NY for a long weekend
 

I am planning a trip to NYC in the fall. I have not been there in years. I would be flying in either from MIA or ORD, I will need transportation into the city. There would be 4 adults Ages from 36 to 66 traveling together. We will need a hotel. And would like to see the regular tourist sites. (One of us has never been there) Perhaps a Broadway play as well.

I have come to rely on all of my well traveled" Friends of the Forums" for help. Only once or twice did any of you stir me wrong.

I would get a private car to take you into the city. I've used the train (endless and tiresome)and taxis but a car service is worth the money in my opinion. Where in the city would you like to stay? Midtown is a good area for the regular sights and we've stayed at the Library Hotel. Good location, not too expensive. The rooms are SMALL but very pretty, the bathrooms are large. There is a theme (books, obviously) and it's pretty charming. Has a rooftop deck/bar. Free continental breakfast in a very nice room. It is very close to the NY Public Library (with the lions out front) and around the corner from Bryant Park.

With 4 people I would definitely get a car service in from the sirport. Check out Dial 7 and Carmel web sites to see what coupons they have - and do remember that the price they quote is plus bridge or tunnel toll and 20% tip (of fare - not toll).

Exactly when are you coming. Fall is high season there - an for hotel recs you need to give us a budget and what type/how many rooms you are looking for.

And I would start checking out discount sites now to see what your options are.

I would need 2 rooms. As for price, I recently traveled to Europe and the rooms were between $250.00 and $500.00. I would imagine that is what I should expect for mid priced hotels.

Since it has been many years since I have been in NY and I was with small children, I am not certain where would be the best location for 4 adults.

Looking forward to more suggestions.

from above:

Exactly when are you coming. Fall is high season there - an for hotel recs you need to give us a budget and what type/how many rooms you are looking for.

Are you going to all be in the same hotel room?

First I'll urge that if you're travelling from Miami and will have a car, seriously consider flying from Ft. Lauderdale airport (FLL) as it's smaller and a lot saner than the Miami airport and not that far. Airfare prices are usually better too. Jetblue.com is one good option for an airline.

For travelling from the airport, it really depends on which NYC area airport you arrive at. From JFK, it's a fixed price into Manhattan by taxi. There are larger taxis that will fit 4 plus luggage. You can get a car service like dial7.com or allstatelimo.com who will likely send a minivan and charge a bit more which may be more comfortable. From Newark you definitely want a car service. From LGA, it depends on time of day you land. There isn't a fixed price for taxis from LGA so rush hour can cause the meter to go higher while a car service will have a fixed price (plus any tolls and a tip)

Hotel prices in the fall are quite expensive so if your dates are flexible, you should check a few different weekends. There's no one best location for everyone and the tourist sites are pretty spread out. If you intend on using one of the bus tours and want to be on walking distance of that and the theaters, the west 50's a a good location but honestly I'd go for best value for money or something that has whatever amenities you want. There's a new hotel scheduled to open in Nov. called the Viceroy on west 57th st that looks very nice and is a great location...but late openings of hotels are common so I might also book a backup if you decide on that.
http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/newyork

The Michelangelo is a hotel I like for location, large rooms and good service. It's not new (furnishings a bit dated) but very civilized. The HKhotels.com are all well regarded and known for service. For something newer, the Distrikt is often good value for money although its location while convenient is a bit gritty.

I just booked this week with The Mansfield for Oct 16 - 21 for average of $283 per night. It has gone up in a matter of days - was $275. I have looked at car service and from LGA its $34.