Hello fellow travellers

You have been very kind giving me some great advice regarding my daughter who is going on exchange for 6 months to Rutgers University law schooland I thank you.

Now I have a dilemma which I would like to share with you and get your feedback.

The issue is whether to to stop in NYC for few days or just keep going to Europe.

The positives are that I am finally taking up my 50th birthday present which is a oneworld ticket(business class)starting from Sydney- on a solo journey.My first stop is LA, where my father now lives so will be staying with him and his wife for a week or so. Then onto Istanbul, Warsaw, Hong Kong and back to Sydney.

I hate long flights so was thinking of breaking the journey by stopping in NYC for three-four days.Last time I was there was with the whole family in 2001 and I did not get to see the things I wanted to see e.g the Met.

BUT on the negative side prices in NYC seem to have gone crazy re accommodation.(In 2001 we stayed at Beacon Hotel Upper West side) There is also the hassle of clearing customs, taxis and the like. Yet there is also the break in the journey plus a great opportunity to experience NYS sans spouse and the children.

So is early/mid Septemeber stopover in NYC a good use of time and resources ($) or should I grit my teeth and push on to Europe?

Are there any hotels you know of for a solo fem which will not bust the rest of my trip? Is $150 per night doable or pie in the sky?
Always, and for no rational reason was fascinated by Brooklyn - how would I get there and what would I see/experience?

a.) You would get to Brooklyn via subway. It's super easy. You can get there in minutes from Manhattan. There is lots to see there, just look in a guide book or google. Posters will help here, too, with stuff to do there.

b.) I'm of the opinion that if you have a 1 percent hankering to go to a cool place, you should go. You'll regret the things you don't do, not the things you do.

c.) I'm not a NYC hotel expert, but you can find a place for 150, I bet. Just don't have extremely high expectations or needs.

I totally agree with Two; when will you have this opportunity again?
pls post what dates you are thinking of being in NYC so we can further help you.
You can visit NYC w/o dropping a bundle w/much advance preparation.

There are bed and breakfasts in NY that are far more reasonable than the hotels. I think the organization can be found under NYb&bs or something like that. Last I checked, 2 months ago, rooms could be had for about $175 a night.

Good luck!

We had good luck with Priceline in NYC on the weekend. Not such good luck during the week - couldn't win a bid.

We got the Millenium Hilton, which overlooks the World Trade Center. Nice hotel, although the area is very quiet on the weekend, which probably explains why it was available on Priceline.

Have fun on your trip. It sounds like it will be an amazing experience!

You can stay in the Pod Hotel in Manhattan for $150 per night for a tiny yet stylish room if you are willing to share a bath. You might also be able to stay at the Vanderbilt YMCA for your budget (again, with shared bath); it's in a very good location in east Midtown not far from the Pod Hotel. Otherwise, there are relatively few acceptable options in your price range. Priceline is a very good suggestion, but you will rarely get a deal this far out. If you decide to stop over, make your reservation in NYC now and then cancel later if you find something better (you could even try Priceline right before you leave LA and see if anything pops up, assuming you can still cancel without penalty). The average hotel room in NYC costs over $300 per night now, so you are talking about something super-cheap unless you get a deal.

If you are coming from LA, then there will be no customs, so that's not really an issue, and you can easily get to the Airport for $7 to $10 if you take the Airtrain along with the subway or Long Island Rail Road. This is even the fastest and most convenient option (in my opinion) for JFK unless you have a lot of luggage.

And you can easily get to Rutgers to visit your daughter if you want (assuming she's still there when you come through NYC).

If you don't like long flights, (the ticket is basically paid for whether you stop or not, yes?) and your daughter is in NJ (and you won't see her for how long if you don't stop?), I don't see there is a decision here. You'd be penny wise and pound foolish I think not to stop.

There are dozens of ways to get an inexpensive hotel room, some of which have been mentioned in this thread. Staying in a b & b or hotel in Brooklyn is yet another idea (but not one I'd recommend). Some other ideas:

>nyhabitat.com is a reliable apartment agent who might be able to provide a private apt.

>staythenight.com is a b & b on the upper east side (nearish the Met) that might be within your budget.

>http://www.thegracieinn.com/room.htm is another possible option.

>citylightsnewyork.com does hosted apt. stays (you stay with someone in their apt. but have your own bedroom and often bathroom).

August hotel prices are usually MUCH cheaper than Sept. so if your dates are flexible, consider that.

First - yes definitely stop in NYC and see what you want ths time.

I don;t know if you can get a hotel room for $150 a night then - since it's the start of high season - but hotels in NYC aren't going to be any more than those in europe - given the miserable state of the dollar.

Suggest you look at areas other than midtown, and check out travelzoo and kayak.com to see what you can get that is cancelable. Then look for what you might find on Priceline.

(And yes - prices were much lower in 2001 - partly due to normal inflation, partly due to recovery from 9/11, partly due to tons more travelers - foreign and US - doing NYC instead of europe due to drop in dollar - and also several very large hotels switching to condos - which are much more profitable.)

Many thanks for your encouragement and useful information. My daughter will be long gone from Rutgers but I have decided to go ahead and break my journey in New York.

All booked and I will be there end of September - must check out if there are any interesting theatre and syphony performances on at that time!

Try Radio City Apartments we stayed there April this year for
$ 150.00 per night plus taxes. It's right in the heart of things, close to Times Square and the theatres. It's a nice enough hotel, not luxurious by any means but not a dump either. You need to book now though I think we booked about 6 months in advance.
www.radiocityapartments.com

Just checked obviously September is more expensive than April, rooms seem to be $ 250.00 per night in September.

August Osage is a drama on Broadway getting rave reviews. If it's still playing, definitely worth seeing. You can usually get discounts at the TKTS booths (info at tdf.org/tkts) or with a discount code from broadwaybox.com

For concerts check lincolncenter.org closer to your trip.

mclaurie- you are a veritable treasure trove of terrific information so I will ask another question. Is there a publication about what is on in NYC? Is there an area where emerging artists and craftsmen gather/have galleries? I like glass,paintings and textiles.

oops that was two questions - no doubt there will be others.

Hope you all have peaceful Christmas and that 2008 is good to all travellers. Here in Sydney we are sweltering with temperatures reaching thirties yesterday( your nineties)

Publications about what is on in NYC:
Time Out New York
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/ViewS...tionId=theater
The New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/to...4/toc_20071217
New York Magazine
nymag.com
all have listings. Here's a website I found with lots of good links
http://www.december.com/places/nyc/events.html

Emerging artists...I don't think there's one particular geographic area. There have been open studio tours in past years (in the fall) Here's info from a year or 2 ago that will show the sheer numbers and how spread out they are
http://www.isupportart.org/LMag_EAI.pdf

You'll see a concentration in Brooklyn and particularly Williamsburgh and Red Hook which has been more affordable for artists' space. In Manhattan, Chelsea and Soho both have a lot of galleries but not specifically emerging artists.

There is an annual Art Expo but that takes place in Feb/March. There are "outsider art" shows but they all seem to fall in the Jan-March period.


The new location of the Museum of Art and Design might be open in time for your visit.
http://www.madmuseum.org/site/c.drKL....BD62/Home.htm