On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 12:32:24 -0500, "Shawn P. Good"
wrote:

Hello :

I'm surprising my wife on her birthday in June and taking her to New York
City to see Cirque du Soleil, which is performing on Randall Island Park.
We've never been to NYC before and so we're completely at a loss in terms of
booking a hotel and knowing 1) if it's a good hotel and not a dump, and 2)
where it is in relation to Randall Island Park.

If at all possible, we want to be in a hotel close to the location, but
still in a nice part of the city. From what I can gather on maps I've
found, Randall Island Park seems to be near Harlem ...... and again, I could
be completely wrong not knowing the city, but I'm not sure if Harlem is an
area we want to stay in.

Anyways, I'm looking for good advice on reasonable NYC hotels that are close
we can contact. Hotels with websites would be a plus.

If you plan to take public transportation to Randall's Island (we are)
then you should probably be looking for a hotel on Lexington Ave in
the East 40s or 50s. No matter where you stay you will still need to
take the Lexington Ave subway to 125 Street. Any other subway will
then require a bus ride across 125th to Lexington Ave. This could
take 30 to 45 minutes as the traffic is terrible west of Lexington.

Take the Lexington Ave subway line, trains 4, 5, or 6 to 125 Street.
Go upstairs and on the North West corner is a bus stop where special
buses will leave for Randall's Island. They charge you for the round
trip and go express directly to the event on Randalls Island. To use
these buses you need a Metro Card with a money value on it, they won't
take unlimited use cards. If you have a limited use card you can take
the M35 bus at the same bus stop. Last year on the return ride the
express bus did not ask for any proof that you paid, as there IS no
proof!

You could also take a cab. I estimate the price from Midtown at about
$10 plus tip and toll. Getting back may be a problem but you can
always hop on the free return leg of the express bus. If you take a
cab specify that he drive up the Eastside and not the Westside. Avoid
having to drive across the 125th Street traffic mess.

Brian Wickham