New York City

[minnierocks]

minnierocks...pls share the name of the Secaucus Hotel.

Oops...sorry...I was posting quickly and forgot that small detail
It was the La Quinta Inn and Suites/Secaucus Meadowlands. It is not a luxury hotel but the rooms were clean, beds were really comfortable and the breakfast was a full hot breakfast every morning. The parking is the first floor of a parking deck that has an alley separating it from the hotel but was very convenient. We had no issues and the front desk was friendly and helpful. The bus fare was $7.80 round trip to get into the city and it took very little time to get there. The only time it was longer was on Friday night and we headed to Manhattan at 5:30 pm. We hit traffic but we were still there in 30 minutes...even in heavy traffic. I would stay there again. I did not find it inconvenient at all to stay in NJ. And quite frankly, the money we saved on hotel...could be spent elsewhere!

There are some higher end hotels in the same area such as a Marriott, but I can tell you that their rates were much higher than the La Quinta. The area was very safe and we were never uncomfortable after dark. It was more of a retail area with shopping and restaurants.

 

[lc1965]

I lived in NYC my whole life until a few months ago & worked in Times Sq for much of it & I can tell you the Skyline is not in a neighborhood you want to stroll through at 11:30 p.m. I'm actually surprised to hear so many people saying it's a good place to stay, but I guess it takes all kinds to make a world.

My friend ALWAYS stays at one of the chain places on 45th or 46th, right in Times Sq. - I want to say Motel 6, but definitely a chain like that. It's AAA-rated, which I always recommend. She comes into the city about 4x per year & heads straight there. I find all of the affordable hotels in Manhattan a little creepy, so I would suck it up & spend the money for a nicer place, esp if it's for only a few days, but that's just me. Some of the boutiques, like Dream, are breathtaking,but pricey. The Marriott Marquis could not be any easier. DO NOT STAY AT THE EDISON. It is the most disgusting place with the worst customer service.

A lot of people stay in NJ, as one person posted. If it works, it's great, but if there's a traffic snarl, you miss everything you've planned. It can take over an hour to get into midtown on a Sunday afternoon & that is not an exaggeration. I can't tell you how many tearful tourists I've met because they missed half of their Broadway shows due to traffic problems.

Do venture onto 9th Ave between 42 St & 56 St to get something to eat. There are so many options & most of them are good. Stay off Broadway & 8th Ave to eat - they're usually tourist traps & usually very expensive.

 

[lulubelle6188]

Has anyone ever stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn at 790 Eighth Avenue? My sister is taking me for my bday next year and got what seems to be an amazing employee rate ($39 a night). The hotel seems nice and has mainly good reviews. It also looks close to a lot of things on the map. I've never been to NY and want to stay someplace safe! Thanks.

 

[sk!mom]

I have had great luck with Priceline for NYC. If there are only two of you, it's a great option. Do not bid lower than 3.5 stars and check out the areas before bidding. We love to stay in Times Square because we see shows almost every night. I like being able to walk back to the hotel late.

Last trip we got the Sheraton on 7th for $90.

Since you need parking, I would look at Hotwire. The hotel will be a surprise but you can choose the area and make sure that it has parking before you buy.

Www.biddingfortravel.com is a good place to see current winning bids on Priceline.

 

[cornflake]

Has anyone ever stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn at 790 Eighth Avenue? My sister is taking me for my bday next year and got what seems to be an amazing employee rate ($39 a night). The hotel seems nice and has mainly good reviews. It also looks close to a lot of things on the map. I've never been to NY and want to stay someplace safe! Thanks.

Most everyplace is safe. Again, safest large city in America.

That's right over by the firehouse I think. You should be fine. It's not a four-star hotel, it's a Hilton, but at $39 a night, I'd be all over that. And yes, it's in midtown, but over there there's a lot open late so it's good.

If you get a hotel in the 40's ideally...
You can walk up (north) to 57 St. where Columbus Circle, Central Park are (that's the most s/w edge of the park) . Museums are located around outskirts of Central Park, Met Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History.
You can walk down (south) to the 30's, 34th Street has Macy's and great shopping.
You can take a short train ride (south) to Greenwich Village, Union Square (blocks are teens) and the Financial District if you'd like (that's all the way south).

Not for nothing but this kind of makes it sound like these things are closer to each other than they are.

I mean anything is walking distance if one has enough time, and god knows we tend to walk more than most but...

A hotel in Times Square, walk up to CPS, that's one thing - the museums you named, however, are all located @ around 80th street on their respective sides of the park. So if people were walking from Times Square to, say, the Met, that's a 2.5 or so mile jaunt, one way. This is not what most people consider 'walking distance' in my experience.

Also, personally, I wouldn't send anyone down to 34th street or Macy's for shopping. There's "great shopping" in SoHo, on some aves on the Upper West and East, on some enclaves other places but 34th street, like 14th, is where to go to get like, really sketch bootleg DVDs and a pair of sunglasses for a dollar if yours break.

I lived in NYC my whole life until a few months ago & worked in Times Sq for much of it & I can tell you the Skyline is not in a neighborhood you want to stroll through at 11:30 p.m.

