NYC... safe walking area?

[cabanafrau]

$250 a night for Manhattan hotel? If it's a decent property I'll take that deal.

Spare me the bone-chilling crime facts. As a surbanite who has to make her way around Detroit on a semi regular basis for different purposes, I'll take my chances in Manhattan as a blissfully ignorant tourist and fly by the seat of my pants with common sense. Somehow I think I'll be just fine.

 

[Missy1961]

Yes, Manhattan is a safe a baby in a cradle. More May and June crime news the tourism boosters don't want you to hear:

33 year old woman raped and robbed in Manhattan

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...-robbery-woman-33-manhattan-article-1.2243594

Woman, age 19, attacked and threatened with knife in Central park

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...oman-Attack-New-York-Manhattan-303664441.html

Teen couple attacked, robbed in Central Park

http://pix11.com/2015/05/11/teen-couple-attacked-robbed-in-central-park-cops/

Teen robbed in broad daylight in Central Park

http://www.bostonnewstime.com/regio...tep-up-patrols-citing-recent-crime-spree.html

Asian women in Manhattan targeted in separate attacks

http://gothamist.com/2015/06/14/nypd_asian_women_targeted_in_manhat.php

Oh please. Stop. We NEVER said there is no crime in NY. We aren't stupid. But read some of the posts. The OP is an intelligent, well traveled person. Could she still be a victim? Of course, but please, the odds are against it.

 

[Gracie09]

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cscity.pdf

Let's take a look at the reported crime stats. What stands out to me, at least, is the number of - symbols there are.

This is only a snapshot of one week, but total crime down 77% in the last 22 years, not bad. There are some blips - misc. sex crimes are up, transit crimes are up (but reports are those are more people stealing cell phones snatch and grab type of stuff and not shooting etc) and some shooting categories.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Despite the fact I haven't been to NYC for over four years and knew I'd have nothing to contribute, I clicked on the thread because I was curious as to why it was up to 5 pages. After reading the first page, it was clear why it was so.

OP, good luck to your daughter and enjoy your trip! I feel safe walking anywhere at night where there are other people out and about. It's the abandoned streets that make me nervous!

 

[frndshpcptn]

As someone who has lived in NYC for the last 15 years (and lives here now) - you will be fine! Keep your wits about you while walking, walk with purpose and don't engage with anyone who looks to be crazy.

Especially in the summer, it's a highly trafficked area. There will be lots of other people out and about. In fact, I walked from Billy Joel at MSG to the low forties to catch a cab home a few weeks back (the cab lines were LONG closer to the Garden) and felt perfectly comfortable.

Don't pay any mind to people who don't live here. This isn't the NYC of the late 70's / early 80's.

PS - Brooklyn has become much more expensive over the past few years. In fact, people are relocating back to Manhattan because they can't afford Brooklyn rent any longer. So yeah.

 

[leebee]

I work in the area you're talking about and it's fine. Between the Garden & Penn station there's always people around as well as a law enforcement presence. Have a great time and good luck to your daughter with her audition.

You know folks, the OP is okay with the rate. She's well aware of what she's doing. She just wanted to be sure she was going to be staying in a safe area, and she's been assured of that. She's a well seasoned traveler and knows what she's doing. Hope your daughter does well, OP!

Off topic, WOW 250 a night for a night in NYC? I guess I will save more pennies behore trying to visit there

If you look around and are flexible you can find better prices. I tend to check travelzoo, look at hotels.com and direct hotel websites using AAA etc. I got the Wingate by Windham on 35th ST in April for $144 a night using AAA. It was a room with 2 queen beds and breakfast. I prefer to stay in the Penn Station area vs Times Square because it is easy to get to Times Square and a bit quieter for sleeping. In the past I got a 1 bedroom suite at Affinia Manhattan for $135 thru travelzoo over our April vacation including breakfast for 2 (we had 5 and went to the bagel store for 3 of us), Chelsea Savoy for about $140, and Skyline Hotel which is near the USS Intrepid and has an indoor swimming pool for $135. Some of these were 2 to 3 years ago. It helps that we are fine taking a bus or subway around Manhattan. However other times we may want to go we don't find great deals.

Oh please. Stop. We NEVER said there is no crime in NY. We aren't stupid. But read some of the posts. The OP is an intelligent, well traveled person. Could she still be a victim? Of course, but please, the odds are against it.

OP, good luck to your daughter and enjoy your trip! I feel safe walking anywhere at night where there are other people out and about. It's the abandoned streets that make me nervous!

