What to do around east 32?? NYC
 

I'm travelling from Australia and staying in east 32 street near Empire State Building..
We are there from 3rd to 10th July.. Is this a safe area for just the two of us to be wondering around day and night and where would be best for us to enjoy 4th July celebrations?
Is bus or subway best for public transport in area?
Thanks in advance!!
Rebecca.

All of the tourist areas of Manhattan are safe - New York is the safest large city in the country.

The best ways to get around are foot (shorter distances) and subway for longer ones. Buses (city) are quite slow - better for people taking specific routes that don;t have subways (crosstown above 57th St).

The fireworks are set off over the river at about 9 pm (look online or in the paper for the best viewing spots) and you need to get to the riverbank hours in advance. Be prepared for about a million people there - and walking in and out, since public transit stops and roads are blocked starting about 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

Depending on where you are this is a residential and/or business area - but you should find plenty of casuale places to eat. But sights are spread out all over the city - so access to subway is vital.

thank you, apartment is near Broadway end x

If you are near Broadway you are also likely near Herald Square...the original "Miracle on 34th St." Macy's is there. Also, street "blocks" in Manhattan are extremely short; you can easily walk to Times Square in 10-15 minutes.

Your information on this and the other thread is confusing. and it would probably be good for you to get more details about your apartment rental. For one thing Broadway is not east 32nd, it's west. I mention that because if your [probably illegal, as was noted on the other thread] rental company is saying that , you have to be wary of anything they say. Do you have more details you can share with us? The online listing? The address?
We're happy to help make your trip fun, but you might want to get some stuff cleared up.

If you look up the address on Google Maps, you can easily see how close you are to various subway and bus options. The area itself should be fine and convenient.

Nyer, I know you're trying to be helpful, but the op said their place on East 32nd is "near" Broadway. You surely realize that Broadway is less than one block from East 32nd, so what' s your issue, exactly?

Thanks again everyone, sorry for delay finally had some sleep! Now morning again :)
Sorry for any confusion I cause, trying my best.. Address is actually 11 e 32nd street and looking on my map seems to be jus behind Empire State and not far from broadway? I did google map it and does seem genuine but I might see if my credit card supplier can put hold on transaction until clarified but probably too late.. Company is called staysmartnyc (maybe not so smart?) if anyone can give me more info about them it would be greatly appreciated, I really do not want to turn up with a 16 year old at 6pm and have to find a hotel! As mentioned its really hard to sort from here and I hope that by trying to budget I have blown it!?!

NeoPatrick, I understand your point. Tone doesn't always work online.

My point was that if some of the details are wrong or sketchy or misleading, others might also be.

People look for hotels (in general, not necessarily this case) near the theater district, and sneaky listings say "Broadway" without mentioning that Broadway spans 12 miles in Manhattan! Or hotels or apartment listings saying only a mile to midtown, but leave out the part that it's in NJ across a river. I saw a listing on one of these threads for an apartment that said it was "right near" the Museum of Natural History, but it was actually 20 blocks away. That kind of thing.
I'm just staying that if the listing the OP has says both East 32nd and that it's on Broadway (we don't know exactly what it says) someone is taking liberties,so it's worth investigating.

(And we're being pretty restrained abou the illegal part, at least compared to earlier such threads, don't you think?)

aussiebecon, the address you have is indeed 32nd street, "east side" and near Broadway.

Now about the rental itself, that's for you to investigate as to whether you want to stick with it. It is probably illegal, (most in NYC are if under 30 days). Many threads here if you want to read all the gory details. There is also the possibility that though the building actually exists, the listing is a scam and there is no short tern rental available at all (legal or not). People here have recounted those situations too.
Sorry to scare you, but I think it's better to understand these things before you arrive and decide how you would like to proceed.

Well There's great Korean Barbecue at 34 W 32nd Street. Enjoy!

"Notes and Additional Information:
30 day minimum. For stays under 30 nights please contact us using our contact us page. All rental rates subject to applicable taxes. There is a fully refundable $500 security deposit for damages due upon arrival..."

This is from one of two listings for a staysmartnyc listing in the building you mention but both have the same wording http://www.staysmartnyc.com/index.ph...moreinfo&id=19

Obviously they know that it has to be 30 days or more, so I would wonder what "deals" they are making to circumvent that.

Please listen to the warnings....this apartment is almost certainly illegal. Try to make other arrangements.

Some of these companies claim that they can gather a number of rentals together and add them up to more than 30 days - thus making them legal.

This is nonsense. Each rental is individual - and from what they say it is obvious that rentals less than 30 days are illegal in this building. If you are willing to take the risk, that is up to you.

I wouldn't be willing to do so - but would get a hotel instead.

--"And we're being pretty restrained abou the illegal part, at least compared to earlier such threads, don't you think?"

I thought the same!

Your problem is not what to do in that area but where you will actually wind up staying. This co. Is a scam, aptr entals are illegal and you need to find another accommodation.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic..._New_York.html

I will probably be accused of overkill here, but I'll risk it.

I just remembered that you can do a search of a building to see if any violations have been reported to the city.
http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/bispi00.jsp
If nothing else, it might let someone know whether this building is on the city's radar as a problem location and if that means you might be more liklely to get stuck in a situation where you'll arrive and not be able to stay in the apartment.

aussiebec , the building you are looking at has a history of 100 violations (often construction or building and safety code issues) as well as 43 "complaints"
Here's the most recent active complaint 2/20/2013
"Complaint at: 11 EAST 32 STREET BIN: 1017010 Borough: MANHATTAN ZIP: 10016
Re: 1)6 ILLEGAL HOTEL ROOMS IN DIFFERENT LOCATION 2)32ST& 5AVE 3)22ST&9AVE 4)55ST&8AVE 5)THREAT RESIDENTIAL SECURITY 6) INSPIRE OTHERS OPEN SAME BIZ 7)UNJUST ENRICHMENT

Category Code: 4A ILLEGAL HOTEL ROOMS IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS "

Some of the earlier complaints note
"Complaint at: 11 EAST 32 STREET BIN: 1017010 Borough: MANHATTAN ZIP: 10016
Re: CALLER IS REPORTING THAT LOCATION IS BEEN USE AS ILLEGAL HOTEL ROOM, INSPECTOR NEEDS TO INSPECT ANY DOOR WITH A KEY PAD "
so obviously legal residents of the building know about the problem and are not shy about reporting it.

