Kiddo

My husband and I, along with our 2 teenaged daughters, are planning a visit to NYC for a few days later on this summer. We will be driving from the Toronto area and we're hoping to get advice regarding the best routes into the city and also hotel recommendations. We would like to stay in Manhattan and would prefer a jr. suite, if possible, in the range of US$150-$300 per night (this might be unrealistic). Also, we would like to see a couple of shows(Chicago, Hairspray, The Producers etc.) and I'm wondering if we should obtain tickets beforehand or wait and take our chances at the ticket office in Times Square.

Any advice on sightseeing, restaurants, shopping and/or things 'not to be missed' would be greatly appreciated.

Lola

A Jr Suite might be hard to find at that price. But then, I never stay in hotels in NYC so others here can tell you better.
I would recommend getting tickets to any shows as soon as you can. Most likely the shows you named will be sold out by the time you get here.And I am pretty sure that Hairspray tickets are not sold at TKTS.
Good luck!

djkbooks

Sign up at Playbill.com, theatermania.com, broadwaybox.com, etc. for e-mails listing reduced priced tickets. Typically, there are special prices for the same shows on all the sites, but check seats at each - you may find better seats at one or another.

Hairspray seats seem to be totally sold out, though The Producers is finally coming up on the discounted ticket lists. Chicago will probably be no problem at the TKTS booth. But, with only several days, it's better to purchase tickets ahead of time for your days/times than waste precious time in the TKTS line.

Ruth

Why not try bidding for 2 rooms on Priceline? You should be able to get rooms for around $100 per night for each room, and they will be in the same hotel, though you can't specify which hotel beforehand, though you do specify which area(s) of Manhattan you want. Think of the advantages of having 2 bathrooms! And most hotels would allow you to request the 2 rooms on the same floor.

We stayed in Midtown West, and were in easy reach of Times Square. Read biddingfortravel.com or betterbidding.com if you've not encountered Priceline before.

However, if a suite is important (with a fridge, kitchenette etc) you should look at the suite-only hotels -eg Radio City Suites, Doubletree Times Square, or the Belvedere Hotel. Sites such as Quikbook.com often have good rates, but it's worth checking with the hotel directly as well.

Carib_Ruby

I stayed at the Warwick two summers ago and paid less than $200 (I think around $169)

We were upgraded to a Jr. Suite for our anniv. along with Champange, fruit ect.
They were very customer friendly, and it was in a wonderful location

I would look into priceline, there are some great deals there as long as you are flexible. Please read www.biddingfortravel.com first, it will "teach" you the beset way to go about PL

Ruby

HowardR

Rundown on theater tickets:
1. Order Hairspray tickets now. You may already be too late! The show is a sellout and will be for many months to come.
2. You may have a chance for discount tickets for Chicago if you wait a while. Your best chance at the TKTS booth for that show is for a Tuesday evening performance.
3. While The Producers is not selling out, it's still popular and the chances for discount tickets are not great.
If I was in your situation--and could afford it--I'd get tickets for all three now.

Kiddo

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas. Will let you know how I make out!

sandi

Kiddo - Re Travel from Toronto

The best thing would be to go onto one of the "map/driving" sites. You plug in "from" where "to" the hotel you'll be staying at (once you've got that confirmed).

My brother drives from Toronto regularly and while I don't know the exact route numbers, I do know that from Buffalo they travel South to Pennsylvania then across PA into either the GWBridge or Lincoln Tunnel. I believe they come in Rt.80 which is a major interstate.

But again, go to a map site for detailed instructions.

jem

This might be too out of the way for you, but if you're familiar with NYC and comfortable negotiating the subway, I can recommend the Embassy Suites in Battery Park. We just got back from a short visit and stayed there for $150 a night, with a AAA discount. It's about 5 blocks to the nearest subway stop, but once you're aboard, nothing's impossibly far away. If we were out in the evening, we sometimes took a cab back to the hotel. We had a two-room suite with a sofa sleeper in the living room and a king-sized bed in the bedroom, two TV's, coffee table, and a larger table with four chairs. We even had a view and it wasn't of an airshaft. I'll admit it featured a construction site, but if you craned your neck, you could see the Hudson River. We were on the fifth floor but the soundproofing must have been good because it was quiet at night. Every morning they served a good breakfast that included pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, cereals, juice, yogert, etc., and they also offered complimentary wine/cheese in the late afternoon. It has several restaurants on the site and right next door is a multi-plex theater. It might be worthwhile for you to check this out.

xien

In regards to finding the best route for your journey:

Are you a member of CAA or AAA? If so, why not check with them about getting a TripTik for a driving route? It's been a while since I've gotten one, but if I recall correctly they give you a map with your route highlighted, as well as information about roadside stops and ongoing construction along the way. These need to be ordered ahead of time, but are free with AAA/CAA membership, I believe. I think you can even request it thru their website.

