Anyone been to New York?

Have booked a flight to New York for May, but was shocked when looking at prices of Hotels in the big apple.. Has anyone here been there before and so would be able to point me in the direction of a hotel which is nice, but is off the beaten path a bit ( ideally near a subway station for easy access) and is not mortgage threatening. my budget is roughly $200 per night tops.. Which in most of the world would get me a bloody decent hotel!

Anders

It may be cheaper to get a taxi tell it to drive around and sleep in the back. he can then drop you anywhere you want in the morning.

Morning, we found exactly the same thing when we went to NYC. We were lucky enough to find a mistake price and got a beautiful hotel at a fraction of the cost, pure luck.

We did stay at a La Quinta in Park Slope, Brooklyn as we wanted to be near to a couple of specific bars for the 2nd half of our trip. The hotel was a dive and to be honest, I wouldn't recommend it normally but as we were using it as just a bed for the night, it was clean enough, but was noisy, especially if you were near the creaky lift. Even that hotel was more than we would normally want to pay, but in New York, you don't really have much choice. There is enough to do during tha day though and enough night life that you need to look at the room as a bed for the night and nothing more really. Worth mentioning that we had a brilliant time there and you are going to love it! :-)

I can recommend the Cosmopolitan inTribeca. Subway very close great pub across the road. Brilliant deli close by and 20 mins from all the tourist places.

There's some decent hostels in nyc with private rooms, what are you looking to spend per night?

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Have booked a flight to New York for May, but was shocked when looking at prices of Hotels in the big apple.. Has anyone here been there before and so would be able to point me in the direction of a hotel which is nice, but is off the beaten path a bit ( ideally near a subway station for easy access) and is not mortgage threatening. my budget is roughly $200 per night tops.. Which in most of the world would get me a bloody decent hotel!

 

Anders

Check out airbnb.com - look for whole houses rather than rooms or shared places. We just booked a nice place in fort greene, Brooklyn that is close to the subway for about $130 a night.

Have booked a flight to New York for May, but was shocked when looking at prices of Hotels in the big apple.. Has anyone here been there before and so would be able to point me in the direction of a hotel which is nice, but is off the beaten path a bit ( ideally near a subway station for easy access) and is not mortgage threatening. my budget is roughly $200 per night tops.. Which in most of the world would get me a bloody decent hotel!

 

Anders

I stayed here:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g60763-d99392-Reviews-Hotel_Metro-New_York_City_New_York.html

You might be able to get it for $200. It's very central - not sure if your request for off the beaten track was by choice or because of budget.

I have a friend on New York, let me know if you're struggling, and I can ask her some tips.

Check out airbnb.com - look for whole houses rather than rooms or shared places. We just booked a nice place in fort greene, Brooklyn that is close to the subway for about $130 a night.

Even better suggestion.

Off to bed now, but shoot me a pm if you want some more info / advice on airbnb or New York / Brooklyn. We just spent forever researching and finding a place for me and the wife, then another one for my mum visiting from England. It's currently my specialist subject.

Went in August & stayed at The Hamilton Inn in Manhatten, pretty basic, much like a Premier Inn, but it does do a breakfast within the price, which is quite unusual in NYC, and is only a block or 2 from the subway.

If you're doing the touristy stuff, get one of these http://www.newyorkpass.com/En/ it'll save you a fortune. Get to The Empire State early before about 9.30 & you'll go straight in, much later & you'll be queuing for ever, same with the Statue Of Lib. Do the Top Of The Rock after dark & you get a spectacular view of The Emp State. Be prepared for a lot of walking.

I went sometime ago after finding a B&B since the hotels were expensive, the owner was great - telling us about the history and the things that went on. It was in an apartment block just across from what was studio 55. The other choice is to stay across the river and get the ferry across Hoboken and Weehawken are spring to mind.

Prices rocket once the Spring takes hold. The place Im staying in a couple of weeks time for $135 costs $350 in May. Try name your own price on Priceline.com. Specify where you want to stay and then start low and gradually bid up until you get somewhere. Big conference hotels like the Grand Hyatt near Grand Central can be really cheap if they happen to not have an event when you want to stay.

Hotel rooms drop considerably in price at weekends, and it can work out cheaper if you are going as part of a family group.

