<p>Oh sage and wise parents of CC, please supply me with as many suggestions for my 18yo D who will need one night stay in NYC on Jan 3rd before she heads out to the Republic of Georgia the next day.</p>
<p>So far we have found Chelsea Int’l Hostel at 251 West 20th Street
and
Big Apple Hostel at 119 West 45th Street </p>
<p>She’s a good traveler and this will be her first time alone in NYC.</p>
<p>Any and all advice is welcomed!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>The Big Apple Hostel has an excellent reputation and is in a safe area. I’d recommend that you check ASAP for availability, though. That’s a very busy time in the city and it’s a popular spot so may already be booked up.</p>
<p>Should she be closer to the airport?</p>
<p>I assumed when I replied earlier that there was a reason she needed to be in the city but weenie makes a good point. Is she just flying in and then flying out again the next day? If so, it makes no sense to go into Manhattan just for the night. If it’s just a short stopover, a hotel near the airport would make much more sense. What airport is she using?</p>
<p>Her flight into JFK gets in at 5pm, and she doesn’t need to be back at JFK until 1:30pm on the 4th (to meet up with the other travelers - her int’l flight leaves at 5). She wanted to go into the city to stretch her legs.</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear Big Apple Hostel has a good rep. Their “all female” dorm is booked (dang), but I can get her a bed in a “mixed” dorm. I don’t know exactly how I feel about that concept.</p>
<p>years and years ago I traveled to NYC many times when I was flat broke. I stayed at the Pickwick Arms hotel near the UN. The rooms were microscopic, even by NYC standards – you took one step in and bumped into the bed. But the price was right, you got a private (similarly microscopic) bathroom and it was clean, safe and friendly. Not sure if it’s still around and if so whether it’s still a good value but I liked it a lot.</p>
<p>It does not seem to me that the logistics work for even a brief visit to Manhattan. </p>
<p>If she is leaving on a 1:30 pm flight she will need to be at JFK at least two and probably three hours ahead, which means she will have very little time in the city that morning and will have to plan for transportation from Manhattan. Similarly if her flight is gertting in at 5:30 pm the night before, she will have very little time to do much walking around, and agin, if flight is on time, she will have to contend with end of rush hour traffic and luggage. I’d say stay this layover does not really present a good opportunity to see NYC even in a fleeting way. Better have a decent meal the ngiht seh arrives, relax in her room,a dn be ready for what I am sure will be an exciting and very tiring trip the next day.</p>
<p>Not to mention it costs about $40 each way to get in and out of the city…</p>
<p>How about using Priceline for the airport hotels? That’s what I’d do.</p>
<p>Hostel in Manhattan- questionable.
Mixed dorm hostel in Manhattan- no. (what does that mean- hetero couples and families?)
Stay at the airport unless she’s planning on touring Manhattan restaurants and clubs into the wee hours before sleeping on the plane. Remember- kids tend to stay up late, so the schedule you describe leaves many hours in the city that never sleeps. Whether you want her out alone all night is another story.</p>
<p>Even if her flight is on time and she gets her luggage, she’ll be looking at fighting rush hour traffic in New York. Not a fun time. I’d suggest that she stay at an airport hotel and if she really wants to see Manhattan, take one of the hotel’s shuttles or a cab, returning to the airport hotel so she doesn’t have to figure out the timing for a morning return to the airport in time to catch her flight. New York traffic is not to be underestimated; even if she stayed in Manhattan, she’d spend most of her time at the airport!</p>
<p>speckledegg, I have to disagree with you about the Big Apple Hostel. It’s very safe. It’s full of students and young people ALL the time who are in the city to see theatre. My D who goes to school in the city knows dozens of kids who have stayed there. It’s not questionable as a safe place for a student to stay. Most hostels for students are mixed dorm style. If a kid is travelling on her own to the Republic of Georgia, she can certainly handle a night in Manhattan. 
My kids have travelled all over the world on their own from a relatively young age so they are very independent. I suppose if a kid hasn’t developed the independence and ‘travel smarts’ by age 18, that might not be a good idea but I honestly can’t think of many 18 year olds who couldn’t handle this.</p>
<p>justamom, I can understand her wanting to see a bit of the city. She would have sufficient time to do it on the evening she arrives, if only to walk around the theatre district and Times Square, which is always fun. She could have a good meal, spend some time looking in the stores, and enjoy the crazyness of Times Square without a problem. It’s very crowded and busy until after midnight.</p>
<p>Does a “hostel” have a curfew? Not that I ever stayed at one, but I seem to remember youth hostels that locked their doors at a certain hour, like for example midnight.</p>
<p>She should probably just pull an all-nighter and head back to JFK whenever and crash in an airport lounge.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your input. She loves the location of the Big Apple Hostel, and now is one quick decision away from going on on the 2nd in hopes of being able to grab a seat to see Wicked (matinee the 3rd). The train only costs $7 from the airport. SuperShuttle will cost $15 one way from LaGuardia, or $19 from JFK (cheaper by a couple bucks if we book online). If she’s not paying a fortune for a room, I like the idea of door to door shuttle service. The hotel by the airport idea is out. She’s under 21, and none will rent her a room. </p>
<p>No, NJRes, no curfews at either hostel. </p>
<p>She isn’t worried about shlepping her luggage (ah, youth!), and is eager to stay in the city as long as the area is decent and the hostel is professional.
Decisions will be made by Friday so she (and I) knows what she’s doing, where she’s going, and when.</p>
<p>Thanks again everyone!</p>
<p>I wanted to thank you all for sharing your thoughts/concerns/ideas, and wanted to share my Ds final plan…</p>
<p>She’s decided (and all plans are backed up with paid airfare/reservations/etc) to go into NYC Jan 2nd (taking a redeye from So Cal on the 1st). A shuttle will take her to her hostel (she opted for Chelsea Hostel - W 20th bet. 7th & 8th Aves - because Big Apple was full on the 2nd); she’s purchased theater tickets for Wicked & Rent and will take a shuttle to JFK on the 4th in time to meet her traveling companions to the Republic of Georgia.</p>
<p>Her approach to this excursion was so thought-filled and matter of fact that I cannot help but be supportive and delighted for her. She has agreed to take cabs at night to save her dear-old-mom from worrying about her safety (to the best of her ability, that is).</p>