NYC Megathread Archive 1 (to 13/03/08)

Ginger83 · 05-01-2008 10:21PM

Hi, has anyone stayed at any of the Marriott Hotels in New York? I was looking into The Residence Inn and The Courtyard and was very impressed by the reviews on tripadvisor.
Any experiences?Thanks

Femelade · 06-01-2008 01:49PM

Meathlass wrote: »

4. Broadway shows. I'm not really into musicals (unless it's Cats or Les Mis) but feel this is an essential New York experience so has anyone any personal recommendations of shows they have seen recently. .

i didnt get to see a broadway show when i was over there, but my sister had seen "wicked" in london and said it was brilliant, so take a look at that maybe.

ve · 06-01-2008 06:24PM

I am looking for recommendations of good hotels in midtown for June this year. I stayed in the Sheraton Towers on 52nd & 7th last February and it was excellent. While I have tried extensively to get it for approx €150 a night (what I paid last year) there is no way in hell that I can get it for anything close to that. I can't seem to get anything decent for around that price this time round. My partner and I are trying to head in June for approx €1000 each, incl. Flights + Accommodation + Charges/etc.

Is this possible?

unklerosco · 06-01-2008 06:29PM

Femmy wrote: »

i didnt get to see a broadway show when i was over there, but my sister had seen "wicked" in london and said it was brilliant, so take a look at that maybe.

Don't think thats a musical a guy would really like... Unless he like the wizard of oz(what its taken from)... The GF wanted me to go n see it with her but after reading up on it we decided on spamalot...

unklerosco · 06-01-2008 10:04PM

Another question...

Anyone ever posted stuff back from the states?? And before I get banned I aint trying to skip customs. I just wanna post stuff back thats to big to fit in my suitcases and I don't wanna bring more suitcases with me. Just wondering if anyones done it.. If they can recommend somewhere to get boxes and somewhere to post the stuff home...

Fighting Irish · 06-01-2008 11:30PM

I am planning on going to NY during the summer(july or august) with my GF, it will our first time going over, i just have a few questions for you guys
We are sort of looking to spend around €1000 each for flights and accom
Who should i book the flight with?
Do planes for long haul flights have more leg space than say ryan air flights from ireland to spain?
What hotel should i use?
Would €1000 each for a week be enough for spending money?
Do suitcases get searched a lot? I was planning on bringing an extra suitcase so i can stock up on clothes gifts etc

I'll probably think of more questions as they come

seamus · 06-01-2008 11:55PM

Fighting Irish wrote: »

We are sort of looking to spend around €1000 each for flights and accom
Who should i book the flight with?

€1k each should be well doable if you book now. Who you fly with depends on how you want to fly. You don't get the benefit of exchange rates on the flights. If you want to go from Dublin, go Aer Lingus. If you don't mind a flight to Heathrow first, that opens more options. Check www.ebookers.ie for the best deal. Just did a compare of ebookers against aer lingus and aer lingus was half the price and half the time. Can't go wrong.

Do planes for long haul flights have more leg space than say ryan air flights from ireland to spain?

Not really. Ryanair fly 737-800's. We had an Airbus A320 with aer lingus. Not a huge plane, but definitely more leg room than the 737-800's. The A320 is a 2-4-2 seat setup, so you should pre-pick your seats and take two at one side of the cabin. The planes are a little aged (some of the audio and video equipment is iffy) but they're fine.

What hotel should i use?

Accomodation is expensive but you get the benefit of the exchange rates. Check out www.tripadvisor.com for reviews on hotels.

Would €1000 each for a week be enough for spending money?

How long is a piece of string?

For eating, drinking and seeing the sights, it's more than enough. Remember that 15-20% of your services costs (restaurants, taxis, etc) will be wasted tipping people. So try and keep a few notes on you all the time.
If you're bringing back goods over €170 you're required to declare them at customs. So hold onto receipts or you'll pay tax on the goods at Irish prices, not US prices.

Do suitcases get searched a lot? I was planning on bringing an extra suitcase so i can stock up on clothes gifts etc

In general, the more bags you have, the more chance you have of being stopped and searched.If you have four massive suitcases and two large carry-ons between two of you, not to mention an ambercrombie shopping bag or two, you will get stopped.

Fighting Irish · 07-01-2008 12:14AM

seamus wrote: »

Not really. Ryanair fly 737-800's. We had an Airbus A320 with aer lingus. Not a huge plane, but definitely more leg room than the 737-800's. The A320 is a 2-4-2 seat setup, so you should pre-pick your seats and take two at one side of the cabin. The planes are a little aged (some of the audio and video equipment is iffy) but they're fine.

So you can pre book seats? nice, might try get some door seats
Do all the planes have a tv with movies etc for every passenger?

seamus wrote: »

If you're bringing back goods over €170 you're required to declare them at customs. So hold onto receipts or you'll pay tax on the goods at Irish prices, not US prices.
In general, the more bags you have, the more chance you have of being stopped and searched.If you have four massive suitcases and two large carry-ons between two of you, not to mention an ambercrombie shopping bag or two, you will get stopped.

