Alexa2

We are coming to New York for the first time in October and we have quickly discovered it was hard to find reasonably priced hotel rooms during this particular time. We have booked a room at the 414 Inn at 414 West 46th. street, only two blocks from Times Square. Does anyone know if this is a nice hotel or not? Also, we have seen info on some of the guided tours, like the hop on/hop off double decker bus tours. Has anyone here ever done this and is it a good way to see the city? Thanks!

nytraveler

Don;t now it personally. It is a simple modest hotel (no elevator or room service) in a location near Times Square. Gets generally positive ratings for clenliness - but rooms are small - as in most NYC hotels.

How good a deal this is depends on what you're paying for it - I should think it acceptable for a very basic budget - unless the no elevator and dragging your bags up the stairs is an issue.

If there ar3e only two of you - you might consider bidding on Priceline - but that is getting into the busy season a- and don;t know what they would have available - or how good the prices would be.

I'm not in favor of the hop on/off buses - think it's better to get out on the streets and public transport - and you get a much better feeling for the real city. If you're going to do the bus for a day and then go back to what interests you I guess an OK idea.

mclaurie

Reviews of the hotel are here

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._New_York.html

Don't know what your definition of "nice" is. It won't be anything fancy.

Many people use the hop on/off buses and it is a good way to get an overview. Some people feel the downtown loop is enough since it covers the main highlights. Others enjoy doing all the loops including Brooklyn. A lot depends on how good a walker you are how long you are in NYC.

One issue for the hop on/off tours is weather. It's generally agreed the upper level which is open is the only way to really see. It can get cold and breezy up there as the temps drop (not yet though it's been beautiful). There's a new co. besides Grayline doing these tours now and their buses are slightly different but I can't remember exactly how.

The NY Party Shuttle is another alternative. It's a closed, climate controlled bus, smaller lasting 6 hrs. starting at noon.

Alexa2

Well, for the first 3 weeknights we are paying $218 per night, but Thursday and Friday night the price, including taxes, goes up to $302 per night. Is that too much for this hotel? The problem is, because we are coming during the busy season, hotel rooms were extremely hard to find and almost every one we called was already booked. We want to stay somewhere close in where we can get out and walk to all of the sights, so that made it more difficult, too.

We would be using the hop on/hop off tour to get a basic overview, then go explore on our own. I do have a question as to how those work, though. It says each loop take about 2-3 hours. How does the *hop off* idea work exactly? If you want to hop off in Chelsea for example, then how do you hop back on without missing some of the other tour areas? Some of the tours offer tickets to the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building and take you there. I am wondering if that is more economical than taking a cab to each of these places? We are not opposed to walking at all. In fact, I am very fitness oriented so the more walking the better!

Thanks for all your help!

mclaurie

I can't imagine paying that kind of money for that kind of place. If the reservation is cancelleable keep it for now and look elsewhere. I'd rather stay uptown or downtown in a better place than pay that price to stay midtown. The Embassy Suites, the Millenium Hilton and the Ritz Carlton Battery Park are all downtown in the financial district. They're often more affordable on weekends b/c the area's not as desirable to most tourists, but many of the sites are down there like the ferries, the South Street Seaport, Soho, etc.

You might also want to try looking at apartments. At least you'd have an elevator and I think more privacy. Here are some websites for apts.

newyorkhabitat.com
citylightsnewyork.com
furnishedquarters.com

Don't be so hung up on staying midtown. Unless you're planning on going to the theater every night you'll find lots to do elsewhere. The buses and subways and taxis will get you anywhere you want to be.

On the bus tours, the 2-3 hrs. is the length of time to do the loop without getting off. If you get off, you get a map of the stops and wait at the next nearest stop to where you are. Yes, I suppose if you do some walking and exploring you might miss some things if you don't get back on at the same place you got off.

When you say "some of the tours....offer tickets..." the Grayline bus co. that does the hop on/off tours has pkgs. that include those things too. Your other option is looking at the citypass.com which gives you entry to 5 things including some museums and the ESB. The benefit to these pkgs. or the citypass is not only do you get a discount, but you get to skip some lines as well.

I think you're comparing apples and oranges in terms of cabs vs. the bus tour. If you're really walkers, forget the hop on/off bus and use public transportation. You can ride a city bus for $2 and see a lot. You're just missing the tour guide.

Alexa2

Thanks. These are all great suggestions and I am on my way right now to check out other hotels and the citypass.com site.

Alexa2

One more question besides the weather info: I am checking the apartment rental sites right now and am wondering which areas would be best to choose to put me closest to the sites, entertainment, etc. The choices are Midtown East, Midtown West, Upper East Side, East Village, Tribeca, and so on....