paulstach

My brother (from Austria) and I (from Bolivia) will ride to NYC on 2 motobikes in August 2005. Can anyone recommend a hotel with garage (about $120 - $150 per room per night)close to public transport - maybe in Queens or Upper East - or West Side?
Thank you!
Paul Stach

nytraveler

Many hotels in NYC do not have garages. The ones that do charge from about $30 per night up. (Athough they might let you put 2 motorbikes in one place, they might not - and you would still have to tip on all the ins and outs.)

Also, that room budget is quite low for NYC in the summer. You might find someting in Queens - but that would be very inconvenient - and there are few hotels there. If you can bid Priceline (realizing you may get only one double bed in the room) on the upper west side you could either park in a local garage or park the bikes on the street.

You would then be subject to the fairly arcane alternate side of the street parking rules - twice a week each side of the street must be completely cleared in the middle of the day for cleaning - but if you're willing to do it you could save the $30 or $60 per day parking fees (You really can;t ignore the rules - they will tow any vehicle and it costs hundreds of dollars and most of a day to get it back.).

Anyplace in Manhattan is close to good public transport. For any hotel you might find in Queens you woulkd need to look into this - most of them are aimed at airport passengers and have shuttles to the airports - but are not necessesarily close to public transport.

GoTravel

I can't think of a worse city for motorcycles than NYC. Since many loud mufflers set off car alarms in parking garages, some may even forbid motorcycle parking. I know this is the case in Myrtle Beach during bike week at some hotels.

Lastly, motorcycle theft is common and almost impossible to catch. A friend had his bike chained up with the same size chain link that cruise ships use on their anchors and the bike was still stolen. In broad daylight.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

I'm a motorcyclist who was thinking exactly the same as GoTravel about those plans. I'd bicycle in Manhattan before biking there, and at least could store the bicycle in my room.

paulstach

Thanks for the comments and advise. Just want to mention that we start off in Bostan,MA and after a stop-over in New Brunswich,Canada we'll visit Montreal, Quebec and from there on to NYC. So using a bicycle is out of the way. I checked out the Travel Inn 42nd Street - supposed to be a clean hotel with free parking and a $150 room rate per night.

Margie

Some of the hotels that are part of the Applecore group offer reduced rate parking and a light continental breakfast. www.applecore.com

paulstach

Margie,
thank you for the link - very interesting.

mclaurie

At that price, your choices for hotels are somewhat limited forgetting about the bikes. You might want to try bidding on Priceline. You might be able to get a decent hotel that way. Read biddingfortravel.com if you don't know how Priceline works. As for the bikes, check iconparking.com and see if they accept motorcycles. Those garages are often cheaper than hotel garages. I think the Travel Inn could be a good solution for you if they'll take bikes. You might also try looking at the Bentley Hotel. It's a budget place on the upper east side and there are some cheaper garages in that neighborhood.

mclaurie

I also forgot to mention the Radio City Apartments (radiocityapartments.com) might fit your budget and there's a garage at Radio City that used to be reasonably priced. Don't know if it still is.

paulstach

Thank´s Mclaurie - I checked out the Travel Inn which seems to be a decent hotel with free parking - does not mention that motorbikes are NOT allowed. Have no idea if the garage permits Harley-Davidson bikes or not - but what the heck - we´ll see

cyberUK

Hey Paul,
I ride a motorcycle into Manhattan fairly regularly, it is really no problem.

The cabs shooting across lanes to pick up fares, and the MTA busses pulling away from curbs, are worth being aware of, though.

Most of the underneath garages will not allow motorcycles.
There are hundreds of bikes parked between cars on the upper west side, and they aren't getting stolen daily.

There is an outdoor park and lock on west 6oth that allows bikes too.

Ride in the center lane on the avenues, the side streets are more dangerous, especially when there are double parked cars.
Keep your eyes and ears alert,expect the unexpected, and enjoy the city.

A bike is a GREAT way to get around Manhattan

paulstach

Hi, CyberUK,
thanks for your good advise on how to ride a motorbike in NYC. I will watch out.
By the way, the Travel Inn allows Harley-Davidson´s into their garage.

wantsomesun

I was going to suggest the Travel Inn, as probably your best option in the city. It is on W 42nd St, so once you get there, you can just leave the bikes in the garage and do what most of us do here, walk, and take public transit.

The Travel Inn is a nice hotel, clean and well located for someone seeing the city. There is a shop right next to the hotel for munchies, and there are tons of restaurants within a few minutes walking of every kind, description and price range.

Also there is a pool at the hotel, which you will probably enjoy in August, as it is usually the hottest month, figure the daily temps will be around 90.

Have a great time while you are here.