I didn't realize I was going to stir up such a ruckus!! I appreciate all the experienced folks who gave me exactly the information I was looking for: It's safe to walk from Times Square to Penn Station at night. Having lived in San Francisco and Boston, and traveled to/vacationed in NYC, New Orleans, Detroit, Paris, DC, Rome, and Salzburg, I/we are experienced travelers and know how to be city-smart; I am just more familiar with Manhattan from Times Square and uptown, where we've stayed and roamed repeatedly, than I am with the area around Penn Station and wanted information about this "new to us" area of Manhattan.

Regarding the hotel: This is a very last minute trip for an audition. I chose this hotel specifically for it's convenient location near Penn Station and the audition venue. DD will work a half-day on Tuesday and then we'll head for NYC, arriving at 11PM. She has to be at the audition venue around 9AM the next day. I know we are going to a show on Wednesday evening, then catching an 11AM train home on Thursday morning, as DD has to be back to work on Friday (and no, airfare is prohibitive right now- not a consideration). If we'd planned in advance, or she had more time off so we could travel more leisurely and touristy, we would have looked more widely around the city, but honestly, we like staying in the Times Square/Midtown/Central Park south area. I didn't Hotwire or Priceline a room because we want to be in a very specific location, and of course with Priceline you take the risk of accommodations for 2 being one double bed (NOT happening!). The room at the Wyndham New Yorker is a queen room at the AAA rate of $215 a night. The next best price I could find (through Expedia) was at the EconoLodge Times Square, at $223, and those rooms are teeny. I'm pleased with the accommodation and that DD won't have to take the subway to the audition the next morning, and now know that it'll be safe for us to walk uptown to Times Square for dinner and a show and then walk back to the hotel on Wednesday evening.

Thanks to all who sent good wishes for my DD's audition. She's auditioning for a job as a dancer on the Disney Cruise Line!! We'll see... I hear the crew accommodations on DCL make NYC hotel rooms look spacious!

 

[Patch'sD]

The city is fine. Unless your headed to some of the projects in the outer boroughs or some seedy areas in Manhattan you wll be fine. Times Square is policed very well. Even the mayor who is as dumb as wood when it comes to supporting the activists rather than the police, knows that tourism brings into much money into the city hall coffers. Stop, Question, and Frisk needs to be brought back into the High Crime Areas.

 

[bsblady01]

I didn't realize I was going to stir up such a ruckus!! I appreciate all the experienced folks who gave me exactly the information I was looking for: It's safe to walk from Times Square to Penn Station at night. Having lived in San Francisco and Boston, and traveled to/vacationed in NYC, New Orleans, Detroit, Paris, DC, Rome, and Salzburg, I/we are experienced travelers and know how to be city-smart; I am just more familiar with Manhattan from Times Square and uptown, where we've stayed and roamed repeatedly, than I am with the area around Penn Station and wanted information about this "new to us" area of Manhattan.

Regarding the hotel: This is a very last minute trip for an audition. I chose this hotel specifically for it's convenient location near Penn Station and the audition venue. DD will work a half-day on Tuesday and then we'll head for NYC, arriving at 11PM. She has to be at the audition venue around 9AM the next day. I know we are going to a show on Wednesday evening, then catching an 11AM train home on Thursday morning, as DD has to be back to work on Friday (and no, airfare is prohibitive right now- not a consideration). If we'd planned in advance, or she had more time off so we could travel more leisurely and touristy, we would have looked more widely around the city, but honestly, we like staying in the Times Square/Midtown/Central Park south area. I didn't Hotwire or Priceline a room because we want to be in a very specific location, and of course with Priceline you take the risk of accommodations for 2 being one double bed (NOT happening!). The room at the Wyndham New Yorker is a queen room at the AAA rate of $215 a night. The next best price I could find (through Expedia) was at the EconoLodge Times Square, at $223, and those rooms are teeny. I'm pleased with the accommodation and that DD won't have to take the subway to the audition the next morning, and now know that it'll be safe for us to walk uptown to Times Square for dinner and a show and then walk back to the hotel on Wednesday evening.

