<p>I always stays around Times Square, but what do I know ? I am often in NYC by myself and I try to see a different Broadway show every night I was there. I feel safe just walking back to the hotel after the show and it’s so convenient. </p>
<p>I walk everywhere from there or take the sub.</p>
<p>As was suggested, I will check with these visitors as to what their specific plans might be. i do know that they want to do all the typical touristy stuff – one has never been to NYC. I am sure they will want to take in museums, tours, shows, etc. They are very adventurous and may well choose to move within the city. For example stay in TS area and move to another hotel, perhaps a park view hotel. They plan to be in NYC a week or so. I’m enjoying the suggestions, so keep them coming in! Someone mentioned city tours. Ive done no research in that area, so would welcome those ideas as well. One more thing – I understand there are several places one can purchase last-minute Broadway show tix. Is one preferred over another??</p>
<p>Hey there, booklady, keep the Excelsior a secret.
It does have a great location. We love being able to walk a block for the subway, the bus and central park.</p>
<p>We just got back from a little getaway and it was wonderful. I do love New York.</p>
<p>masslou, </p>
<p>The double decker bus tours are a good idea for newcomers to the city. You can get on and off at any of the many stops and really get a good idea of different areas of Manhattan. The tours begin for most in the Times Square area on Broadway, but I believe that one of the tour companies starts theirs on 8th Ave. The buses are there everyday and there are many employees selling tickets, they’re impossible to miss. </p>
<p>[New</a> York City hop-on, hop-off double decker, open top bus tours](<a href=“http://www.inetours.com/New_York/Tours/DD_Bus_Tour.html]New”>http://www.inetours.com/New_York/Tours/DD_Bus_Tour.html)</p>
<p>You can get same day theatre tickets at TKTS right in Times Square at 47th between 7th Ave and Broadway. Depending what show they want to see, this is one possibility, if they don’t mind wasting time standing in line.</p>
<p>[TKTS</a> Discount Booths](<a href=“Discount Broadway Tickets for On, Off & Off-Off Shows | TKTS by TDF | TDF - Theatre Development Fund”>Discount Broadway Tickets for On, Off & Off-Off Shows | TKTS by TDF | TDF - Theatre Development Fund)</p>
<p>If they don’t want to stand in line, they can order discounted tickets for many shows ahead of time through playbill.com or broadwaybox.com. Not all shows will be available for purchase in this way, so if there’s a show they really want to see, they should order tickets the regular way online prior to arrival. If they’re willing to take a chance on what to see, then TKTS is okay.</p>
<p>I got an incredible hotel room with the quintessential NYC Central Park view at Le Parker Merdian through Hotwire.com. I picked my neighborhood (Central Park South) because the way the neighborhoods were drawn this one had no “bad” areas, and my choice of rating (4 Stars). I was a bit nervous because you are committed before knowing the hotel (only the room price). Anyway, I had this wonderful room at a great hotel for approx $150/night. I used to choose to stay at the Parker Meridian years ago when I frequented NY on business. I strongly recommend Hotwire. A friend of a friend recently used it and also had great results.</p>
<p>Prices of NYC hotels bounce up and down in unpredictable patterns. My family & I had a great time staying at the Marriott Marquis at a conference rate in the off-season, but ordinarily it’s unaffordable for us. Two nice Upper West Side hotels with easy access to Times Square (and from there the rest of the city) are the Lucerne at 79th & Amsterdam (1 block from the subway at 79th & Broadway and a couple of blocks west from the Museum of Natural History and Central Park) and the Hotel Newton, a small European-style hotel on Broadway between 94th & 95th (1 block from the subway at 96th & Broadway). These are not Times Square locations but they provide easy access to Times Square, the Upper West Side, and via subway pretty much anywhere you’d want to go in the city. I can’t vouch for prices, though. We tend to go to NY in the off-season when things are reasonable. Summer would be the high season. But for quality and value, these are two of the better hotels we’ve found in NYC. I’d check the hotel websites and several reputable travel sites to see if you can find a good deal.</p>
