OT: New York

[greenclan67]

OT I know, but last year I got some great advice on a trip to Chicago and we loved it!
This year we have decided we want to head to New York. I am travelling with my hubby and almost 11 and 13 year old girls. They love travelling and adventures. Since everyone on the dis is so full of great advice, anyone want to start me off in the right direction for New York, as I have no idea where to start. From which areas to look at, where to stay, to the expense(I know it won't be cheap) Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Still in the very early stages, reading and acquiring information is what I do best!
TIA

 

[McIsaac]

OT I know, but last year I got some great advice on a trip to Chicago and we loved it!
This year we have decided we want to head to New York. I am travelling with my hubby and almost 11 and 13 year old girls. They love travelling and adventures. Since everyone on the dis is so full of great advice, anyone want to start me off in the right direction for New York, as I have no idea where to start. From which areas to look at, where to stay, to the expense(I know it won't be cheap) Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Still in the very early stages, reading and acquiring information is what I do best!
TIA

We took our 9 year old (celebrated his 10th birthday there) son and our 13 year old there and had a blast..it was a really non-planned road trip travelling from Nova Scotia. We stayed in New Jersey (Sheraton) which was directly across the harbour from NYC..we got a special family " Ferry Package" through the hotel. It was about 160 a night but included some ferry tickets, we didn't have to worry about driving anywhere. We went for 4 days, parked the truck in the lot (didn't pay for parking since it was included in the price) normally parking is like $25.00 a day depending on where you stay. For us it was the best place to stay..it was also about a 10 min walk from "the cake boss". The ferry connected you to a "free" bus system which also was great! We also purchased a New York City Pass and Hop-on, Hop-off tour pass for each of us. The New York City Pass included the Empire State Building, Rockafeller Centre tour, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tour, Museum of Natural History, Sight-seeing water tour as an option to the Liberty tour I think (can't really remember) and omg..there were a few other museums as well that we didn't get a chance to do.

Food in NYC/New Jersey is expensive..almost in comparison to Disney. We did find in within walking distance from the hotel, literally 5 minutes a restaurant where they sold a full "cheap" breakfast..Im talking coffee, eggs, bacon, toast, home fries for under $5.00..we were able to split it with our boys and I mean who can eat in New Jersey..like $10.00 for breakfast!!! we had no luck with supper though since they werent open for long hours during the day.

It was in our opinion an "on a whim" road trip which we got good value for our money.

 

[greenclan67]

Thank you so much, I wondered about staying in Jersey. I will take a look and see what I can find. So it was the Sheraton, I will see what I can find!!

 

[canadiankim]

We stayed in the same Sheration and the ferry stop is right outside the hotel. It was a nice hotel and at the time my kids were 5 & 8. It had a swimming pool too which was nice break at the end of the day.

The only problem we had with the location was at the end of the day, getting back to the terminal wasn't always the easiest thing. It took us a couple of days to be able to reliably find the terminal.

We also used the hop on, hop off buses which was a great way of seeing around and getting the most out of your time.

Enjoy

 

[ellen82]

I love NYC! Are you flying or driving? If flying, what airport? I can recommend the best way to get into the city. I am from Ottawa as well and a good way to save is to drive as its only about an 8 hour drive which I have done in a day or even split up for a weekend trip leaving Thurs, staying over in Binghamton and then driving straight back on the Sunday.

If you want to stay in Manhattan (which if you can afford it, is the best because then you dont have to figure out how to get back to Jersey ) its the best. I have visited NYC many times and the best and cheapest way to stay is to rent an apartment or condo. Many of them are as nice as a hotel and cheaper and I have always bought snacks and breakfast foods to cut down on the cost of food.

Just google NYC vacation rentals. A popular site is VRBO or even Trip Advisor.

A lot of good suggestions already...

Buy the subway pass card as it saves a ton of money, the subway is really easy to use IMO (no harder than OcTranspo-even easier at times!) and cabs are also cheap.

If you want theatre tickets, I know you can line up in Times Square but again, google it and there are many discount sites that sell so you dont have to line up.

If you are trying to decide between 30 rock and Empire-30 rock more to see and the same great view IMO.

