New York!
 

Two of my girlfriends and I are traveling to NY for the first time this August. We have a reservation at the Broadway Plaza Hotel and would like to know about the area. We saw some customer reviews that mention the area is a bit sketchy. I am concerned for our safety. Is the neighborhood as bad as they say? Please help ease our minds! Thanks!

I'm very familiar with that area and although I feel perfectly safe there during the day, I have never stayed at that particular hotel because I wouldn't want to be in that area at night. It's a wholesale buying district and yes, it's a bit sketchy. There is not much open in the area at night and that's why I stay a few blocks north at 32nd Street when I have to be in that area.

If it were just me and two girlfriends, I would personally not stay there.

Yikes! I already paid for the hotel! I went on location and thought all my research would pay off. I don't think I can change my hotel now. The other hotel we were thinking about was the belvedere. Any word?

If you've already paid and are locked in, then just make the best of it. Take a cab to or from your hotel in the evenings, and enjoy walking around other, safer parts of the city at that time.

I seriously doubt you're at any significant safey risk inside the hotel, so it should be fine otherwise.

I agree with jlm. It's not as if it's a really seedy area, it's just that other areas are more preferable. Since you are locked in, I am sure you will be fine there as long as you use typical precautions you would use in any other city.

If it's any consolation, the hotel is fairly new and seems nice and clean from the outside. There is also a door man on duty any time I've passed by.

Don't fret. You'll be fine, especially if you take cabs to and from that area and don't do a lot of late night walking in the general vicinity.

The Belvedere would have been a far, far better choice, but I'm not sure what more you're asking if you are already committed to the Broadway Plaza. Frankly, I say keep your wits about you and don't worry. Stick to walking on Broadway at night and I really wouldn't worry so much about it.

"late at night in NYC means sometime after 2 or 3 by the way".

Are we atleast close to everything, like Times Square? How expensive are cabs in NY? I never take them here in Seattle, so I have no idea.

You would probably pay about $6 or so to Times Square, depending on the traffic. It's about 15 blocks north, straight up Broadway.

My main concern there would be not having any restaurants close by for dining at night, but if you are there for pleasure (versus my usual business trips), then you can dine anywhere you want in the city. So, that shouldn't be a problem.

It's not that the area is actualy unsafe at night. It's that it is very quiet - deserted really - and quite dreary. There's really nothing much there after business hours.

If you got a great price keep it. If you paid a reasonable amount, check if you can cancel and find something in a more pleasant area.

(The one quite negative review I saw was from someone who doesn;t get NYC prices - and didn;t realize the price they were paying provides only a very basic hotel - At Christmas $300 is a real budget place - nowhere near upscale.)

I don't really understand why you're now asking advice after having made a commitment. I'm also always stunned at how many people pay for their hotels in full before staying there. Are you English? This seems a common thing in the UK but most Americans would not pay in advance unless they were getting some amazing deal.

I'm sure you'll have a good time in NYC whether or not the hotel works out. At worst it will require you to travel a bit for dining. You're near both Chelsea and the flatiron district (you're 4 or 5 blocks north of the famous flatiron building). Both areas have good restaurants.

Can we see a show of hands as to who actually lives in New York who answered this post?

There is nothing unsafe or even particularly seedy about 27th and Broadway, and its restaurants are far better than anything you'll find in Times Square or north of 32d Street. (I wouldn't stay between 32 and 42d over 27th and Broadway.)

Head a few feet south into Chelsea and you'll stumble over good restaurants, bars and cafes every other step. Head a few blocks east to Park Avenue and have a fabulous meal at Park Ave Bistro and many other Murray Hill restos, including Bobby Flay's Bolo down the street from the Flatiron Building.

Yes, a lot of tourists stay right in the middle of Times Square in places like the Belevedere. They pay too much, get too look at other tourists and eat lousy food. Come live with the New Yorkers!

Don't eat your hotel breakfast. Head straight over to the Comfort Diner (25 W. 23rd St) and eat red, white and blue waffles or breakfast burritos.

If you mean you paid via credit card, I'm sure you can call and cancel. It's done all the time. Most hotels have a 48 hour cancellation fee. At most, usually 30 days. Have you contacted the hotel to see if you can cancel?

By the way, from 27th and Broadway to 42nd and B'way (Times Sq) is about a 15 minute stroll. If you get in a cab, it can sometimes take you half an hour to cover the same distance.

Don't walk home drunk. Take a cab home after midnight or any time you feel uncomfortable. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there.

Hi again reynabeyna,

I just read the reviews on TripAdvisor and saw that some first time travelers to New York got freaked out by seeing Africans selling sunglasses on blankets in this neighborhood.

The hotel is in the Garment District, otherwise known as the Fashion District, where every student in NYC goes looking for cheap fashion stuff (the Fashion Institute of Technology is right there). And yes, they buy it off blankets.

This is not an unsafe neighborhood, and the shopping, restaurants and bar scene are a lot of fun so long as you don't go north into Times Square.

