Going to New York - Need Some Advice Please

I will be travelling to NYC, for the first time, in mid March.

I always do my own travel planning but I must admit I am bewildered by the
variety of options for finding accommodation in New York.

Most websites break down the locations into 10 or more sub-areas, with at
least 5 in Manhattan alone. I dunno; is the Upper East side a better place
to be than Midtown, Soho, etc..? If you could advise a first timer, where
would you suggest that they situate themselves?

We will get all over Manhattan in the 4 days, I'm sure, so being really
close to a couple of the major sites (museums, etc.) is not critical. But we
would like the location of the hotel to afford some local ambience (and I'm
not into "edgy" ambience) that we can enjoy every day. No car, obviously, we
will cab it or use the subway.

3 or 4 star (4 if it is a good deal) accommodation, with some character is
our style.

Any specific hotel, or activity recommendations would also be appreciated. 4
days will leave so much undone, I think I'm already committed to a return
trip.

Thanks,

Claim Guy wrote:
I will be travelling to NYC, for the first time, in mid March.

I always do my own travel planning but I must admit I am bewildered
by the
variety of options for finding accommodation in New York.

Most websites break down the locations into 10 or more sub-areas,
with at
least 5 in Manhattan alone. I dunno; is the Upper East side a better
place
to be than Midtown, Soho, etc..? If you could advise a first timer,
where
would you suggest that they situate themselves?


Functionally, midtown is a good place. This is basically because
it literally puts you in the middle of Manhattan. It will cut down
on your travel time to many places. The Village and SoHo are
nice too although much further south. But they might just be
a tad more equidistant between the places you'll actually visit
(basically from Battery Park up to about 90th or so in Central Park).
To some extent you probably have to decide where you'll be spending
your evenings since that is probably when being "close to home" has
it's greatest value. Gonna do theater at night? Midtown. Tend
to eat more down in the Village? Some folks prefer the uptown
restaurants on the Upper West side.

We will get all over Manhattan in the 4 days, I'm sure, so being
really
close to a couple of the major sites (museums, etc.) is not critical.
But we
would like the location of the hotel to afford some local ambience
(and I'm
not into "edgy" ambience) that we can enjoy every day. No car,
obviously, we
will cab it or use the subway.

The question is which local ambiance. Manhattan, and the other
buroughs are extremely distinct. One of the more interesting part
of NYC is the large, and rapid, variation. There is no singular
character. That said, downtown near Battery Park is kinda dead
after 5 pm so that may not be your best bet. The Upper East side
always has a "on the outside looking in" feel to me where as
staying down in The Village I get more of a feeling that I live there.
Midtown will have more of a feeling of being in "NYC World" especially
over around Times Square. Upper West side has a bit more of a
Village/SoHo feel to me as well. But these are all personal
impressions.
Truth is, if you want to live with the majority of New Yorkers,
you'll stay across the east river in Brooklyn or the Bronx, maybe
even Queens, but I wouldn't personally recommend that for a first time
visitor.


3 or 4 star (4 if it is a good deal) accommodation, with some
character is
our style.

Any specific hotel, or activity recommendations would also be
appreciated. 4
days will leave so much undone, I think I'm already committed to a
return
trip.


Especially that time of year, I'd seriously consider making a bid
at Priceline.com. As long as there aren't more than 2 of you, you
should do okay. I've seen some rooms going for around $125 lately.

wrote in message
oups.com...

Functionally, midtown is a good place. This is basically because
it literally puts you in the middle of Manhattan. It will cut down
on your travel time to many places. The Village and SoHo are
nice too although much further south. But they might just be
a tad more equidistant between the places you'll actually visit
(basically from Battery Park up to about 90th or so in Central Park).
To some extent you probably have to decide where you'll be spending
your evenings since that is probably when being "close to home" has
it's greatest value. Gonna do theater at night? Midtown. Tend
to eat more down in the Village? Some folks prefer the uptown
restaurants on the Upper West side.
The question is which local ambiance. Manhattan, and the other
buroughs are extremely distinct. One of the more interesting part
of NYC is the large, and rapid, variation. There is no singular
character. That said, downtown near Battery Park is kinda dead
after 5 pm so that may not be your best bet. The Upper East side
always has a "on the outside looking in" feel to me where as
staying down in The Village I get more of a feeling that I live there.
Midtown will have more of a feeling of being in "NYC World" especially
over around Times Square. Upper West side has a bit more of a
Village/SoHo feel to me as well. But these are all personal
impressions.
Truth is, if you want to live with the majority of New Yorkers,
you'll stay across the east river in Brooklyn or the Bronx, maybe
even Queens, but I wouldn't personally recommend that for a first time
visitor.


