I am planning a trip to NYC from May 8 to the 12th. I plan to stay at the Herald Square hotel in Midtown (as a budget choice). I read on citysearch that it won budget hotel of the year, but one of the reviews a few years back stated there were roaches. I also did a search on fodors, but there were no current reviews. Does anyone have any recent info on this hotel?

Also, I haven't been to New York since I was 10 (15 years ago), so I would like any suggestions on interesting things to do during May in the city. I plan to go to the museums, Empire State, and Ground Zero. I also am looking into a Greenwich Village food tour, and plan to see Hairspray and Frankie and Johnny. Any comments?

Concerning your theater selections: Get your tickets for Hairspray now, or you may be out of luck; Frankie and Johnny will probably be closed by then.

Jennifer, I recently spent five days in NYC and it was my first trip since I was 12 years old! I'll tell you my highlights:

Metropolitan Museum of Art - plan to spend the better part of a day. I can't now imagine a trip to New York without including this world class museum on my itinerary. It is awe-inspiring.

Ellis Island Museum - you visit Ellis Island on a ferry that also stops at the Statue of Liberty. Incredibly interesting and moving. Definitely take in the 30 minute film when you first arrive to give you needed background info. You can walk to Ground Zero from Battery Park and you'll recognize the route from news footage, quite chilling.

Stroll through Central Park.

Greenwich Village with a visit to the White Horse Tavern. We had planned on doing a literary pub crawl here but spent too much time at Ellis Island.

Definitely take in at least one Broadway show. I was especially impressed with Les Mis (which I believe is ending its run soon), but Hairspray should be great.

Our best meal of the trip was at the Union Square Cafe.

We also stayed in midtown and found it to be an ideal location, as long as you are fairly close to a subway entrance.

The Herald Square Hotel is fine. Great location. I wouldn't rely on a review from several years ago.

Rockefeller Center is nice to walk around - for that matter, walk up 5th avenue from there up to Central Park. There are lots of fancy stores to window shop, and the park is very nice in May.

Might I also suggest Little Italy and Chinatown? They are both fun to walk around.

Enjoy your trip!
Karen

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I plan to get my ticket to Hairspray in a week via playbill.com. Is that a good way to buy tickets? Also, does anyone know of a must-see show that will still be playing in May?

We enjoyed the food tour of Greenwich Village. If you have time after the Met, go to the Cloisters-your Met admission prices includes it. The Frick is also a nice museum. If you have time you should go into the church near Ground Zero. We bought tickets to our shows directly from the theater website.

Jennifer, the hotest ticket in town is to Hairspray. I really liked The Producers, Chicago, and Mamma Mia.

Jennifer,

I would suggest taking the Gray line Double Decker Bus Tour. You can buy tickets at the Port Authority bus Terminal at 8th Avenue and 42nd Street as well as various other places in the City. You can buy a 2 day ticket which includes the Upper and Lower Manhattan Tours as well as a Night Tour. If you decide to only take one of the tours, the Lower Manhattan one would be the best one to take. The tours are hop on hop off and give you a great overview of the City. When buying the Gray line ticket, be sure to buy the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island and Empire State Building tours at the same time. It will save you alot of time from standing in line at both of those attractions.

Have a great time in The City!


http://graylinenewyork.com/