nytraveler

Neo - perhaps that depends on what you consider the major sights to be.

There is no way I would go to the city without seeing/doing:

The Met
Museum of Nat'l Hist
911 memorial
Staten Island ferry
Statue of Liberty - none of which are midtown

I would also do a B'way show and Top of the Rock which are.

Granted there are many secondary sights in midtown - but there are just as many uptown or downtown.

NeoPatrick

Ok, so which hotels are within easy walking distance of the Staten island Ferry and the Statue of Luberty? And then which other 8 or so top tourist sites are within walking distance of those same hotels? Or are you going to just deny that most tourists are not interested in most of those attractions I listed which are all very convenient to midtown?

You keep claiming here and on other threads that Midtown is no more convenient to major tourist sites than many other neighborhoods. So I'm waiting for you to put the facts where your words are. Are you even going to try, or just continue to say there are "so many" uptown or downtown tourists sites without naming all of them -- sorry, but mentioning the Met and Museum of Natural History and 911 Memorial none of which are close to each other and none of which are convenient to many hotels is NOT proving your point. Wanna try again?

starrs

I've stayed in just about every corner of the city. If I have my choice, I choose midtown. Why? Well, my main reason is that it's closest to the Broadway shows. The other reason is because it's within a few blocks of things I want to see and do. What about the things that aren't in a short walking distance? Well, because it's MIDtown, it's midway to virtually everything. Most of the time I stay on the UWS because it's free for me. Do I like it? Yes. Is it a real neighborhood? Yes. What do I don't like about it? The travel time to get down to MIDtown or further south. I love staying in the Village. It's really nice. If I were going to live in NYC, I'd probably pick the Village or the UWS. But as a visitor, I'd prefer to split the travel time and stay MIDway between everything there is to see and do on the island. I can scoot up or down, via bus, train or taxi and be there in half the time vs staying at one end or the other. It's not rocket science. Staying in MIDtown means you are closer to most of the things you want to see and do because 1) a lot of the things are in walking distance and 2) the other things are more convenient because you only have to travel 1/2 the distance.

And yes, there are folks who choose to live in Midtown. Imagine.

starrs

This tiresome discussion is every bit as ridiculous as the "Which is better - Charleston or Savannah?". The Groundhog Day equivalent in thread discussions.

KTtravel

You could also try the Salisbury Hotel. It is nothing fancy but has clean, large rooms and kitchenettes.

tuscanlifeedit

lanejohann

You mention The Kimberley above and I can tell you that we once had a HUGE room at The Kimberley with a kitchenette. It was a great kitchenette and the room had a gorgeous balcony.

I don't know if such a room is available at the rate you're looking at, but I thought I would put in a good word for The Kimberley. I liked the area and there were lots of great eats nearby.

We stay all over the city and my favorite area for hotels is Midtown. We have free places to stay on the UWS and in the East Village, but if I'm paying, I prefer Midtown for hotels.

As Starrs said, it's easy to be in the middle.

lanejohann

Wow!
Thank you so much
!
All of you!

I will read each post carefully and make notes
I have looked at the map and am gradually familiarising myself with areas and major sights

I don't know about theatre
We stayed in Leicester sq London and didn't see a single show
Usually too tired at night and figure we can see shows back home

I don't know if its open but I think we might hi to the Bronx zoo
We usually go to a zoo or a sanctuary wherever we can
I guess my daughter and I will shop.. Not high end ...just good quality bargains fir normal every day wear
I'd like to visit Brighton ...don't get much chance to eat Russian food

I suppose we will get up the Empire State Building at night and do Rockefeller by day
I'd like to see Central Park and maybe do a famous tv/movie site tour

As for museums..haven't decided...haven't started to research
I think the kids would just like to absorb it all.
They've not been to the states

Again thank you for your suggestions
I'll ask more questions as they come to mind

nytraveler

The Bronx zoo is open all year, although in winter many of the animals spend most of their time indoors (sometimes less visible) - but it's huge and will take basically the whole day and is in the Bronx. Perfectly sensible if you have more time but I wouldn't do it in winter.

There is a smaller zoo in Central Park which is easily accessible and can easily be seen in a couple of hours.

Why not check out the websites of both to see which fits your interests?

doug_stallings

It sounds as if your interests are all over the place, and in that case, you're just as well off with the Beacon, which is a great hotel. It's only 3 to 4 subway stops to the Times Square area (so less than 10 minutes), and it's near a lot of restaurants as well as Central Park and within easy walking distance of the Statue of Liberty and Lincoln Center. And there's a bus nearby that will take you across the park to the east side.

The Kimberley has a great location on the east side and is within easy walking distance of Times Square (15 minutes) but it's actually farther from transit than the Beacon.

But I would also point out that you aren't going to want to do a lot of walking during the height of winter, so being close to a subway stop is more important than being within walking distance of a lot of sights.

lanejohann

Thnx by traveller..I'll check out the Central Park zoo

Doug ... Sounds very sensible to be close transport..
We did the same in Singapore..ie chose accommodation close to the trains to avoid walking in the heat

doug_stallings

OK ... before you go thanking me too much, let me correct a stupid mistake. The Beach is close to Lincoln Center and the subway that goes down to the Statue of Liberty; it is NOT within walking distance of the Statue of Liberty itself, so god only knows what I was thinking when I wrote that.

doug_stallings

Argh. It's the BEACON (which is also not close to the "Beach")!!!

WilliamT

We stayed in the Empire Suite in Langham Place, Fifth Avenue, when we visited NY a couple of years ago. Found that it was excellent - the rooms were huge and everything was in perfect condition. It is extremely well located. I also heard from friends that the Sherry-Netherland Hotel has kitchenettes and is also a lovely option, well-located and stylish.

NeoPatrick

Umm. That's nice, WilliamT. I see rates in January for suites at Langham Place starting at $1045 a night (but that's for two people). Is that what you are recommending instead of the original $300 option the OP was talking about?

starrs

If we're talking a $1000/night price point, perhaps the Mandarin Oriental?
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/newyork/

nytraveler

Sorry - $1000 won;t get you a suite at the Mandarin Oriental - which is what the OP wants.

Not sure why to drag in several other hotels that are simply nowhere near their price range when there are a bunch of options within what they want to pay.

janisj

nyt: >>Not sure why to drag in several other hotels that are simply nowhere near their price range when there are a bunch of options within what they want to pay.

starrs

I was being sarcastic.
Neo pointed out the ridiculousness of the previous post.

lanejohann

Popping in to say thanks
I put planning on hold whilst we were holidaying in Hawaii but now I'm in the throes of it again
There has been a change...husband won't be joining us for this leg but will instead be meeting yes in Calgary where we will hire a car and drive to Banff..the boys will ski ....then we will all go down to LA together and do a loop to Grand Canyon...Vegas ..a few days in LA and home

Looks like our first stop for me and the big kids will be New York so we probably only need a triple room
Anyone ever stayed in a triple?
Is it just too crowded for a weeks stay?

nytraveler

NYC hotel rooms tend to be small and I would use only larger ones for a triple. If the suite in the Beacon still fits the budget - better not to be falling over each other's luggage for a week.

Do not book a hotel without being sure how large the rooms are - many are barely bigger than the two beds.