New York - Lower East Side

BlazingSaddler

Hi all. I'm heading off to the US in a fortnight to meet up with a few lads for a 40th. Now 3 of us have booked into a hotel on Lower East Side (Holiday Inn) however one of the others is telling us the area is a bit dodgy and would prefer to stay in the more touristy Times Sq / midtown area. Now I've never been to NY before so am fairly clueless. Could anybody advise please?! Thanks

finbarrk

You will pay a lot more for accommodation up there. I wouldn't think it's dodgy. The subway is excellent for daytime travel and taxis are reasonable after the 4am closing time. Holiday Inn are a good Hotel chain.

schemingbohemia

Wouldn't worry at all about it, just enjoy one of the greatest cities on the planet. Subway is safe but if there's four of you taxis are the way to travel, you'll have a blast.

Ponster

mattb74 wrote: »

however one of the others is telling us the area is a bit dodgy and would prefer to stay in the more touristy Times Sq / midtown area.

Maybe 20 years ago but not today. True, it's perhaps close to the least picture-postcard area of NYC but it's perfectly safe and is very reasonable priced for eating out and nightlife.
If you are into live music then check out the Mercury Lounge just 2 blocks north and the 2A bar another block north, which has a great happy hour and good upstairs lounge to chill.

Inkyhead

mattb74 wrote: »

Now 3 of us have booked into a hotel on Lower East Side (Holiday Inn) however one of the others is telling us the area is a bit dodgy and would prefer to stay in the more touristy Times Sq / midtown area.

Times Square/Midtown is tacky and soulless. The 3 of you have the right idea: Lower Eastside is a savage spot. Great restaurants and bars and a bit of character. Right beside the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and walking distance to a lot of the tourist spots.

None of Manhattan Island is shady any more since Giuliani and zero tolerance, it's all gentrified, twenty/thirty years ago however L.E.S would've been a serious 'hood..dangerous as f*ck

schemingbohemia

Mightn't be the type of thing you're planning but we went to the lower east side tenement museum, found it really interesting.

http://www.tenement.org/

Pretty decent bar just beside it too, and what looked like a great Chinese restaurant (but we were heading off after so didn't get to eat there).

diveout

Lower East side is way better than Times Square.

yew_tree

Agree with comments so far. Times square is great to see if it's your first time (go both day and night) but you will become tired of it after a while and you will probably feel like avoiding it. Gives me a headache. Food joints and bar's there will rip you off.

I recommend you downlaod an app called Yelp - will give you great info on bars/restaurants in local area.

BlazingSaddler

Thanks all, appreciate the comments, sounds like you more more value for your money hotel wise in LES. They'll actually be 5 of us, what time does the subway run til? Also, Being June and probably quite hot I usually live in combat style shorts, maybe jeans/combats if weather is cooler. Would this be ok in bars or should I smarten up!?

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

mattb74 wrote: »

Thanks all, appreciate the comments, sounds like you more more value for your money hotel wise in LES. They'll actually be 5 of us, what time does the subway run til? Also, Being June and probably quite hot I usually live in combat style shorts, maybe jeans/combats if weather is cooler. Would this be ok in bars or should I smarten up!?

The Subways run 24 hours a day.

Dress code is relaxed is most bars apart from some more upmarket places in Midtown. Most of the bars around LE or the Village you'll have no problem. There are, of course, always exceptions to this but in the main, you'll be fine. A lot of Americans actually have rubbish dress sense, you'll be surprised how casual it can be there. Have a blast!

BlazingSaddler

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

The Subways run 24 hours a day.

Dress code is relaxed is most bars apart from some more upmarket places in Midtown. Most of the bars around LE or the Village you'll have no problem. There are, of course, always exceptions to this but in the main, you'll be fine. A lot of Americans actually have rubbish dress sense, you'll be surprised how casual it can be there. Have a blast!

Cheers! Would it be safe enough to get the subway down to the hotel after a night on the gargle or would taxis always be the best option late at night?

Ponster

I've never seen any trouble on the subway and it's generally pretty busy til 1am or so (again, some lines being more busy than others). It'll be perfectly safe for 5 strapping lads though as long as it's not raining taxis are very,m very easy to get and worth getting IMHO if it makes the journey easier (i.e. if you have a change or 2 to make).

To be honest you shouldn't be getting a taxi back to the hotel all the time because you should really be drinking around the hotel Please don't go to NYC to drink $7 pints in Irish bars in midtown

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

mattb74 wrote: »

Cheers! Would it be safe enough to get the subway down to the hotel after a night on the gargle or would taxis always be the best option late at night?

If its late and there's a few of ye going the same way, a taxi is just as handy and works out cheap enough. The train can rock you to sleep after a few jars which is never ideal on public transport in any city! Also, the Subways can be infrequent during the wee hours, so a cab is better generally. Having said all that, the Subway is pretty safe at night, I used to get it up to The Bronx at all hours of the morning after being on the batter and never had any bother.

davo10

OP, we are just back from New York. We stayed in an apartment on 19th street between 1st and 2nd which is in thE Gramercy area. Prior to this we had stayed in hotels in the 45-55 street areas and I can tell you for certain, Gramercy is the nicest place we have stayed. There are gr8 restaurants/bars/cafés, times sq is only about a 15 minute walk. We walked with our two kids without any hint of trouble, any time of the day/evening. I went out at night with friends and I never felt safer.

Manuel

Sorry for hijacking your thread, OP, but it seems you got a happy conclusion ...

Made me wonder though, as we're going to NYC in a couple of weeks and staying in Boerum Hill, about a mile into Brooklyn from the Brooklyn Bridge: will any cab that you flag down in Manhattan bring you out to Brooklyn?

I remember years ago (and maybe still) in London, some black cabs wouldn't take you more than a couple of miles out of Central London! I remember hearing a guy once say that he waited ages for a cab in Central London in the teeming rain and when he finally got one, he got in, brushed himself down, settled into his nice dry seat and said "Colindale" ... the driver turned around to him and said "Colindale! I don't go that far on me 'olidays, mate!" After waiting for a while to see if he was actually serious, the guy then had to get out of the cab again, and stepping back out into the rain, he turned and slammed the door shut in a rage .... the driver wound the window down and calmly said "shut the door, mate."

Ponster

Manuel wrote: »

Made me wonder though, as we're going to NYC in a couple of weeks and staying in Boerum Hill, about a mile into Brooklyn from the Brooklyn Bridge: will any cab that you flag down in Manhattan bring you out to Brooklyn?

I lived in Park Slope, just south of Boerum Hill, for 2 years moving to the UK just 2 months ago. There will be no issue in getting a taxi from Manhattan. You may come across someone who doesn't want to go out there but there are a LOT of cabs in NYC and taxis will often fight over fares rather than refusing to take someone somewhere.

The problem will be finding one to take you from Brooklyn to Manhattan as they are hard to come buy but that's where the subway is handy (Bergen or Hoyt, depending on where you are going)