NYC Megathread Archive 2

Rhianna83 · 04-07-2008 02:25PM

Anyone ever stayed in Shelburne Murray Hill? Staying there for 5 nights in Sept, looks fairly decent on net...

ShoulderChip · 07-07-2008 07:40PM

Hi What is there to do with 7 hours to spare in JFK from 10am?
is it possible to get into new York?
i will be on my own?
also would it be possible to somehow get on a bus tour of the cities main sites or something?
anyone have any experience of this?

rossie1977 · 07-07-2008 07:48PM

the subway takes roughly an hour from jfk to penn station and is by far the cheapest option into town http://www.mta.info/mta/airtrain.htm and you can leave your bags then in penn station, that gives you around 2.5-3hr in manhattan, madison square garden is next to penn station, macys and empire state building are only a few blocks east and times square/42nd street are only a few blocks north.

trevufc · 08-07-2008 01:33PM

bag storage in jfk as well.

sharkDawg · 08-07-2008 01:41PM

ShoulderChip wrote: »

Hi What is there to do with 7 hours to spare in JFK from 10am?
is it possible to get into new York?
i will be on my own?
also would it be possible to somehow get on a bus tour of the cities main sites or something?
anyone have any experience of this?

Is that 7 hours between the arrival and departure of the respective planes?

Femelade · 10-07-2008 02:14PM

Hi Guys!

So i think i have decided on a hotel:
Hotel Standford.
Its costing €385 for 2 nights, then we head away and come back for another 2 night for €302.
Does that sound reasonable?
Also, it says that this price does not include tax and city tax..
does anyone know how much extra i will be paying?

6ix · 10-07-2008 07:56PM

Hi all,

My parents are going to NYC for a week in early September. I'm looking at hotels for them (mid range Midtown hotels), and I'm wondering when's the best time to book. I normally book last minute for the rest of the world, but New York is different because it's always busy.

I thought of booking now, but a quick check of some hotels seems to suggest that it's cheaper in August than September, so maybe I should wait a while? I don't want it to get more expensive though.

Any thoughts on this?

I'm using cheaperthanhotels.com and those kind of sites btw.

Pigletlover · 11-07-2008 04:42PM

Femmy wrote: »

Hi Guys!

So i think i have decided on a hotel:
Hotel Standford.
Its costing €385 for 2 nights, then we head away and come back for another 2 night for €302.
Does that sound reasonable?
Also, it says that this price does not include tax and city tax..
does anyone know how much extra i will be paying?

Tax is around 13.5% and the city tax is $3.50 per room per night, so that works out at nearly €200 per night, hotel looks decent though and the location is good so the rate isn't too bad. When are you going?

Pigletlover · 11-07-2008 04:45PM

6ix wrote: »

Hi all,

My parents are going to NYC for a week in early September. I'm looking at hotels for them (mid range Midtown hotels), and I'm wondering when's the best time to book. I normally book last minute for the rest of the world, but New York is different because it's always busy.

I thought of booking now, but a quick check of some hotels seems to suggest that it's cheaper in August than September, so maybe I should wait a while? I don't want it to get more expensive though.

Any thoughts on this?

I'm using cheaperthanhotels.com and those kind of sites btw.

I don't know if hotels get cheaper or more expensive the longer you wait, but I think that hotels in New York are generally cheaper in the summer months because fewer people travel there on account of the hot weather so that may explain the lower rates.

DundalkDuffman · 13-07-2008 10:50PM

Just a wee tip should anyone be thinking of booking NYC flights with AL foor November. I have just booked for myself and the girlfriend for November and looking for the return fare on AL website it came in at 1060 yoyos all in. When I booked the same flights but as separate bookings it hascome in at 908 yoyos. Now if only I can get such a deal on accom, its wicked expensive. A bit sorry I am looking at 6 nights now :rolleyes:

LolaDub · 13-07-2008 11:19PM

http://www.redroof.com/reservations/inn_details.asp?num=605

The Red Roof inn is like a travelodge chain in the U.S. This one is about 2 blocks from the empire state building which is a great location. When i stayed there there was 3 of us (you can have 4 in a room i think?) for 110 dollars a night inc breakfast. Its very much a basic, cheap and clean hotel.

