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I turn 40 on 4/5 and my husband & I are going to NY City to Celebrate.
I have looked online at hotels and read reviews and still unsure of where to stay......
We want to be in the City and we purchased a 3 day City Pass book already to use while we were there and I have been making lists of where we want to go and what to see and do it's going to be a busy 5 days there.
Any advise for us for those that know NY Hotels??
We would like FREE Wi-Fi and a free breakfast would be awesome too save some $$ on food.
Residence Inn by Marriott New York Manhattan/Times Square - serves a complimentary buffet breakfast daily & also has free wi-fi looks nice but is it???
Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan & New York Marriott Marquis are nicer but nothing is included....
OR we could just go out and & stay at either West House New York or The Quin with free WiFi but no free breakfast.... I know we don't be in the hotel that much but do want a nice room with good views.
We will be flying in from Raleigh, NC and will have to get a ride from the airport to the hotel too and then back on Sunday when we leave and sounds like that's $60 one way plus the tip.
I know NY is expensive and an experience and we are prepared to pay for it but rather spend less on hotel and more on entertainment.
Thanks for any help just don't want to choose the wrong hotel and we can't wait to be in your awesome City soon!!!
If you want to save money I recommend skipping the cabs to and from the airport and using the NYC public transit instead, the system is world class. When you exit the airport just ask an employee where the city busses stop. The first bus that comes more than likely will connect with the 7 subway line where you can take an easy train ride into Midtown Manhattan. When you leave I reccomend taking the 7 train to Woodside 61st street where you can get on a bus to LaGuardia.
M other advice is if you stay in Times Square dont spend much time there. It is not representative of NYC and is overrun with tourist traps
If you want to save money I recommend skipping the cabs to and from the airport and using the NYC public transit instead, the system is world class. When you exit the airport just ask an employee where the city busses stop. The first bus that comes more than likely will connect with the 7 subway line where you can take an easy train ride into Midtown Manhattan. When you leave I reccomend taking the 7 train to Woodside 61st street where you can get on a bus to LaGuardia.
M other advice is if you stay in Times Square dont spend much time there. It is not representative of NYC and is overrun with tourist traps
I didn't see where the OP writes that they are flying into La Guardia Airport. But if so, I would suggest when they leave that they should take the 7 train from Times Square to 74th Street Station and transfer there to the Q70-Ltd express service bus to La Guardia Airport. (This can be done in the another direction coming into Manhattan as well.)
I turn 40 on 4/5 and my husband & I are going to NY City to Celebrate.
I have looked online at hotels and read reviews and still unsure of where to stay......
We want to be in the City and we purchased a 3 day City Pass book already to use while we were there and I have been making lists of where we want to go and what to see and do it's going to be a busy 5 days there.
Any advise for us for those that know NY Hotels??
We would like FREE Wi-Fi and a free breakfast would be awesome too save some $$ on food.
Residence Inn by Marriott New York Manhattan/Times Square - serves a complimentary buffet breakfast daily & also has free wi-fi looks nice but is it???
Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan & New York Marriott Marquis are nicer but nothing is included....
OR we could just go out and & stay at either West House New York or The Quin with free WiFi but no free breakfast.... I know we don't be in the hotel that much but do want a nice room with good views.
We will be flying in from Raleigh, NC and will have to get a ride from the airport to the hotel too and then back on Sunday when we leave and sounds like that's $60 one way plus the tip.
I know NY is expensive and an experience and we are prepared to pay for it but rather spend less on hotel and more on entertainment.
Thanks for any help just don't want to choose the wrong hotel and we can't wait to be in your awesome City soon!!!
Cindy
I go to NYC numerous times throughout the year, so here is what I have learned over time and done to save money.
If you want the true NYC experience as a tourist, staying in Manhattan is the way to go. Hotels are expensive, and as the weather gets warmer, the demand for rooms get higher, causing prices to go up. Get a groupon account and search hotels on there. I stayed on 48th street literally a 2minute walk from Times square for $400 for 4 nights in march. I paid 460 for 3 nights at the same hotel for the 4th of July. It sounds high, but they are good deals considering the area and time of year. I got all the deals on groupon. Just search Hotels in NYC and some are bound to pop up. They show up at random times so you have to check daily. There always seem to be some deals on there, but still a little high in price. Check all of the hotels in the area on there daily and eventually a good one will show up. The process is easy too. Read the fine print, make sure you are ok with it, buy it, print out the receipt, call the hotel and make sure your name is booked for the dates you chose on groupon, and literally all you do at the hotel is show up, and when you check out you give them your room card and that's it since it's already paid for when you first purchase it on groupon.
As for traveling, flying wins for me because I live 11hours away driving wise and parking is limited and costly. I've flown in through both LaGuardia and JFK. JFK is much easier in my opinion cause you can get on the train from there and be in Manhattan in less than an hour. There is an air train from JFK to the Jamaica station E train which takes you directly into Manhattan without having to switch trains. Through LaGuardia, you can get on the Bus to the Jackson/Roosevelt station in Queens and then hop on the E train. Cabs are expensive. Through JFK, the air train is $5 and the subway to manhattan is $2.75 I think. Much better than $60 for a cab plus tip. Fly in around 9-10am. The trains won't be busy so bringing your luggage along is no issue. Through LaGuardia I believe the bus is $2.25 plus $2.75 for the subway. I still pick JFK. Much more convenient.
