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Input Needed: My First Trip to New York City

  • sleeper
    My only advice is to not try and do EVERYTHING. There is a ton to do there, but trying to get it all in is overwhelming.

    Also, try the comedy clubs, I think they are fun to go to.
  • bigkahuna
    O-Trap;654028 wrote:Just promise me you'll find a corner pizza dive and get a slice.

    Little NYC pizza shops = Best. Pizza. Ever.

    This is priority #1 for me. I want the biggest greasiest NY style pizza I can find. That and a hot dog from a hot dog stand.
  • thePITman
    I Wear Pants;652608 wrote:How much are you trying to spend on a hotel? Obviously less is better but what are you expecting/wanting to spend?

    Sorry, just saw this post. I read somewhere that I should expect to pay $250 per night. If I can get below that, that'd be great. That is where the bar has been set for now. If I can get under $200, no matter how crappy the hotel, I will consider it. But anything like a normal, cheap Days Inn or something is fine if I can get it for $200-$250. But if even those are $250, then I will have to bite the bullet.
  • thePITman
    ^^ I'm sure we'll find out soon if that under $250 range is unrealistic, but it's what we'll shoot for. :)

    Now for logistics! We have a list of attractions that have been put somewhat into order of preference. Now what we need is help on planning to hit these in the shortest amount of time possible... which ones do we hit on the same day, which ones are close to the others, which ones require PATH, which can we walk to, etc.? Thank you!

    1. Central Park
    2. Times Square
    3. Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center, close to Times Square)
    4. Ground Zero (& Trinity Church nearby)
    5. Empire State Building
    6. Metropolitan Museum of Art (in the Upper East Side, then cut through Central Park while there)
    7. Ellis Island
    8. Wall Street/Charging Bull
    9. Cake Boss
    10. Broadway Show (buy tickets same-day for discounts)
    11. Greenwich Village
    12. Staten Island Ferry from Battery Park to Staten Island and back
    13. Colbert Report show/tickets
    14. Statue of Liberty
    15. Guggenheim Museum soho
    16. New York Stock Exchange
    17. The NBC Studio Tour
    18. The Today Show
    19. Carnegie Hall
    20. FDNY/NYPD
    21. Federal Reserve Bank of New York
    22... My girlfriend said she has a list of 57 things... WHAT!? LoL! I think these are the top 21, though. I'm doubting we can hit them all (or even half of them), but I guess it depends on how close together they are and how quickly we move about.

    Here are some high-level statements we've heard & sided with:
    1. Likely either staying in Midtown (for central location) or New Jersey (easy access to PATH)
    2. We have agreed to avoid cabs if at all possible and will be taking the subway/PATH/walking everywhere (or $20/5-day Metro card, does this work with PATH?)
    3. Lightly considering leaving our car in DC and taking Amtrack from DC to NYC and back (depends where we stay in/around DC to "store" our car)

    I think those are some of the big things that need to be decided the earliest. Others include:
    4. We are definitely hitting Ground Zero, Central Park, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
    5. We'll make sure to get New York pizza but will try to avoid eating in Midtown since it seems to be consensus that this is not the place to eat
  • thePITman
    How far is JFK Airport from Midtown? How is the access to the subway and estimated time to and from the city? I'm seeing lots of hotels in that area (and Jamaica, NY) at $100 per night or less for the nights we plan to be there.
  • O-Trap
    Honestly, the cab system isn't as bad as it used to be. They don't take you "the scenic route" like the Bostonian cabs do, but if you don't like cabs, you don't like cabs.

    Agreed on Midtown if you're talking sit-down eating.
  • bigkahuna
    The one I saw was the Best Western Convention Center Hotel just off of the Lincoln Tunnel (W.38th Street). It was 134.50/night. When it asked for a Promotion Code, I put MVP and got that rate. That was for a Queen Bed. The King was like 146. According to the website, it was .5 miles from Times Square.

    My wife did some research and was skeptical about the surrounding neighborhood.
  • I Wear Pants
    thePITman;654643 wrote:Sorry, just saw this post. I read somewhere that I should expect to pay $250 per night. If I can get below that, that'd be great. That is where the bar has been set for now. If I can get under $200, no matter how crappy the hotel, I will consider it. But anything like a normal, cheap Days Inn or something is fine if I can get it for $200-$250. But if even those are $250, then I will have to bite the bullet.

