Where to find decent lodging in NYC for around $200?
 

A friend of mine and his teenage son are heading to NYC for the first weeknd in June. He wants to try and find something decent in the $200 range if possible. Any help?

Thanks.

See what comes up in that price range on booking.com or quikbook.com for those dates, then come back with a list of possibilities and ask for comments. That's my advice.

Tell him to try hotels in Long Island City that are close to subway stations or in Jersey City near PATH stations. They are usually much cheaper than those in Manhattan.

Thanks Tracy:. Will look at those on the two web pages and let him know.

And SusieQ: We talked about staying close to NYC (another friend did that on the nice hotel street/area in NJ and found the connections very convenient) - but since he is only going to be there for a few days - he wants to stay right in the Big Apple.

I also have been looking for a budget hotel for that weekend in NYC.

Agree about Long Island City, very close to upper east side. The Four Points hotel Long Is. City/Queensboro bridge has rooms for $149 a night that weekend.

1st weekend of June showing nothing at or under $200 for any of the budget hotels I usually book in NYC. I do see a rate of $199 at the new Starwood property, Aloft hotel, in Harlem. Have not stayed there, check the reviews...

If they can handle it, the Jane has a bunk room (a small cabin like rm w/bunk bed) w/shared bath for $135 a night that weekend. Otherwise the Aloft Harlem is looking pretty good for us.

OK, back agahin ere...tell your friend to check the Choice Hotels site for that weekend. There are indeed several Choice hotels for less than $200 for that weekend, some w/two beds in the rm. Like Comfort Inn Convention Center ($169 2 doubles, $143 advance purchase rate). Ditto Comfort Inn Manhattan Bridge and Comfort Inn Theater District. I just booked one of those.

Even better, the Gem Midtown (also a Choice Hotel) is alos less thn $200 that weeeknd, signigicantly less for a king, and still less for 2 doubles.

I am going to rebook there now instead of the COmfort Inn.

Tomsd, Long Isleand City IS in NYC; it's in Queens.

If they're willing to share a bed, I recommend Priceline--we've gotten very good hotel rates that way.

It sounds to me like they want to stay in the borough of Manhattan.

I agree that Priceline is the best option. Two nights ago, I stayed at the lovely 4-star Benjamin in midtown for $90. If you prefer the comfort of a reservation long in advance, look into the Apple Core group of hotels.

abram: LOL - I stand corrected. Yes, they want to be where the island was exchanged for 24 pieces of silver was it?

And thanks to the others for the good suggestions.

My friend has been there before with his son - but he just nailed a bargain fare from here on the left coast - less than $300 RT - and wants to make this a budget trip.

My personal choices (when my wife is not along) are The Larchmont in Greenwich Village/11th - http://www.larchmonthotel.com/ and the Chelsea Lodge on 23rd, http://www.chelsealodge.com/Lodge.html both on nice tree lines streets.

The Larchmont also offers a nice little continental breakfast - with juice - and the bathrooms/showers down the hall don't bother me (always wear flip-flops) - but the Chelsea does have a shower in the room - with the wc in the hallway.

Both are close to a Murray's Bagel shop - and other good places to dine.

OOps - the Chelsea Lodge is on 20th. There was a good Thai restaurant on 8th Ave - along with some other decent places - and of course, all kinds of options in Greenwich Village/nearby. see: http://tinyurl.com/cw4uopb

They are also both near subway stations.

Tomsd, why aren't they just staying at one of your two favorites? Larchmont is $130 a night that weekend.

I'm looking at several dates in late April, and I have seen several rooms under $200 on Hotwire.com in the blind choice section.

I haven't bothered to look at anything less that 3.5 stars, but there have been several choices in 3 and 3.5 range.

I've been reading betterbidding.com and using their Hotwire advice.

Both are close to a Murray's Bagel shop - and other good places to dine.
________
Followed by a grand repast at the epicurean Gray's Papaya and then sup at that garden of gastronome delights, Artichoke Pizza.

emd3: I don't think they have double beds at The Larchmont - and not sure about Chelsea Lodge. Again, this is for a father and his 14? year old son.

Ah ha: The ole Gourmand - Aduchamp1 - still wanting to mix it up, eh? LOL - you are consistent.

There are plenty of very good restaurants in the greater Greenwich Village are - including a couple of Italian ones I can personally attest to. :)

Please tell me again - if it was you: What is the difference between Cambodian and Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches? I'm a little hazy on the concept.

Ah ha: The ole Gourmand - Aduchamp1 - still wanting to mix it up, eh? LOL - you are consistent.

I try not to be excessive.

TOM: Assuming you are genuinely interested, this is the excerpt from the post you refer to:

<Tom: The sandwiches certainly are similar but given the animosity between the two nations, neither wants his sandwich to be referred to with the name of the other. As far as I can tell, the Cambodian versions tend to have fresh cooked meats often BBQ, and are served hot, while the typical banh mi includes pate and is usually offered at room temperature. (Num pang means "bread" in Khmer, I believe) The bread used at Num Pang in New York is not the usual banh mi Viet-style baguette.

Both sandwiches trace their origin to the French colonization of Indochina, as sandwiches/bread are not traditional in most of SE Asia. (Although the northern Chinese shao bing have been very popular here in New York for the last few years)> As I mentioned, I've eaten my share of banh mi on visits to Saigon, but have no opinion on the shops offering same in NYC. I'm sure you can dig up lots of info on Yelp.


Might be difficult for an outsider to distinguish between the various "ole NYC gourmands" on this forum, hence the confusion.

Tom, your hotel the Larchmont has queen bed rooms for $165 a night the weekend your friend and his son need a rm. (Double beds are $145)