Last time we went, we stayed the Hyatt Regency on 42nd St. During the week, it is very expensive, but bearable at weekends.

There were four of us, including our two kids (who are adult age) who were happy to share a large double room (no jokes, please) and it worked out around $50 per head per night.

The hotel groups put a lot of pressure on then-mayor Michael Bloomberg to protect their interests and maximising their profits and stop hostels undermining them.

Most of the hostels in NY have been closed, apart from the YMCA, while the maximum occupancy rule now only applies to families. In other words, you can only have four people in a room (thereby making it cheaper per head) if they are all immediate family members.

As others have said, it might be cheaper to look at hotels off Manhattan. The choice may not be great in Brooklyn or across the Hudson River in Noo Joisey, but the public transport links are good.

In The States, I would normally advise looking for a hotel that does a breakfast. Some hotel breakfast deals may look expensive, but at least in a hotel you get coffee and juice included. Have breakfast outside a hotel and that's where they whack you.

But in NY, we abandon that rule. There are hundreds of places where you can get a good breakfast really cheaply. And it's true, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Find a good breakfast deal, fill up, and that will do you for the rest of the day until dinner.

If you are searching for hotels don't always go to places like Trivago, Travelzoo or Hotels.com. If it's a chain hotel (Hyatt, Sheraton, Hilton, etc) you often find they offer the best deals online.

NYC is an amazing place. I don't think I have ever known anybody - even country birds who don't like big cities - who was not gobsmacked by the place.

we stayed the Hyatt Regency on 42nd St.

That's the one which is often cheap in name your price at priceline. If you want to stay there its always worth sticking in a low bid and see what happens.

The Helmsley Windsor hotel.

Right by Central Park and just a short walk to Times Square.

Huge rooms, in fact more like a self contained flat!

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Wow. Some great advice here, Never knew we would had so many travel experts on the forum Never heard of priceline, so definitely going to give them a go I think first. And got 4 days there at the moment before heading to Toronto, Is that enough to enjoy all the major sights and sounds?

Wow. Some great advice here, Never knew we would had so many travel experts on the forum Never heard of priceline, so definitely going to give them a go I think first. And got 4 days there at the moment before heading to Toronto, Is that enough to enjoy all the major sights and sounds?

How are you going from NY to Toronto? Would really recommend doing it by the Maple Leaf train.

Went in 1977 and stayed in The Consulate Hotel on W. 48th Street, just off Broadway...$23 for a double...bit shabby but clean. Check before you go to see if it's still there...prices might have changed too.

Wow. Some great advice here, Never knew we would had so many travel experts on the forum Never heard of priceline, so definitely going to give them a go I think first. And got 4 days there at the moment before heading to Toronto, Is that enough to enjoy all the major sights and sounds?

The main point to remember with Priceline is that when you do the 'name your price' option, you won't know which hotel you're staying at until your offer is accepted and you are charged. So you have to be extra careful with the options you choose such as star rating and location. We have had good and bad experiences with it.

Have booked a flight to New York for May, but was shocked when looking at prices of Hotels in the big apple.. Has anyone here been there before and so would be able to point me in the direction of a hotel which is nice, but is off the beaten path a bit ( ideally near a subway station for easy access) and is not mortgage threatening. my budget is roughly $200 per night tops.. Which in most of the world would get me a bloody decent hotel!

 

Anders

Hotel Stanford is slap bang in the middle of the tourist bit of Manhattan, very near Macy's on Herald Square, you can see MSG as you step out of the door and one block from Empire State Building. Right next to the subway and should be within your budget. Right next door to the Radisson but a whole lot cheaper. On the edge of Koreatown on West 32nd St. Decent sized rooms if a tiny bit dated (and a tendency for the door handle to give you an electric shock from the carpet static), decent breakfast, free wifi, bar on site (though we only used it once in a week) and you can get anywhere on Manhattan within minutes. I went in April 2013. Have just checked prices for May and they're averaging nearer $250 a night, (below $200 for April) but you might find it varies for the dates you go - and it's definitely worth calling them to see what they can do. One thing I didn't like, they insisted on cash on arrival, which of course meant either bank charges on the card or paying them cash up front when we got there. Whilst moniroring the exchange rate for 6 months to see how much extra it was costing us. :/

