swanner

Hi - we'll be in NYC for a long weekend and I'm looking for a hotel. I'm considering the NYLO Hotel in the Upper West side but I want to know if that's going to be super inconvenient to the sightseeing we plan to do which includes: A Broadway play, Central Park, Grand Central Station, Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, Ground Zero. If time permits, we may go to Little Italy to meet some friends for dinner. I don't have the complete itinerary mapped out - but those are the highlights. I know that something in Times Square would be most convenient for many of the things I've listed but I really prefer not being in that super busy/touristy area. A few other places I've looked into (I know some are in/near Times Square, I'm considering them for that reason): Park Central Hotel, The Blakely, The Warwick, Royalton. If there's something else you'd recommend, based on the kind of hotels I've listed, please feel free to mention them.

Any feedback on your experience would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Shelley

AustinTraveler

We stayed at On the Ave in the Upper West Side and loved the hotel and the location. We walked everywhere and then hopped on the subway when we got tired. You couldn't pay me to stay in Times Square. The UWS was perfect.

Underhill

We stayed on the Upper West Side at the Lucerne and thought it very convenient for all the sightseeing that we wanted to do. Good Indian restaurant nearby and a French one connected to the hotel; drugstore right across the street.

swanner

AustinTraveler - thanks so much for your reply. Much appreciated. I am not able to find On the Ave - when I google it, it brings me to NYLO Hotel - the same one I asked about in my post. I wonder if it changed names and is now called the NYLO?

swanner

Thank you very much, Underhill - did your sightseeing match any of the things we plan to do?

AustinTraveler

Yes, I didn't realize On the Ave closed. NYLO is at the location now. We loved the location and our room, which was a corner room. We did so much sightseeing including Top of the Rock (much better than Empire State Building), ferry out to see Statue of Liberty, the library, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Central Park, MOMA, walking along the Hudson, and much more. We walked everywhere and only took the subway if we got tired. Bring good walking shoes! We did take a taxi once after seeing the Broadway play, In the Heights. It's by the same man (Lin-Manuel Miranda) who created Hamilton, which is playing now, although I understand tickets are hard to come by. My favorite part of the trip was just wandering around the neighborhoods and finding neat little places to eat or have a drink. Loved SoHo and Hell's Kitchen...heck, I loved everything about NYC. Have fun!!

Underhill

Yes: our sightseeing included some of the spots you name, and also MOMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

swanner

Austintraveler - sounds like we like the same kind of things. We were in Ireland in Oct and our favorite part of the trip was getting lost on the little bitty country roads and seeing tiny villages, churches, castles, farms with sheep grazing, etc...

Re: a play. I wanted to go to Hamilton but tickets are nearly impossible to come by and they are expensive - when I called Broadway.com, they said the "cheap tickets" are $750/each and those are rarely available. Unfortunately, they had NO tickets (at any price) available to Hamlet on the 4 days we will be there. Needless to say, we won't be seeing Hamlet on this trip but we are definitely going to see a play.

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

Shelley

swanner

Thanks Underhill

doug_stallings

The NYLO is on the corner of 77th and Broadway. It's not an inconvenient location, but it's a few blocks from the subway, so you have to contend with a 4 or 5 block walk regardless of where you go.

It's not that much more inconvenient than, say, the Park Central, which is on top of a subway station at 55th and 7th Ave, but it adds 10 minutes to any trip. You have to weigh whether or not that's worthwhile to you to be out of the busiest area. The Park Central is convenient and out of the busiest part of Times Square. The Wellington is across the street, the Warwick an avenue away, the Blakely around the corner. I like that area, and it's convenient for everything and not in the middle of Times Square, while the Royalton (not my favorite hotel) is right on 44th, so within easy walking distance of everything in Times Square, but forcing you to deal with the crowds every time you walk out the door.

swanner

Doug - thank you. This information is very helpful and timely. Just last night I was thinking that maybe we need to stay abit closer since we don't have a lot of time in the City and want to see as much as we can without being super rushed.

Of the 4 you mentioned (minus Royalton since you don't like that one, I'll take it off my list), do you have one that stands out or even 2 just in case the first one isn't available? They are all close in price and get similar reviews so seems any of them would work.

