Hi!

Myself and two other girlfriends are beginning a road trip in January from New York. There are a lot of options re accommodation for NYC and the main place we are looking at right now is called NY City Hostel, Glenwood Hotel - has anyone stayed in this place before? We are going for budget!
Thankyou!!

My advice is to save your money, go to NYC in the spring, and stay in a hotel. If not, you may want to post this question on a travel site that is more for younger people, like thorntree. Good luck!

Not sure how you're doing a road trip starting from NYC. Are you going to rent a car here? (Having one here is not only completely unnecessary, but also an expensive pain.) And renting a car here and dropping off elsewhere will not only be expensive (at least $100 per day plus a drop-off charge) but not the best driving weather.

A road trip in January out of New York s almost sure to guarantee driving in snow and sleet, the countryside is brown and crunchy (when not covered in snow) and it;s too cold for anything but winter sports. (And you don;t mention skiing.)

I think you need to tell us more about you and your plans for people to make useful suggestions.

Don;t know anything about that hostel except that it is located in a residential area quite far from Manhattan (and most things you want to see). You would have to contact them about info on best subway routes into the City.

Reviews of the place you're considering are uniformly dreadful. I'd rethink your plan.

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

http://www.yelp.com/biz/glenwood-hotel-brooklyn

http://www.hostelz.com/hostel/46484-Glenwood-Hostel

If you want more advice, explain what you plan to do (how long in NYC, will you have a car, budget, where you're going) and we can help. Otherwise, just use hostelz.com as a search engine for another hostel.

Wow, that is some entertaining reading, particularly the reviews on that last link by mclaurie. I particularly liked the one who left and spent the night IN the subway because it was cleaner and nicer!

But I'm curious too what it means to start a road trip in NYC.

The OP's only other post here on Fodors mentions that she's coming to the US from Australia. I guess NYC is their arrival city, with a "road trip" to other destinations afterwards.

Just a thought but if I were coming to the US from Australia and planning a road trip I'd start off from LA and end up in NYC. In fact, I'd probably drop off the car somewhere within easy train or bus distance and then spend a few days in NYC. I know you're on a budget, but the Pod Hotel with shared bath is infinitely better than this horrid hostel. Please don't stay there for your own safety and security. It is, as all the posts suggest, pretty dreadful.

If you really want to start your trip in NYC and head west, then perhaps try to find a cheap flight from NYC to somewhere on Jet Blue and then rent the car there. You'll pay a huge premium to rent the car in the New York area.

Coming from Australia you need to be prepared for winter weather in the US. Jan in the northern states is VERY cold - highs in the 30's and can go down to zero at night. So you will need warm winter coat, hat, scarf, gloves and waterproofed booties.

Also, bad driving weather is frequent (some areas get snow measured in feet) and this really isn't the time/place for a road trip - esp if you're not experienced in driving in snow. Never mind that with big storms highways may close completely - and may run at speeds of no more than 30 mph for a couple of days. Also, bad ice storms can cause power outages that last for days.

Don;t know how long your trip is - but if you're starting in Jan I would either start in the south and head north or do California first (although mountains there can also get very bad weather and closed roads) and then head by a southern route.

Separately, if you want to stay in a hostel in NYC Hosteling International has one at 103rd and Amsterdam - not far from Columbia University - in a diverse but safe and much more central area. I believe a bed with locker in a dorm room is about $35 to $40 per night.

(I have met several european students who stayed there and seemed satisfied with the rooms.)

at the risk of revealing my big NYC secret lodging, this would be perfect for a few girls:

www.thepodhotel.com

I don't think they have "triples" but they do have bunkbeds and singles for around $100 in Janaury right now- you will NOT find cheaper than that. Shared bathroom but very clean and excellent location (51st b/t 2nd and 3rd aves)