NYC: looking for apartment or hotel for 2 - could use your help!
 

Hello,
I'm (47 yo mom) traveling to NYC May 4 - 8 with my 24 y-o daughter. She leaves for the Peace Corps for 2 years (Kenya) so this is our last trip together for awhile. When we travel to Europe we rent apartments so I'm interested in doing that in New York as well.

In NY we'll be going to the Met, the Cloisters, MOMA, and wandering the neighborhoods looking at things and eating good food. We may see 1 play (yes, it's true, that's probably all.)

I've seen several apartments that look OK to me but I could really use your help. We love to be in vibrant neighborhoods and, while I know next to nothing, the upper west side and the west village look appealing. I'd be very happy to pay less than $300/night.

Affordable New York has one on the UWS for $175 a night.
I saw these on VRBO:
www.vrbo.com/107077
www.vrbo.com/113194
www.vrbo.com/22895

On Craigs List I saw a 1bd for $175/nt on the UWS at W 83rd - #310162630
and a 1 bd in the meatpacking district at Hudson & Gainsvoort - #309965135

I read through previous posts and checked with CountryInnthe City and the Wyman House - all that were listed - but it's last minute and they're full.

Affinia has 1 bedrooms still at nearly all their locations. The Beekman, Eastgate & Shelburne are all in my budget - what are those neighborhoods like?

Please let me know if I'm looking in the right places and if you have any thoughts about these apartments. I've sent them all emails and I'm waiting to hear back.

Thanks!

Here are some options I've found:
This is in the west village and is a 2 bedroom for $250 -
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/vac/310550905.html

This is on the upper west side at 83rd, $175 for a 1 bedroom -
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/vac/310162630.html

We're staying 4 nights so the difference between the 2 is $300.

Thoughts?

To get the real feel of NYC I think you would be better off on the upper west side or west village than in one of the affinia hotels - which are in more business/toruist areas. Both areas are very safe with a reasonable amount of street life (outdoor cafes and late shopping) and a wide variety of good inexpensive places to eat.

But - do a lot of checking on these apartments (hard, I know with Craig's list) realize that they are probably walk-up and may be 5 flights. Get info on building security (electronic fobs or just a locked door) and who on the spot you cancontact if there's a problem (plumbing etc).

I would not do futons unless you're used to sleeping on one. And I don;t like the story about the doorman bowing and escorting you anywhere - they won;t, that's not their job - you're not hiring a butler - his job is primarily security and he SHOULD NOT be leaving the door unguarded. And if the owner is inaccurate about that what else are they fudging about? (Don;t like this location much either.)

Thanks - I agree.
Any opinion on the two on Craigs list -the upper west side one or the west village?

Affinia is a sure bet. I am staying at the 50 next month.

We all have different comfort levels, but my take--it's only 4 nights and you want it to be perfect and stress free. Your daughter is going to have plenty of discomfort for the next 2 yrs. Why not treat her to some luxury. Taking a chance on an apartment that may or may not be "ok" is not my idea of a good time. In general, the best kept apts. will not rent for less than a week. Do you really want to stay in a place with someone else's "stuff" that may be clean or not? This is not like a week or two in Europe.

I'd try to find a hotel or b & b with a bit of space, decent reviews on tripadvisor and preferrably daily maid service. If it's in more of a residential area, great, but if not, it's not a big deal for such a short trip.

I think the Shelburne or the Beekman Towers are great and nice neighborhoods. The Shelburne is near Grand Central and a bit more centrally located. The area is considered Murray Hill and it's combo business/residential. The hotel has a nice open air rooftop bar that hopefully will be open by then with lovely views of the Chrysler building and the Empire State.

The Beekman Tower is an older art deco building further east near the UN. It has a rooftop bar/restaurant (enclosed) with fabulous views. This area is also combo business/residential but leans more to residential apart from the UN.

The Eastgate is not far from the Shelburne and rooms there are very large, but the building itself has no "soul" and the location is a bit weird as it's on a block that leads to the Midtown tunnel. I think it's a great option for folks who need a lot of space, but for you, I think the other 2 are better. Shop around and make sure you get the best price b/c these hotels are various prices on www.affinia.com, quikbook.com and elsewhere.

The Manhattan Club is a very nice timeshare in midtown near Carnegie Hall. On Redweek.com there are several postings for the Manhattan Club rentals in May for 4 nights, for $200-300/night. You have to register to view details. Webpage is here
http://www.redweek.com/resort/P1533#rentals

I've looked at all the nice b & b's I know of and they're all booked for your dates. If you really want an apt., I'd contact an agent like furnishedquarters.com and see what they have. At least if something goes wrong, you have some recourse with an agent vs. an individual. Good luck and post back with any more options you find.

I'm with McLaurie on this. If you could have checked out apartments/locations on previous trips that would be one thing, but taking an apt sigh unseen for such a short term is taking a chance. The nieghborhood could be great, the the apt could be a nightmare. I think you can still experience the city the way you want to while staying at a hotel, but you'll need to act quickly - time is not on your side as far as a reservation.

I wish your daughter safe travels for the next 2 years!

Thanks McLaurie and Margo - that's good advice especially since the price is similar. I think I'll reserve a 1 bedroom at the Shelburne. I love the location of the Manhattan Club but by the time I checked I only saw 1 with a 4 night availability.