DundalkDuffman · 14-07-2008 12:16AM

Tried that thanks for the info, coming in at
$2,246.94 USD
*NOT including taxes of: 13.38% upon check-in (subject to change)
for me for the 6 nights! Will continue trying a few of the booking agents, even if I can get it to 1500 euro then I will be happy. Its our first time there and I am looking for somewhere very central.

raddo · 14-07-2008 08:43AM

Heading to New York in end of November for 3 days and then onto Miami with a baby which will be 7 nearly 8 months.
Has anyone got any advice about getting around, sightseeing, shopping etc with a young baby??
Are most of the touristy places accesible by buggy?

Dodge · 14-07-2008 08:39PM

Rhianna83 wrote: »

Anyone ever stayed in Shelburne Murray Hill? Staying there for 5 nights in Sept, looks fairly decent on net...

I did about 3 years. Its a "suite" type hotel with fridge, coooker, microwave etc in the room. Big rooms (by New York standards). There's a bar attached to it that serves typical bar food. Couldn't really have any complaints about the hotel tbh. Its about 7/8 North/South blokes from Grand Central and about 4/5 crosstown blokes from Macys and the rest of Herald Square.

hshortt · 14-07-2008 09:55PM

http://www.Hotels-And-Discounts.com got four nights (Mid January) tax inclusive for $567 at the Roosevelt Hotel New York direct link - http://www.theroosevelthotel.com/

Cheers

LolaDub · 14-07-2008 10:37PM

DundalkDuffman wrote: »

Tried that thanks for the info, coming in at
$2,246.94 USD
*NOT including taxes of: 13.38% upon check-in (subject to change)
for me for the 6 nights! Will continue trying a few of the booking agents, even if I can get it to 1500 euro then I will be happy. Its our first time there and I am looking for somewhere very central.

For the red roof inn we booked it about a month ahead. Their published rates are about 200 i think? They're included in some of the cheapo hotel websites so you might get a better deal there. The hilton in time square is pretty nice and not too pricey albeit not as cheap as red roof. Last time i stayed in some boutique hotel in gramercy-awful. They said they had a restaurant and cappucino bar-restaurant was closed and 'cappucino bar' was a coffee machine in the lobby!

Pythia · 14-07-2008 10:45PM

LolaDub wrote: »

http://www.redroof.com/reservations/inn_details.asp?num=605

The Red Roof inn is like a travelodge chain in the U.S. This one is about 2 blocks from the empire state building which is a great location. When i stayed there there was 3 of us (you can have 4 in a room i think?) for 110 dollars a night inc breakfast. Its very much a basic, cheap and clean hotel.

I've stayed here twice. Highly recommened.

Femelade · 15-07-2008 05:51PM

Pigletlover wrote: »

Tax is around 13.5% and the city tax is $3.50 per room per night, so that works out at nearly €200 per night, hotel looks decent though and the location is good so the rate isn't too bad. When are you going?

ah right.
Heading over in Oct/Nov

Caked Karen · 16-07-2008 12:03AM

hey guys,

me again :P

just wondering how much money would you say to bring with you when heading over?

i am going for 11 nights in total - have accommodation sorted and plan to have that paid for before i go but in general what would you spend a day

i plan on doing good few touristy things, wanna do good bit shopping [not sure to what value yet] and then for food and beers etc?

at the moment i am lost and just want to decide now and be done with it! will have cc as back up in case then

thanks

CK

Dodge · 16-07-2008 01:54AM

Without being too smart its impossible for anyone to say how much you need.

Beer can cost between $5 and $10 depending on where you drink. A meal for two in TGI Fridays could cost $40-50 but if you wanted to splash out, there's no limit to what you could spend on food.

Clothes and "general" purchases are generally cheaper in the US but it depends on how much you wanna buy.

