With rates low, thinking about a Dec trip for 4-5d to NYC--need input.

Parent Cafe
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<p>A LONG time ago (ok about 18 years ago) we went to NYC to visit relatives. I have to say…I think we went the first weekend of December (took the train…we aren’t all that far away…and stayed with the relatives). We really wanted our kids to see Santa at Macy’s and we got there well before they opened to do so. It was well worth the effort. The Christmas “village” in Macys is so wonderful and the store windows are terrific too. Personally, I don’t think it matters how old the kids are, it’s a special thing to see…but do get there early.</p>

<p>It WAS crowded everywhere we went, but we had a great time nonetheless. The only thing we really wanted to do, but could not do, was ice skate at Rockefeller Center. The line was simply too long (and it was crowded anyway).</p>

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<p>Doing a little homework The RoomMate Grace (suggested above) hotel looks very interesting, like the D’s would really like it. The rooms are quirky, and for a triple it is a double bed on the “ground” and a twin bed suspended from the ceiling. And they have a quirkly pool and sauna and gym. Looks like it used to be the QT Hotel. Seems sleeping 3 can be tricky. Lots of 1 double bed/1 queen/1 king but not 2 double beds in NYC.</p>

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<p>sunny, I can’t think of a hotel I’ve stayed in that did NOT offer rooms with two double beds as an option. I’m surprised that you’re having a problem finding one.</p>

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<p>sunny -
My D loved the Room Mate Grace. Very small lobby with “cheap” snacks available, super friendly staff, pool in the lobby with bleacher type seating for movies in the evening. The rooms are small but well designed. Very diverse guests - heard lots of different languages over the small continental breakfast. We stayed 2 nights there then moved to the Sheraton. (We had booked on Hotwire and could only get 2 nights - only reason we moved.) My D wanted to go back to the Grace (and so did I!) Even though you are steps off of Times Square our room was very quiet.</p>

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<p>Alwaysamom, Its not that I have having trouble in the usual sense, but I am looking to avoid the usual chain hotel with typical room layout. The pics of the Hiltons, and Marriott’s etc look like your typical dated hotel I could stay in anywhere. I was looking at the boutique type hotels that might give us a different experience. That’s all. And boutique hotels don’t have as many “two double bed” rooms. Or they do AT A PRICE. Just trying to mix it up, and get a little “wow” without the “wow” price. </p>

<p>Went to Paris and Rome last summer (first time not in a state or US territory) and did the unconventional for a first trip. We stayed in an apartment in Paris and another in Rome. It was GREAT. Had a different type of experience. Loved having a little more space and a kitchen. Loved NOT staying in your average hotel.</p>

<p>This trip, don’t need a lot of space as we won’t be eating in or in the room that much. But was looking for something other than the typical NYC chain hotel. I like to mix it up!! But I don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for it. I am leaning towards the Grace. Thanks austinmtmom. I might just get reservations here. Looks quirky and is described as “cheap-chic.”</p>

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<p>Have a great trip! For several years, our family had a nice post Christmas getaway in NYC. It was quite crowded, but if you stay outside of midtown it is more relaxing. Some hotels we liked were the Hotel Belleclaire on the Upper West Side (altho they renovated and got more expensive- it was a great area to stay), The Herald Square Hotel, and the Washington Square Hotel near NYU.
Bryant Park is really lovely around the holidays with all the holiday market stalls and the ice skaters. The Metropoliton Museum, and Museum of Modern Art are wonderful. And of course, theater!
Our d goes to school in the city now, and so we have found ourselves taking day trips to see her often enough that we didn’t go to NYC over the holidays. (We live in Philly so its easy for us to get up just for the day and not pay for a hotel.)</p>

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<p>Look into the Kimberly Hotel. I went with my two sisters and we had a 1 bedroom. 2 beds in the bedroom and a sofa sleeper in the living room. Small kitchen. It was nice to be able to make coffee and toast in the morning. I can’t recall if the beds were queens or doubles. The location was nice. We walked to Central Park, Time Square, theatre and shopping. We also were right near a subway station.</p>

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<p>Wow, the price is really good at the Kimberly. It is more old school, but nice. And a one bedroom suite with bedroom and living room is the same as a really small but chic room at the Grace. I will be checking this out as well! Thanks mom60. How long ago were you there?</p>

