You are not doing yourself a favor if you book an expensive hotel in Midtown. If the address is anywhere betwen 14th street and 72nd street in Manhattan (New York County), you're probably overpaying. Transportation in New York is fairly cheap and efficient, so book a hotel room in one of the other boroughs. You'll get cheaper prices in Queens or Brooklyn than you will in Manhattan.
Thanks classicnyer! Sometime within a year I am going back to NYC with my kids for a visit. I was there for March but only for a day not even a night! I will be staying longer next time. This information is extremely useful! I wish I had the $ to stay at Trump Towers but alas,,, someday lol.
I agree! I like staying in the upper west side. I have stayed at places for only $26 a night and right near the 1 train. I loved the laid back vibe and diners in the area too. I love NYC and hope everyone is okay there. I'm so worried about everyone affected by Sandy.
I never know where to stay in NYC. The transportation doesn't cost that much, but the amount of time to travel seems to be quite a lot at times, so I like to avoid that. I hate paying hotel fees, though.
It is good to hear from you classicnyer! Hope you and everyone else are doing okay. I have a really good friend from high school that lives in Newark, NJ. What a mess they are dealing with but they are alright. I am in the Pacific Northwest so NYC seems so very far away from us. I am not sure if we will ever get the chance or the bucks to visit you folks but if we do, I will remember your advice. I would like to visit the Statue of Liberty someday. When my mom was a little girl, she actually climbed up into the torch. She said that it was amazing to see the view from there.
I'm going to New York for Christmas, so thanks for the heads up. I will be staying with family though, so I don't have to worry about hotels. I heard its like $4 for a day pass on the train. I will be needing that because I'm looking to explore the city.
We used to have a day pass for like $7, but we don't have it anymore. Pity; it was an awesome deal. You can get a week pass, though, for $29, or otherwise it's $2.25 a ride.
Be aware that short term letting of full apartments without tenant/owner present, as offered by many on airbnb, is illegal in NYC. Not for the person paying to stay but for the person letting the apartment out which could mean that your apartment isn't there when you arrive. I stayed at Vanderbilt YMCA, single room with shared bathroom and found it to be good. Other places I've stayed in (although not the social aspect you are looking for) and found okay are Hotel 79, Four Points by Sheraton Midtown, Astor Hotel, St James Hotel and Hotel Carter. The latter I found to be cheap and good but others have had bad experiences so do check out tripadvisor.
Yah, I used an apartment out of airbnb and got a nice deal 4 of us stayed in a decent apt for $2600 for a month which in NYC is super cheap!
Thanks for the tips! I've been wanting to go to NY for years already..I just couldn't find the right time and money. I hope hubby and I can have a holiday there soon!
Some people prefer to stay in a nice location because it is a special occasion. My mum went to New York with her friends for her birthday and she stayed at an apartment a few blocks away from Times Square. I agree though, you can stay further out and save money as the transport links are excellent.
I live in New York City, and this is definitely some good advice. Before you come, you could probably get a good deal by bunking with someone on craigslist. Just post an ad/look for someone, call them up, and let them know the situation. They'll probably agree, and you could probably get a nice place to stay for a week for about $100. Transit is pretty cheap. The subway is connected to almost every place in the borough. Takes about 10-15 minutes to get from brooklyn to manhattan in one of the trains.
I would be wary of that. Most of the time it will be all right, I'm sure, but there's still that chance you'll end up rooming with some kind of nut job. I'd take the chance, but some people don't want to when they're travelling. And plus, there is a ridiculous number of legit inexpensive hotels and hostels in New York.
Think a few people may be put off that idea after this:- Log In I'd agree with the OP, its not that difficult to stay in Queens/Brooklyn and the transport network is pretty good. The bonus of staying in outer boroughs is that the Buses are as good as the underground as they dont get snarled up in Manhattan-style jams so often.
These tips are all indeed true. Hotels in midtown and in Manhattan are ridiculously expensive. Your dad has to be Donald Trump to book in those hotels. I dreamed of staying at The Plaza and when I saw their prices, I'm like... no thank. LOL Queens however have affordable inns and motels. You don't need to spend a lot for a hotel anyway when you plan to roam around the city.
In New York everything is expensive its up to you that if you want to stay in good hotel you pay much and if you stay in middle class hotel you pay not much..
Yes you are right kasi! New York is not a cheap place but it has very expensive hotels and there you can get all luxurious amenities. I visited it last year with my friends. We enjoyed our trip very much. During our trip we saw its many famous places such as the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Buildings, GE Building, Time Square, Museum of Modern Art, Central Park and Ellis Island.
We always stay upstate which is safer crime wise and then go down to the city and visit. Although there is something surreal about opening up your 1940s hotel building, overlooking time square in the middle of the night and seeing the city still hovering with motion. Its the 'city that never sleeps' and when you take the opportunity to sleep there, you get to experience it first hand. But beyond the memory of doing that the one time, I much prefer the upstate hotels because they are newer buildings and so more comfortable. There is a train that takes you North. You could even travel to Danbury, CT and climb some waterfalls, or hike in the Catskills. Its a beautiful state and has so much more to offer than NYC - although it would be a shame to go all that way and not do some of the standard touristy things.
