Trip to NYC

[Ryan]

Would like to plan a trip to nyc. Don't wanna spend too much money. I'm about 5hrs away. Drove thu many years ago. Realized quickly that driving around was worthless. Any ideas? Should I get a room outside the city and do some form of public transpo? Don't mind walking. Prolly spend the weekend. Wanna do the typical tourist stuff. TIA

 

[psycho6cyl]

they have a hostile place i think its called for ppl travelling abroad. just talk w a funny accent there is this site couch surfing . com and you literally crash on ppls sofas... no such thing as cheap and nyc. pre plan what you want to do. go to travel sites to see deals and place like group on might have a deal. dont stay too far away from city bc travelling in and ou8t becomes a pain

 

[gnxtc2]

Anything in the City is expensive. My best suggestion is set up a sight seeing tour. Stay outside the city, there are numerous hotels in Fort Lee, NJ which is just across the George Washington Bridge. Stay at the Double Tree Hotel which was formerly the Hilton. Trust me, I know. The hotels offer transportation into the city or you can take public.

If you want more info, PM me.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[GNBRETT]

5 hrs away in which direction? there are many train stations in Ct and NY that will take u right into grand central. times square is only a few blocks away. u definately dont want to drive into the city if u dont know ur way around.

 

[Ryan]

Hostels may be too cheap....even for me
Figured driving into NYC would be a waist. I am working in Harrisonburg VA right now. I thought that Jersey would be the way to go. Thanks for the Fort Lee recommendation. All I have is a map to look at. Don't know what is the "BAD" part of town. Just did a search for some Marriot chains since that is where I am staying right now. Found a few places in Newark and Jersey City. Some say Hoboken. Not sure if they are just yanking my chain.

 

[GNBRETT]

u need a better plan then Newark or Jersey city. u dont need to go that far north. there are plenty of safe towns mid to upper jersey to get a hotel in. u need to find a hotel in a decent town that has access to a train station.

 

[HighPSI]

My wife and I visited the city a couple years ago when we came up for Russ & Melissa's wedding. We were on a tight schedule so decided to take the double decker bus tour. We were quite happy with it. They have 20-30 stops and you can get off and spend as much time as you want then catch the next bus. It also included tickets to the Empire State building and the Statue of Liberty.

 

[GNICETRY]

u need a better plan then Newark or Jersey city. u dont need to go that far north. there are plenty of safe towns mid to upper jersey to get a hotel in. u need to find a hotel in a decent town that has access to a train station.

Truer words were never said. Newark is a full fledged ghetto and Jersey City is past their prime ghetto time but not much. I have no idea what hotels go for in the city, but my recommendation would be to pay the coin for a decent hotel and cheap out on the food and transportation (do a lot of walking). There are a lot of dirtbag hotels too. If you stay around midtown (34-57th streets) then you could basically walk anywhere good. The Musuem of Natural History and the Metropolitan Musuem are FREE. They tell you that you have to pay, but it is a recommendation. You could recommend $5 if you want. A weekend would not even be enough time to see those 2. Then you have Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square-all free. The Cental Park Zoo is like $15 but I wouldn't go there if I only had 2 days to see stuff. You could PM me if you want more info. I am pretty familiar with the city.
Just did a quick Expedia search and it looks like about $250-$350 for a decent hotel.

 

[Ryan]

So far I have Fort Lee and Hoboken as possible places to stay in NJ. I'll check out an "inexpensive" in city option. Not familiar with NYC. What hotels are available between "34-57th streets"? What are my option with transportation in to the city and what would be an approximate cost? Trying to figure if transportation cost will make staying outside the city worth it.

The double decker bus sounds like a good idea. Would also like to do the typical Empire state bldg, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 memorial. Not sure if all that can be fit into a week end.

 

[Fast87Buick]

If you are planning on statue of liberty or empire state building plan ahead and order tickets online ahead of time or plan on standing in lines for a long time and possibly not getting to see them at all. The crown tour in the statue of liberty is very limited and is usually sold out way in advance. Advance tickets for empire state building gets you to the top in about 15-20 minutes instead of hours. Check out vrbo.com for deals on rental places, we rented a 2br apt in soho for $300 per night a couple of years ago. We were within walking distance (4 blocks) of Katz Deli. The subway or taxi will take you anywhere you can't walk.

 

[Black3]

Rent a limo with a NYC experienced driver and a cooler full of food and drinks.