PM me if you want, I have been many times!! Not with children but I know the areas and have seen and done many things. NYC has something for everyone and is such a wonderful and interesting city!!

 

[dennise]

We had to overnight in Newark last September, on our way to Orlando, the shuttle driver rhymed off a lot of ways to get wround without using your car. Buses, train and so on. They didn't sound too expensive and it didn't seem to be that far to travel, but then I drive 40 k to work every day, so a 10-15 min drive doesn't seem too bad. I also would be interesed in areas to stay and what to see. We are possible planning a trip in September and I don't think it will be to Florida this year.

 

[Sue M]

A freid just got back from NYC and stayed in a hotel in Brooklyn just over the Brooklyn Bridge. The subway is close by and they had no problem getting into Manhattan, it was 1 subway stop away to lower Manhattan.

I'd look at the NYC tourisim sites. Getting a City Pass saves you quite a bit on attractions. Take The Statten Isl. Ferry from Manhattan- it's free and goes right by The Statue of Liberty. Great ride and very scenic. Then we turned around and took the ferry back.

I'd try staying in Manhattan. Check out Hotwire. Go for no less then 3 star.

If there's a Broadway show you want to see, order tickets in advance. Many of the more popular shows will be booked up months in advance.

 

[HunterBoo]

New York sounds fun, but we were thinking of Chicago this summer with our two girls! Do you still have all of that great info the dis'ers gave you? I'd love to have some great info about it!!!

Thanks!
Kerri

 

[greenclan67]

New York sounds fun, but we were thinking of Chicago this summer with our two girls! Do you still have all of that great info the dis'ers gave you? I'd love to have some great info about it!!!

Thanks!
Kerri

Sure Kerri, I will round it up and PM you. The biggest thing I can tell you about Chicago, is it is a wonderful city!!! One piece of advice I kept getting was it is a "very walkable city" that is the truest I have heard about any city! We drove 12 hours, but did it in 2 days. We stayed at the Four Points one block from the Mag Mile. Parking was a bit steep, but it was like that everywhere. It was a nice hotel, and very close to everything. There was alot of places to eat close by! Our favourite was the Weber Grill we ended up going twice! Loved the Shedd and also loved Navy Pier. The shopping for myself and two daughters was great to! I will see what I can find and send to you. Any questions ask away!

 

[greenclan67]

I love NYC! Are you flying or driving? If flying, what airport? I can recommend the best way to get into the city. I am from Ottawa as well and a good way to save is to drive as its only about an 8 hour drive which I have done in a day or even split up for a weekend trip leaving Thurs, staying over in Binghamton and then driving straight back on the Sunday.

If you want to stay in Manhattan (which if you can afford it, is the best because then you dont have to figure out how to get back to Jersey ) its the best. I have visited NYC many times and the best and cheapest way to stay is to rent an apartment or condo. Many of them are as nice as a hotel and cheaper and I have always bought snacks and breakfast foods to cut down on the cost of food.

Just google NYC vacation rentals. A popular site is VRBO or even Trip Advisor.

A lot of good suggestions already...

Buy the subway pass card as it saves a ton of money, the subway is really easy to use IMO (no harder than OcTranspo-even easier at times!) and cabs are also cheap.

If you want theatre tickets, I know you can line up in Times Square but again, google it and there are many discount sites that sell so you dont have to line up.

If you are trying to decide between 30 rock and Empire-30 rock more to see and the same great view IMO.

PM me if you want, I have been many times!! Not with children but I know the areas and have seen and done many things. NYC has something for everyone and is such a wonderful and interesting city!!

We would be driving. We will spend a day or 2 in the Niagara Falls area. My girls have only been to Niagara in the winter when we fly to Florida, so I promised we would go back in the summer. We have about 12 days. I am def going to look into the condo rental. I much prefer that, and going on our own time! We would like to spend about 4 or 5 days just checking out the sites and doing some shopping. Do you have any recommendations on condos that you have used? As far as parking, what do you do for that? I know it is not a driveable city. Can be done, and I trust my hubby, but we would like to park the car once we get there and stay there.
I will def be looking into broadway, my kids really want to see Rock of Ages. They are 11 & almost 13. My husband and I watched it in Toronto and loved it. I know it might be a little much for them, but I know my kids and know they can handle it. They are very much into this music from the musical they did last summer at their school. So would like to take them. (Plus it made us feel young again!!LOL)
I am sure I will have more questions, but for now going to look at the condo rentals to see what they run at!
Thanks for all the advice.

