Please help- hotel location and restaurant
 

I wrote months ago trying to get help planning a trip for my husband and daughter (8) who are going to NYC in July. Many people said to stay in UWS b/c it's quiet and classy- both of which sound great. But besides the Lucerne, couldn't find good reviews on hotels (other than Trump). Hubby likes nice boutique hotels (we stayed at the Library w/o kids and loved it and Hotel Giraffe looks great but location seems iffy). Assuming he can find a good deal on hotels.com b/c it's summer, I need recs for other n'hoods besides limiting search to UWS. He is taking her to Stomp Friday night at Orpheum, and Lion King Sat. at Minskoff. Should I look in midtown? They might take ferry to Ellis Island, but also plan to check out Central Park in the morning before it's too hot. Also need good recs for one casual dinner and one nice dinner, ideally close to each theater. Thanks!

"jdp" - those that can offer good suggestions might be more likely to do so if you would put the destination in your title. You probably clicked on NY in the "dropdown" window when you started the thread, but that's just to help the search engines ... all the US threads still end up in one large US message area.

I like Midtown. Many on these boards don't, but we all have different preferences. I would venture to guess that a VERY large percent of relatively new visitors to Manhattan choose to stay in Midtown - especially if Broadway is important to them. I have friends who live in the UWS, but once the second bedroom became a kid's room, I stay in hotels, usually in Midtown.

If they are okay with sharing a bed, Priceline would work for the 2 of them. Go to www.betterbidding.com for an idea of what hotels are being "won" and for what bids.

For a boutique hotel, there are 2 Kimpton Group hotels in NYC now (my favorite boutique group)
www.kimptongroup.com

I just checked The Muse, which is the Kimpton option in the theatre district. I chose random dates in July and came up with $279 for a king and $319 for a Double/Double (2 beds). Not bad given today's NYC hotel prices. Rooms are supposedly 50% larger than the average NYC room.

I joined their eletter list and received a notice for 15% off.

Anyway, worth checking out -

Starrsville- thanks for that info- that's very helpful. I've heard of the Muse and seem to recall it gets good reviews. I meant to have NYC in the title, so RB, thanks for the tip. Will definitely re-post.

Curious...what about the location of Giraffe seemed "iffy?" We stayed there about a year ago and loved both the hotel and the location.

that info came from my Dad- native New Yorker (Bronx) who, although living in ATL since 1973, still frequents NYC and stayed there recently. Didn't get details as to why he didn't think it'd be good location. Just saw Sofitel on tripadvisor- no.1 out of 350 hotels. Good rates are available (280)- seems like a great option....any input?

Actually, when you wrote months ago, the post was mostly focused on things to do. I suggested staying midtown either the east side or near the theaters at the Doubletree Suites.

The Sofitel is very nice. I don't put too much stock in the ranking though, but it's a nice hotel in a good location. UPper floors would get good views. I've also mentioned several other options on the other thread you have going now.

I can't imagine what your Father's problem was with the Giraffe location. I think the fact that it's not a typical tourist location is a good thing. But I also think closer to midtown might be more convenient for them. Another thought, if it's affordable, is the W Union Square. That's a fun area and a nice hotel.