Outside of hotels, breakfast is an inexpensive meal. An egg sandwich and coffee at a deli is probably $4 or less. I'd say worry less about the hotel perk of some free toast, beagles, and coffee (I'm sure it's a continental breakfast and nothing elaborate) and focus on a hotel that gives the overall best value: best rates & location. Free wifi is nice but with smart phones, do you really need it? Wifi is only important to me when I travel for business.
I turn 40 on 4/5 and my husband & I are going to NY City to Celebrate.
I have looked online at hotels and read reviews and still unsure of where to stay......
We want to be in the City and we purchased a 3 day City Pass book already to use while we were there and I have been making lists of where we want to go and what to see and do it's going to be a busy 5 days there.
Any advise for us for those that know NY Hotels??
es
We would like FREE Wi-Fi and a free breakfast would be awesome too save some $$ on food.
Residence Inn by Marriott New York Manhattan/Times Square - serves a complimentary buffet breakfast daily & also has free wi-fi looks nice but is it???
Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan & New York Marriott Marquis are nicer but nothing is included....
OR we could just go out and & stay at either West House New York or The Quin with free WiFi but no free breakfast.... I know we don't be in the hotel that much but do want a nice room with good views.
We will be flying in from Raleigh, NC and will have to get a ride from the airport to the hotel too and then back on Sunday when we leave and sounds like that's $60 one way plus the tip.
I know NY is expensive and an experience and we are prepared to pay for it but rather spend less on hotel and more on entertainment.
Thanks for any help just don't want to choose the wrong hotel and we can't wait to be in your awesome City soon!!!
Cindy
Hello Cindy and welcome to New York City. Unfortunately you have already made mistake one with the 3 day pass. Most locals know that they are not a good deal because the prices they quote you for "list" prices are not real. That said and given that you have already purchased it just go with it but don't let
the book tell you where to go next.
Next in looking at hotels do not look for places with "free" breakfasts because you are going to probably pay for it with higher room rates and there are so many inexpensive options for New York City breakfasts as long as you stay away from Times Square you will be better off just going out and finding them,
The first purchase you and hubby should make upon arrival would be a weekly unlimited metro card which is good on all subways and local buses for $31 for 7 days. I know you are only here 5 days but for sure this will be the best purchase you make in your time here. If you fly into JFK then the taxi fare will be
fixed and with tip and toll should be about $60 one way --- you could reserve a car for about the same
but be careful which one you choose. Dont do it strictly on price since so many exist. Choose one and come back here to verify your choice. I will give you one to start with and that is Dial 7.
Hotels are strictly a matter of budget. Look at all the websites find one that fits in your budget and then
again come back here to verify your choice. I would do that sooner rather than later to give you the best chance of finding a deal. Don't fall for the old line "we are only going to sleep there so we are not
too fussy where we stay" believe me there are some bad hotels in this city.
Good luck in your planning-- that is the part of the trip that I always enjoy the most. Also come back with the kinds of things you want to do while here (museums, theater, music ? drinking) and we can direct you to those places again.
I agree with Kostellic, if you want the complete NYC experience, a hotel in Manhattan is your best bet. If you're on a budget though, and would rather save some money on the hotel and spend it doing other tourist stuff, you might want to consider checking for a hotel in LIC. You'd be a stop away from Manhattan, and pay much less per night.
That being said, I disagree with Kostellic regarding the airport of choice. LGA is closer to Manhattan, so while LGA doesn't have an airtrain, the M60, with a transfer to the N at AstoriaBlvd/31st is your cheapest quick way to Midtown. The whole ride will cost you $2.50 per person but if you aren't able to purchase a metro card at the terminal, you have to ask the bus driver for a transfer ticket (free.)
However, while neither NYC airport is particularly pleasant, JFK is the better of the two. JFK tends to have slightly higher prices, though.
I agree with Kostellic, if you want the complete NYC experience, a hotel in Manhattan is your best bet. If you're on a budget though, and would rather save some money on the hotel and spend it doing other tourist stuff, you might want to consider checking for a hotel in LIC. You'd be a stop away from Manhattan, and pay much less per night.
That being said, I disagree with Kostellic regarding the airport of choice. LGA is closer to Manhattan, so while LGA doesn't have an airtrain, the M60, with a transfer to the N at AstoriaBlvd/31st is your cheapest quick way to Midtown. The whole ride will cost you $2.50 per person but if you aren't able to purchase a metro card at the terminal, you have to ask the bus driver for a transfer ticket (free.)
However, while neither NYC airport is particularly pleasant, JFK is the better of the two. JFK tends to have slightly higher prices, though.
This is a birthday celebration and it really depends on the couple as to mode of transportation. If you are up for it you can do the public bus route but I know if I were taking my wife to NYC for a celebration I would not dare to go the M60 to N train route-- but again it depends on the people. Cheapest is not always best
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