 

[HunterBoo]

Sure Kerri, I will round it up and PM you. The biggest thing I can tell you about Chicago, is it is a wonderful city!!! One piece of advice I kept getting was it is a "very walkable city" that is the truest I have heard about any city! We drove 12 hours, but did it in 2 days. We stayed at the Four Points one block from the Mag Mile. Parking was a bit steep, but it was like that everywhere. It was a nice hotel, and very close to everything. There was alot of places to eat close by! Our favourite was the Weber Grill we ended up going twice! Loved the Shedd and also loved Navy Pier. The shopping for myself and two daughters was great to! I will see what I can find and send to you. Any questions ask away!

Thank you SO much! My daughters are so excited about going to a "big" city ... any info you have would be REALLY appreciated!!

 

[ellen82]

Parking in NYC is very expensive-about 50ish a day. What many people do if you dont want to drive into the city and if its along your route is to park the car at Poughkeepsie NY train station and take the train in (I have never done it but many people I know have) parking is just about free...tickets return run about 30ish dollars pp and only take about an hour to get into the city.

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=POU

Again, parking is expensive in NYC and not many people want to drive if you are staying on the island so the above is a good option for many.

Check out tripadvisor or VBRO as they have reviews. Only rent something with reviews. I am looking for the one I was going to rent but I dont have one in particular but there are so many.

If I were you, try to find one near Central Park or one in the neighborhoods, you will find tons and cheaper ones near Times Square which seems like a great location but its so busy..I like staying in one of the neighborhoods for a more NYC feel. Central park is great bc you will be near some of the museums!

I will keep searching for that rental place.

If you find one that you like and you want to park in NYC, just google map the location and type in parking and find a parking company and book parking. Sometimes they have deals or you can find coupons. Very few rentals come with parking but there usually parking places not far away.

 

[ellen82]

What I did last year with friends is we booked parking through a parking company and parked the car and left it there all weekend.

You can leave your car at the train station I mentioned if you dont want to drive into the city, the only downfall is then you would have to find your way your rental but cabs are just so cheap that it wouldnt be the biggest problem.

 

[greenclan67]

What I did last year with friends is we booked parking through a parking company and parked the car and left it there all weekend.

You can leave your car at the train station I mentioned if you dont want to drive into the city, the only downfall is then you would have to find your way your rental but cabs are just so cheap that it wouldnt be the biggest problem.

We thought of taking the train, and looked at it, so I may go back and look at it again! We would def be parking and leaving it there. My hubby likes a challenge and will sit and look at a subway map, or anything and figure his way around. Sometimes with mishaps but not always. Thanks for the info. If you find the condo rental info, I would love to see it!

 

[oceanwave]

If you want to stay in Manhattan (which if you can afford it, is the best because then you dont have to figure out how to get back to Jersey ) its the best. I have visited NYC many times and the best and cheapest way to stay is to rent an apartment or condo. Many of them are as nice as a hotel and cheaper and I have always bought snacks and breakfast foods to cut down on the cost of food.

Just a bit of advice, but many apartment rentals in Manhattan are actually illegal. NYC has very strict laws about apartment rentals that are less than 30 days. I would suggest you check out the New York City forum on trip advisor. Apartment rentals in Manhattan is a very hot topic!

I am in the process of planning another visit to NYC. As far as location goes, NYC has a very good transportation system. If you want to stay in Manhattan as long as your near a subway stop your good to go! Long Island City always comes highly recommended if budget is a concern. I believe it's about 2 stops on the subway and your in Manhattan.

But I would definitely check out the Trip advisor forum. There is tons of information available from things to do, transportation, neighbourhoods to stay etc..

 

[ellen82]

I agree as well with TripAdvisor. That is where I have looked before booking anything as I appreciate the honest advice.

Myself or my friends have not had any problems with renting condos/apts but I have heard that they are technically "illegal" but so far its one of the best options for myself personally.

You could also use Hotwire, again, its can be hit or miss.

