Overnight in Manhattan
 

My son will be flying into LaGuardia the day before his 7 PM flight to London from JFK. Our plan is to have him use the New York Airport Service shuttle to get from LGA to Manhattan, stay overnight somewhere near a Manhattan shuttle stop, and then take the shuttle to JFK the following afternoon. Does this seem like a good plan to all you NYC experts out there? Will he need to reserve the shuttle or do they always make certain stops according to their schedule? Also, we have no idea which shuttle stop area is best (i.e., safest, near restaurants, etc.) for him to stay overnight -- Penn Station, Port Authority, or Grand Central? Any suggestions for a decent hotel near these areas?

Thanks so much for any advice!

Hi - A few questions. What time does he arrive the day before - late or early? What time of year and what day of the week? All this info. will determine where he should stay!

How old is your son? What is his budget?

Is this his first time into NYC and Manhattan in particular?

It may just be me but I'm not a fan of the shuttle, the Air Train, bus, etc. The money I save is not worth the time it takes me to get into the city. While there are people who have had many successes with public transportation, I always seemed to have ended up on the slow, crowded, bus/train/shuttle of death and I'm ready to kill someone by the time I get into Manhattan.

My first choice is usually cab but private car service is so competively priced, I usually opt for that route.

You son's age is very important since many hotels in NYC are wary of taking guests under 21. Also, what is the time of year and what is his budget? Will he be traveling with much luggage?

The shuttles to Grand Central etc are fine (don;t take the SuperShuttle which claims to drop off and pick up at hotels - they often put people from 7/8 hotels in one shuttle and it takes forever to get to your hotel - and there are often delays in getting to the airport.)

If he's on a budget he might want to try Priceline or look into the applecore group of budget hotels which get generally good reviews.

But without more info it's hard to be specific. In any case make sure the hotel is willing to take him based on age and that he has plent of extra $ on his credit card - since they often put large holds on the rooms of younger guests.

Thanks for your responses! To answer your questions, my son is 20 & will be arriving and departing NY in the afternoon mid-week in September. As far as budget, we'd like to keep the hotel room under $150 if possible but would go higher if it means a safer area. GoTravel, can you recommend a private car service? Also, still trying to figure out which of the shuttle stop areas would be best for an overnite stay.

Thanks again for your help!

I think the only way you'd find something for < $150 will be with priceline. Most hotels are $300+. Any priceline midtown location would be fine.

elizr, I personally like Carmel Car Service but your 20 year old my enjoy a yellow cab much more.

Also, since he's only 20, make sure the hotel will allow him to check in. Many have minimum age requirements of 21 & 25.

Your budget will be tough without using hotwire or priceline but priceline will not allow a 20 year old to make a reservation. If you make it for him you run the risk of him being refused check in at the hotel front desk ( I have a hotel background and we were strict about this in all the hotels I worked in).

Are there any youth hostels in midtown Manhattan?

Yes, Big Apple Hostel, I've walked by, many times, and it's an excellent location, that is busy and safe. http://www.bigapplehostel.com/

La Guardia is very close to NYC and most NYers would take a taxi into the city. Cost is generally around $25-35 depending on traffic, time of day etc. The Airport Shuttle bus is $12/person. I'd make the decision on which he uses based on where he stays. If he winds up near a shuttle bus stop, take the bus. Otherwise, a taxi is very easy.

There are MANY hotels that won't allow someone under 21 to register and I wouldn't take this lightly. For this reason, I think it precludes using Priceline. The Westside YMCA has some private rooms (but they don't have private baths). If you can get one of the top 2 floors, they're newer and nicer bathrooms. There happens to be a pool and gym that's usable. If he stays here, I'd take a taxi from LGA and get the shuttle bus from Port Authority to go to JFK.

One place that might be fun for him if there's room is Bevy's Soho loft. Have a look here
http://www.sohobevy.com/bandb/

The Larchmont hotel is very nice in Greenwich Village, right near NYU. I don't know their age policy so you'd have to phone, but with shared bathrooms, their prices are gentle on the pocketbook.
http://www.larchmonthotel.com/index.html

In this location, again, I'd take a taxi from LGA. The closest pickup for JFK would be Penn Station, but you could also take the train (either subway or LIRR) to the AirTrain to get to JFK.