<p>There are definitely some variations in prices of Manhattan hotels through the year but there’s not really an off-season, per se. For many years now, the best prices you could get are during the summer months, and this year is no exception. I was talking to a friend last night who had just booked a week in July at the Crowne Plaza and with an advanced purchase got a king room for $223/night which is an incredibly fantastic price for a hotel like that. The regular price would be more than double that amount. </p>
<p>masslou, check directly with the individual hotel websites. You can log in the dates wanted and see the range of different types of rooms, different types of plans, available and make a good comparison. I know some people love hotwire but not everyone is willing to gamble with where they will stay. Some people end up loving the hotel they get, as RE52 did but that’s not always the case. Especially for someone coming a long distance and who is obviously spending a lot on the vacation, I’d feel more comfortable recommending that they choose their hotel to fit their specific needs for the stay.</p>
<p>I always stay at The Roger Smith when I’m in NYC for business or pleasure.</p>
<p>[New</a> York City Hotels: Roger Smith Hotel in New York City](<a href=“http://www.rogersmith.com/]New”>http://www.rogersmith.com/)</p>
<p>Great midtown location. Great price. I always get their junior queen suite. Subway near by. Nice neighborhood. I highly recommend it!</p>
<p>Broadway/Times Square/Theatre District an easy, especially for Europeans, 8 block walk.
Rockefeller Center a 5 block walk
MOMA an 8 block walk
Radio City Music Hall a 5 block walk
Central Park a nice 1 mile walk up 5th Avenue</p>
<p>Try the Guest House off Park, which is, as you might guess, just off Park Avenue in Murray Hill (around the corner from my office). It’s a lovely neighborhood, quiet, residential, but with easy access to just about anywhere you’d like to go – a few blocks from Grand Central, steps from the 33rd St. subway stop, and an easy walk to (shudder!) Times Square. You stay in a charming, turn-of-the-twentieth century brownstone in your own apartment. Prices are very reasonabl and you are living in a way New Yorkers dream of. Plus you are helping to support the Community Church, which is Unitarian Universalist and active in support of human rights, caring for homeless people, etc. Here is the link for more info and availability: [Community</a> Church](<a href=“http://www.ccny.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=124]Community”>http://www.ccny.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=124) </p>
<p>Testimonials
“This place has a wonderful spirit – an oasis – such a feeling of peace amidst all the turmoil of the city. I really appreciated all the homey touches – everywhere one looks there are maps or magazines or books – All simple and well thought out. Thank you.”
— Boston, MA.</p>
<p>“For several years I’ve been visiting New York. Being from California I find New York assaulting to my senses. However, this charming, endearing, most comfortable apartment is a most civilized refuge that I appreciate beyond words. ”
— Sausalito, CA.</p>
<p>“As an Ex-New Yorker, I know the value of a place like this, and if I could’ve found a place like this I probably wouldn’t be an Ex-New Yorker.”
— St. Paul, MN.</p>
<p>“Thank you for all the things which were helpful to us. To live in this nice apartment is like not to be a foreigner in New York. It’s great.”
— Paris, France</p>
<p>OK, first, I’m notoriously cheap and have a hard time with what most NYC hotels charge.
And Times Square is a little too crazy for my taste.<br>
We’ve been staying at the Stanford Hotel on 32nd street. Really cheap but good decent size rooms and a free continental breakfast in the morning. It’s right across the street from Herald Square, close to Macys and the Empire State Building. About a 15 minute walk to Times Square. Little Korea is right there…great dumplings. Very convenient to Madison Square Garden and Penn Station.<br>
If anyone ever stays there, ask for a room in the back! Folks outside can get very loud on the weekends. Or bring earplugs (a good idea for almost any room in NY :))</p>
<p>Also, I highly recommend the Circle Line tour! They go out on refurbished military boats - and have great tour guides. And it’s fun to be out on the water.</p>
<p>We like to stay in Times Square. The Doubletree Suites is awesome. We once got a good deal at the Crowne Plaza that is at the Hershey store; Crowne Plaza was great too.</p>
<p>Hi there guys - Wow - Such a response.