I always try and stay on the island personally...have never stayed in Jersey or Brooklyn, although I would prefer Brooklyn over Jersey as its very trendy, lots to see and do..

Yes, the subway system is very easy to figure out!! Again, there are visitor passes that you buy and you just swipe your card. Its a great savings and the subway is so easy and cheap so the best way to go around the NYC and the best way to get NYC the best NYC feel

 

[ellen82]

I cant remember the name of the place I was considering but if I find it, I will let you know.

However, I did find this one: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Vacation..._the_East_Village-New_York_City_New_York.html

Its actually a BB (not a rental) and for 200 per night its a great rate and in a good neighbourhood! Breakfast included and a full kitchen. I am actually going to send this to my sister and her fiance.

I would search vacation rentals NYC in TripAdvisor and pick some that have reviews with them.

VBRO and airbnb are other sources as well. You could also consider BBs which are also lovely and some cheaper than hotels if you dont think a condo or apartment rental is good for you!

What I have done is search trip advisor and filter by reviews so that only the apartments that have the top reviews (esp by reviewers that are certified and have done other reviews) are the ones I consider.

I only had one bad experience and that wasnt because anything was wrong but because the apartment was really dark and we didnt ensure that there was a lot of natural sunlight in it. it wasnt a huge problem since we were out all the time but I dont really like it being so dark.

 

[oceanwave]

I cant remember the name of the place I was considering but if I find it, I will let you know.

However, I did find this one: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Vacation..._the_East_Village-New_York_City_New_York.html

Its actually a BB (not a rental) and for 200 per night its a great rate and in a good neighbourhood! Breakfast included and a full kitchen. I am actually going to send this to my sister and her fiance.

I would search vacation rentals NYC in TripAdvisor and pick some that have reviews with them.

VBRO and airbnb are other sources as well. You could also consider BBs which are also lovely and some cheaper than hotels if you dont think a condo or apartment rental is good for you!

What I have done is search trip advisor and filter by reviews so that only the apartments that have the top reviews (esp by reviewers that are certified and have done other reviews) are the ones I consider.

I only had one bad experience and that wasnt because anything was wrong but because the apartment was really dark and we didnt ensure that there was a lot of natural sunlight in it. it wasnt a huge problem since we were out all the time but I dont really like it being so dark.

Just because it's a B&B does not make it legit. You have to be very careful and really research these properties. From searching the internet the above property you provided does appear to be questionable. On trip advisor they do think this is an illegal B&B. They appear to be a non profit religious organization. This does not mean I have an issue with them, just that I would need a lot more information before I did stay there.

Also I would suggest searching this internet in more depth. I for one would not want to stay here based on location alone. It is located across from a very well known Biker group headquarters'. Nothing against them, but would not be my idea of a quiet location.

Here are more reviews on this particular property. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...uary_Guest_Suites-New_York_City_New_York.html

And I would strongly suggest reading this about Apartment rentals in NYC.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g...City:New-York:Vacation.Apartment.Rentals.html

Personally in NYC, I would only want to stay in a legal property.

 

[ellen82]

Hey,

To each their own. I was just offered a quick suggestion. Its up to the person personally wherever they want to stay.

I only searched quickly for the OP and the place had a lot of positive reviews on trip advisor.

I have had plenty of friends stay in rented apts in NYC with great experiences and I myself have done it.

I am no expert, its up to the individual to do the planning and make their own decisions.

I was just saying what I had experienced and my friends since I know of people who go down quite often.

 

[oceanwave]

Hey,

To each their own. I was just offered a quick suggestion. Its up to the person personally wherever they want to stay.

I only searched quickly for the OP and the place had a lot of positive reviews on trip advisor.

I have had plenty of friends stay in rented apts in NYC with great experiences and I myself have done it.

I am no expert, its up to the individual to do the planning and make their own decisions.

I was just saying what I had experienced and my friends since I know of people who go down quite often.

I agree that it is up to the OP to decide where they stay and to do their research. I just wanted to share the knowledge that I had.

You listed an apartment, that you said you were going to send onto your sister so I understood that to be a property you were interested in. I had a few moments so looked around, and the information I found is what I shared.

I was just suggesting to the OP you really have to research these places as many are illegal and may lead to a very disastrous vacation.