New York
 

I am planning my first trip to New York in three weeks. We are planning on seeing a Mets game on the Sunday afternoon and a Yankees game on Monday night. I have been trying to find a good cheap hotel for a Saturday and Sunday night. Any ideas? How about Ft Lee, New Jersey? How is the driving from Ft Lee to the games and possibly to other sites in Manhattan? What are the other must sees of New York? Thanks, for all suggestions.

What do you mean by the other 'must sees' of New York?

Do you mean the attractions of Manhattan?

If so, a car is a liability.

I highly suggest getting a good guide book and narrowing down the other things you want to see.

New York City has amazing public transportation. Ditch the car.

My suggestion would be to also stay in Manhattan. Try priceline or hotwire.

Other sites would include: Statue of Liberty, WTC site, Central Park, Empire State Building

As GoTravel said, you don't want to drive to those places.

Even if you DID decide to stay in NJ (which I wouldn't recommend--prices aren't that much cheaper), you should take the bus into the Port Authority (only a few bucks) rather than drive. It plops you right into midtown Manhattan and is often quicker than driving, too!

Do not drive in Manhattan! That is not a vacation! Yankee and Shea Stadium are both reachable by subway, as are all the sights in Manhattan.

The time and money you'll spend commuting in and out of Manhattan will eat up any savings and your peice of mind if you stay in New Jersey.

The Travel Inn often has reasonable rates and free parking.

In addition, if you do decide to stay in NJ, don't stay in Ft. Lee--there's nothing to see there. Stay in Weehawken, NJ at the Sheraton Suites--you will have a gorgeous view of the City plus there is a ferry right outside the door that takes you into Midtown, and then connects to a free shuttle service that drives to points in Manhattan. (go to http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...ropertyID=1177)

Since the rooms are suites, you can save money on food with a refrigerator. There are also nice restaurants on that side of the river --a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, the Chart House, and a Houlihans for drinking, right outside of the hotel. You can take a $4 or $5 cab ride into Hoboken and check out the bar and restaurant scene there--it's really cool and happening. If you want restaurant recommendations there within certain price ranges, I've got plenty. But te city has so much to offer, so again, do try to stay in NYC if possible.

If you do decide to book that hotel, do call and double check on how often that ferry runs. NY waterway had some trouble awhile back and I'm not certain about what services were cut.

Do not attempt to tour NYC by car. It can be done - but will be incredibly time consuming (it can easily take 30 minutes to go 2 miles crosstown) and expensive.

It's almost impossible to park on the street near any tourist attractions - and garages are from $20-$30 for the first hour and up. This is assuming you have a normal car - there are surcharges for large SUVs - and many garages won;t/can;t take really big ones - Hummers etc.

I would stay in the city (try Priceline for a bargain as long as there are no more than two of you) and take public transport everywhere. Taking the subway to both Yankee Stadium and Shea is easy and fast - you'll be back at the hotel while cars are still trying to get out of the parking lots.

Perhaps leave the car at a train station in New Jersey - which can be inexpensive (there have been other theads on this if you search above).

NY Waterways is still running. However, the ferries from Lincoln Harbor (the one outside of the Sheraton) does not run on weekends. I believe that the other Weehaken ferry does run, but that adds even more to the travel time.

As someone who makes the trek from the city to Weehawken on a daily basis for work, I cannot imagine wanting to do it on vacation.

As captivating as NJ can be, I wouldn't recommend staying there. Book in the city, by commuting in you leave too much to chance, and it's your first time so get right into it. Everything is within walking distance from most places. You'll waste too much time getting in and out of the city if you stay in Jersey.

As others have said, the expense is a wash. Unless you rent a car, then the cost will be much more. I also strongly advice against a car. Trust everyone on this board, just don't do it. It's too costly and frustrating.

You can find a good deal on a hotel using the net. Stay away from the boutique hotels if you're looking to save $$ or spend more than a 1/2 hour awake in your room. They tend to be tiny.

For the games, the subway is easiest and best. It's a pretty direct trip to both stadiums from Manhattan, and it's safe. For Yankee Stadium take the "D" train. Not sure about Shea.

Have fun.