isabellasmom

Hello

Another mom and myself would like to take our daughters for a weekend to NYC. We live in Boston and will be driving over. We need hotel recommendations, things to do, and where to eat.

I have looked into some hotels and am amazed at costs (even though we are from Boston)and was wondering if staying in NJ and having a train ride into the city might be an option. Please provide hotel information please.

Thank you.

Anonymous

Oh, what fun! Look into some of the budget suite places, like Murray Hill East Suites or Radio City Apartments. Also, there's a hotel (Super 8?) near Times Square that has free parking, I'm sure you can search for it. Hotels are very strict about the fire-law limits on occupancy; don't play games with these.

With the holidays coming, hotel prices will climb until just a few days before Christmas, so the sooner you go, probably the better rates you'll get. Another possibility is Priceline, though you'd have to get two rooms.

You can stay in NJ, especially if you can walk to the PATH subway system, which has several useful stops in lower Manhattan, as far north as 34th Street. But I would strongly recommend that you stay in Manhattan if at all possible, since that's part of the whole experience.


My daughter enjoyed the American Girl store on Fifth Avenue and some of the fancy stores near it. Down in SoHo, check out Pearl River, Kate's Paperie, and the assorted little shops.

One museum and one show are requirements, of course. The Frick is good for a nice, manageable visit, especially if they're the sort who will fantasize living there. The Museum of Natural History is very different from Boston's Museum of Science, so also worthwhile.

ggreen

My 9-yo niece loves the Costume Institute and the period rooms at the Met, and also likes the American Museum of Natural History. Near the latter, Popover Cafe is a consistent hit for lunch with my niece and nephew. Or Cafe Lalo for desserts etc. (The nat history museum also has a decent cafeteria; the Met's is similar but IMO not as good...)

Downtown, the Tenement Museum is terrific (guided tours enacted by tour guides); Two Boots *restaurant* on Avenue A is great for kids and adults (the "two boots" are Italy and Louisiana!); Rice to Riches might be fun - or could be a little wierd if they're not adventurous eaters(!).

lizziea06

Cafe Lalo is FANTASTIC, and it's very easy to get to after the Museum of Natural History. If you've seen "You Got Mail", one of the scenes was filmed there. Another great restaurant with American food in the same neighborhood is Fred's. The whole place is dog-themed with "autographed" photos of neighborhood dogs. The girls would have a blast looking at all the pictures.

There's also a restaurant in the E. Village called S'Mac, which only serves mac and cheese in different flavors.

doug_stallings

Unless you stay in a hotel that is connected or near a PATH station in NJ, it's not really worthwhile to stay there. The commute is expensive and time-consuming. Though there are advocates for NJ hotels there on this Board, I still haven't been convinced. The real problem with the hotels near the PATH train is that they are not much cheaper than hotels in Manhattan, which makes them a bad deal, in my opinion.

A better alternative is the Comfort Inn Long Island City in Queens, which is usually well under $200 a night and right next to several subway lines (it's also less than $20 in cabfare from most parts of Midtown if you are out late).

You don't say when you want to come down, but I'm assuming it's before Christmas. This is the most expensive time of the year to stay in NYC, so expect to pay no less than $350 a night for a decent hotel, though there is a chance you'll find something cheaper, but don't count on it. At this time of the year, Priceline doesn't usually help much because hotels are fully booked. It's worth a try, though. Look at hotels in the Wall Street area, which sometimes have decent weekend rates at this time of the year (try the Embassy Suites or Millennium Hilton way downtown). The Chelsea Savoy isn't horribly expensive and is in a convenient area.

Apple Core Hotels is the city's best chain of "moderately priced" hotels, but even these are no great savings during the Fall. Affinia suite hotels are also a good deal, but usually not cheaper than $350 during this time of the year.

nytraveler

Leading up to the holidays even the budget applecore group is usually more than $300 per night. You might do better if you look away from Times Square/Midtown - downtown (Embassy Suites sometimes has good rates on weekends) or on the upper west side - which is also good for letting the kids be kids - exploring Central Park, the zoo and the playgrounds - assuming the weather isn;t too bad.

You're also near the Museum of Natural History and the Met (I'm sure they'll love something there - per haps the Costume Institute or the Egyptian section).

For something very basic but safe and clean you might want to look at the Newton. Also - since this is a residential area you can park your car on the street (carefully following the alternate side of the street cleaning rules) which will save you about $40 per night in parking fees. For something nicer try On the Ave, the Lucerne, the Belleclaire, Beacon etc.

Also- have you had a look at Quikbook to see what they're ofering?

Elainee

Don't forget the Central Park Zoo. My 10 year old grandaughter went there this week and loved it!!! Very intimate with the penguins and the birds in the RainForest (all indoors). Lunch at Becco was a hit! She ate all three kinds of pasta including ravioli with green stuff inside. Usually she wants boiled penne with a little butter and grated cheese on the side. Wicked was also perfect..the themes were made for elementary school kids. We would have liked the ferry to the Statue of Liberty but ran out of time. She was staying at the Pierre but when her flight was cancelled ended up at the Comfort Inn in Queens with her mother. They had a jacucci next to the bed...she thought it was the best hotel ever.

Elainee

One more thing...don't stay in Queens. By the time the girls do the subway into Manhattan you will have lost too much time and attention.

skatedancer

Dylan's Candy Bar, unbelievable candy store across street from Bloomingdale's.

Believe it or not, a top attraction is scrambling around the rocks in Central Park! They're in the lower third of the park, I'd say and the kids love climbing around on these big rock faces. The park is worth going to anyway; zoo, carousel, pond with radio control boats, etc.