nyc lodging alternatives
Dec 28th, 2001, 03:50 AM
#1
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nyc lodging alternatives
Never been to the Apple,taking wife and kids in June. Probably want to avoid driving in city. Driving down from Boston, staying for a few days and then continuing on to D.C.. Where do I drop off car(Budget), stay (New Jersey?) and how do I get into city. On budget so we dont mind staying at the lower end chain motels (motel 6 econolodge etc.) Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated, places to see and especially eat
Dec 28th, 2001, 05:03 AM
#2
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Hi Brian, I think that staying in NJ would be a waste of time and a pain in the neck if you want to visit NYC for a few days.You would want to stay near a tunnel or bridge,the hotels are not great there,then take public transport each time,changing trains/buses,you would spend a lot of time just getting back and forth, and without a car, you wouldn't do much in NJ either..best bet,stay in the most affordable place in the city..There will be plenty of helpful people with ideas for budget hotels..and once you are in the city,you can drop off the car and not have to drive.
Dec 28th, 2001, 05:31 AM
#3
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NJgirl is correct. I live in north NJ close to the city but used to visit NYC prior to living here. I tried staying in NJ and taking public transport in and out - it was inconvenient and costly. Chain motels in NJ close to the city are much pricier than they are in other areas. E.g. the Red Roof Inn in Secaucus will likely cost $100-120 per night plus taxes. You can probably find a suitable hotel in NYC for $120 if you shop around. The experience for all of you including the kids will be much more complete and fun by staying in the city (I know from experience). Check the Radio City Apartments. It's a clean and decent suites type hotel in a very good location a few short block from the theatre district. The decor etc. is akin to an older chain motel but it's quite acceptable. We paid about $120 per night for a room that had dining area, kitchenette and double futron for the kids plus a bedroom for the adults. You'll need to get more specific on places to eat but a key factor is getting out of the main tourist areas. Times Square has mostly chain restaurants but head a few blocks over to 9th Ave and you'll have lots to choose from at reasonable prices.
Dec 28th, 2001, 05:57 AM
#4
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We've been there twice, from Boston, in the past year or so, and we've driven both times. We've driven right into the city and parked at the hotels. The first hotel we stayed at, near Carnegie Hall, gave us some great directions, which we followed also the second time we went, when we stayed on Broadway at the Crowne Plaza. I'm pasting them in here, because they worked so well and we really had no traffic at all:
Alternate Rt: Take 684 South [from Connecticut] into the Hutchinson River Parkway South to Cross County Parkway going West to the Saw Mill River Parkway South. The Saw Mill becomes the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York City. Proceed South on the Parkway until the 56th Street exit, which is an exit on the left.
Of course, these will work only if you stay in the Times Square area, which I recommend highly. I don't know how big your family is--can you all fit in one hotel room, or do you need a suite? If you can fit in one room, try to stay in a central location so you can really get the feel for New York. If you're in Times Square, you can easily walk to shows (both theaters and movies) as well as to, say, Rockefeller Center. It's also easy to get public buses to take you around other areas--or even to take a long walk down Fifth Ave. to Central Park.
I made lots of reservations both times, and kept checking discount hotel sites for better deals. I think we carried about four reservations each time until the last few days, when we found great last-minute deals via the Internet.
I recall that we used travelweb.com the first time and hoteldiscounts.com the second time. Note, though, that in both cases what worked best for us was getting the info online and then calling the service's toll-free number to go over details--availability of rollaway bed, for instance. And be sure to print out your e-mail confirmation and take it with you.
Hope this helps!
Alternate Rt: Take 684 South [from Connecticut] into the Hutchinson River Parkway South to Cross County Parkway going West to the Saw Mill River Parkway South. The Saw Mill becomes the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York City. Proceed South on the Parkway until the 56th Street exit, which is an exit on the left.
Of course, these will work only if you stay in the Times Square area, which I recommend highly. I don't know how big your family is--can you all fit in one hotel room, or do you need a suite? If you can fit in one room, try to stay in a central location so you can really get the feel for New York. If you're in Times Square, you can easily walk to shows (both theaters and movies) as well as to, say, Rockefeller Center. It's also easy to get public buses to take you around other areas--or even to take a long walk down Fifth Ave. to Central Park.
I made lots of reservations both times, and kept checking discount hotel sites for better deals. I think we carried about four reservations each time until the last few days, when we found great last-minute deals via the Internet.