Sounds like you know the City well. We are going to a Broadway musical (kinky boots) with another couple on Sat night and would like to grab dinner before the show. Any restaurant recommendations? My husband is a steak kind of guy - and I'm more of into healthy (translation: picky - lol) favoring Mediterranean, sushi, seafood, etc...Since this trip is for his birthday, we'd probably steer towards a restaurant serving good steaks - something classic NYC with the steakhouse/chophouse atmosphere, is what I am thinking.

Thanks again for your help.

Shelley

NewbE

<within easy walking distance of everything in Times Square, but forcing you to deal with the crowds every time you walk out the door.>
I like the Royalton (if you can get a good rate), but Doug makes an excellent point. Even a 10 minute difference matters, if those 10 minutes are spent elbowing one's way through the hoards of people thronging TS to get to the subway entrance. We recently stayed at the Kimpton Muse and would not do so again even though the hotel was very nice--the walk to the subway on a busy spring weekend was too annoying.

(I don't recall subway access being as big a problem when we stayed at the Royalton, also on a busy spring weekend, but perhaps we didn't ride it as much on that trip. Doug certainly knows of what he speaks.)

swanner

Newbe - thanks for your feedback. Reinforces my thought that closer to TS, but abit out of the heart of TS, is probably where we should stay. We'll likely do that this trip, and then next trip, we'll plan to stay in Upper West side, which is the kind of atmosphere I like best.

Shelley

fmpden

Our go to hotel in that area is Hotel Belleclaire at 77th and Broadway. Personally think the area is very convenient with a number of very good restaurants. We walk by the NYLO all the time and it looks like a decent hotel. 77th isn't a bad location. Great bagel shop around the corner on Amsterdam.

At the 72nd/Broaday subway station you can get an express (non-stop between 72nd and Time Sq.) and be in the Time Sq area in about ten minutes.

There is subway at 79th/Broadway - same line that goes through 72 but the express train doesn't stop there, that will get you into downtown area just as easy. Second, there is the 79th Street Crosstown bus that will take you through Central Park and stop at Fifth Ave and the Art Museum. You can walk to the Natural History Museum. All in all I think it is a good location for what you want to do.

fmpden

PS -- Meant to add. Don't recommend it but it is possible. We have actually walked back to the hotel from Grand Central Terminal on three times. Takes time but a enjoyable walk.

doug_stallings

The Royalton is fairly close to the 44th Street entrance to the Times Square subway station, so in that respect it's very convenient.

I think @fmpden's point about the subway and the NYLO is well taken. I always forget about the 79th Street number 1 subway station, but that's close to the NYLO (closer than I was thinking before).

Of the cluster of hotels you are looking at near 55th/56th streets, the Park Central is probably the weakest of the bunch, but it's not a bad hotel. It's also very likely the cheapest of the bunch, so it's got that going for it, and there's a Starbucks off the lobby and a deli and new taqueria across the street. And it's literally on top of the subway. I'm torn because I don't love or hate any of those hotels, but the Blakely and Warwick are probably the better choices.

When I went to see Kinky Boots I ate at etcetera etcetera, an Italian restaurant on 44th. I also like Marseille on the corner of 44th and 9th Avenue. Those are my two go-to pre-theater restaurants in the immediate area.

swanner

Thanks again, Doug. I'll probably book Warwick or Blakely, based on your feedback unless you have something else you like better that we haven't discussed yet. Any recommendations?

How'd you like Kinky Boots? I picked it because I have seen many Broadway shows but my husband has seen none. He's not sure he'd like a Broadway play so I wanted to pick something that was light and fun hoping it'd be a good first experience so that I can get him interested to want to go again. My first choice was Jersey Boys, for him, but it closes on Jan 15th and we aren't going to be in NYC until the end of Feb.

Shelley

doug_stallings

As I believe I said in my original post, I prefer the Residence Inn and Courtyard at 54th and Broadway. They are both relatively new (and in the same building). Residence Inn is, I believe, on the higher floors and is the one with the best park views. But I think either the Blakely or Warwick will do for you.

I thought Kinky Boots was very fun. Of course, most of the original cast has moved on, including the remarkable Billy Porter. The music is hummable and it's not at all boring, so I think it's probably a good choice. It's not the best show of all time, but it's a good, solid choice.

swanner

Thanks Doug - sorry I missed your recommendation of Courtyard/Residence Inn. Thanks for the feedback on Kinky Boots....appreciate it.

Underhill

When deciding about hotels, be sure to look carefully at the rates: some add a "resort fee" in addition to the room rate and city taxes.