manitoba? If you decide to stay in Secaucus, Newark (EWR) will be your airport of choice. From Newark airport you'll take the direct 12 minute train to Secaucus Junction, and then a short cab ride to your hotel. (or, it would be about a $50 cab ride from airport to hotel).

Here is the train schedule from Newark airport to Secaucus:
http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servl...nSchedulesFrom

And information for the area is here:
www.stayinthemeadowlands.com

travelbuff

It makes NO SENSE stayin in New Jersey, because you will be spending over $100 per day in transportation costs back and forth.

There are lots of option IN MANHATTAN that will be close to your budget and several of them are already posted to this thread.

travelbuff

Sorry meant to say over $20pp per day in and out of Manhattan, there are better choices in Manhattan.

bardo1

suite7: "NYC is HORRIBLE on New Year's Eve..."

Yes, yes, yes - and St. Valentines Day's is the worst day of the year to eat out. But NYE is when many people want to visit NYC (like the OP!) just as Valentine's Day is when many will choose to eat out. It ain't going to change know matter many times people are "warned".

mierarosa

Greetings from an East Coast local! It's completely possible to do NYC on a budget, as long as you're willing to feast more with your eyes (plenty to look at) and leave luxury meals for another time. For lodging, try a bed and breakfast: one site is www.bedandbreakfast.com/manhattan-new-york.html. Sometimes you can find rooms in private homes or apts, or whole studios, for much less than hotel rooms. It may also be cheaper to stay in Brooklyn (Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope are all nice areas; try for something near the subway). It's probably a good idea to book ASAP to be sure to get a place. There's plenty of great food in NY, much of it inexpensive; you could get simple lunch meals at the oodles of small markets and sandwich shops around town (must-go-to: Fairway on Broadway near 78th; Zabars, several locations), and reasonable dinners ($15-25/person) at neighborhood restaurants, making it easier to treat yourselves to one or two nice meals if you want. Google "free events in New York City" for some of your entertainment. These are often great: free concerts, performances, readings, lectures; and you'll be mingling with locals and visitors in the know. An evening wandering around mid-town at that time of year is an experience in itself. Google "museums in New York City" to find terrific ones slightly off the beaten track, and usually cheaper (and less crowded) than MOMA and the Met. With all these cost-saving measures, you might feel free to pick one or two more expensive events that you really want to go to. Finally, buy a New Yorker and/or a Time Out New York for a couple of weeks before your visit, and pick them up when you arrive; they both have extensive events listings. I hope you're able to make the trip -- and have a great time!

divineMissM

Please post your own ideas, travelbuff, but don't tell others that we're not making sense.
$20pp to take the Port Authority bus back and forth from Secaucus, New Jersey? I don't think so! It's around $3.50 each way. People do it all the time and are very happy with this budget option, just check reviews for Hampton Inn Secaucus and other hotels. We had to do it a few years ago for a trip to Yankee Stadium and it was much easier than we expected, in fact it was a cinch.

http://www.broadwayfocus.com/nj_nyc/nj_nyc.html

vjpblovesitaly

"Sometimes you can find rooms in private homes or apts, or whole studios, for much less than hotel rooms."

Short term apt. rentals in NYC are often illegal or scams as has been pointed out numerous times.

HowardR

If I was the OP and coming to NYC for a special trip, I'd try my damnest to find a place to stay in the city, exhausting all possibilities before deciding on Secaucus or anyplace else out of Manhattan!

divineMissM

Well, on a tight budget, she can look at several options. Personally I wouldn't even consider priceline booking 3 months in advance if I were on a tight budget. The thought of losing six or eight hundred bucks on a non-cancellable hotel would scare me a lot more than staying outside of Manhattan. But that's just me. My point was that she could book in Secaucacus, with no cancellation penalties or worries, and then have the peace of mind that if all else fails, she's still going to New York for New Years Eve. She can watch for an airfare sale an pounce on it without worrying that she'll have air tickets and no hotel possibilities, because her back-up plan will be booked and confirmed. And she won't have in the back of her mind for six months, "I hope nothing happens to cancel this trip because I'll lose the $800 bucks that I spend on a hotel". Furthermore, if she's shelling out $1200 for air tickets, she might not have the rest of the money freed up right away to pay for the hotel in advance. Nothing wrong with a little peace-of-mind while she's "Trying her damndest" to find something in Manhattan, is there?

joesorce

Be sure to fly in a couple of days early. Flying Canada to New York City...you could really be in trouble with bad weather in late December, so make sure you have some padding there. You don't want to book a flight on Dec 30th, have it delayed until the 31st, and have your vacation of a lifetime ruined by poor planning. If you can't afford to take a hotel for two or three extra nights before new years, then find a cheaper hotel. If you need to cut the vacation short due to finances, then leave NY on January 1st if it means you can pad it with a couple of days on the incoming side instead. January 2 and 3 and 4 may be way too busy to find a flight anyway.

K_brklyn

It's your 40th birthday in NYC-go for it!
Give us some more information on what you like to do and this forum could probably help find you the experience that fits into your budget.

Staying in Seacaucus during the holidays is not the best idea.

You can save on meals and transportation if you have to spend more on accommodations. So I agree with Mierarosa's suggestions.

There is so much to do in NYC during that time that does not require a lot of money or in some cases events are free.

I'm sure the NYers on this forum will supply you with lots of ideas once you've made your decision.

New Year's in NY can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want it to be.
E.g. last year New Year's cost me $50. I went to a favorite restaurant in Park Slope that kept their menu prices the same, I received a free glass of champagne to toast at midnight, a new year's hat and a noise maker, at midnight the entire restaurant erupted into cheers with everyone hugging each other and toasting, the restaurant was decorated for New Years and the Time Square ball drop was on the tv. I then went to meet my friends at a lounge in the City where they'd spent $200 for the entire night, plus more for food before going to the lounge. I paid $20 because it was after midnight and I had a ball, then I walked over to Times Square to look at the ball in the wee hrs of the AM and it was empty but still had the energy of the night before.

In previous years, I've gone to the Brooklyn promenade with a bottle of champagne to watch the midnight fireworks, after enjoying a nice dinner somewhere. Again cheers, hugs, some singing, some dancing and NYers and visitors wishing each other well for the New Year.

joesorce

There's also Jersey City...you can take the PATH train into the city very easily. Hotels are better in Secaucus, however.

It would be nice if she could find a GREAT room in a GREAT location at a GREAT price, but let's face it....there are TONS of people who head to NYC for New Year's and not all of them can stay in prime locations. Being realistic and having a back-up plan is a very good idea.

There is no need to go into debt just because you're turning 40.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...n-december.cfm

yakity

Be very careful about booking low cost hotel rooms in NYC these days. They are having a huge bedbug epidemic. Subway advertisements are for dogs that sniff for bedbugs before you rent your next apartment. See bedbugregistry.com for maps of locations on the registry. Been there in August '09.