3 or 4 star (4 if it is a good deal) accommodation, with some
character is
our style.

Any specific hotel, or activity recommendations would also be
appreciated. 4
days will leave so much undone, I think I'm already committed to a
return
trip.


Especially that time of year, I'd seriously consider making a bid
at Priceline.com. As long as there aren't more than 2 of you, you
should do okay. I've seen some rooms going for around $125 lately.

Check out the Inn on 23rd. It is in Chelsea, close to several very good
restuarants and run by very friendly ex Texans. Also you get free phone
calls anywhere in the US, they let you use there membership cards for
museums, rooms are attractively furnished, they have two refrigerators with
free food (cheese and stuff), includes a breakfast, easy walking distance
from two subway lines and from Penn Station. Look at Tripadvisor.com for
other comments. By the way Chelsea is sort of a mixed area, becoming more
popular with the gay crowd (which for me is always an endorsement of an area
to stay in). I enjoyed staying there because it seemed a relaxed area, non
touristico.
S

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 11:25:49 -0500, "Claim Guy"
wrote:

[snip]
I dunno; is the Upper East side a better place
to be than Midtown,

Yes, if by "Midtown," you mean the West 40s-50s around Broadway (see
below).

Soho,

Where in Soho? If you're considering the Holiday Inn, that's basically
in Chinatown. Soho is a very touristy neighborhood of expensive
boutiques - quite a change from what once upon a time was the bohemian
quarter - but yes, I think it's a lot more fun than Midtown.

One caveat, though: I think what you mean by Midtown is the area
centered around Broadway (8th Av., etc.) in the 40s and lower 50s. If
you mean the East Side in the 50s, that's much better, and 9th Av. in
the 40s and 50s is also alright.

etc..? If you could advise a first timer, where
would you suggest that they situate themselves?

I have a bias toward downtown (below 14 St.), but most anyplace other
than the Times Square area is worth considering.

We will get all over Manhattan in the 4 days, I'm sure, so being really
close to a couple of the major sites (museums, etc.) is not critical. But we
would like the location of the hotel to afford some local ambience (and I'm
not into "edgy" ambience) that we can enjoy every day.
[snip]

I'm not sure you should be looking for local ambiance in your hotel.
What's more important is that you find it on the streets.

If you have some more specific questions, I'd be happy to try to help
you.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 11:25:49 -0500, "Claim Guy"
wrote:

I will be travelling to NYC, for the first time, in mid March.

I always do my own travel planning but I must admit I am bewildered by the
variety of options for finding accommodation in New York.

Most websites break down the locations into 10 or more sub-areas, with at
least 5 in Manhattan alone. I dunno; is the Upper East side a better place
to be than Midtown, Soho, etc..? If you could advise a first timer, where
would you suggest that they situate themselves?

The upper east side wouldn't be my favorite place to stay. It also
depends just how "upper" it is, and what avenue it's on. The east side
has fewer transportation options than the west side, and to me it's a
bit boring.

We will get all over Manhattan in the 4 days, I'm sure, so being really
close to a couple of the major sites (museums, etc.) is not critical. But we
would like the location of the hotel to afford some local ambience (and I'm
not into "edgy" ambience) that we can enjoy every day. No car, obviously, we
will cab it or use the subway.

I don't know what options are being offered to you, but midtown is
convenient, Soho is fine. Greenwich Village would also be fine, and
the upper west side would appeal to me more than the upper east side.

3 or 4 star (4 if it is a good deal) accommodation, with some character is
our style.

Any specific hotel, or activity recommendations would also be appreciated. 4
days will leave so much undone, I think I'm already committed to a return
trip.

I don't have any specific hotels to recommend, as my star level is
lower than yours.

