New York areas to stay - Murray Hill, Chelsea or Theatre district?
 

We will be in NY this coming Sept for 2 whole weeks (exciting!!)
we decided to rent an apt since we thought 14nights in a hotel room might be a little claustrophobic but we're both very confused which area to stay in?

There is an apt in Murray Hill (E31st & 3rd) and one in Chelsea that looks good too (W18th and 9th) but we found one closer to Times Square (44th and 9th)
basically the apt is just there for us to sleep and rest as we'll be out and about most days.
Since its our first time in NY can anyone help with these locations?

is Murray Hill too quiet?
is Chelsea too wild with the night clubs etc?
is Times Square area just too crazy with tourist and not the 'real' NY that we are after?

any tips/advice/help would be awesome!
Thanks
Anastasia

Anastasia - If you're just sleeping and resting in the apartment, wouldn't you want quiet? The thing about apartments is that the floor they're on and where they face play a big part in whether it's peaceful at night. I'm not sure how important that is to you. Do you know what floors they are on? All are near subways. I, personally, would probably prefer Murray Hill. The nearest subway would be on Park and 33rd. Actually, a lot of young people live in Murray Hill today, but I would think it's quieter than the other two choices.

oh thats the thing - we dont want a really quiet area....i know NY is busy 24/7 so I want to experience that hustle and bustle...i think my hubby would prefer a location where we can walk rather than catch the subway or taxis late at night also an area where there are loads of restaurants and 'buzz'....

I think then Murray Hill would be your last choice. As far as walking - to where? You cannot reach all places to visit from one location on foot. It depends on what you're interested in doing. Museums, shopping, restaurants, etc. are downtown, midtown and uptown; they're everywhere. Chelsea and Times Square certainly have buzz, but many NYers do live in Chelsea and there are loads of restaurants there. My guess is that Chelsea would make you happiest.

thanks Centralparkgirl - back to looking then!!
i think we have a differnet image of what NY is like...ie we have no idea! haha
id love to stay in a pretty tree lined street but close to things too...he wants to be int he lights and action of Times Square...back to researching and apt searching!

I think Chelsea is the best choice, although that Hell's Kitchen apartment (44th and 9th) would be fine. Murray Hill is the most residential.

Thanks MikeT
didnt realise that was Hell's kitchen area - they advertise it as Midtown on homeaway site

What is Columbus Circle like? is that a nice area to stay in as a visitor?

I think Columbus Circle is very nice. When the Time Warner Center was built, it really cleaned up the area. It's at the southwest corner of Central Park. Times Square, Fifth Ave and Upper West Side can be reached on foot. You can walk to lots of restaurants. Many subways are there if you need them. There are a lot of nice hotels on CPS in case you're looking for a nice bar at night. Easy to get cabs by the hotels too. You can walk to MOMA. Chelsea is probably younger and earthier.

31st and Third is a residential area--I've worked a block away for more than 20 years. Third Avenue is lined with restaurants and bars, many of them with outdoor areas/cafes and attracting young adults. It is far from dead, though it would be quieter than the other two areas you mention. Quiet is a relative term. If you're not from a city, you may not consider it quiet.

Thanks Ellenem...we'll have to decide tonight as we have a few options to go over
all in different areas!! just to add to our confusion......

so if i understand right
the whole manhatten island is busy and there are restaurants in all areas....its like one big city centre???
most young people head downtown for evening outings....and also times square too which is also full of tourists and visitors

and even all the residential areas have their cafes, deli's and restaurants, bars etc....
as long as we are near a subway and main roads we'll be good to go!??

With two whole weeks, I'd choose the Chelsea Location or the Murray Hill location, where you'll get more of a sense of living in NYC. Because sights are spread out and you have so much time, being right next to popular sights is less important in my opinion.

The Chelsea apt will put you nearest to the "cool" clubs and restaurants of the Meatpacking area, and th art galleries. And you can walk south to the West Village, with tons of good eating places. I think it is by far the best location for a young-ish visitor. The big nightclubs are to the north and west and would not affect your stay, unless you want to partake, of course. There is also good shopping here, both in chain big-box stores and some smaller shops. And you can walk to the Chelsea Market for food and wine shopping, and restaurants. Apple store is nearby, too.

http://www.chelseamarket.com/

There is a public housing project on the blocks between 9th and 10th Avenue near the apartment; the Maritime Hotel is nearby, too:

http://www.themaritimehotel.com/index.html




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Murray Hill is far less trendy, although as noted above, there are lots of bars along the avenues. I would call this area midtown; lots of offices on the big avenues, along with residential side streets.

Times Square/Hell's Kitchen might be called a bit more gritty and certainly packed with tourists..44th and 9th would be my last choice. Just my own opinion--I never cared for that area much at all, although there are some decent eating places on 9th-10th avenue.

I live near the Murray Hill apartment. That particular stretch of 3rd Avenue is busy all weekend and especially on Thursday night and is lined with bars that attract a young 20-something crowd. There are alot of good neighborhood restaurants, and you're a relatively easy (20- to 30-minute) stroll from Times Square (10 minutes to Grand Central, 30 minutes to Chelsea). I almost always walk home from the theater and often walk there if I'm leaving from home because it takes just about 10 minutes more than the subway.

Chelsea is a great location for nightlife and restaurants, but it's not that close to anything else. It's marginally closer to Times Square tahn Murray Hill.

Hell's Kitchen is close to Times Square and Central Park but pretty far from everything else but has great subway connections to the entire city, which neither Chelsea nor Murray Hill have. It's a much busier and more expensive area, but there is a lot of nearby nightlife (albeit expensive and tourist-oriented, unlike the options in Murray Hill or Chelsea). There are dozens of good, reasonably priced restaurants along 9th Avenue.

Basically, I'm saying that any of the three neighborhoods is pretty much equal in terms of nearby attractions and liveliness. Murray Hill is probably the quietest of the three, however, which is exactly what attracts me but probably not you.

By the way, be wary of renting an apartment in Manhattan. Most of these short-term rentals are illegal and you will have no recourse if something goes wrong. While most of the people offering apartments are reliable, the short-term rentals are nevertheless illegal in most buildings and against both building rules and city laws. Not always (especially if it's a condo building), but this is usually the case.

I'm a big fan of Murray Hill.

Firstly, you are always within a block or two of the Lex line so transportation options are outstanding.

Second, it is a great neighborhood with tons of dining and shopping options.

Lastly, you are in such close proximity to Uptown, Midtown, and downtown. You can get just about anywhere in Manhattan quickly.

You haven't said anything about the apartments. Have you invstigatd them and the buidligns in detail? Are they doorman buildings? do they have an elevator? Or are they walk-ups (MANY NYC apartments are - up to 5th Floor).

Also, be sure yuo get complete info - including a 24-hour landline phone from whoever you're renting from in case of any sort of problem. And determine if this is a legal rental or if you will have to pretend to be relatives of the apartment's legal resident.

GoTravel: Please fill me in on the great shopping options in Murray Hill because good shopping is about the last thing that comes to mind when I think of that area.

Other than a few independent women's clothing stores in the block between 35th and 36th (both sides of the street, though one I see is in the process of closing and another in the process of opening), I can't think of many places to shop in my neighborhood. Macy's is fairly close by, just across town, and there are a lot of stores on 34th between Madison and 6th.

LOL! More downtown but I was thinking about Union Square/Gramercy!

Fishs Eddy and ABC Carpet & Home are two of my favorites that come to mind but they are some blocks south of Murray Hill.

Even so it is close.

Chelsea is my pick. That is where I usually stay, but I'm going it alone this time and prefer a hotel.