I will be staying in NY the middle of April.
The Pickwick Arms has been suggested as an inexpensive hotel.
A friend and myself will have the weekend to explore NYC for the first time and then I will attend a business conference on Monday (upper East side)
Any suggestions are appreciated.

Robin -- the Pickwick is a good choice for a budget hotel.

What suggestions or recommendations are you looking for? Sightseeing? Restaurants? Shows? Can you be more specific?

Hi Robin...I recently heard that the rooms have been redecorated...some of the rooms are small and some are shared bath, but it's located in a very good residential and business area...they have a deli that's supposed to be good and I'm pretty sure they have a cocktail lounge and a roof garden...you'll also be near the # 6 train since you're near 3rd Avenue...Bloomingdale's is only a few blocks away for department store shopping...if you like museums take a walk to 5th Avenue and visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art...after that you can talk a walk down 5th Avenue and stop at various stores (Tiffany's, Cartier's), St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center...if you walk down 5th Avenue after visiting the museum you'll be passing Central Park as you go along...they serve a nice afternoon tea at The Plaza and The Pierre which you will pass...Madison Avenue has many trendy boutiques if that's of interest to you...you should definintely treat yourself to dessert at Serendipity's on East 61st Street...sundaes and frozen hot chocolate are favorites...they also serve food...you can also explore the Greenwich Village, Chinatown, and Little Italy areas...the memorial lights at ground zero will stay lit until April 13th...these are just a few ideas...no doubt you'll get many good ones on this board.

Excellant wine bar and French Bistro in the hotel. The restaurant Montparnasse was favorably reviewed in the current edition of Cranes New York. Great neighborhood and don't miss the vest pocket park with waterfall accross the street from the hotel.

Thank you for your suggestions and putting my mind at ease about the Pickwick.
We look forward to some shopping, (antiques and junque) standing in line for tickets @ Times square, seeing the different neighborhoods, and eating non-midwest (which is german, in our area)food.
Thank you,
Robin

I stayed at the Pickwick Arms twice in the 90s and would not stay there again since better hotels have dropped their rates. Why stay there when so many NYC hotels are offering good rates since 9-11. If you are spending over $100 a night check with a service such as Quikbook and find a hotel closer to the theaters, restaurants, and sites. The Pickwick is near Second Ave. and a rather long walk to Times Square etc. The rooms in the hotel are as small as a cruise ship and the bathrooms are the smallest that I have ever seen. You will find bathrooms in the hall that single rooms share. We are on our second trip to NYC this year and have stayed at 4 star hotels for what we paid for the PIckwick in the 1900's.