We are the ‘European’ friends of Masslou, although we’re currenly in South Africa.
I’ve just registered on your site.
We will be in NY for almost a week and not too keen to move hotels, if we can help it.
It seems as though the vote is split. Although, as we will not have children with us, and we are very happy to walk a lot, we could be tending towards the Park view options - although we will be in Broadway/Times Square often duiring the week.
I have enjoyed Circle Line on previous visits (over 10 years ago).
We look forward to more of your good advice.</p>
<p>I learned a lot from this and we’ve been back since then.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/397375-visiting-nyc-just-fun.html?highlight=subway[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/397375-visiting-nyc-just-fun.html?highlight=subway</a></p>
<p>Welcome, REGards!!! We all love to plan other people’s vacations around here!!! Ask anything…someone’s sure to offer up an opinion!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That’s news to me! I usually see less tourists in the summertime, but maybe that’s because all the natives have decamped for elsewhere and so the number of bodies is less. I think the fall between Thanksgiving and Christmas is busier. Actually, there is never a time this place is not crowded.</p>
<p>Time Out is a good source for things to do that are not the usual tourist outlets. (Although I’d ignore their restaurant listings. Go to Chowhound for restaurant recommendations.) However, it is really great to go to the Empire state building/Statue of Liberty/Times Square/Circle Line/Brooklyn Bridge walk, at least once. The last one I mentioned, Brooklyn Bridge is such a great experience, everyone does it, native and tourists alike. It is that great.</p>
<p>We took the subway to Brooklyn and walked back across to Manhattan on the Brooklyn bridge because the view is better. I like the Top of the Rock more than the Empire State Building.</p>
<p>Here are some good links:<br>
*[Visitors</a> Guide – New York Magazine](<a href=“http://nymag.com/visitorsguide/]Visitors”>New York Visitors Guide NYC Travel Planner)
*[TKTS</a> Discount Booths<a href=“we%20used%20the%20South%20Seaport%20one,%20much%20shorter%20line”>/url</a>
*[url=<a href=“http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm]MTA”>http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm]MTA</a> NYC Transit - Subway Service Information](<a href=“http://tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56]TKTS”>http://tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56)
*[New</a> York City Travel Guide - New York Times Travel](<a href=“Travel - The New York Times”>Travel - The New York Times)
*[First-Time</a> Tourists in New York - New York Magazine](<a href=“http://nymag.com/travel/visitorsguide/37540/]First-Time”>Activities for First-Time Tourists in New York — Visitor’s Guide — New York Magazine - Nymag)
*[HopStop.com</a> - Subway Directions and Bus Directions for (NYC)](<a href=“http://www.hopstop.com/]HopStop.com”>http://www.hopstop.com/)
*[The</a> Metropolitan Museum of Art](<a href=“http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/]The”>The Met Fifth Avenue - The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
*[Hotel</a> Belleclaire - Upper West Side - New York Magazine Hotel Guide<a href=“We%20stayed%20here%20because%20it%20allowed%206%20in%20the%202%20room%20suite…%20at%20a%20good%20price.%20%20The%20neighborhood%20around%20it%20has%20lots%20of%20restaurants%20and%20an%20amazing%20grocery%20store%20with%20an%20unbelievable%20assortment%20of%20individually%20packaged%20foods%20is%20literally%20next%20door.”>/url</a>
*[url=<a href=“http://www.frick.org/index.htm]The”>http://www.frick.org/index.htm]The</a> Frick Collection](<a href=“http://nymag.com/listings/hotel/hotel-belleclaire/]Hotel”>Hotel Belleclaire - Upper West Side - New York Magazine Hotel Guide)</p>