<p>I am planning a trip to NYC. I have never been to New York. The dates are most likely May 30-June 2nd for the hotel nights. My D and I will be arriving by Amtrak into Penn Station.</p>
<p>I really don’t know where to stay in Manhattan. Should it be by Penn Station? Near some thing to do at night? Near the subway? Near the sights we want to see during the day?</p>
<p>We want to see all the iconic buildings, plus the Metropolitan Museum, MoMA, NY Public Library, Holocaust Museum in south Manhattan, Wall St., Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Google offices, Macy’s, Guggenheim, Central Park, Poe’s house in the Bronx, Time’s Square, Grand Central Station, St. John’s Church, and St. Patrick’s cathedral.</p>
<p>As you can see, we like the architecture and the museums. We would spend at least half a day or more in both the MoMA and the Met museums. </p>
<p>If you’ve never been to NYC, I would not suggest staying close to Penn Station; it is primarily a business district, so it will be filled with more people than you have ever seen in your life during rush hour and will be empty after dark. Lower Manhattan is becoming more residential, but is still primarily commercial, so I wouldn’t suggest that either. I would probably stick with an area between 3rd and 9th Avenues (E/W) and 23rd to 59th Street (N/S) excluding the area immediately surrounding Penn station. You’d be centrally located and close to the subway. </p>
<p>That’s still a large area, I know. But then you need to start looking at your parameters: chain vs. boutique hotel, full restaurant vs. vending machines, price range, etc. Once you do that, you can look at reviews on some of the travel sites for further guidance. </p>
<p>Your itinerary is going to take you all over Manhattan (and the Bronx), so it doesn’t really matter where in Manhattan you stay. Subway connections are everywhere–you’d be hard pressed to find a decent hotel that isn’t near a subway station. So decide your price range and then get on a rating site like Trip Advisor to poke around and find some options. If you’ll be seeing any Broadway shows in the evening, I suggest you stay in the Times Square area so you don’t have to trek to another part of town afterwards (not for safety reasons, but because you’ll be exhausted after a day of sightseeing). If your idea of something to do at night is clubbing in the meatpacking district, then a hotel in that area would probably be a good idea for the same reason. Have a great trip!</p>
<p>For such a short trip, you may want to consider dropping elements that will take a lot of time traveling or waiting. On your list, this would be the Poe Cottage, and the Statue of Liberty.</p>
<p>You’re going to have so much fun. Might be neat ti see the Rockefeller center too.</p>
<p>I don’t know how much you want to spend on a hotel, but staying in Brooklyn around bedford ave would be a quick train ride on the L right into Manhattan and probably cheaper then staying in Manhattan as well. </p>
<p>Thank you for the responses. I have mapped out the 3rd-9th Ave and 23rd to 59th. It is a large area. Thanks for the visual of all the folks around Penn Station! </p>
<p>I have tried researching hotels around NYC. It was getting to be too much when I had 30 tabs open on my computer. The cost for the 4 nights was hovering around $230+ a night plus another $40 in taxes. So, approximately 1000 plus in total. That’s probably the most I would want to pay. Just looking for a decent hotel in a decent area. It can be a chain hotel. I was concerned about the cost of the hotel for our stay. </p>
<p>We probably would finish sight-seeing and just go back to the hotel for the night. I assume it stays light until 7pm or so at that time of year. We won’t be seeing any Broadway shows this time. Also we won’t be going to Ellis Island. Do you think that our itinerary is doable in 5 days/4 nights? </p>
<p>Its doable but I would suggest grouping things together so you’re not going every which way… ie go to all your mid town things one day. Be prepared to walk a lot.</p>
<p>I went up last year with friends who were never there before and they took all the fun out of my trip rushing me from place to place. I had blisters on my feet. Lol. They wanted someone who semi knew their war around. I go up a few times a year.</p>
<p>Love the Macy’s… they actually have quite a lot of sales there. It’s the most reasonable Macy’s that I’ve been to.</p>
<p>Stay in the times square area (transportation there to everywhere is great). Skip Poe (I have lived in the NYC area over 50 years and never been there). Try someplace like the New York Marriott Marquis, Millennium Broadway Hotel - Times Square, Hilton Times Square, Hyatt Times Square New York but you will pay $350-$400 a night at any of these place - this is the big city. </p>
<p>Divide your days by neighborhood - one day uptown - Met Museum, central park, etc, one day downtown - 9/11, brooklyn bridge, etc, and one day midtown - library, see a Broadway show, st.Pats, rockefeller center, etc.</p>