If you're really up for a more budget option, I stayed in the Vanderbilt YMCA in 1994 and again in 2000 (admittedly a long time ago) which is east side near the UN building, you get your own room (or share with one other, if you want), same sex floors, showers and toilets down the hall, small tv, decent value, secure, air con, food on site, they had a gym and indoor running track. Absolutely no idea whether it's still there or if it's now extortionate, but if you don't have a particular other half steering you into the comfort zone, it might be worth a look. No age restrictions or anything though.

http://www.hotelstanford.com/

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Hotel+Stanford+New+York&ll=40.748216,-73.988028&spn=0.000033,0.022488&safe=strict&gl=uk&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=40.748157,-73.98789&panoid=rzIl7Q7RA2zMzOySiBC-XA&cbp=12,97.2,,0,0

I stayed here for 10 days over xmas and new years a few years ago:

http://centralparkinn.com/index.html

Was pretty cheap, beds comfy and it was clean. Not too luxurious but to be honest you won't be in your rooms only to sleep. So much to do in NY. Real close to the top end of Central Park, and the subway.

Was a hostel though when I stayed there so now it seems it classes itself as an Inn.

I've stayed at some seriously dodgy places in New York; from the YHA Hostel on 92nd street to a hotel opposite the Flatiron....Actually, I've also stayed at the Helmsley...not bad at all. New York is kinda the most "European" of US cities (in that it's shedload more expensive than most other US cities. You should try to go on one of the organised Central park guided walks and maybe the Staten Island ferry (both are free/cheap). Also, seriously, you should try to take in a game at Madison Square Garden (or at least a tour....it's bloomin awesome!!!)....Perhaps check out the TKTS booth in Times Square too (if you fancy a cheap Broadway experience).

My biggest tip has to be to get yourself down to Penn Station (under the garden) and see if you can't take a nice train ride places like Philadelphia or DC (Only about 2-3 hours away)...well worth it.

How are you going from NY to Toronto? Would really recommend doing it by the Maple Leaf train.

Was going to fly, never heard of that train. Am going to investigate it now.. Sounds fun.

I stayed in the Westin Times Square when I went to NYC in 2005, no idea what the prices are like now though.

Radio City Apartments are a good bet. Reasonably priced, and right by Times Square and the subway.

I stayed in the Roosevelt Hotel on 45th & Maddison (2004). Got an upgrade to this hotel at no extra cost, due to an Lastminute.com balls up. Wonderful hotel!!!

Watch out for bedbugs....

We were their overnight on a cruise. And evening meal on the top if 230 Fifth Avenue was a wonderful experience and we also did the boat tour circumnavigation of Manhattan Island. I popped into the Intrepid Museum although my wife stayed on board ship for that one.

http://www.230-fifth.com

http://www.intrepidmuseum.org

Still can't get over this one. Stayed there last year and whilst the décor might be described as old., it is very clean, excellent service, decent bar and lounge, free wi fi, choice of any live Premier league match in your room (Which are typically twin doubles) 10 minute walk to times square or 3 mins to subway.

All for $75 a night.... check out the photos.

Have paid much much much more for comparable or even lesser hotels.

http://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/new-york/nycup/hoteldetail?qRef=sr&qDest=New+York%2C+NY%2C+United+States&qRpn=1&qChld=0&qSrt=sBR&qSHp=1&qSmP=3&qGRM=0&qLng=-73.9856&qRdU=1&qRms=1&srb_u=1&qAdlt=1&qPSt=0&qFRA=1&qLat=40.758&qRRSrt=rt&qRad=30&qRpp=12&qBrs=6c.hi.ex.rs.ic.cp.in.sb.cw.cv.ul.vn&qWch=0&icdv=99603195

W. And got 4 days there at the moment before heading to Toronto, Is that enough to enjoy all the major sights and sounds?

Maybe, but it's worth making a plan. We had 6 night & didn't get to any of the museums, that's for next time without the kids, but do get the NYC pass I mentioned, we saved a small fortune.

