Help with this area please (7th Ave & W31st Street)..

[nycvix]

Thankyou everyone who replied with good intentions!...I appreciate it!

[Kefir King]

Originally Posted by SobroGuy

I would take Kefir's advice with a big grain of salt...those are all really bad things to try. Who goes on vacation TO NYC and wants to go to a dollar store? Eat bad 99 cent pizza? Or a nasty all you can eat buffet for SUSHI!!!! YIKES!!!!! This is what you recommend for tourists?

The area is ok..you get alot of bums and hustlers around Penn Station though...they target the obvious tourists. Besides that the area is alright.

And your recommendations are what exactly? Say within 3 blocks of their hotel?

Have you TASTED the pizza...if not, on what do you base your decision that it is lousy...divine inspiration, or the idea that only expensive things can taste good? Or does it HAVE to be in the South Bronx too be good? Should tourists be directed to Melrose?

Have you EATEN at Chi-Mer, perhaps the busiest and most popular place in Koreatown, a hop skip and jump from the hotel? If you haven't eaten there your post is silly and utterly worthless. If you HAD eaten there you would recommend it to tourists staying on 31st St in a heartbeat. Everyone who eats there is utterly AMAZED.

Have you ever been in JACK's? I guarantee that ANY tourist will find it FAR more interesting than Macy's. If you have NOT been in Jack's why waste everyone's time with you comment based on nothing?

Do you post solely to practice typing?
Maybe you should stick to the highlights of South Bronx living with an eye towards real estate sales. Stay within your limited limits.

[Cal Field]

The hotel is indeed recently renovated and is pretty nice. It's a 10 minute walk to Times Square, extremely convenient to all subway lines, there are tons of cabs, there is no problem here. Plus it has Seven Bar and Grill right across the street, which is one of my favorite romantic restaurants, and Mustang Harry's is right there too if you're in the mood for a sports bar.

[SobroGuy]

Kefir I work in the area, so I kinda know what's going on. Jack's is fine...but the other 2? Come now. If they are staying in the area, it doesn't mean they should be doing everything in the area. If you are in NYC, you can simply walk to Chelsea a few blocks away and eat well, in fine establishments, and not have to spend alot. You can walk to the East Side and do the same. Why recommend anything around Penn Station....it's just not a place to do anything but sleep and grab a beer in an emergency (like your train is delayed), or before/after a game.

If this were some other town, then yeah...you are screwed, but you can simply walk a few minutes away. What does the South Bronx comment have to do with anything..that was silly.

[rlrl]

I always saw that area as bland midtown with a few gems like Jack's, Border's (i consider Border's to be a special place), JC Penney (not many around the city)

[omigawd]

All the Borders stores closed down months ago. There is no such thing as Borders anymore; they tried to restructure through a bankruptcy but it didn't work. I was so sad because I absolutely LOVED Borders!

Barnes and Noble have taken over their customer list (I've gotten a ton of emails from them). I'm not too crazy about B&N.

[rlrl]

oh God i forgot i heard about the closing after i was last in the Border's in LaGuardia this past summer. browsing Border's helped me deal with nerves from the flight

so a B&N is now in the old Border's in Penn Plaza?

[rlrl]

gotta agree with Kefir King, no store can be as interesting or intriguing as Jack's, especially when you go upstairs!!

[jcoltrane]

Originally Posted by SobroGuy

I would take Kefir's advice with a big grain of salt...those are all really bad things to try. Who goes on vacation TO NYC and wants to go to a dollar store? Eat bad 99 cent pizza? Or a nasty all you can eat buffet for SUSHI!!!! YIKES!!!!! This is what you recommend for tourists?

The area is ok..you get alot of bums and hustlers around Penn Station though...they target the obvious tourists. Besides that the area is alright.

Thank you sobro, for once we are in 100% accord!

You get what you pay for, is as true an idiom as ever. That said, some have need or compulsion to stretch their funds as far as they can go. Also, for some, quality just isn't a familiar concept.

At any rate, OP, there are FAR better pizza places throughout the city, but all will cost a good bit more than 99 cents.

I'm not a big Sushi eater, but I do know that Sushi is judged not by price but by the quality of the ingredients. There are incredible Sushi restaurants in this city, that establishment is not one of them.

****

I am not at all familiar with your hotel. Why have you chosen that one out of the thousands of choices. What are you looking for?

The area around 34th Street, Penn Station, Macy's, The Pennsylvania Hotel, Herald Square, is a bit 'midling'. While it is, indeed, a very busy area, a major shopping location AND a major transportation hub, it is not the most attractive area.

In general, a bit dark, dirty and dingy. Yes, NYC has improved considerably from the bad old days, all areas have come 'up' a bit; but in the scale of things the area continues to occupy a 'midling' place.

Given so many other choices, the only reason to stay in the are w/b cost. If cost is a serious factor, and you have found a great deal, then go for it. Safety, again, is midling, neither the most safe, nor the least safe.

As Sobro stated, there are bums and hustlers in the area. A bum may plead for change, and someone might attempt to entice you in a con/hustle. Navigating this is just a part of NYC. Rule of thumb, mind your own business! Yet, there are areas and hotels where you will be far less likely to be confronted.

On a scale putting the Four Seasons and Park Avenue at the top, and Embassy Suites and Times Square in the middle, and someplace like the Edison Hotel also in Times Square at the bottom. I'd imagine your hotel and the Penn Station area to be somewhere below Embassy Suites, but above the Edison!

As far as food and entertainment, its all relative to each individuall. If you're visiting to eat and drink, then I would avoid Keifer's suggestions, as they are certainly low brow bargains.

On the other hand, if you're coming to see the sights, and want to maximize your funds, then Keifer appears to have suggested some good 'budget' options.

For myself, I wouldn't stay at anything less than Embassy Suites, though for me it is a bit too family friendly for my taste. Other people's ill behaved children not being a vacation feature. Personally, I would not stay in the Penn Station area hotels with children, but then I w/b overly protective if I had children.

Also, NYC is a major culinary world center, it w/b a waste not to partake. Even on a budget, there are some incredible choices. I'd look into the Prix Fix at some of the nicer restaurants, NOT in the area of the hotel.

Oh! One big caveate, it can be truly a hassle to get a cab in the area. Sometimes near impossible. I believe your hotel has a doorman who will assist, and there is a taxi line across the street in front of Penn, but it is mega long; and standing in line for a taxi is almost anti-NYer!

Enjoy.