--
Barbara Vaughan

My email address is my first initial followed by my last name at libero dot it.

"Claim Guy" wrote in message
...
I will be travelling to NYC, for the first time, in mid March.

I always do my own travel planning but I must admit I am bewildered by the
variety of options for finding accommodation in New York.

Most websites break down the locations into 10 or more sub-areas, with at
least 5 in Manhattan alone. I dunno; is the Upper East side a better place
to be than Midtown, Soho, etc..? If you could advise a first timer, where
would you suggest that they situate themselves?

We will get all over Manhattan in the 4 days, I'm sure, so being really
close to a couple of the major sites (museums, etc.) is not critical. But
we
would like the location of the hotel to afford some local ambience (and
I'm
not into "edgy" ambience) that we can enjoy every day. No car, obviously,
we
will cab it or use the subway.

3 or 4 star (4 if it is a good deal) accommodation, with some character is
our style.

Any specific hotel, or activity recommendations would also be appreciated.
4
days will leave so much undone, I think I'm already committed to a return
trip.

Thanks,




I'd recommend the Novotel, it's a nice modern 3 star hotel with spacious
rooms. If I remember correctly it's on 7th and 52nd St. See also
www.novotel.com

lin

On Wed, 2 Feb 2005 23:03:31 +0100, "lin" wrote:

I'd recommend the Novotel, it's a nice modern 3 star hotel with spacious
rooms. If I remember correctly it's on 7th and 52nd St. See also
www.novotel.com

I don't recommend that neighborhood. It's part of the Midtown area
that's crushed with other tourists.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

"Lin":
rooms. If I remember correctly it's on 7th and 52nd St.

"Michael":
I don't recommend that neighborhood. It's part of the Midtown area
that's crushed with other tourists.

"Nobody goes there any more -- it's too crowded."
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | Do not meddle in the affairs of undefined behavior,
| for it is subtle and quick to anger.

On Thu, 03 Feb 2005 10:44:57 -0000, (Mark Brader) wrote:

"Lin":
rooms. If I remember correctly it's on 7th and 52nd St.

"Michael":
I don't recommend that neighborhood. It's part of the Midtown area
that's crushed with other tourists.

"Nobody goes there any more -- it's too crowded."

Au contraire, _ONLY_ tourists go there. If your idea of visiting a
place is to stay in the area where you won't find out anything about
how New Yorkers live, go ahead and stay in that area; no skin off my
teeth.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

"Pan" wrote in message
...
Au contraire, _ONLY_ tourists go there. If your idea of visiting a
place is to stay in the area where you won't find out anything about
how New Yorkers live, go ahead and stay in that area; no skin off my
teeth.

Michael

One notes more than a hint of snobisme in Michael's posts. One should
not, we gather, have to riff with the raff. But one does not go to New York
to see how New Yorkers live - unless one is a sociologist on a research
grant. One goes there to see the things that make New York famous.

Midtown is vital. New York is the theatre center of the Western
Hemisphere, if not the world ( Pace, Londoners) - the Theater District is in
Midtown. New York is one the great culinary cites in the world -- the bulk
of America's four star restaurants are in Midtown. New York's architecture
is justly famous, admired, and copied everywhere - and the major buildings
of the last 60 years are in Midtown. The diamond center of the hemisphere is
in midtown. Musicians from everywhere flock to the Forties for equipment.
Seventh Avenue has four or five of the best cheesecake and pastrami
restaurants anywhere. There are enough well-known museums and nightclubs in
Midtown to keep a visitor - and a New Yorker - busy for months.

True, Times Square is often crowded - with New Yorkers from
Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, Queens, Hoboken, et al. I grew up in Queens, but
Times Square was my magnet - my friends and I headed there at every
opportunity. We though it great fun, and many people still do. Even a
sociologist would find things of interest. And unlike heavily visited tiny
places like Venice, New York is a big town, and absorbs the tourists easily.
One rarely notices them.

This not to say that one should limit ones self - head up to the
Met ( talk about mobs! almost all New Yorkers) and the Whitney and the
Guggenheim and the Frick, head down to the village and Soho to look at the
kids who just moved to the city last week, go up to Zabars to buy a pot --
lots to do and see. But Midtown is where the action is. Only a snob avoids
it.