Disagree with doing top of rock at night. Do that in the day as you can see the views to the north including central park. Do Empire State at night for night time views. If weather is nice, do the circle line boat tour. They're located next to the Intrepid and also make sure you visit the 9/11 museum.

Agree with your take on timings for Top of the Rock and ESB. We were staying a block from the ESB and pitched up there about half an hour before sunset (I think it was about 6pm in April) - queues were short because everyone's already been up for the day by then and the night people haven't arrived yet, and we got to see the view in daylight AND darkness.

The best thing about Top of the Rock is that it's a lot less busy than ESB AND you get better views (because you can see the ESB too).

Four days is plenty of time to do everything, provided you're organised and don't waste time walking from Midtown to Battery Park like I did one time for no particular reason. Though we did have a nice meal in Chinatown en route, if a bit random.

Still can't get over this one. Stayed there last year and whilst the décor might be described as old., it is very clean, excellent service, decent bar and lounge, free wi fi, choice of any live Premier league match in your room (Which are typically twin doubles) 10 minute walk to times square or 3 mins to subway.

 

All for $75 a night.... check out the photos.

 

Have paid much much much more for comparable or even lesser hotels.

 

 

http://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/new-york/nycup/hoteldetail?qRef=sr&qDest=New+York%2C+NY%2C+United+States&qRpn=1&qChld=0&qSrt=sBR&qSHp=1&qSmP=3&qGRM=0&qLng=-73.9856&qRdU=1&qRms=1&srb_u=1&qAdlt=1&qPSt=0&qFRA=1&qLat=40.758&qRRSrt=rt&qRad=30&qRpp=12&qBrs=6c.hi.ex.rs.ic.cp.in.sb.cw.cv.ul.vn&qWch=0&icdv=99603195

Hell of a deal given that they're currently asking $243 a night for May.

 

Four days is plenty of time to do everything, provided you're organised and don't waste time walking from Midtown to Battery Park like I did one time for no particular reason. Though we did have a nice meal in Chinatown en route, if a bit random.

4 days isn't enough by a long shot.

Have booked a flight to New York for May, but was shocked when looking at prices of Hotels in the big apple.. Has anyone here been there before and so would be able to point me in the direction of a hotel which is nice, but is off the beaten path a bit ( ideally near a subway station for easy access) and is not mortgage threatening. my budget is roughly $200 per night tops.. Which in most of the world would get me a bloody decent hotel!

 

Anders

Did you meet some women from new York online then?

Hell of a deal given that they're currently asking $243 a night for May.

Wow - I actually checked for this years Feb, to see if it was as cheap as last year (I stayed in Feb) and they were still $75 , didn't realise that they would go up that much for may and then just to be curious I tried July and they are $188, so not quite sure what happens in May to make it such a difference.

Wow - I actually checked for this years Feb, to see if it was as cheap as last year (I stayed in Feb) and they were still $75 , didn't realise that they would go up that much for may and then just to be curious I tried July and they are $188, so not quite sure what happens in May to make it such a difference.

I think the price difference might have something to so with the latest ice age receding by May! I read a couple of days ago that it was so cold that NYC hadn't had a murder in 10 days, which was a new record.

Subway in new york is pretty good too - so being a bit out shouldn't matter too much. It's 24/7 and is $2.50 for every ride no matter what the distance and there are stops everywhere. It's really confusing as a system though.

I have great sympathy with this piece! http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/23/new-york-subway-homesick-london-underground-mta-map

If you want to get a good view of the City as you have a few days to squeeze it all in. I can recommend the tour linked below, 9hrs seems a long time but it certainly didn't feel like it when we reached the end, a good thing with this tour is that the group you could be in is nice and small. If you go for it don't bulk up with breakfast as you will go to Chelsea food market and the choices are vast.

https://www.newyorktourshuttle.com

Watch out for bedbugs....

Too true, it's a big issue in New York, especially in the summer. I stayed at a place called the Hotel Beacon on Broadway once and it was teaming with em.

Toronto is a cool place.

Peter Ustinov described it as "New York run by the Swiss."

In fact a lot of movies about New York are made in Toronto thanks to generous grants from the Canadian govt to the Canadian Film Board.

Highlights include the CN Tower. I'm not keen on heights but went up.

