Which area to stay in New York?

basserphil

this is an unfair quote, not based on real facts?
im stopping Airbnb in may 2018 in harlem new york, the 3 storey brownstone building has an apartment on the top floor and the owner stays in the 2 below, This is definitely not illegal, what is and what New york are trying to stop are landlords buying flats/apartments and renting them out ...this is denying locals affordable housing by pushing up rents.....so make 100% sure when you Airbnb , that the owner is staying in the same building he is renting to You.

Getinthehole!

The above is true and exactly how we used air bnb a few weeks ago.

Ono

I am planning a surprise trip to New York in mid-September this year with my wife. Thing is, I have never been and haven't got a clue so please excuse the n00b questions but any guidance would be useful to my planning at this stage. We will be there for about 7 days (including a weekend).

Which airport is it better to fly into - JFK or Newark (from London)? Both seem same distance from Manhattan;Is Manhattan is the best place to stay? - Hotel prices are very high there. I prefer to stay in a hotel (a medium end one - maybe £180 a night but struggling to find one in Manhattan!).Is 7 days too much? I could always mix in some days elsewhere if nearby.
Thanks

welshy

We stayed in New York the other week over half-term. We stayed at the Best Western Premier Herald Square (50 W 36th Street, a tube is very close to the hotel) for 6 nights at $200 a night. It is in an ideal location and was very quiet and clean. The rooms were quite small but ok for my wife and 10 year old daughter and me. We were lucky to have the back of the hotel so no noise from the streets. In fact we couldn't hear anything at night. Breakfast was also included. Some will say best to eat out for breakfast but to be honest eating out in restaurants and cafe's are quite expensive so we pigged out at breakfast which kept us going for most of the day. Plus we didn't need to find somewhere to eat each morning so we could just crack on with sight seeing.

Street hotdogs are cheap but hunt for the best prices, some stalls/vans wanted $3 but we found one for $1.50 with all the trimmings, very tasty too!

I have no idea about Newark but getting into Manhattan from JFK (and back) was easy. We did use a taxi when we arrived as it was early hours and we were shattered but the JFK airtrain to Jamaica Central is regular and $5 each, then purchase a 7-day metrocard for $33 each. We did use the metro and airtrain to go back to JFK

Manhattan is probably best if you want to be central, easy access to everywhere. 7 days is fine. We covered a lot but not all in 6 days. We didn't go to Harlem or the Bronx.

I'd recommend the High Line as mentioned here and the free ferry to Staten Island as an easy way to see the Statue of Liberty. From Manhattan side go to the right side of the ferry for the best view. As soon as you reach the other side get off the ferry and back on again unless you want to see the island but we didn't bother.

Stores open bit later there, we were a bit too early arriving in Soho and China Town so we missed the hustle and bustle but we still saw a lot.

Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and walk around Brooklyn for a quieter part of New York. Just ask if you need any more information.

nancyhill

Manhattan is the best place to stay for tourist.

AMc

1 - I don't think it matters - we flew into JFK and used the Airtrain and subway to get to our hotel just off Broadway - cheap, simple enough.
2 - Manhattan is great but as you've found damn expensive.  I would concentrate more on being near a good subway line.  First time we stayed in Midtown on the Eastern side - it was a long walk to the nearest subway, we spent a lot of time walking and there wasn't much of a choice in restaurants in the evening or for breakfast.  The hotel was the Roger Smith.
Last trip we stayed at The Time Hotel - prices were OK and the rooms were good.  We needed a mini suite so there was a sofa bed for the teenager.  Near enough to Hell's Kitchen to find decent eats.
If I were going back I would be looking at what's available off the island but very close to a subway, probably Brooklyn as that's supposed to be a lot of fun and we only really did the bridge.
Check out Travel Bag as they organise inclusive trips but will also book you rooms at their discounted rates - they were the cheapest last time I was booking but as ever hunting hotel rooms online is a moving target.
3 - NYC is massive, there are millions of things to do.  I'd be surprised if you got bored but you might get tired or broke!  Check out CityPass NYC to get a flavour of what you might want to see.  We used them in NYC and in LA, you get reasonable savings and faster entry.  The Circle Line boat tours are a good relaxing way of spending a couple of hours esp. if you combine them with a trip to the Intrepid Air and Space museum.
If you really wanted to add another location both Boston and Washington D.C. are reasonably accessible - either a short flight or a train.  We did NYC from Boston on our first trip and did NYC and DC on our second trip - both times we used Amtrak so saw a bit of the country.  Both are potentially drivable if you wanted to.
If you do decide to do more than one city look at an Open Jaw return (in one place out the other) the first time on the Boston & NYC trip we wasted a day going back to Boston to fly home.

These are some of the pictures I took in NYC last time.
New York and Washington, 17th August - 1st September 2016

davidjohnson

Yes, but if you cannot find anything decent within your budget, take a look at Long Island City in Queens. There are a number of hotels available for less than £150 per night that are close to the subway.

djcla

im thinking about going to NY in November have not been for about 10 years ..  So many Hotel choices in Manhattan coming up on travelbag to choose from, any suggestions?

davidjohnson

We try to ensure we a close to a subway station and within walking distance of bars and food options.
Do you have any specific plans for November?

djcla

nope , just being near bars, shops and restaurants and things to do is key for the trip.