New York - Hotel good for solo female traveller
 

I am going to NY city this weekend Sept 12-15 as a get-away gift to myself. I am a Female travelling alone, so I want to be sure I get a safe
place to stay. I plan to shop, head to the Garment district, catch a Broadway show and enjoy the sites. Any hotel suggestions? Should I try Priceline considering I will not know where I could land and since I am travelling alone is that an issue? What hotels do you suggest.

I would definitely recommend Priceline. I always book with either Hotwire or Priceline. I try Hotwire first as I've been more thrilled with the hotels, but I've been ever more thrilled with Priceline rates. See www.biddingfortravel.com and read the Hotel FAQ's before bidding. Ask for assistance - the help is no nonsense but essential if you're new at bidding. With either, you can spend the (substantial) difference on dining and shopping.

Midtown/Times Square are fine no matter what hotel you "land".

Or, check out the Algonquin. The location is our favorite - on 44th between Times Square and Fifth Avenue. It's imtimate and comfortable with extremely friendly service. The Blue Bar and Lobby Lounge are comfortable spots for relaxing and enjoying your favorite libation or a light meal. The Round Table room offers a terrific breakfast experience (or lunch and dinner too for that matter). Though steps from Times Square, it's quiet and seems a world away, with Fifth Avenue half a block in the other direction (read Shopping). (You could get lucky and get the Algonquin on Hotwire or Priceline - I think, but I'm not sure, it's a 3*.)

Sign up quickly at playbill.com, broadwaybox.com, theatermania.com for discount on Broadway show tickets.

Highly recommend a two-day pass on the Gray Line hop on/hop off double deckers IF the weather is splendid (they've added Brooklyn to the "loops"). Best way to enjoy the tall buildings and all the neighborhoods. Hop off in an appealing neighborhood (we usually hop off in Greenwich Village/SoHo and hop back on on Broadway) for shopping and a relaxing repast (highly recommend Bistro Les Amis).

As a female traveling alone, I have felt perfectly comfortable at the Comfort Inn Midtown (the only all-nonsmoking hotel in Manhattan) and at the Courtyard by Mariott Midtown East.

I paid $75 per night for the latter place, winning it on Priceline last month. It's the only 2.5* hotel in Midtown East that anybody has reported winning in months (see www.biddingfortravel.com).

I've heard that the Jolly hotel (MTE?) is female-managed and -oriented.

I agree that the Grayline's two-day all-loops hop-on-hop-off tour is a great introduction. And the all-day subway pass is the best buy in NY.

Do you think since this is the week of 9/11 and I plan to arrive 9/12 I will a problem getting good accomodations if I do Priceline or Hotwire?

It seems from what I read that Priceline will give me a better $$ deal but Hotwire will give me a better quality hotel. Is that correct? I will read the biddingfortravel info but just wondering has anyone here had any negatives with either priceline or Hotwire I should be aware of? I am very excited about this trip so want to be sure of everything. I will be arriving by train at Penn station. Is it also realistic to get a cab from there to any of the hotels that these bidding sites may offer or will they say it is too close? (silly questions maybe, just asking)

I have never heard that Hotwire would give you a better quality of hotel. This makes no sense, since you can bid for whatever quality level (stars) you choose. It is true, however, that each system has its own star ratings, and a specific hotel might not get the same rating from both sites.

Cabs are not permitted to turn down fares because of the nearness or any other aspect of the destination; many rides in NYC are very short. However, you might not need a cab, since the subway system is so thorough, especially in the midtown areas where hotels are prevalent. For instance, there is a subway stop literally across the street from the Courtyard (which I mentioned above) for a line that goes directly to Penn Station, which I found very convenient!

Cabs are usually plentiful at Penn but I once arrived at 4 PM on a rainy weekday to find no cabs and a line of 100 people waiting; the cabs' shift change is around 4 - 5 PM, so that time period can be tight.

Check your other post, too.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34444881

Taking the subway to the hotel may or may not be a good option depending on whether you pack light or not. If it's raining out just take the subway - cabs are really tough to get in the rain. if there'sa long line at the cabstand outside Penn Station just go to the backside of the station on 8th Ave and catch one on the street - much easier.

Any of the Priceline and Hotwire zones will be fine for a solo female traveler - all are in well traveled central parts of Manhattan. Just to clarify - in many cases Hotwire assigns higher star ratings to hotels than Priceline does, e.g. what Hotwire may call a 3* might be a 2.5* on Priceline. This is not necessarily true across the board but often happens. As a general rule, if intelligent bidding procedures are followed, one can usually get comparbale hotels for about 20-25% cheaper on PL than on Hotwire. In addition to checking www.bidding for travel I strongly encourage checking www.betterbidding.com - in addition to havign a bidding tips sections that is less cryptic and easier to understand than BFT's is, they have an area where people post Hotwire hotel and bid info (BFT is strictly PL stuff).