Heh, I never get it when I see people talking about it. I have no problem with walking around there, honestly. It's that that place has always, always looked like the dumpiest dump that ever dumped. Disclaimer, I've never been inside, maybe it's a paradise within, heh and it's kind of an institution as it's never, as long as I've been looking at it, changed its appearance, which is notably different from other stuff. It's just... it looks so ...

 

[lc1965]

Heh, I never get it when I see people talking about it. I have no problem with walking around there, honestly. It's that that place has always, always looked like the dumpiest dump that ever dumped.

This is true! "Dumpiest dump" is even probably a bit generous. But, yeah, I worked in Times Sq at night for nearly 20 years & I never relished strolling around that part of Hell's Kitchen at night. If I had to get somewhere that required me walking by there, I did it quickly & with my head up. I try to steer tourists to places where they can be tourists without being targets, as much as possible, anyway.

 

[cornflake]

This is true! "Dumpiest dump" is even probably a bit generous. But, yeah, I worked in Times Sq at night for nearly 20 years & I never relished strolling around that part of Hell's Kitchen at night. If I had to get somewhere that required me walking by there, I did it quickly & with my head up. I try to steer tourists to places where they can be tourists without being targets, as much as possible, anyway.

Ok, no offense, but when you say you lived in NYC... what do you mean exactly?

Because just nothing about that area reads sketch to me - besides that, again again, this is the safest large city in the nation and someplace there are pretty much always people is safer than places there aren't and dump though it may be, there are always people over there, and over there, they're often tourists. Also, 11:30 isn't even close to late at night?

 

[clori]

I would look at around at sites like travelzoo and maybe hotels.com (reviews and if lucky deals). My dh grew up in Midtown Manhattan and until the last two years we stayed in midtown at his father's place. Now his father has a live in helper for Alzheimer's so we stay in a hotel. We need a room for 4 since I have 2 daughters. So far it has been fun looking for bargains. We prefer to take megabus/boltbus etc vs driving so no car.

Once we stayed at Skyline for $135 a night. We felt totally safe there and the kids had a great time playing with kids in the playground down the street. We had it booked the week between Christmas and New Year's the winter before last for $135 as well but had to cancel due to a blizzard. We ended up driving to CT and taking the metro rail in after the blizzard. The hotel was nice but I hated having to go by a specific time vs just get to the subway and wait a few mintues for a train (or bus like we do often).

We loved Affinia Manhattan which we got thru travelzoo for $159 for a 1 bedroom suite. It is an old apartment building converted to a hotel - we had two full bathrooms and a full kitchen as well as living room/sofabed and bedroom with two queen beds. It is across the street from Penn Station. We also liked Chelsea Savoy which we got for $135 July 2-4th last year for a room with two beds and a cot which was in its own alcove and free continental breakfast. To us location in Manhattan doesn't matter as much. Grandpa lives near the UN and dh's brother and family lives on Central Park West so we spend time at these locations but also do some touristy things most visits. When Dh's mother was alive she always recommended the pod hotel.

Cornflake - Out of curiousity what is wrong with Hotel Pennsylvania? I like the location. Also what do you thing of the hotels in Long Island City - dh isn't famililar with that area but commute wise it is close to dh's father.

 

[cornflake]

I would look at around at sites like travelzoo and maybe hotels.com (reviews and if lucky deals). My dh grew up in Midtown Manhattan and until the last two years we stayed in midtown at his father's place. Now his father has a live in helper for Alzheimer's so we stay in a hotel. We need a room for 4 since I have 2 daughters. So far it has been fun looking for bargains. We prefer to take megabus/boltbus etc vs driving so no car.

Once we stayed at Skyline for $135 a night. We felt totally safe there and the kids had a great time playing with kids in the playground down the street. We had it booked the week between Christmas and New Year's the winter before last for $135 as well but had to cancel due to a blizzard. We ended up driving to CT and taking the metro rail in after the blizzard. The hotel was nice but I hated having to go by a specific time vs just get to the subway and wait a few mintues for a train (or bus like we do often).

We loved Affinia Manhattan which we got thru travelzoo for $159 for a 1 bedroom suite. It is an old apartment building converted to a hotel - we had two full bathrooms and a full kitchen as well as living room/sofabed and bedroom with two queen beds. It is across the street from Penn Station. We also liked Chelsea Savoy which we got for $135 July 2-4th last year for a room with two beds and a cot which was in its own alcove and free continental breakfast. To us location in Manhattan doesn't matter as much. Grandpa lives near the UN and dh's brother and family lives on Central Park West so we spend time at these locations but also do some touristy things most visits. When Dh's mother was alive she always recommended the pod hotel.

Cornflake - Out of curiousity what is wrong with Hotel Pennsylvania? I like the location. Also what do you thing of the hotels in Long Island City - dh isn't famililar with that area but commute wise it is close to dh's father.

Oooh, I forgot about the Affinia, agree that's quite nice.