I recall that we used travelweb.com the first time and hoteldiscounts.com the second time. Note, though, that in both cases what worked best for us was getting the info online and then calling the service's toll-free number to go over details--availability of rollaway bed, for instance. And be sure to print out your e-mail confirmation and take it with you.
Hope this helps!
Dec 28th, 2001, 06:56 AM
#5
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Agreed. Staying in the city will get you a much better experience. The cost of getting four people to and from NJ may cost you about $25-$30 a day, not to mention the inconvenience of it all.
Also, if you're renting a car from Boston, why not just take the train down instead? It'll be much easier and it puts you right in the middle of everything with all the transportation options you can imagine.
Also, if you're renting a car from Boston, why not just take the train down instead? It'll be much easier and it puts you right in the middle of everything with all the transportation options you can imagine.
Dec 28th, 2001, 07:27 AM
#7
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Lots of people on this site have gotten some good rates at hotels through priceline.com.
For some budget hotels, you might try the Habitat Hotel at 57th & 3rd Ave. www.habitatny.com. Or the Pickwick Arms at 51st between 2nd & 3rd Aves. There is also a clean and serviceable Best Western in the west 40's, near 6th or 7th Ave.
Enjoy!
For some budget hotels, you might try the Habitat Hotel at 57th & 3rd Ave. www.habitatny.com. Or the Pickwick Arms at 51st between 2nd & 3rd Aves. There is also a clean and serviceable Best Western in the west 40's, near 6th or 7th Ave.
Enjoy!
Dec 29th, 2001, 06:25 AM
#9
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Priceline or Hotwire will not be good choices for NYC because they cannot gaurantee you two beds and you ahve the kids. Check the other discounters (e.g. Quikbook) and you may find some good deals. Also don't hesitate to call around. I didn't mention the Hotel Beacon but it's also been recommended as a good for families. It's in a more residential area on the upper West Side but has easy access to everything by subway. Be sure to buy the "funpass" - $4 per personfor unlimited subway and bus rides all day and evening.
Dec 30th, 2001, 09:42 AM
#11
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Don't rule out Jersey. It can be a great option. As a lot of people will tell you Mahnhattan is a great place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there. The problem with staying overnight in the city that never sleeps is that you may not sleep either--since Manhattan never really gets quiet.
You could stay in a beautiful town like Summit and take the train into town during non-commuting hours and your train ride will only be 50 minutes. Another great town to stay in would be Metuchen again you can take the train straight into Manhattan in around 45 minutes. Metuchen and Summit are charming safe towns where you can actually spend some enjoyable time as well. If you stay in Metuchen and need a haircut go to Luigi's on Main St. for some hilarious local color and a very good cheap haircut.
Here's a link to the lousy NJ Transit web site page with details on the Summit train schedule.
http://atisweb.njtransit.com/cgi-bin/railtt.pl
Here's the Metuchen train schedule:
(http://atisweb.njtransit.com/cgi-bin/railtt.pl)
Another great option would be to stay in a hotel near Woodbridge which has a town area but no lodgings that I can think of most of Woodbridge is condos and malls (plenty of options for lodging). The 2 best things about staying around Woodbridge is that it's right on your way to D.C. and you won't have any problems driving your car to to the train station.
To get to Woodbridge get off the Turnpike at exit 11 and follow signs for Woodbridge Route 9 North (Metuchen's right nearby as well for that town get off at exit 10). You'll be able to find a variety of hotels from the simple Motor Lodges to Sheraton without having to go to far along route 9 and route 1. Just take out a map and stay somewhere between Woodbridge and Metuchen. Reservations shouldn't be necessary. It's not the most scenic area but it's really convenient.
You can hop on a train in downtown Woodbridge which is only a 40 minute train ride. The good thing about the Woodbridge Train station is that you can park on the street all day because there are no meters and it's safe (cop station right near by). Metuchen has meters. In any town stay out of the commuter lots.
Here's the Woodbridge Train Schedule
(http://atisweb.njtransit.com/cgi-bin/railtt.pl)
You could stay in a beautiful town like Summit and take the train into town during non-commuting hours and your train ride will only be 50 minutes. Another great town to stay in would be Metuchen again you can take the train straight into Manhattan in around 45 minutes. Metuchen and Summit are charming safe towns where you can actually spend some enjoyable time as well. If you stay in Metuchen and need a haircut go to Luigi's on Main St. for some hilarious local color and a very good cheap haircut.