Well I did it. I went on Hotwire and made a selection. I think I did well.
I got the Sheraton Manhatten at 7th & 51st for $111.

Can anyone offer some feedback on this location?

And thanks to all for your informative postings.

The Sheraton is in a wonderful location for what you want to do. You can walk to the theater. I don't know what you intend to do in the garment district (7th ave in the 30's) as it's mostly closed on the weekend. If you mean shopping, Saks is at 5th & 50th st (a short walk) & H & M is a great, inexpensive clothing shop with a branch also at 5th & 50th.

The Sheraton is a large hotel. If you get to stay in the towers, you might get a good view. Enjoy your stay.

mclaurie..to answer your question in terms of the Garment District, a friend has told me of some wholesalers who sell retail there. Re the Sat/Sun garment area closing ttime that is not a problem because I will have all day Friday and all Day Monday as I am arriving Fri AM and only leaving NY Mon night. The other shopping areas/stores I can do Sat/Sun.
I am glad to hear the Sheraton is a good hotel for the area.

Thanks for the clarification, miz. Hope you find lots of bargains!

Now for your cab question, be aware Penn Station runs an entire city block & has entrances on 7th ave. which is a downtown st. & 8th ave which runs uptown. Since you want to go uptown (from 33rd to 51st) you might try to exit on the 8th ave side so when you hail the cab, you'll be going in the right direction. If you don't manage to do that, the cab will just have to go down a bit in order to turn.

Miz, if by chance you can't get a cab by 8th Ave, you can take the C train from inside Penn Station a mere 2 stops and that will leave you on the corner of 50th and 8th, 2 blocks away.
Depending on how much you're carrying, this could be an option, however the weather is supposed to be nice all week, mainly in the 70's.

Also depending on how old you are and what you want to check out at night, I could give you a whole list of suggestions, or get you on some guest lists to some of the in parties!

Wow! Thanks so much for the tips. I really appreciate it.

That's a great price on the hotel - if I recall correctly there are two Sheratons there - the NY and the Manhattan. The on on the east side of 7th Ave is a bit nicer but at $111 you got a steal - that's a GREAT price in a very good location. Also.... if I recall correctly you can get even closer to the hotel by taking the E train - I think it gets you to the corner of 50th and 7th or thereabouts.

Ah Miz, forgot to mention....you will be here in time for the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy. How some us locals describe it is a big block party with people selling food and wares, but I can imagine it being pretty interesting for a tourist. It's basically all Italian food, and knick knacks such as jewelry, music CD's, clothing and the like for sale by various street vendors. However it does get EXTREMELY crowded, especially at night. If you need more info on this, email me at [email protected]....

Also Owen, the E train would leave her on 57th and 7th, a few blocks north. The other option would be the 1 or 9 trains which would leave her at 50th and Broadway. However, the 1 and 9 trains are closer to the 7th Ave entrance, and the C train is by the 8th Ave. one.

Miz, if you are coming in for the weekend, I would say train it for the entire time unless you want to take cabs or are lugging a lot of bags from shopping. ;-) You can get a Metrocard daily pass for $7 or if you want to splurge, get a weekly pass for $21. The train and bus fare is now $2 (ugh!) so just thought I'd give you the fair warning!

Ok so just trying to understand your posts re the subway...they are either by numbers or letters? C, E train,... 1, 9 train....is it pretty self explanatory in the station where to catch them & which direction I would take them? I know you said Uptown so will it say that?

I think the subway pass is a good idea. I checked out the NY Transist website and see that it gives me unlimited use.

Seems like the evenings may be cool. would I look silly if i wore a leather jacket at night? Are people wearing leather now. What about even leather pants now in NYC?

Not yet on the leather. In fact, most of my Manhattan neighborhood refuses to give up on summer (perhaps because it didn't start until July).

And yes, the subways are either numbers or letters, colored by line for your convenience.

miz,

congrats for your winning bid. I agree with everybody that the location is as good as it can get for your purposes.

As there seems to be some confusion regarding the Sheratons: There are in fact two of them, basically right opposite of each other. The Sheraton Manhattan is the smaller one of the two on the Western side of the street. In contrast to the New York Sheraton it does have a pool, as I recall, so you might want to bring some bathing suit!
Enjoy your trip
hsv

OK, I know this will just confuse you further, but I couldn't sit by and let you think the E train would leave you at either 50th or 57th Street. The actual E train stop is at 7th Avenue and 53rd Street, which is very close to the Sheraton and very easy from Penn Station.

Inside Penn Station look for signs to the E train uptown. Make sure you get on the train with an E on it because there are other trains stopping in the same place. Get off at the Seventh Avenue stop.

Some subways are numbered and some have letters; it depends on their history. The E train is the former IND Eighth Avenue line. Get a subway map as soon as you arrive and it will all become clear.