March New York City
 

Looking to go to New York City with my husband for about 3 nights during March Break. I am trying to find a place to stay close to attractions that will not be too crazy with kids as it will be March Break we are travelling. Also looking to spend hopefully less than $200. a night for accomodation. Any Suggestions!

The attractions are spread out but the transportation is excellent.

How many people all together - can you do a double/double room (In NYC a standard room has ONE double or queen bed) or do you need a suite that also has a sleeper sofa- this is are there just 2 kids or more?

And will you be there for St Patrick's Day? (NYC schools do not have a "march break", our midwinter recess is in Feb - so don;t know your dates).

I read this as just the OP and husband. The "kids" mentioned belong to other people--possible spring breakers visiting NYC.

What do you plan to do while in NYC? Knowing your interests may help us help you choose a location.

<I>A quick aside to ellenem - Did you see a recent reference on the board about a visit to the PEZ factory?

</I> Two hotels that may be under $200 (depending on the dates) are the LaQuinta Manhattan at 32nd and the Hotel Newton on the UWS. Both are convenient to subway/bus stops.

http://www.laquintamanhattanny.com/
http://www.thehotelnewton.com/

Thanks everyone. We are going the week of March 16th looking at 3 night stay. Going just as a couple my husband and I. We are looking at seeing the sights and would like to see something on Broadway one evening. We have never been to NY so are open to suggestions. Would like to do a little shopping too.

The Newton is a reliable budget property and I believe had reduced rates if you pay in advance. Great for a couple and fine even if with a couple of kids. Two subway stops to Times Square and a nice mid/upscale neighborhood right near central park and many of the museums.

Right now the Hotel Newton has 5 rooms types under $200. Don't book the cheapest one because if you read the description, you'll see that one has a shared bath. The others have private baths.

It really is in a very good area. The UWS is a neighborhood with folks who have lived in the same apartment for generations. I love the area. The first Thai food I ever had came from the restaurant next door to the HN. That was a million years ago but I still eat there every trip and/or have them deliver. It is Long Grain now (used to be Lemongrass). Nothing fancy, but good family owned Thai restaurant. Also within a block or two -
Pio Pio - a Peruvian restaurant that is moderate and very good. If you like roasted chicken and comfort food, you'll like it. Their Matador Combo is a steal, a meal that can serve 2-3 peope.
Gennaro - my friends' favorite restaurant, very good Italian. Cash only.
Le Pain Quotidien - a casual chain restaurant you'll find all over the city, but just down the street. Bakery, sandwiches, great lemonade, a few chairs and tables on the sidewalk, lots of locals eating there. Truly, almost everyone you'll see in a restaurant in that part of the city are local.
Many more restaurants but those are some good choices.
Barzini's - a great market with produce outside and just about everything you could want or need stacked high to the ceiling inside. They make a lot of good to-go food so you could create a picnic or snack if you wanted.
15 blocks away is Zabar's, an icon. Be sure to stop.
If you watched the movie, You've Got Mail, and want to see the flower garden at the end of the movie, walk out your hotel door, go south on Broadway 3 blocks, take a right on 91st street and you'll come to Riverside Park. Walk down the hill and you'll be at the garden.
http://www.nycgovparks.org/park-feat...tour/91-garden
Riverside Park is a fabulous place to walk in the morning (or anytime). You'll see walkers, runners, dogwalkers, and kids playing in the Hippo Playground (if it's reopened. It was under renovation.
If you come out of your hotel and head away from the river, in three blocks you'll be at Central Park and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. Walk in or through Central Park or just walk/run around the lake.
To go to see a show in the theater district/ take a bus down Broadway or the subway (the station is virtually across the street).
If you want to ride around and see the city, hop on a bus and just ride. If you want to hear narration, buy a ticket for the hop-on, hop-off bus. Some locals on this board don't like them. I think they are a great way to move around the city and relax (not worry about directions). I still take them when traveling with newbie visitors to NYC.
Tell us what else you are interested in doing, and we'll give you tips. Consider the Newton. It's not fancy but clean and safe and in a GREAT location.

Agree there are a plethora of restaurants of every possible ethnicity along the avenues (Broadway, Amsterdam and Columbus) while the side streets are all residential - ranging from middle class apartments and brownstones to multi-million $ co-ops on CPW and similar private mansions along Riverside Drive.

A real traditional NY neighborhood.

Finding a hotel under $200 in Manhattan may be difficult, even in mid-March, but most Spring breakers stay in NJ and come into the city daily by bus.