BTW, this building's history seems to be bad news all around. Other complaints include illegal massage parlour on premises, apartments being carved out in a commercial space, and emergency exits repeatedly being blocked by a restaurant on the premises--yikes!

PLEASE- find a hotel to stay at immediately, Then work with your CC company to get a refund. Even if you can't get a refund on the claim of illegality the information on complaints and city violations should help get your money back now - or at least prevent any further payments to them.

Clearly this illegal operation is jumping through hoops to stay in business. Apparently they are breaking the law by issuing a 30 day lease, then allowing you to "break" it. I'm curious if you wrote them (or called them, if they even accept calls) and said that since booking it has come to your attention that one week rentals are illegal and you want your deposit refunded -- perhaps mentioning that you will contact the police if necessary -- if they just might do that. Worth a try in any case, and then certainly also contacting your credit card company immediately to let them know this is an illegal business.

I'm afraid this is a civil matter - not one for the police. Although it might not hurt to send a complaint to the NYS Attorney General - who deals with a lot of consumer fraud complaints.

Although the police have been involved in a couple of cases of illegal hostels - when all of the guests were removed in the middle of the night and had to find other places to stay when the city closed them down for fire violations.

Hi again everyone,
Well I have cancelled apartment with smartstaynyc and when they answered the phone lady actually seemed quite nice.. They have promised that I will receive a full refund within 10 days!! Shall have to wait and see but THANKYOU to all!! I'm now looking for alternative accomodation, any ideas?
Have maximum budget of $2100 gross and is just for myself and daughter..

I'm glad we were able to help you decide and resolve this..

You might want to clase out these threads and start a new one saying something like "NYC hotel july 3-10, UP TO $2000" so you can start fresh and get new suggestions., Some people might see these threads and without reading all the answers still comment on your original but now outdated questions.

You should be able to find something in your price range. Try to book something cancellable ASAP and then see if something better or cheaper comes up over the next couple of months. You will get a location that isn't exactly central, but since sites in NYC are spread out anyway, as long as you are near subway stations you will be fine.

One quick suggestion. If you like the neighborhood that you had originaly chosen, you could try the La Quinta (a budget chain in the U.S.) They have a location a couple blocks away (17 west 32nd street) at a cancellable (up to the day before) rate Of $160 per night for a room with Queen bed (king bed is $25 more per night), including breakfast. Total with taxes for July 3-10 is $1119.93USD

I think this is one of the hotels that has come up here before as a good value in a very central location. You can search on this forum and others, but consider booking right away if this or something similar looks good to you.

La Quinta is showing a rate of about $180 per night - assuming the 2 of you can share a double bed. Have no idea what the hotel is like - a budget chain.

But you might want to reserve and then see if anything better turns up.

(If it were me I would go for a more residential area, with a lot of restauarants and sidewalk cafes (upper west side, soho, chelsea, east village etc).

Since you will be taking the subway most places, what really matters is how close you are to a station.

Suggest you get good street and subway maps and start identifying your hotel and the sights you want to see.

The LaQuinta is fine. The rooms are very clean and fairly large for NYC. It's not a fancy place but a very nice option in Manhattan. I stayed there first on points and have returned as a paying customer. There's a subway station at the corner for easy access, Macy's and Herald Square is nearby. Their free breakfast is okay. On one trip I moved from there to the Hilton on 6th and really missed the size and free stuff at the LQ. I used their little business center to print out show tickets, etc. When I moved to the Hilton, the hotel was much fancier but really missed the free internet, free breakfast and free access to the computer and printer. There's a nice little rooftop bar with a view of the Empire State Building. It's a great option IMO - and since I've started staying there a lot of mid-range hotels have been built in the area.

It's one of the AppleCore hotels and a good value.
http://applecorehotels.com/la-quinta-manhattan/

Again, I "found" it using LQ points earned as a business traveler. The decor is a bit more dated than other LQs and mid-range options elsewhere (Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express) but the rooms I've stayed in are spacious, the staff friendly, the free amentities are a good value and it's a good location for visiting the city via subway. As it turns out, a young family member who was interning in the city was living literally around the corner. She's lived in virtually every area of Manhattan since then and she enjoyed living there a lot.

aussiebec we had a week in NY last year. Your room will only be to sleep. Manhattan is too exciting to be sitting in your room for any length of time. It really is the easiest place to walk around. We caught the subway to get places but often ended up walking back to the hotel from wherever we were and having dinner on the way. As a couple of aussies from inland QLD we have never felt safer walking in a city than we did that week.
We loved the place, the people, the food. Honestly, there was nothing we didnt like. It is THE most amazing place to visit.Comfy walking shoes are a must.
Have a great trip and I hope you find a room.

Thanks again everyone!! Starting to feel good about trip again!!

aussiebec, now I'm really curious. What did you say to the agency regarding the rental? I'm surprised she was "so friendly" with the response, but that's good to hear. Did you mention the idea of the "legality" of the rental?

Perhaps they're now having so much trouble with the city that they don;t want to pile up more complaints.

But, based on what I've heard about them I would believe in the refund when I saw it.