<p>Get a subway pass for visitors and make your first stop this visitor center (I think they sell all kinds of passes, have maps, and coupons also):</p>
<p>I like the location of the Palace Hotel – perfect location for a first time visit. On Madison and 50th/51st, across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, near Rockefeller Center, few blocks from MOMA. Might be a bit above your budget, but it is a very “New York” hotel. For something a little less expensive, the Omni Berkshire Place is close by and it looks like they have really good deals right now on Priceline. This may be within your budget. There are lots of other hotels in that general area (Mid-town, in the 50s, on or just east of 5th Ave.). I prefer that area to Times Square. </p>
<p>Try looking on Travel Zoo NY for hotel discounts. You can read reviews on Trip Advisor after you confirm the discounts on Travel Zoo. The Oyster site has excellent photos but will not showcase as many hotels.</p>
<p>Trip Advisor will also include suggested routes. For example, you might want to take the subway over to Brooklyn, walk back over the bridge in order to see the Manhattan skyline, walk to 9/11 Memorial (book timed tickets in advance–free, but must book). You could then wander Battery Park City–or skip that. Subway uptown to Google offices (Cornell University’s new tech campus is being housed @ Google while the Roosevelt Island campus is being constructed–had to add that since this is a college site!—but am not sure what you want to see at Google), wander through Chelsea Market if you need something quick to eat, walk the High Line up from Chelsea Market. You will exit the High Line at 30th & 10th and could then walk over to the Post Office building @ 33rd & 8th (it is a bit run down but still worth a walk through), continue east to Macy’s at 34th & 7th. </p>
<p>If you can still walk, you could head from Macy’s to Times Square (climb the red plexiglass staircase for the photo op if it is evening as you will capture the lights of Times Square) and then over to Grand Central Terminal. Be sure to look up at the restored ceiling. There is an Apple Store up on the balcony of GCT.</p>
<p>You have a lot of sights to see and museums to visit. I am exhausted thinking of it all! You can visit Central Park and the MET & Guggenheim on the same day, but you will be rushing through the museums. I have never stayed in Times Square b/c I would not want to deal with all the people. </p>
<p>Do not worry about darkness. Manhattan streets will be filled with people well after dark. Have fun!</p>
<p>I think you will find some decently priced hotels in Chelsea. There are several chain hotels in the area, and it is convenient to both uptown and downtown. Basically it is the area above 14th Street and below 30th Street on the west side. The High Line is close by as is Chelsea market and the Meat Packing District. Convenient to subways and Penn Station.</p>
<p>Most hotels in Chelsea seem to be under $200 per night. I’d definitely recommend the area as a safe and convenient jumping off point to explore the city. There are many great restaurants within walking distance. You will be close to Eataly, too, and the Flatiron District. A large concentration of art galleries are off of 10th Avenue between 20th and 26th Street. Very familiar with the area since we have an apartment there.</p>
<p>Disagree on skipping St. John the Divine. It’s 20 minutes away from Times Sq on the uptown 1 train. The OP did express an interest in architecture, so St. John’s is a must over Macy’s. Plus it’s a few blocks south of Columbia and Barnard (had to tie this back to CC somehow).</p>
<p>While poster above is technically correct that the southern border for Chelsea is 14th St, the reality is there are no hotels until you hit 23rd St, hence my original suggestion that the southern border be 23rd St. But in that area between 23rd and 28th, there are many nice hotels that are the secondary brands of the major chains (e.g. Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn), and are in/under your budget.</p>
<p>MetroCards (Subway passes) are sold at every subway station. Not all stations have agents,and the ones that do can’t sell you the MetroCard (not sure what they actually do all day). All stations have machines that take cash/debit/credit.</p>
<p>Hopstop dot com is your friend for travel directions.</p>
<p>Nighttime in NYC is fine; the city is very safe for a city of 8 million. Common sense rules. No flashy jewelry. Zip your handbag, etc. The worst that you may encounter are panhandlers.</p>
<p>I work right near Penn Station/Herald Square area. The Eventi Hotel is actually on 6th Ave and 30th street, not really what I would call Chelsea. I do echo the above poster as all around this area and closer to Bryant Park there are hotels like the Hampton Inn, Courtyard Marriott. Hilton Garden Inn. It is easy to walk up to Times Square and down to Union Square. Many good subway and bus connections. Also there are hotels along Lexington Avenue not far from Grand Central as another option. </p>
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