The best sub-$200 hotels in NYC are in Long Island City Queens, which is 1 to 3 subway stops from Midtown. Since the "attractions" are spread out all over the city, whether you are 1 or 5 subway stops away is virtually irrelevant.

I often recommend the Country Inn & Suites Long Island City (free continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi, big rooms), which is almost always under $200 and one block from a major subway interchange. And that's what I recommend for you now. It gives you the best transit options to come into Manhattan without having to pay Manhattan prices.

Doug, do you recommend the Country Inn & Suites LIC over a room under $200 for her dates at the Hotel Newton?

A superior queen or deluxe double is $187 right now.

LOWEST NIGHTLY AVG.$18587

Superior Queen Suite

Large expanded Queen room with loveseat and seating area, Microwave, Refrigerator, Coffemaker and Flat Screen LCD television and iHome/iPod docking station. We are a 100% non-smoking hotel.
"

It's a very hard call. The Newton's location is a bit out of the way, but no further than Long Island City, so in terms of location, I don't think it matters (though Long Island City is generally better served by transit in the sense that you can get to more places in the city without having to change subway lines).

There's very little of interest foodwise avaialble near the Country Inn & Suites except for fast food. It's quite the opposite for the Newton, which has a lot of good restaurants within easy walking distance. But it's not any harder to go back to LIC for a break midday than to 96th Street on the UWS and arguably easier depending on where in the city you are (especially if you're anywhere on the east side).

But the Country Inn and Suites is significantly cheaper ($125 vs. $187). And it will also be considerably faster and cheaper to get to this hotel by either taxi or bus/subway from the airport.

Every hotel has its trade-offs, so I can't really judge. If the OP wants to be in a typical NYC residential area, then the Newton is an obvious choice. And if she really desperately wants to be in Manhattan vs. Queens, then again, it's an obvious choice. Otherwise, I think LIC has the nod in my opinion.

I respectfully disagree.

The neighborhood is lovely. Restaurants (good ones) abound. One can walk out the door and be at Riverside Park in a few minutes in one direction and Central Park in the other. Jump on the subway and you can be at the Broadway show she wants to see quickly. Great museum nearby and more across the park via the bus. She has 3 days in the city and she can enjoy so much just steps outside her door - rather than having to get on a train to see and do anything. I admit it's one of my favorite parts of the city so I admit to being biased. But a room in her budget (under $200) in a real neighborhood with so much to choose from vs. commuting in from LIC? I respectfully disagree.

Agree - since the neighborhood has so many more amenities and is so much more pleasant than LIC.

There is easy access to 2 subway lines ans several busses (up/downtown and crosstown at both 96th and 86th Sts. Easy walk to several major museums.

I think LIC is a better chioce than NJ if Manhattan is not doable - but here it is.

And from a B'way show this area is a nice stroll home after sitting for several hours.

For me, this choice wouldn't be hard at all - I'd always pick a decent hotel "in" Manhattan over a slightly less expensive one in Long Island City, even if it is only two subway stops from Manhattan. The HN is walking distance to Central Park and Zabar's - enough said! Also, wherever I go, I like to have neighborhood restaurants and shops near my hotel. I'm less concerned about where the sights are - I can get to them by public transportation, feet, or taxi.

The Newton's only 3/4 of a mile or so from the Natural History Museum and Planetarium. That's walkable. And walkable via Zabar's. A hotel in LIC is not.

Plus it's a quick trip to Museum Mile on a crosstown bus (I'd hop a bus and I HATE riding NYC buses, but going through the park makes the ride ok). Definitely would take the Newton > LIC.

And LIC > NJ - after all, LIC connects to the city by subway, NJ by bus through the tunnel(s) (UGH).

Does anyone have any thoughts or ever been to the Best Western Plus Presidents Hotel at Times Square or the Doubletree Metropolitan by Hilton?

I've stopped in the BWP President's Hotel to look around and thought it was a great location. Take a look at the reviews on TripAdvisor. I would IGNORE any review by someone who has just one post. I think they are signing in to up the ratings of the hotel OR to drop them. Read the other reviews and decide. I'd prefer that location over the DMH. Read the reviews and see what you think.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Midtown on 57th a few weeks ago, and it was perfectly adequate. For the week of March 16, it's showing $160 a night. It's a few blocks from Columbus Circle, and walking distance to Times Square. The room was a decent size for a city hotel, and the price is right.

I actually prefer the location of the Doubletree Metropolitan because it's less hectic. But it's definitely farther from Times Square, so if you want to be near Times Square, the Best Western President is the better location.