Here's a link to the lousy NJ Transit web site page with details on the Summit train schedule.
http://atisweb.njtransit.com/cgi-bin/railtt.pl
Here's the Metuchen train schedule:
(http://atisweb.njtransit.com/cgi-bin/railtt.pl)
Another great option would be to stay in a hotel near Woodbridge which has a town area but no lodgings that I can think of most of Woodbridge is condos and malls (plenty of options for lodging). The 2 best things about staying around Woodbridge is that it's right on your way to D.C. and you won't have any problems driving your car to to the train station.
To get to Woodbridge get off the Turnpike at exit 11 and follow signs for Woodbridge Route 9 North (Metuchen's right nearby as well for that town get off at exit 10). You'll be able to find a variety of hotels from the simple Motor Lodges to Sheraton without having to go to far along route 9 and route 1. Just take out a map and stay somewhere between Woodbridge and Metuchen. Reservations shouldn't be necessary. It's not the most scenic area but it's really convenient.
You can hop on a train in downtown Woodbridge which is only a 40 minute train ride. The good thing about the Woodbridge Train station is that you can park on the street all day because there are no meters and it's safe (cop station right near by). Metuchen has meters. In any town stay out of the commuter lots.
Here's the Woodbridge Train Schedule
(http://atisweb.njtransit.com/cgi-bin/railtt.pl)
Dec 30th, 2001, 12:03 PM
#12
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I recommend staying in Manhattan if you can swing it, but i understand how money can be tight. Here's my suggestions:
If you must stay outside NYC, check out:
DoubleTree Suites in Jersey City, NJ (PATH train a few steps away to NYC, $1.50 each way, 15 minute ride, frequent service). I've never stayed in the hotel but it's fairly new (<2 years old, shoppping mall nearby, as well as a supermarket (so if the suite has a small kitchen/stove/microwave you could save money on at least breakfast, possibly a lunch/dinner too).
There's also a Courtyard by Marriot there, but i'll check next time i drive by, just thought the DoubleTree Suites would give your family more space and only charge for 1 room.
You could also bid for 2 rooms on Priceline in the Secaucus, NJ area.. i've seen rooms as cheap as $35/nite, so 2 rooms this way may be cheaper than 1 full price. You can see prior winning bids and learn how to bid intelligently at www.biddingfortravel.com. (while you're there, see past winning bids for flying this route, just to see another option). Don't know the cost or frequency of bus service, but trip should take ~25 minutes. You could learn more from NJ Transit website.
If you end up driving, i believe all the places mentioned above wouldn't charge for parking, but better check w/ hotel to make sure! Again, if you drive, you may be better off holding onto the car for a few days (if you can get free parking) rather than being charged twice for 1-way rentals.
The bus isn't the nicest way to go, but last time i checked was ~$65 each way (which can get expensive for a family of 4), but doesn't take too much longer than the train.
Any add'l questions regarding your trip, or more specifics on any of the above (if they end up being viable options for you), feel free to ask.
If you must stay outside NYC, check out:
DoubleTree Suites in Jersey City, NJ (PATH train a few steps away to NYC, $1.50 each way, 15 minute ride, frequent service). I've never stayed in the hotel but it's fairly new (<2 years old, shoppping mall nearby, as well as a supermarket (so if the suite has a small kitchen/stove/microwave you could save money on at least breakfast, possibly a lunch/dinner too).
There's also a Courtyard by Marriot there, but i'll check next time i drive by, just thought the DoubleTree Suites would give your family more space and only charge for 1 room.
You could also bid for 2 rooms on Priceline in the Secaucus, NJ area.. i've seen rooms as cheap as $35/nite, so 2 rooms this way may be cheaper than 1 full price. You can see prior winning bids and learn how to bid intelligently at www.biddingfortravel.com. (while you're there, see past winning bids for flying this route, just to see another option). Don't know the cost or frequency of bus service, but trip should take ~25 minutes. You could learn more from NJ Transit website.
If you end up driving, i believe all the places mentioned above wouldn't charge for parking, but better check w/ hotel to make sure! Again, if you drive, you may be better off holding onto the car for a few days (if you can get free parking) rather than being charged twice for 1-way rentals.
The bus isn't the nicest way to go, but last time i checked was ~$65 each way (which can get expensive for a family of 4), but doesn't take too much longer than the train.
Any add'l questions regarding your trip, or more specifics on any of the above (if they end up being viable options for you), feel free to ask.
