NYC at Christmas gift for 24 year old
 

Would like to surprise daughter(24),a very accomplished dancer with a trip to NYC. Need advice on
1)good reasonable hotel(prefer to spend the money on tickets)
2)shows you have enjoyed seeing lately and would recommend.
We are frequent visitors to London so just love going to shows and don't mind repeating what we have seen

As a dancer, she definitely would enjoy Movin' Out, which is all dancing. And, depending on when she is coming, the American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet might be performing at Lincoln Center. Both are certainly worth seeing.

I should think she might enjoy the Rockette's Christmas Show. It is world famous.

When traveling to NY as a single woman, I enjoy the security of The Renaissance Times Square hotel. Its not always cheap, but it is a great location for shows (savings on taxi fares) as you can walk to all the theaters. On our last trip we stayed at The Blakely, a bit further up, but still a nice little boutique hotel. The Times is a good location and quite "hip". The rooms are very small, but nicely done for a single.

Take a look at QuikBook.com or Express Reservations for hotel deals and a good location map. Don't know if you meant that she should go to NY at Christmas time (ie. Dec) but we have found that a trip the first week of January (immediately after New Year's) to be a good deal -- savings on hotels, shows, and the Christmas decor hasn't been removed just yet.

Oooops, just remembered that Movin' Out closes on December 11. So, that's out.

I would definitely do the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center - a much better choice than the Christmas Show for someone serious about dance. And ABT or NYC Ballet may have other things on - as do some of the modern dance roups. Also - check the Lincoln Center website - they often offer backstage tours - which I think she would love.

If you do a search above on budget hotels in NYC you will find a lot of recos - and I would check those and reserve immediately. (Radio City Apartments comes up frequently and allows you to save some money by doing at least breakfast in the room.)

If those don;t have availability I would try to get something lined up via Priceline (but be aware the room will probably only have one bed) since this is the most expensive time of year in the city - and decent rooms under $300 are hard to come by.