Thanks to everyone who has replied. I swear I did tons of research, but all reviews have been different. I did check with my reservations and I am able to switch to the Belvedere Hotel if wanted for 350 dollars more. Just not sure if its worth the extra money. I do appreciate all responses. Thanks again! Anyone know any good vintage shops to visit in SoHo?

You don't have to go to Soho. Just go a few blocks away:

Cheap Jack's Vintage Clothing
303 Fifth Ave at 31st St.

or go to the East Village:

Acquired Taste
220 E. 10th St.

Angela's Vintage Boutique
330 E. 11th. St.

espagnabound, can you give me the names of some of those great restaurants in the vicinity of 27th and Broadway? Seriously.

I've been doing business in that immediate area for 13 years (all of my vendors are between 26th and 31st / 5th and 7th, but mostly on or near Broadway) and I always have a heck of a time finding somewhere decent to even have lunch. Very often Broadway Pizza has to fit the bill when I'm in a crunch. I spend a week at a time pounding the pavement in that area, so I'd love some decent dining recommendations. Of course, bear in mind that I never have time to venture very far from that immediate area at lunch time.

Thanks. :)

BTW - You have to admit that a lot of businesses in that immediate area are closd down at night and it's somewhat more desolate than other areas of Manhattan. When I've walked it at night or early in the morning, everything is locked up tight. However, I will admit that they are starting to revitalize the area with some high rises, a Starbucks, Duane Reed, etc. So, it's coming around. Before we know it that area might be the new up and coming place to reside.

If the money won't dramatically affect your trip (ie keep you from eating ;) ) switch to the Belvedere--that's assuming you won't be paying more than $200 or so per night.

With all due respect, espagnabound, I understand the idea of a New Yorker wanting to avoid Times Square, the glitz, the lights, the noise, and all that accompanies it. You live in a big city and you love the shelter of your neighborhood. But most of us live in the shelter of neighborhoods and we spend the big bucks to go to New York to experience what we don't have at home -- and that is the glitz, the lights, and the noise. If we wanted the quiet and the dull and the mundane, many of us would just stay home.

I too am waiting to see this list of great restaurants in that neighborhood. Sure anywhere in New York you can get to a lot of great places to eat, but anyone who thinks that neighborhood offers a lot to a tourist who has gone to the expense of traveling to New York to experience the big city is sadly mistaken.

Neopolitan,

Fair enough -- although there is no reason not to take a bargain when its available and safe. In fact, there are fewer people preying on tourists further down Broadway than there are in the theater district. All I think reynabeyna is missing is the (dubious) circus of Times Square. It'll be plenty exciting when she steps out her door in the morning into the Garment District, and she and her friends will eat a hell of a lot better for a lot less money 15 blocks south of Times Square.

Statia (and Neopolitan),

For years both my spouse and I worked around Times Square and Penn Station, and I feel your pain. The Penn Station area in particular is just a sinkhole when it comes to restaurants, unless of course you hike to Hell's Kitchen or, like us, can really get into eating a LOT of Korean food.

For solo lunches, instead of pizzas or fast food, my newest find and fave is
Djerdan at 221 W. 38th St., a Bosnian burek joint that serves other dishes too, and it is cheap, cheap, cheap and good. Nothing is cheaper than Mandoo Bar, a fabulous handmade dumpling place
2 W. 32nd St. Great salads too. Finally, for something sit down and nice, and almost into the business lunch category, check out Biricchino at
260 W. 29th St, which makes homemade Italian sausages (and serves up a great dish of mussels too.) Inexpensive last time I was there.

For business lunches, you'll have to walk a bit, but not that much. Check out these for reviews on the web and to make sure they are open for lunch:

Arezzo
46 W. 22nd St

Ottimo
6 W. 24th St.

Ida Mae Kitchen-n-Lounge (pricey Southern)
111 W. 38th St

Periyali (Greek, moderately pricey)
35 W. 20th St

Punch
913 Broadway (between 20th and 21st)

Sapa (Vietnamese upscale)
43 W. 24th St

Beppe
45 E. 22nd St

Bolo (Bobby Flay)
23 E. 22nd St

Park Bistro (solid, mildly pricey)
414 Park Ave S (Btwn 28th & 29th St)

Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave. (at 24th St.)

Tre Dici (uneven)
128 W. 26th St.

L'express (mildly pricey)
249 Park Ave S (at 20th st)

Chelsea Bistro & Bar
358 W. 23rd St.

Le Zie
172 Seventh Ave. (between 20th and 21st Sts.)

Sette
191 Seventh Ave (between 21st and 22nd)

Gramercy Tavern
42 East 20th Street

Veritas Restaurant (Expensive)
43 E 20th St

Chez Laurence Patisserie (simple)
245 Madison Ave.

Mavalli Palace (Indian)
46 E. 29th St.

The Basil (Thai)
206 W. 23rd St.

That should keep you all going for awhile -- and it's just a fraction of what is available if you get yourself out of the Theatre District.

bon appetit!