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<p>2 yrs ago in September or October. I liked the location because you could walk to Lexington but if you walked a bit east there were small cafes and markets. Less touristy.
The sofa sleeper was not the most comfortable. We were there for 5 nights. Three of those nights there were 3 of us. We each took a night on the sofa.</p>

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<p>There are also a bunch of apartments shown on Craigslist as available by the night or the week. Look under sublets and temporary. I discovered this when looking for a sublet for my son for the summer.</p>

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<p>Small but possibly useful point to be aware of: There is apparently a substantialbedbug problem in NYC, well-publicized locally. I think if I were visiting I’d choose to stay in a hotel, preferably a fairly major one; of course no place is immune to the problem–but I think I would be leery of a stranger’s short-term sublet apartment.</p>

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<p>the muse hotel in the times square area is a pretty good boutique hotel (its a kimpton property). It’s rooms are huge for NYC, and is also relatively cheap, again for nyc. I would stay away from broadway in the times square area as it has gotten completely nuts recently with the pedestrian walkway and I assume will only be more crowded during the holidays. Staying on a side street, or out of midtown altogether, is probably a better plan.</p>

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<p>This thread comes at such an appropriate time! I’m thinking of giving my DS, a soon-to-be college freshman, a trip to NYC for his birthday. He would primarily love to see some Broadway shows. He and I would go during his winter break in January (probably the 2nd week). Hopefully that would be a pretty good time. All of this information is so very helpful - I didn’t even know where to start before!</p>

<p>Thanks CCers :)</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the tips. I booked the flights with frequent flyer miles. With the way we fly it took 15 years to accumulate miles that I finally could use. Have tried before but could never use them for when I needed to go.</p>

<p>The Kimberly is the front runner. The D’s like the roominess over the chic of the Grace. The Muse looks nice but pricier. If we get two doubles and a balcony, itcan’t beat the Kimberly for price. I am holding off on reservations there as lots of rooms for the dates we are going and still looking to be sure. The Kimberly also does not require prepayment/nonrefundable for their reasonable prices. It gets pretty nice reviews for the price.</p>

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<p>So flights booked, holding a few days on the hotel. I am emailing back and forth with the Kimberly about how to get one of their small suites with a double bed and balcony. I am getting greedy–I want it all :). </p>

<p>Anyone seen any shows? D’s are talking about Wicked and Phantom. I see West Side Story is back. We will try to do the holiday Rockette show. NYCB does not yet have its fall/winter schedule up. </p>

<p>Any suggestions for must-do’s? Thanks.</p>

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<p>Wicked is fun though hard to say how good it would be without the original cast members, who are long gone. Jersey Boys is surprisingly good. South Pacific (playing at Lincoln Center) is wonderful. Thsoe two would be my top two recommendations for mainstrwam mmusicals. The current West Side Story has gotten mixed responses–it is done partly in Spanish and some people love it and some do not.</p>

<ol>
<li>To me a must NOT do is walking up very crowded and much-changed (tacky) Fifth Avenue below Rockefeller Center–but DO walk up Fifth Avenue from about 49th Street to Central Park for the views, and the ambience.<br></li>
<li>If you enjoy just knowing you are in a special place, walk along along either river (Hudson and East) for a sense of the city. </li>
<li>Go to Lord and Taylor and/or Bloomingdales not so much to shop but to see what a grand department store was like when department stores really mattered in retailing and American culture.</li>
<li>Spend at least an hour or two at a museum --the Met is the obvious choice as I noted in an earlier post. Just a taste–doesn’t have to be a massive undertaking. Or go to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side–fascinating museum and amazing transformation of the surrounding neighborhood as well.</li>
<li>If weather is decent, take the Staten Island Ferry for wonderful views of Lower Manhattan and the harbor.</li>
</ol>

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<p>In the heights is fantastic, Mamma mia is a lot of fun as well (and the singing is way better then in the movie).</p>

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<p>If you don’t have an account at Playbill I would create one so you can get get discount theatre tickets. It doesn’t cost anything to create the account. They also have a list of shows that are opening later this year. Altar Boyz is a really fun off-Broadway show - my D and I have seen it twice and would see it again. Next to Normal is amazing!! Haven’t seen Hair but would love to. D is going to NYC in October (without me :() and I know Hair is at the top of her list. She also loved Billy Elliot and In the Heights.</p>