    Maybe think about this place:http://www.istopover.com/home/listings/85728?search=1
    That's assuming you are okay with doing something like that and not a traditional hotel.
    It's a block away from Central Park and $199 a night.
    One-of-a-kind experience in amazing upscale building on Madison Avenue between 66th and 67th street! Ornate, chic elevator building. Step outside your doorstep to central park just one block away, bus stop, subway just a few minutes away and all the upscale shopping that Madison + Fifth Avenue affords.

    Studio Apartment Features:
    -Fresh Linens + towels
    -Flat Screen TV with entertainment center
    -Wireless Internet
    -Fuly equipped kitchen
    -Queen Bed with hotel linens
    -Water provided + Fresh flowers!
    -Gym Passes to Equinox Spa and fitness
    On the site you can ask about availability and other questions with the people who own/operate the places.
  • martyirish
    Take the subway everywhere. You can get, one day, seven day, ect passes.
    It's the cheapest way to go other than walking, never get a cab, way too expensive.
  • BigAppleBuckeye
    thePITman;654815 wrote:How far is JFK Airport from Midtown? How is the access to the subway and estimated time to and from the city? I'm seeing lots of hotels in that area (and Jamaica, NY) at $100 per night or less for the nights we plan to be there.

    Don't stay by JFK ... its a HIKE from Manhattan (30 minutes or so, sometimes more with traffic), and the area is nasty and gross. Plus if most of your time will be spent in Manhattan, not worth it, trust me.

    As far as your list of attractions, the only time you will need to take the PATH train is for Cake Boss, which is in Hoboken, NJ.

    Also, while there is a Guggenheim in SoHo, the famous Guggenheim Museum is in the Upper East Side.

    For hot dogs, check out Crif Dogs on St. Marks Place (which also has the phone booth that opens up into PDT, a back room lounge).

    For pizza, my two favorites are in Brooklyn: Sam's on Court Street, or Grimaldi's in DUMBO (right by where I live). For Manhattan pizza, I really like Adrienne's on Stone Street (very close to Ground Zero and Wall Street).

    Living in New York, I don't know much about hotel prices, but try the Radisson on Lexington Avenue. Good central location, and I assume the prices are decent.
  • bigkahuna
    Just curious. What's the difference between PATH and the Subway System?
  • thePITman
    Thanks BigAppleBuckeye. Jamaica/JFK Airport area hotels are OUT.

    Next: We found a good, cheap hotel in Newark, NJ with a subway nearby. What is the subway time from there to "Midtown

    Other questions:
    - What's the difference between PATH and the subway? Is the subway called "PATH" or is it something different? Does the $20/5-day Metro card work for both the subway and/or PATH?
    - How far away from each other are Midtown and Manhattan? Is Midtown an actual "part" of NYC or just a description of where it is (mid-town)?
    - When gauging subway times from our hotel to NYC, should we be gauging to Midtown or to Manhattan for the most accurate estimate?

    Thank you!
  • Manhattan Buckeye
    You can get a room at the W midtown east for under $250....Being in Manhattan will make things a lot easier.

    I don't know where in Newark you are staying but the PATH will get you there in probably 30 minutes - the sucky thing is you need to transfer and even then it only goes up to 33rd street.

    http://www.panynj.gov/path/

    I dated a woman back in the day who lived by the Newport station and it was a major PITA to get to her place late at night.

    In short, if you can get a $250/night hotel in Manhattan, I would strongly suggest going that route.
  • Manhattan Buckeye
    "Living in New York, I don't know much about hotel prices, but try the Radisson on Lexington Avenue. Good central location, and I assume the prices are decent. "

    My parents stayed there twice when I lived there - it is ok, expect very small rooms but it is a good location and should be under $250. This is the cheapest time of the year to go to NYC, so there should be good deals.
  • BigAppleBuckeye
    bigkahuna;655050 wrote:Just curious. What's PATH?
    thePITman;655051 wrote:Thanks BigAppleBuckeye. Jamaica/JFK Airport area hotels are OUT.

    Next: We found a good, cheap hotel in Newark, NJ with a subway nearby. What is the subway time from there to "Midtown

    Other questions:
    - What's the difference between PATH and the subway? Is the subway called "PATH" or is it something different? Does the $20/5-day Metro card work for both the subway and/or PATH?
    - How far away from each other are Midtown and Manhattan? Is Midtown an actual "part" of NYC or just a description of where it is (mid-town)?
    - When gauging subway times from our hotel to NYC, should we be gauging to Midtown or to Manhattan for the most accurate estimate?