 

[quikv6]

ok....I will throw my 2 cents in, as a native NYer, and someone who still lives and works in NYC. My recommendation is to find a hotel in Williamsburg (Brooklyn), or Long Island City (Queens). Will they be cheap....no. But they're literally a stone's throw from Manhattan, as they're both right across the East River, and will have killer views of Manhattan. And Williamsburg and LIC are pretty hip neighborhoods themselves, with lots of great local restaurants, bars, art galleries, and quite a good mix of counter-culture at it's best. To me, these local neighborhoods come pretty close to representing the real NY for NYers, and less of the touristy commercial stuff. (which is fine too...after all...you'd be a tourist). These neighborhoods are both literally a 5 minute subway ride into Manhattan.

And then, once in Manhattan, my recommendation would be to walk, walk, walk, since that is really the best way to see the city. If you've never been to Times Sq, it'll be a place you should go see...and then probably never go back. My recommendations would be the East and West Village, Central Park, and to check out the progress that has finally been made at Ground Zero. It is solemn, hopeful, and a million other emotions, all at once.

Hope this helps....

-Chris

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Food recommendations:

PIZZA: You have to get some real pizza. Let me repeat: You HAVE to get some real pizza. A few years back...I went on a little quest for NY's best pizza. Having been here for 30 years...I feel I am qualified in this area.

#1 - By FAR the best I have ever had - DiFara Pizza, Ave J in Midwood, Brooklyn. (about 30-35 minute train ride from Times Sq). No words can describe what you'll experience, so I won't even try.
#2 - either Grimaldi's (under the Brooklyn Bridge on the Bklyn side), or the original Patsy's in East Harlem, 1st Ave and 118th St. Both excellent in they're own right, but #1 is in a league of their own.

BURGERS: I'd recommend "Shake Shack" in Manhattan, or the original "Jackson Hole", off the Grand Central Pkwy in Queens

I'll stop here....I am making myself WAAAAY too hungry. Best of luck.

 

[G NASTY]

Difara is closed lest time I checked, but his pizza is very good. I would spend the extra coin and get a hotel in times square. It's a whole different feeling. I live and work in NYC and sill get a room At the W hotel in times square on a sat nite once and a while just to get away. Times square will shock you. I was working there sun nite and in the middle of the street are two completely naked 20year old girls being painted with body paint for some art project. Next to them is a guy standing around with large rats on both sholders and one on his head. Wacky stuff for sure..

ok....I will throw my 2 cents in, as a native NYer, and someone who still lives and works in NYC. My recommendation is to find a hotel in Williamsburg (Brooklyn), or Long Island City (Queens). Will they be cheap....no. But they're literally a stone's throw from Manhattan, as they're both right across the East River, and will have killer views of Manhattan. And Williamsburg and LIC are pretty hip neighborhoods themselves, with lots of great local restaurants, bars, art galleries, and quite a good mix of counter-culture at it's best. To me, these local neighborhoods come pretty close to representing the real NY for NYers, and less of the touristy commercial stuff. (which is fine too...after all...you'd be a tourist). These neighborhoods are both literally a 5 minute subway ride into Manhattan.

And then, once in Manhattan, my recommendation would be to walk, walk, walk, since that is really the best way to see the city. If you've never been to Times Sq, it'll be a place you should go see...and then probably never go back. My recommendations would be the East and West Village, Central Park, and to check out the progress that has finally been made at Ground Zero. It is solemn, hopeful, and a million other emotions, all at once.

Hope this helps....

-Chris

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Food recommendations:

PIZZA: You have to get some real pizza. Let me repeat: You HAVE to get some real pizza. A few years back...I went on a little quest for NY's best pizza. Having been here for 30 years...I feel I am qualified in this area.

#1 - By FAR the best I have ever had - DiFara Pizza, Ave J in Midwood, Brooklyn. (about 30-35 minute train ride from Times Sq). No words can describe what you'll experience, so I won't even try.
#2 - either Grimaldi's (under the Brooklyn Bridge on the Bklyn side), or the original Patsy's in East Harlem, 1st Ave and 118th St. Both excellent in they're own right, but #1 is in a league of their own.

BURGERS: I'd recommend "Shake Shack" in Manhattan, or the original "Jackson Hole", off the Grand Central Pkwy in Queens

I'll stop here....I am making myself WAAAAY too hungry. Best of luck.

 

[gofstbuick]

I'll be in NY this fall. Thanks for the suggestions. First time to NYC.