If you're thinking of renting a car for your trip, you might want to try Hertz for cars equipped with Neverlost, a GPS computer system. Not sure if it's available in Toronto, but in the U.S. the cost is about $7 per day to add this feature to your rental. The system will map out your whole trip for you, and will adjust for any detours you choose to make. I just love it -- it's not perfect, but for me Neverlost works a lot better than a map travelling to and around a new city.

Kiddo

Thanks to everyone for the info. I've been doing a little homework and I've finally booked The Belevedere Hotel through quikbook.com at $160 a night, which seemed reasonable. I was a little hesitant to try priceline.com -- maybe next time.

We have tickets for Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre and The Producers at St. James Theatre. Ended up paying full price for The Producers, but was able to get a discount on the Chicago tickets by using the promotional code listed at broadwaybox.com. Many thanks for that suggestion djkbooks.

Now on to my next questions. Any suggestions for moderately-priced restaurants in the Theatre District (preferrably Italian with lots of menu choices bearing in mind that we'll have our 2 teenaged daughters with us)?

Despite getting mixed reviews, hubby wants to try Tavern on the Green although I realize that this probably wouldn't be convenient for pre-theatre, but could be a choice for another night. I've checked out the website and it certainly looks beautiful!

Any other suggestions for breakfast or lunch would also be great.

We're also planning on doing the Circle Harbour Lights boat tour so dinner ideas in that area would also be greatly appreciated.

Gekko

Try Tavern on the Green for lunch -- much more reasonable than dinner, plus afterwards you can walk Central Park.

Tony's Di Napoli and Carmine's are two popular Italian restaurants in Times Square, but be aware that most T.S. restaurants are overpriced mediocre tourist traps.

For unique NYC shopping your daughters would probably enjoy Chinatown (Canal Street between Mulberry & Broadway), and Broadway north of Canal. Perhaps have lunch in Little Italy on Mulberry Street (I like Il Fornaio for lunch), then walk west on Canal to Broadway, then north on Broadway 'til your batteries wear out.

Enjoy NYC!

Kiddo

That's great Gekko. I liked your idea to try Tavern on the Green for lunch rather than dinner and I'm sure the girls will love your shopping suggestions.

Still on dinner recommendations -- Would love to hear from someone who has tried DaRosina on 46th Street.

Or any other restaurant recommendations????

Kiddo

I just had a look at the website for Tony's DiNapoli Restaurant and it looks good too. Does anyone know how it compares to DaRosina (favourably/unfavourably?).

Also, I understand that parking for the Belvedere Hotel is about a block from the hotel, but I haven't been able to speak directly with the hotel to get specific directions. Can anyone tell me where exactly the parking lot is located? As this is our first trip to NYC, the last thing we want to be doing is circling the block looking for parking!!

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Gekko

Tony's is a NYC institution; I've never heard of DaRosina (and I eat out in Manhattan 5-7 nights/week). So that should tell you something.

(As an aside, the original Tony's, on Second Avenue at 83rd St., is one of Mayor Rudy's favorite restaurants. I've seen him twice dining there with his son -- on the sidewalk with plenty of security.)

Kiddo

Thanks Gekko -- Tony's it is!!!

Now if someone can point me in the right direction for parking for the Belvedere Hotel, we'd be all set.

We leave on Thursday and can't wait!!

BAK

It's mostly a boring drive, and longer than you might think.

Consider a circle route. Toronto - Fort Erie -- Buffalo -- NY Thruway - Syracuse .... Manhatten

Come back via Syracuse, then up to Watertown, and then to the Ivy Lee Bridge over the St. Lawrence, and home from Kingston on the 401.

Syracuse to Manhatten is a question. You can take the boring Thruway, and get the job done, or head through the country and the small towns and approach Manhatten from New Jersey.
My only trips were via the Thruway, coming into Manhatten from the east side of the Hudson River so that I arrived on the upper east side of Manhatten. Other travellers loke to arrive on the west side of the Hudson, crossing over a bridge to the Upper West Side of Manhatten.