    Thank you!
    The PATH (stands for Port Authority Trans Hudson) are the trains that connect NYC with New Jersey (Hoboken, Jersey City, Harrison and Newark). The subways connect different parts of New York City only. You can buy a subway metrocard and use it for the PATH, but it can't be a daily, weekly or monthly card, it has to be a regular card (you can put as much money as you like on that card, like $10 or $20 worth).

    Midtown is part of Manhattan, it is where Times Square, Grand Central Station, etc are. Manhattan is basically an island of neighborhoods, including but not limited to Downtown/Financial District, Tribeca, East and West Village, SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, Chelsea, Midtown, Upper East and West Sides, and Harlem.

    If you stay in Midtown, you are an easy commute to anywhere in NYC. If you stay downtown, you are close to Wall Street, Ground Zero, and the Village, but farther away from Midtown and really far from the Upper East and West Sides.

    PS, don't stay in Newark. In fact, don't get near Newark. Just awful haha.
  • thePITman
    Thanks for the info, everyone. The reason I brought up the Newark, NJ hotel is that we found a hotel for $79/night with good reviews, free parking, free wireless internet, and free continental breakfast (all 3 of those freebies are big for us). If we have to pay a couple extra bucks and take a few extra minutes (30 minutes or so, expecting) to get to/from town, in our opinion it would still outweigh the $160 less we're spending per night compared to a $250 hotel in Midtown. So we are keeping track of all these hotel options and creeping closer and closer to Midtown. We have yet to identify our price threshhold, but I'm thinking we like the $100 mark with a 15 to 30-minute PATH commute. (I think I'm making it obvious that budget is a concern for us. Haha!)

    Another hotel option is Best Western Bronx Inn (I'm assuming is in the Bronx) for less than $90/night (w/ free internet and free breakfast). I may have to pay parking, but how much closer is the Bronx? Subway or PATH to get to Midtown?
  • BigAppleBuckeye
    Bronx is one of the NYC boroughs, you can take a subway from Manhattan. Again, remember you get what you pay for. The Bronx, at least many parts of it, is shady, but Newark makes the Bronx look like Beverly Hills haha.

    Also, being in Manhattan will make your trip MUCH more enjoyable, as your "home base" is in the heart of it all. Schlepipng to the outerboroughs or Jersey will put a damper on your trip, IMO.

    Google some of the hotels on 8th or 9th avenues in New York ... they aren't that nice, but at least they are in the city, and they shouldn't be too expensive.
  • vball10set
    I happened to be surfing the free forum on that other site, and I saw this...is this you, PITman?

    http://www.jjhuddle.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254646
  • bigkahuna
    What about the one that I mentioned on 38th right by the Javits Convention Center? Is that a bad area or decent enough to stay?

    I liked it because it was .5 miles from Times Square and only 130/night
  • Automatik
    Thats a nice price. The area is decent....nothing I would be worried about. I work on 38th and 8th and a good friend of mine lives on 37th and 10th. You should have no issues.
  • thePITman
    vball10set, Yes, that is me.
    bigkahuna, I checked out your hotel, and it's at least $40 more expensive per night for our days. Darnit.
    BigAppleBuckeye, you have a PM.

    Our newest situation/hotel idea is Bronx (red subway line) vs. Long Island City (Queensboro Plaza/orange subway line). We have found suitable hotels in each, and we're trying to compare subway times into Manhattan/Central Park area. We are slowly creeping closer and closer to the Manhattan area, but not sure we're totally comfortable with it... but we ARE hearing and considering your comments to stay there and "experience New York City". We are just trying to save some money on hotels so we can spend more in other areas/attractions, etc.
  • Automatik
    What hotel in LIC? I'd definitely try to stay in Manhattan if you could swing it.
  • thePITman
    Automatik;655247 wrote:What hotel in LIC? I'd definitely try to stay in Manhattan if you could swing it.

    Country Inn & Suites - 4034 Crescent St, Long Island City, NY, US 11101
  • Con_Alma
    http://www.hudsonhotel.com/en-us/#/home/

    This is the place. Based on what you are looking to do and the location you should check out your available dates here.

    It's located on West 58th

    You can get rooms as low as $160.
  • Automatik
    thePITman;655257 wrote:Country Inn & Suites - 4034 Crescent St, Long Island City, NY, US 11101
    If the price is right I'd say go for it. Its not the greatest area, but nothing terrible. Queensboro plaza is very close so you can be in Manhattan in no time. Its the N/Q or 7 line to Manhattan depending where you are going. I don't know about hotels in Astoria, but its a really cool area if you don't mind staying a few more minutes away. I live there....off the 30th Ave stop and its takes about 20 min to Manhattan.