€170 worth of goods altogether or €170 per item?

What if i bring back a lot of stuff with no labels?
example: i might buy a few hoodies, can i just take off the labels and say hey i had them going over?

Thanks seamus

seamus · 07-01-2008 12:36AM

Fighting Irish wrote: »

So you can pre book seats? nice, might try get some door seats
Do all the planes have a tv with movies etc for every passenger?

Yep, you can prebook. If they change the plane though (like they did with us), you may get assigned a seat when you check in. to the best of my knowledge, there's only one AL plane with headrest monitors, so luck of the draw. The rest have one TV for every 4 rows or so.

€170 worth of goods altogether or €170 per item?

What if i bring back a lot of stuff with no labels?
example: i might buy a few hoodies, can i just take off the labels and say hey i had them going over?

€170 altogether. You can remove labels if you like, but if customs decide that they don't believe you, they'll make up a cost price for the item based on Irish prices and charge you based on that.

Fighting Irish · 07-01-2008 01:31AM

seamus wrote: »

Yep, you can prebook. If they change the plane though (like they did with us), you may get assigned a seat when you check in. to the best of my knowledge, there's only one AL plane with headrest monitors, so luck of the draw. The rest have one TV for every 4 rows or so.
€170 altogether. You can remove labels if you like, but if customs decide that they don't believe you, they'll make up a cost price for the item based on Irish prices and charge you based on that.

Basterds :mad:

Anyway thanks once again for the info i'll probably be back with more questions soon

brettmirl · 07-01-2008 05:50PM

seamus wrote: »

€1k each should be well doable if you book now. Who you fly with depends on how you want to fly. You don't get the benefit of exchange rates on the flights. If you want to go from Dublin, go Aer Lingus. If you don't mind a flight to Heathrow first, that opens more options. Check www.ebookers.ie for the best deal. Just did a compare of ebookers against aer lingus and aer lingus was half the price and half the time. Can't go wrong.

Don't forget to check out the other airlines that fly to the States.

Delta and Continental service JFK and Newark respectivly.

You can also get deals by flying indirectly. In the past, I've flown into New York with US Airways via Philadelphia for a lot cheaper than flying directly. So I flew Dublin to Philadelphia and then onto La Guardia. That saved me €270.

www.expedia.com is good for checking out your options, but you cannot book on it. Also, sometimes it's good to ring the airlines as they can go through some indirect flight options you wont get on their websites.

Above all, once you are prepared to be flexible with your travel dates, you will get more savings.

offaly1 · 08-01-2008 11:27AM

going to new york in March (paddys week) just wondering apart from the parade what would be the main attractions..... broadway etc...

bigfeller · 09-01-2008 01:11PM

Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a Limo service to pick up from JFK and drop off in Manhattan. And any ideas of prices.

jamieh · 09-01-2008 01:25PM

bigfeller wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a Limo service to pick up from JFK and drop off in Manhattan. And any ideas of prices.

I went to NYC just before Xmas and I used these guys: http://www.nyclimousine.com/?gclid=CIXlgtmS6ZACFSgfaAodkV6vXg

I think it cost around $200 but I'm not 100%. They were great to deal with. They check your flight is on time before they go to the airport, so your not charged extra for delaying the driver!

Pythia · 09-01-2008 08:59PM

bigfeller wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a Limo service to pick up from JFK and drop off in Manhattan. And any ideas of prices.

We paid e120 in total for a limo from Manhattan to JFK so I suppose something similar.

Third_Echelon · 09-01-2008 09:30PM

Pythia wrote: »

We paid e120 in total for a limo from Manhattan to JFK so I suppose something similar.

Unless you really want a limo (for what reason I am not sure...), but you can get a taxi for 60 dollars....

mcgrate · 10-01-2008 09:46AM

What are the public transport options from JFK to Manhattan? I dont really want to spend $60 in the first few mins of getting to New York.

BuffyBot · 10-01-2008 10:43AM

mcgrate wrote: »

What are the public transport options from JFK to Manhattan? I dont really want to spend $60 in the first few mins of getting to New York.

http://www.panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/airports/html/ken_transportation.html

Third_Echelon · 10-01-2008 04:05PM

mcgrate wrote: »

What are the public transport options from JFK to Manhattan? I dont really want to spend $60 in the first few mins of getting to New York.

You will save yourself a lot of time and stress by getting a taxi.... getting public transport from JFK to Manhattan just isn't worth it. For the sake of 40 Euro, I'd definitely advise getting a taxi...

Dub13 · 10-01-2008 04:10PM

I regularly get the subway from JFK to Manhattan,if you know what you are doing you will be fine.I also get a taxi the odd time and when in a rush or have two many bags with me.