Manhatten is not a scary place to drive in, for people used to Toronto. Just imagine Adelaide Street or Richmond, at rush hour.

Think about why you want to see in NY shows that are coming to Toronto soon. I think that includes Chicago and The Producers. Maybe you want to see something you can't see at home.

My favorite hotel is the Hotel Wales, on the upper part of the Upper East Side. That makes it a longish cab ride (or bus, subway) from Broiadway theatres, but it's a great neighborhood, close to the Metropolitan Museum, etc. In Toronto terms, geographically it's like staying at the Howard Johnsons or the other hotels on Avenue Road north of The Four Seasons, with the theatres down on King or lower Yonge Street.

The Hotel Wales has a roof top suite that you'd like Living room with fold out couch, kitchen, and bedroom. Youtake the elevator to the top floor of the hotel, leave the hall to the outdoors, walk across the roof a few feet, and into the suite. You can look over the rooftops of nearby buildings to Fifth Avenue and Central Park. Hotel in on Madison Avenue.

Nice lounge (not a bar) in the hotel with breakfast, classical music in the afternoon, generally small and classy and not expensive and, all in all, a good place. I was told about it by the editor of Toronto Life, if that makes a good reference.
BAK

lisettemac

Kiddo -- Tony's is a great choice for your family. I didn't realize they had a Times Square outpost now, but used to go to the Upper East Side location often. The food is family style and is "red-sauce" Italian, so you will find something the teens will like. My family loves the chicken scarpiello -- takes a little longer to cook, but it's delicious!

For shopping, you should also take the teens to Century 21 (designer discounts) and/or to H&M. Century 21 is downtown by the former WTC site. It can be overwhelming since there's lots of stuff, but there are definitely bargains to be found. H&M is more a teeny-bopper scene with lots of trendy outfits at extremely reasonable prices. It is located on 5th Ave around 50th street (or so).

You will most likely be able to get tickets for Chicago at the TKTS booth (although Melanie Griffith just started in it and she's getting great reviews), but for Hairspray and the Producers you'll want advance tickets.

mclaurie

Parking info

Don't know which garage the Belvedere uses but your best bet is to go to the hotel first, drop your luggage & the rest of your family & get directions to the garage from the doorman. They may have valet service for an extra charge where they'll take the car for you. HOWEVER, the website says the parking rate is $20-35 (probably depends on size of car). You might want to check iconparking.com They have garages all over the city & can be much less $. You type in your arrival & departure dates, the address of your hotel & then they give you prices for your total stay of all their garages in the area.

More restaurant info

Don't know if anyone has mentioned that 46th st between 8th & 9th aves. (just 2 1/2 blocks from your hotel) is called Restaurant Row. Lots of good choices. Joe Allen is a pub style place with good, reasonably priced American food for lunch or dinner. Also, Becco is a pasta place with a $21.95 all you can eat dinner. You need a reservation because it's very popular.

There's also good, affordable Thai in your neighborhood. Seeda Thai on 50th betw 8th & 9th and Siam Inn on 8th betw 51-52. Or the 2 Wondee Siams on 9th ave betw 52-53 and 53-54.

Another lunch idea- Terrace in the Sky is a beautiful, fancy restaurant at the top of an apartment building with great views of the city all the way uptown near Columbia University. Your daughters might enjoy seeing the area. They have a $20.03 lunch special.

Another fun place that's inexpenisve is the 79th St Boat Basin at 79th & the Hudson River. It's outside, great views & very young. The food isn't great (BBQ, burgers) but a fun experience.

The Soup Kitchen International on 55th betw Broadway & 8th is Seinfeld's soup Nazi place.

Hell's Kitchen on 9th ave betw 46-47 is a popular, good, Mexican. It's small with long lines.

Finally, on driving, on my one road trip to Toronto, coming back to NY, I got a speeding ticket on the Thruway just past Buffalo despite the fact I wasn't going any faster than anybody else. So be careful! Have a great trip.

Mary317

When we were in NYC last June a local told us of DaRosina's. She and a friend had just discovered it and highly recommended it. Prix fix dinners were great, about $22 and that included dessert and coffee. Met other locals there along with theatre groups. The atmosphere and service were terrific. We really enjoyed it all and would recommend DaRosina's hightly.