Hello,

I am planning a quick weekend up to NYC (by train from Baltimore) with my mom from May 12 - May 15th. I would like some hotel recommendations for us. We would like to visit Central Park, the garment district, shopping (maybe Soho) and a museum or two while we are there - along with whatever else we can squeeze in. I would love for us to stay in Central Park but have a feeling the hotels would be out of our price range (hoping to stay around $200 a night, wishful thinking right? ).

What other area would be good/safe for 2 single ladies traveling? Also keeping in mind that mom is 73 and we would like to keep the walking to a minimum (if possible) I know we will need to rely heavily on mass transit. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

We recently stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on 45th at 5th Ave. We paid less than $200 a night but I checked your dates and it's now $225 including breakfast.
The rooms are small but very comfortable with marble bathroom and modern neutral decor (it's a new hotel! opened late last year) and it's conveniently located.

Well you can;t stay IN Central Park at all. You might be able to get something near Central Park South on Priceline for that - but be sure to bid only 4*. If you haven't done this before check out biddingfortravl.com or betterbidding.com.

Alternatively you can look at other areas - you can get better deals on the upper west side or downtown than in midtown. Hotel Newton - a very basic place near Central Park, lots of great inexpensive restaurants and good access to transit (subways and buses) gets good reviews and should be in your price range.

As far as safety - all tourist ares of NYC are safe.

Not sure what you mean by the garment district. This usually refers to the areas where the dsigners workshops, salesrooms to the trade etc are - although they sometimes have sample sales. Check out the web sites of New York Magazine or Time Out New York for info.

If you just mean shopping - it depends on what you want - for you or mom or both and budget. Traditional department stores range from Macy's on 34th up Fifth Ave to Bloomies on 59th & Lex. You'll find more trendy stuff and some discount places downtown. Assume you're not looking for designer labels.

Looking on quikbook.com for those dates, the Millenium UN Plaza is $199 for those nights. It's very nice with an enclosed swimming pool on the roof and some nice views, but not as centrally located as some others. It's certainly the best option at your budget. The Algonquin is a bit more, much more central location, LOVELY hotel with lots of history but the rooms are small and a bit dated (with small bathrooms). The Beekman Tower is also around the same price, very nice, large room with a small kitchen, but in a similar location to UN Plaza, near the UN. The Belvedere is a good budget hotel in the Times Square area.

I was about to post that the Belvedere can no longer be called a budget hotel based on some recent postings here. But I see for your dates they have a room with two double beds for $234 a night on Friday and Saturday, and $174 on Sunday and Monday. Not sure if you're staying through or leaving on the 15th.

Check www.biddingfortravel.com. You can probably get a 3 star hotel for around $115 a night.

Wow, thank you for the quick responses! And for the different website recommendations. I will do my research and make a decision very soon (time is flying by). Thanks again, I will let you know how the trip goes upon our return.

Does Priceline still not guarantee two beds? Do daughter and mom want to share a bed?

Thanks all, I decided on the Belvedere. Thanks again for your help!

Priceline guarantees a room for 2, but it does not guarantee 2 beds.

If mom and daughter don't mind sharing, priceline is a great option. Even without priceline, many hotel rooms in NYC are single-bedded.