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<p>Warning and perhaps a minority opinion about Billy Elliott–my daughter and I saw it a few months ago with great expectations of loving it (really liked the movie). We thought it was marginally entertaining at best. The pop history/sociocultural part was mildly interesting to me but forced and awkward. The music was loud and if you don’t really like Elton John it will not begin to compare in enjoyability to most other musicals available in NYC. The dancing was variable; the characterizations were uneven. Could not believe the number of Tonys it won but possibly the competition was weaker still. Incidentally, D also did not love In the Heights, which she saw with friends (I have not seen). </p>

<p>I think what you will like probably depends on what your tastes are, but in the case of BE I have to say I think some of the rave reviews were oddly inflated; not all reviews were so positive, but we really based our choice to rush out and see it on the one in the Times, which in retrospect was somewhat off base. (Possibly kids who dance will realy like ti because they will relate to it in more ways.)</p>

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<p>sunny, Wicked and Phantom wouldn’t be my first choices :wink: but if none of you have seen either of them, you should go. As someone who has seen probably every Broadway show to open over the past 25 years, I can tell you that, in most cases, it doesn’t matter whether you see the original cast or replacements. There is nothing inherently better about any actor who happens to originate a role.</p>

<p>Of the shows currently running, I’d suggest Hair or Next to Normal, which will give you a look at both a very popular revival and also an original production. There aren’t many new shows these days on Broadway and I think it’s important to support the original works. Having said that, Next to Normal is worth seeing, not only because it’s original, but because it is a fantastic show with a great score.</p>

<p>Jersey Boys is a great show and is enjoyed by all ages. I have yet to meet one person who didn’t love it. I would also recommend South Pacific, it is an absolutely beautiful production and Kelli O’Hara will be back in the fall from her maternity leave(she’s excellent as Nellie). It’s too bad that 9 to 5 is closing because that’s one of the most entertaining shows I’ve seen in a while. I agree with austinmom that Altar Boyz is great fun, and you can usually get very inexpensive tickets.</p>

<p>People have mixed views on Billy Elliot and In the Heights. I personally enjoyed both of them, although I did enjoy the West End production of BE more than Broadway. In the Heights usually appeals more to people who are very much ‘into’ theatre than those who aren’t. </p>

<p>I’m afraid I wouldn’t recommend West Side Story, even though the wonderfully talented young woman who won the Tony is a friend. She is definitely the highlight of the show, and it’s possible that she won’t still be there by December. Other shows I would stay away from are Mary Poppins, Shrek, Mamma Mia, The Little Mermaid.</p>

<p>Shows that won’t open til the fall include Bye Bye Birdie - the actors who have been cast are amazing so, although that’s never a guarantee, it would probably be a safe choice; Ragtime - which is very near the top of my favorites list of the hundreds of shows I’ve seen. The show has an excellent book, one of the most beautiful scores written, and this production is transferring from the Kennedy Center in D.C.; Finian’s Rainbow - another show with a terrific cast and any show with Cheyenne Jackson in it is worth the ticket price! I’m focussing on musicals but there are also some excellent plays.</p>

<p>You can have a look at playbill.com for listings, castlists, theatre info, and how to purchase tickets. If you sign up for their mailing list, you can get discounted tickets which can sometimes be worthwhile, depending where the seats are. The discounts are similar at broadwaybox.com. And there’s always TKTS but I don’t recommend that if there is a particular show you want to be sure to see because they only receive same day tickets that haven’t sold, and it varies day by day. You also have to wait in line, which most people do not want to do, particularly outside in December.</p>

<p>If you have any theatre questions, PM or email me by clicking on my username and I’ll be happy to help and also fill you in on how your Ds can meet castmembers from the shows if they’d like to do so. We’ve lived in the city and visit several times a year. One of my Ds went to college there so we’ve spent a lot of time exploring the city.</p>

<p>One place that is worth a stop, usually after a show is the most fun, is Ellen’s Stardust Diner at the corner of Broadway and 51st. The servers are out-of-work or wannabe actors and they perform for the customers. It’s lots of fun, even if the food is kind of mediocre.</p>