Thanks to all who sent good wishes for my DD's audition. She's auditioning for a job as a dancer on the Disney Cruise Line!! We'll see... I hear the crew accommodations on DCL make NYC hotel rooms look spacious!

good luck to your dd, if she gets it would she be based out of florida or new York

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Yes very true, Guiliani whether you like his politics or not, really cleaned up NYC years ago and it has stayed that way. We live outside the City, and my husband works there. It has so much to offer and is a beautiful city and that is a very safe area. The reason I'm responding is we were just in WDW in April and upon striking up conversations with people we were shocked at how many seemed turned off by where we lived and the idea of NYC. One guy actually said to us he would NEVER want to go there. And it was more than one person with that kind of attitude.

 

[Jennasis]

good luck to your dd, if she gets it would she be based out of florida or new York

Or Alaska, or the Mediterranean, or Norway, or Northern Europe...

 

[SirDuff]

good luck to your dd, if she gets it would she be based out of florida or new York

Why New York? I didn't think any DCL ships sailed out of New York - seems weird to base cruise workers somewhere that no ships sail out of.

 

[bsblady01]

Why New York? I didn't think any DCL ships sailed out of New York - seems weird to base cruise workers somewhere that no ships sail out of.

starting next year Disney cruise line will sail out of new York

 

[aprilgail]

Why New York? I didn't think any DCL ships sailed out of New York - seems weird to base cruise workers somewhere that no ships sail out of.

Disney cruise line sails out of NY, not regularly but they do it a few months every few years. The Breakaway sails out of NY too.

 

[disneyjunkie]

That second article is from 2013. DeBlasio took office in 2014.

Who you asked to inject facts into the discussion???

 

[SirDuff]

starting next year Disney cruise line will sail out of new York

Disney cruise line sails out of NY, not regularly but they do it a few months every few years. The Breakaway sails out of NY too.

Breakway (or any non-DCL ship sailing out of NYC) is irrelevant since the OP's daughter would be a DCL entertainer. I know that a number of cruises leave from New York.
I did look at the DCL and there are no currently listed cruises departing from NYC. Even if they have one "every few years", still seems weird to base people there (especially during the years when they aren't sailing from there), since you'd have to fly them to the actual ports. Especially given that NYC is not a cheap city (I could sort of see it if it were a cheap city and, even with the additional airfares, the total expense was less than being based in the actual port city. Just seems like an interesting (read, weird to me) move on DCL's part.

 

[NewRVLady]

wow that is crazy expensive for a hotel, what is you daughters plan for living if she get's this job, Brooklyn is a good cheap part of the city to live in

5 years ago I paid $400 for a Saturday night to see a Broadway play
I think that rate looks pretty good!

 

[bsblady01]

Breakway (or any non-DCL ship sailing out of NYC) is irrelevant since the OP's daughter would be a DCL entertainer. I know that a number of cruises leave from New York.
I did look at the DCL and there are no currently listed cruises departing from NYC. Even if they have one "every few years", still seems weird to base people there (especially during the years when they aren't sailing from there), since you'd have to fly them to the actual ports. Especially given that NYC is not a cheap city (I could sort of see it if it were a cheap city and, even with the additional airfares, the total expense was less than being based in the actual port city. Just seems like an interesting (read, weird to me) move on DCL's part.

we looked into doing that cruise next year, you get two days in Disney world and you still get a day at the private island. it's a good value for family's that live in new York and don't want to fly to do a cruise.

 

[SirDuff]

5 years ago I paid $400 for a Saturday night to see a Broadway play
I think that rate looks pretty good!

I was just looking at the GSA hotel reimbursement limits - NYC ranges from $197/night in Jan/Feb to $304/night September to December. June is $268/night. All numbers are before tax/other fees.

 

[NewRVLady]

Thanks to all who sent good wishes for my DD's audition. She's auditioning for a job as a dancer on the Disney Cruise Line!! We'll see... I hear the crew accommodations on DCL make NYC hotel rooms look spacious!

Congrats to your DD! What a fun job-good luck.

as far as the few people trying to scare visitors away with statistics (LOL)-I can still remember being so worried when my relocated son took trips to NYC on his Saturdays off-alone

I was still going with all the terrible things I have read about the City

Fast forward to our first trip there -and staying in the City, taking him to a Broadway play-walking around afterwards-FULL of people-so friendly-so NOT what I expected. We have taken many trips there over the last 8 years-Hi Line Park is my fave-along with Central park and the museums-a great city!

 

[Minnesota!]

FWIW - I just paid $150/night at a Best Western in a tiny little town in Northern Wisconsin. The only thing within walking distance is a McDonald's. For less than a 100 more and I could be in NYC? I think what you paid is a very fair rate!

Good luck to your daughter!