Not far away is the Rogers Centre, formerly known as the SkyDome. Perhaps the first of the stadia with retractable roofs, but still an amazing sight. You might see a B:ue Jays game there, and hope it rains so they put the roof over.

Toronto has a dinky little subway system (only a couple of lines) but it's good for getting you out into the burbs.

Yorkville is the s****y area with lots of nice shops and eateries, but Toronto's amazing ethnic diversity means you will never want for variety of grub.

I think they tarted up the harbour district since we went, but don't forget that Toronto's position on Lake Ontario. Until you see it from the top of the CN Tower, you cannot appreciate how big Lake Ontario is - and the rest of the lakes.

The Toronto Islands are worth a visit and check out the Distillery district.

Hire a car and take a trip to Niagara Falls. The town around the falls is tacky and cheesy, but the falls are worth seeing. The Maid of the Mist boat trips are a bit hokey and touristy, but you will regret it if you don't do it.

Toronto is a cool place.

 

Peter Ustinov described it as "New York run by the Swiss."

 

In fact a lot of movies about New York are made in Toronto thanks to generous grants from the Canadian govt to the Canadian Film Board.

 

Highlights include the CN Tower. I'm not keen on heights but went up.

 

Not far away is the Rogers Centre, formerly known as the SkyDome. Perhaps the first of the stadia with retractable roofs, but still an amazing sight. You might see a B:ue Jays game there, and hope it rains so they put the roof over.

 

Toronto has a dinky little subway system (only a couple of lines) but it's good for getting you out into the burbs.

 

Yorkville is the s****y area with lots of nice shops and eateries, but Toronto's amazing ethnic diversity means you will never want for variety of grub.

 

I think they tarted up the harbour district since we went, but don't forget that Toronto's position on Lake Ontario. Until you see it from the top of the CN Tower, you cannot appreciate how big Lake Ontario is - and the rest of the lakes.

 

The Toronto Islands are worth a visit and check out the Distillery district.

 

Hire a car and take a trip to Niagara Falls. The town around the falls is tacky and cheesy, but the falls are worth seeing. The Maid of the Mist boat trips are a bit hokey and touristy, but you will regret it if you don't do it.

Does the subway go that far now? They must have extended it since last time I was in NY.

Hotel Yumka is cheap. And you can get a hot meal.

Toronto is a cool place.

 

Peter Ustinov described it as "New York run by the Swiss."

 

In fact a lot of movies about New York are made in Toronto thanks to generous grants from the Canadian govt to the Canadian Film Board.

 

Highlights include the CN Tower. I'm not keen on heights but went up.

 

Not far away is the Rogers Centre, formerly known as the SkyDome. Perhaps the first of the stadia with retractable roofs, but still an amazing sight. You might see a B:ue Jays game there, and hope it rains so they put the roof over.

 

Toronto has a dinky little subway system (only a couple of lines) but it's good for getting you out into the burbs.

 

Yorkville is the s****y area with lots of nice shops and eateries, but Toronto's amazing ethnic diversity means you will never want for variety of grub.

 

I think they tarted up the harbour district since we went, but don't forget that Toronto's position on Lake Ontario. Until you see it from the top of the CN Tower, you cannot appreciate how big Lake Ontario is - and the rest of the lakes.

 

The Toronto Islands are worth a visit and check out the Distillery district.

 

Hire a car and take a trip to Niagara Falls. The town around the falls is tacky and cheesy, but the falls are worth seeing. The Maid of the Mist boat trips are a bit hokey and touristy, but you will regret it if you don't do it.

Ahha, Trunno...I once made the mistake of taking the train from Toronto to New York....slightly further than I expected! (kinda 9 hours one way. But you're so right. It's awesome in Ontario). Random fact about Toronto; if you watch the Hulk movie with Edward Norton in it, Toronto was made to look like NY (Only thing that made it obvious it was Toronto was the great big Zanzibar strip joint sign!)

I have been to New York twice and stayed in the Milford Plaza. Very close to time square and all the action. Love New York and want to go back in October/December or February next year.

Yotel in Hells Kitchen is very good. Also stayed in a very good hotel in Park Avenue near Grand Central Station.

Amazing city.

Amazing city.

Its cold, grey and snowing atm