Thank You, by reading old posts I have gotten lots of helpful info for an upcoming 1st trip this summer to NYC. A suite hotel would best meet our needs and from your input, sounds like Upper West side is a great location. Are there any nice suite hotels in this area or are they all in Midtown? I have seen several suite hotels mentioned...how would you rate them? Since this is going to be a special trip, we want to stay in a nice place. And finally to get to theatre district from either Upper West or Midtown, is it best to take subway,cab or can you walk at night..sorry I am not familiar with the different areas and its sometimes hard to tell from guide books. Thank You for any input..looking forward to our trip!!

Look at the Hotel Beacon -- www.beaconhotel.com -- it's on the Upper West Side.
I haven't stayed there but have been by it and it's in a great location -- my friend who lives in that neighborhood says it's a very nice hotel, and I believe they have some suites. Convenient to Central Park, Lincoln Center, wonderful shopping and restaurants. Very close to the subway also. Definitely take the subway at least in the daytime -- it's faster than cabs & very convenient (the 1,2,3,9 lines stop at 72nd street which is right by the hotel -- the 2 & 3 lines are express which is only one stop from 72nd street to Times Square, which is the heart of the theatre district/midtown -- or if you want to stop at points in between you take the 1 or 9 lines). After dark I personally am a little leery of the subway but in that neighborhood I'm sure it's still fine (I take cabs after dark just to be on the safe side -- probably an unnecessary precaution these days).
There are lots of old threads on restaurants in the Upper West Side and the theatre district too if you do a search.
Have a great time.

Chris,

I have reservations in April at the all suite hotel, Flatotel International. I've never been there, but it sounds great. Here is the website: www.flatotel.com

Chris,
I also booked Hotel Beacon after doing a search of NYC on the Fodors guide page, and getting positivie comments from others here. We're making our first trip in May, and I got great responses when I posted basically the same question. Do a search under 'four days in NYC' (9/04/99) and check out donna's reply for what to do. Hotel Beacon is listed as a great value in every guidebook I've checked, although some people question the location -- it's more residential than tourist, but very near Central Park and reasonable distance to theatre. Good luck!

You're about a mile and a half from Times Square and the theater district, and about the same distance from Rockefeller Center. (Remember: 20 north/south blocks to the mile) But, still, it's a good location and an active area. Close to Lincoln Center.

I encourage anyone open minded enough to stay in a residential neighborhood rather than in the business/tourist areas of midtown. Public transportation is so good that yo'll be close enough to all the tourist attractions but being in a real neighborhood will offer a better perspective on just how unique the culture of NYC is. You'll also find the general tone of things to be less rushed and quite friendly. The business/tourist areas of midtown are sometime unavoidably rushed and brusque by virtue of the sheer number of people and the constant influx and outgo. You'll find a completely different feel to the neighborhood on the upper West side. You'll also be close to the recently reopened and updated Hayden Planetarium that everyone is raving about.

And while the Upper West Side is more residential than Times Square, there are still plenty of nearby attractions- including Central Park, Lincoln Center, the Museum of Natural History and the new Planetarium, which is all anyone is talking about these days.

I would suggest the subway to get to the Theater District. The two lines on the west side between Times Sq and the UWS are so heavily trafficked at all times of the day, especially during the day as well as after the theaters let out, that you wont feel unsafe. And getting a taxi in the theater district or getting through the traffic in the area is nearly impossible these days.

I don't, however, know of any suite hotels on the upper west side.

take a cab they are dirt cheap and only charge per ride not per person

Chrissy, that's the first time I've ever heard or read of anyone referring to the price of NY cabs as dirt cheap! I'a dyed-dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker and love to promote the city, but cheap cabs?

yes living on long island and compared to other american cities nyc cabs are cheap even if you don't know where you are going.

Off the subject, but a brief NYC taxi story. A couple of years ago we hailed a taxi in mid afternoon after lunch at the Gotham Bar and Grill (my favorite NYC restaurant, by the way). We went about 5 or 6 blocks, hit a bump, and the meter fell right off the dashboard and stopped running. We went about another 10 blocks and when we stopped at a light, the cab went dead and wouldn't restart. The cabbie told us he couldn't go any further. We weren't that far from our destination and decided to walk, but tried to give the driver $10. He refused to take a penny, saying he had inconvenienced us enough. Everybody tells us he was one of a kind, but we will never forget that ride.