It's not the location of the Hotel Penn, it's the hotel. Let's say I'm familiar with the building and some of the running of the hotel and trust me, don't do it. Maybe it's one of those things where if you knew about other hotels you'd think the same but other people who were there when I was were similarly appalled. Rats was kind of the least of it. I didn't work for the Hotel or anything, not a disgruntled employee, heh.

Sorry, don't know anything about LIC either really. Also from here and as I'm sure you know, cross the river, even if it's like 2 miles away....

 

[Tikitoi]

You might try looking into Hampton Inn. We stay in those any time we can!! Always nice, clean and FREE breakfast!!

I was thinking about this one, too. They have one located right in Times Square.

 

[lc1965]

Ok, no offense, but when you say you lived in NYC... what do you mean exactly?

Wow, really?f you didn't mean to offend, you have a funny way of expressing it. I'm not sure exactly what it is you're trying to express, but it sure SEEMS as if you're suggesting that I must come from some neighborhood where my delicate sensibilities are offended by Hell's Kitchen. And even if that is true, it's not for anyone to pass judgment on. You & I disagree on what is a sketchy neighborhood. That's all you need to know.

 

[TavieP]

Oooh, I forgot about the Affinia, agree that's quite nice.

It's not the location of the Hotel Penn, it's the hotel. Let's say I'm familiar with the building and some of the running of the hotel and trust me, don't do it. Maybe it's one of those things where if you knew about other hotels you'd think the same but other people who were there when I was were similarly appalled. Rats was kind of the least of it. I didn't work for the Hotel or anything, not a disgruntled employee, heh.

Sorry, don't know anything about LIC either really. Also from here and as I'm sure you know, cross the river, even if it's like 2 miles away....

Stay away from the hotels in LIC, the area is a wasteland and can be quite dangerous in parts. I grew up on Roosevelt Island and go there frequently to visit my dad and sister and am always baffled when riding through LIC to see these hotels in the middle of a creepy wasteland of warehouses and taxi depots...

 

[Mary Anne]

[QUOTECornflake - Out of curiousity what is wrong with Hotel Pennsylvania? I like the location. Also what do you thing of the hotels in Long Island City - dh isn't famililar with that area but commute wise it is close to dh's father.[/QUOTE]

I spent one night at the Hotel Pennsylvania in 1978; paid $80 a night and spend $20 on two slices of toast, a scrambled egg and a copy of coffee. It was a 90 degree night and the a/c did not work. It was a dump then and I'd pass on it 34 or so years later. I also would not do the LIC area; I have no problem passing through on an express bus in rush hour but no way would I get off the bus at any hour.

 

[cornflake]

I spent one night at the Hotel Pennsylvania in 1978; paid $80 a night and spend $20 on two slices of toast, a scrambled egg and a copy of coffee. It was a 90 degree night and the a/c did not work. It was a dump then and I'd pass on it 34 or so years later. I also would not do the LIC area; I have no problem passing through on an express bus in rush hour but no way would I get off the bus at any hour.

Heh, interesting. My experience with the place was much more recent and indicates nothing much has changed.

 

[alice99]

Wow, really?f you didn't mean to offend, you have a funny way of expressing it. I'm not sure exactly what it is you're trying to express, but it sure SEEMS as if you're suggesting that I must come from some neighborhood where my delicate sensibilities are offended by Hell's Kitchen. And even if that is true, it's not for anyone to pass judgment on. You & I disagree on what is a sketchy neighborhood. That's all you need to know.

She didn't like my shopping on 34th St. either.... don't take it personally. There is tons of negativity and insults all over the Dis Boards. Every thread turns ugly at some time... all it takes is that one know-it-all.

In addition, on another note..... Do not stay in LIC, it's an industrial area. Stay in Midtown to be centrally located.

 

[lc1965]

She didn't like my shopping on 34th St. either.... don't take it personally. There is tons of negativity and insults all over the Dis Boards. Every thread turns ugly at some time... all it takes is that one know-it-all.

In addition, on another note..... Do not stay in LIC, it's an industrial area. Stay in Midtown to be centrally located.

Thanks.

BTW, I agree with not staying outside of Manhattan. I think I posted that earlier, too. Too much time, trouble & uncertainty getting into the city. Tourists should enjoy every minute of their time. A jaunt on public transport can be fun & interesting, but when you have to do it multiple times every day it's just tiresome.

 

[lc1965]

am always baffled when riding through LIC to see these hotels in the middle of a creepy wasteland of warehouses and taxi depots...

I think those are just business hotels. There are HUGE businesses located in LIC with lots of staff, vendors & clients traveling for meetings - Citi, Duane Reade, Steve Madden, & so many others. I'm sure they're pleasant enough for the business traveler, but not for leisure.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Has anyone ever stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn at 790 Eighth Avenue? My sister is taking me for my bday next year and got what seems to be an amazing employee rate ($39 a night). The hotel seems nice and has mainly good reviews. It also looks close to a lot of things on the map. I've never been to NY and want to stay someplace safe! Thanks.

we have stayed here numerous times - last was just two weeks ago. We really like it there and have never had any complaints!