Third_Echelon · 10-01-2008 04:11PM

Dub13 wrote: »

I regularly get the subway from JFK to Manhattan,if you know what you are doing you will be fine.I also get a taxi the odd time and when in a rush or have two many bags with me.

Agreed. Subway is fine when you know where you are going, but for first-timers, taxi is the way to go

johnny_adidas · 10-01-2008 04:39PM

ahhhh, i remember fondly the time we jumped on the wrong subway, express to 125th street:(. for first timers, its worth paying the taxi fare

BuffyBot · 10-01-2008 04:51PM

I'd completely agree with the above tbh

ryker · 10-01-2008 06:04PM

Hi folks just wanted to ask has anyone gone with delta to JFK i have gone with Aer Lingus twice, i am going in november i know its a long time away.
My other half likes to have everything booked months in advance Delta are coming out at 398 return while Aer lingus have not got there prices out, but the price for October is 521 which i am working off.

Basically just wanted to know if anybody has gone with both and how do the compare with each other. Another question has anybody stayed in the Edison hotel on 47th street any help would be greatful thanks.

Third_Echelon · 10-01-2008 06:09PM

ryker wrote: »

Hi folks just wanted to ask has anyone gone with delta to JFK i have gone with Aer Lingus twice, i am going in november i know its a long time away.
My other half likes to have everything booked months in advance Delta are coming out at 398 return while Aer lingus have not got there prices out, but the price for October is 521 which i am working off.

Basically just wanted to know if anybody has gone with both and how do the compare with each other. Another question has anybody stayed in the Edison hotel on 47th street any help would be greatful thanks.

To be honest, I've never flown Delta to NY. I've taken them to Atlanta and had internal flights in the states with them and I found them to be very good. I have heard though that they have crappy planes on the Dublin/NY route. Also the Delta Terminal in JFK is pretty rubbish.

I stayed in the Edison about 14 years ago. It was pretty decent then. Not sure what its like now though. Location is very good. I'm sure tripadvisor.com will have reviews of it.

Pigletlover · 10-01-2008 06:25PM

I'd definitely recommend taking a taxi, unless you're very lucky the subway won't take you right to your hotel, chances are you'll have to change lines at least once. It's worth paying a little bit extra to get a taxi right to your door. Also make sure you get an official taxi from the rank, not from one of the drivers that will approach you at the airport.

ryker · 10-01-2008 06:27PM

Third_Echelon wrote: »

To be honest, I've never flown Delta to NY. I've taken them to Atlanta and had internal flights in the states with them and I found them to be very good. I have heard though that they have crappy planes on the Dublin/NY route. Also the Delta Terminal in JFK is pretty rubbish.

I stayed in the Edison about 14 years ago. It was pretty decent then. Not sure what its like now though. Location is very good. I'm sure tripadvisor.com will have reviews of it.

Thanks Third Echelon i have checked tripadvisor it has good reviews and bad ones, like the other 2 hotels i have stayed in New York. I was looking for something a bit more central as for Delta i will have to do a bit more homework cheers

JOJOC · 11-01-2008 02:27PM

Hi going to NYC at the end of Feb - staying in the Salisbury Hotel anyone ever stayed there?
My first time in NYC so looking for some tips - where to eat, shop and what sights to see?
Is it worth my while getting a bus ticket for the sights or just going around myself?
Thanks in advance if I think of anything else ill post it.

Ms Inquisitive · 11-01-2008 03:21PM

ryker wrote: »

Hi folks just wanted to ask has anyone gone with delta to JFK i have gone with Aer Lingus twice, i am going in november i know its a long time away.
My other half likes to have everything booked months in advance Delta are coming out at 398 return while Aer lingus have not got there prices out, but the price for October is 521 which i am working off.

Basically just wanted to know if anybody has gone with both and how do the compare with each other. Another question has anybody stayed in the Edison hotel on 47th street any help would be greatful thanks.

I flew to JFK with Delta about 14 months ago and again with Aer Lingus about 9 months ago. No real difference with the level of service and would have no worries about travelling with Delta again in the future. One thing which I must point out though, the Duty Free section for Delta at JFK is almost non-existent! A truly terrible offering.

Aer Lingus in October may be just expensive because you might be searching mid-term breaks! If you call Aer Lingus directly, they may well be able to price flights up for you over the phone!

Pigletlover · 11-01-2008 05:04PM

I'm off to New York in the morning and I've heard lots of stories about people getting stopped by customs on the way back from the US before Christmas and I was just wondering what the story is at this time of year - are they still stopping people or was it just a big clamp down on Christmas shoppers? Also, someone was telling me that her nephew was stopped and was given the option of paying a 'flat fee' of around €85, or else have the custom officials go through his stuff and calculate the taxes due. Does anyone know if this guy was just lucky enough to meet lazy custom officials or if you are actually given this option? I'm flying to/from Shannon btw if that makes a difference.

NYC Megathread Archive 1 (to 13/03/08)

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