Most of the touristy thing cost between $10 and $20

workaccount · 16-07-2008 03:41PM

Hi,
I was just looking up red roof inn prices there and towards the end of September it's about 300 dollars per night whearas in meadowlands parkway... a couple of miles out it's only about 100 dollars a night.

I can't believe how expensive that is for a budget hotel in Manhattan or is this normal?

Anyway if I was 6.6 miles out and on a subway route would it be alright for heading in and out of the city centre at night?

LolaDub · 16-07-2008 06:53PM

Its not a budget hotel just not a luxury hotel. For manhattan its a brilliant location for the price. I would check some of the cheap hotels deals websites for a better deal on the red roof as i said i booked a month in advance. If you're going on holiday to manhattan it would be inconvenient to book a hotel off the island. The subway is a bit of a mixed bag, i'd say its intimidating to most people until you get used to it. Having said that the only people i know that use the subway in the night are new yorkers and they said they wouldn't take it alone. I'm sure some people do and are fine on it though. If you're looking for cheap cheap there are loads of slightly better than hostel places on Manhattan. Try craigslist for a couple.

LolaDub · 16-07-2008 08:03PM

http://gonyc.about.com/od/hotels/tp/topcheaphotel.htm has a short list of good budget hotels. Red roof is on it. The Marcel is one which i definitely would not recommend. As per above post it advertises that it has a restaurant and cappucino bar. Restaurant was closed when we were there and the cappucino bar was a cappucino machine. The staff barely spoke to us and were unaccomodating in the extreme. When i asked for a taxi to go to the airport they said they didn't do ordering taxis for guests or booking restaurants etc. Twice when we were at reception the person manning the desk couldn't speak english to us. Rooms were very very small and the location is also quite poor for Manhattan its a couple of blocks away from anything except starbucks.

lord lucan · 16-07-2008 10:17PM

i'll add my vote for the red roof. stayed there 5 times so far. if you think you might be an annual visitor to NYC it's worth joining their loyalty scheme. i did and i've gotten 4 free nights since 2004 from them.

workaccount · 16-07-2008 11:06PM

lord lucan wrote: »

i'll add my vote for the red roof. stayed there 5 times so far. if you think you might be an annual visitor to NYC it's worth joining their loyalty scheme. i did and i've gotten 4 free nights since 2004 from them.

Where you staying in Manhattan or the one about 6 miles out?

decimal · 17-07-2008 09:33AM

Heading back there is september and wanting to buy some camera lenses. The only thing, how much tax is added on to a product? From memory, it was 8.38%, but I thought it was higher. Really wanting to know this as I could buy some now from Hong Kong, but with 8% added on, they turn out cheaper in NY.

Which is the cheapest option? Use credit card or get cash changed first in the bank? What do other boardies recommend based on eperience? I just used my CC last time I was out there, but this time I'm just being a bit of a scrooge wanting to get the most from the exchange rate

lord lucan · 17-07-2008 04:13PM

workaccount wrote: »

Where you staying in Manhattan or the one about 6 miles out?

the manhattan one. i always ask for a room at the front so i can wake up every morning to a view of the empire state building. :cool:

workaccount · 17-07-2008 04:17PM

lord lucan wrote: »

the manhattan one. i always ask for a room at the front so i can wake up every morning to a view of the empire state building. :cool:

I've just been looking over trip advisor and I've found two places so far that might be ok. They are beside union square and are only about 100 dollars per night.

300 dollars in the red roof would be a little too expensive for me.

One is the Carlton arms hotel....hate the look of it but it's supposed to be clean, friendly and safe.
The seafarers and international house seems to be the best though.

Has anyone stayed in either of these?

sean_17 · 17-07-2008 06:16PM

Can anyone recommend a nice hotel in New York for one night - nice, not too cheap as don't want to stay in a kip - not an option.

Thanks.

LolaDub · 17-07-2008 10:00PM

A friend of mine stayed in seafarers and said it was a dump but i don't have any personal experience of it. She's a bit high maintenance as well.

NYC Megathread Archive 2

Comments