New York, What hotels to use ? and travel advice please.

[Garage_Doors]

When are you going mate? I'll be there from 15th - 22nd Feb. I've got a few recommendations. I'll PM you.

Looking at first week of June, would appreciate recommendations.

 

[Biffer]

In Foley's right now. Albion stuff still on the wall.

 

[BHANic]

Stayed in the Beacon Hotel in June last year. Fab hotel and location in upper west side. We stayed in a standard one bedroom apartment and it was a lovely size. I hear there are some really pokey sized rooms in NY hotels but this one really was fab. Located about 5/10 minutes from central park and right near a subway if you want to use it. Hotel is about 40 minutes slow stroll to time square. We walked most of the time though. Some great restaurants and bars nearby too and not overpriced. We'd stay there again without hesitation.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Better to fly to Newark rather than JFK in my opinion - then get a train direct to Penn Station.

 

[Doc Lynam]

Thanks for all the help guys,
anyone else been and got any recommendations ?

I can recommend getting the subway to the top of the island then the bus back downtown. Cheap trip through the areas.

 

[dwayne]

Better to fly to Newark rather than JFK in my opinion - then get a train direct to Penn Station.

Agree ... JFK is a hell hole, and newark is quicker to the city usually but I would always get a cab.

Loads of people mentioning how great it is to be close to times square. Not so sure about that. TS is great to visit once but it's a tourist nightmare equivalent of Leicester square I aways try and avoid when I'm in town.

 

[BHANic]

Agree ... JFK is a hell hole, and newark is quicker to the city usually but I would always get a cab.

Loads of people mentioning how great it is to be close to times square. Not so sure about that. TS is great to visit once but it's a tourist nightmare equivalent of Leicester square I aways try and avoid when I'm in town.

I agree re Time Square. Definitely wouldn't fancy staying there. It's one to see, then walk straight through after that! It's pretty central and good for the subway connections though.

 

[Bozza]

Loads of people mentioning how great it is to be close to times square. Not so sure about that. TS is great to visit once but it's a tourist nightmare equivalent of Leicester square I aways try and avoid when I'm in town.

Agree completely. If you've not been before, it instinctively feels like somewhere you should be staying near. When you then plan your 2nd visit you'll think the opposite, and that should tell you enough.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Roz and I stayed at this place about 10 years ago:-

Ye Olde Carlton Arms Hotel / About Us

'Wierd' hardly begins to describe it. Location is handy, though. And it's cheap.

 

[Frutos]

I always use the New Yorker hotel just opposite MSG and round the corner from Penn Station.

Flights-wise, I'd recommend Continental from Gatwick to Newark from where, as has been mentioned, you can get a direct train to Penn Station.

 

[seagulls99]

Bumping this... does anyone have any relatively recent recommendations for places to stay in NYC? Ideally not costing a fortune! Thank you

 

[RandyWanger]

Depends where you want to be based. But the Moxy in Chelsea was my 'go to' when I used to have to travel and work out of HY 4 times a year.

 

[danielson81]

Take a look at Long Island City, I stayed there last September. As long as you are near a subway station , Manhattan is 15 minutes away.

Plus there are loads of Independent Breweries in Long Island City!

 

[dolphins]

If you don't mind being in Brooklyn, the Hotel le Bleu is very nice - have stayed there twice, and it is very handy for the subway system (albeit it takes a little while to get into central Manhattan) and for the Brooklyn Centre which is a sports and concert venue.

Last time I went I stayed in the Pestana CR7 Times Square which is a really nice hotel. It's a short walk from Times Square so away from the madness of that, it's close to the Port Authority which is useful for transport links, and it is close to MSG (where I was going to a couple of concerts). We're going back towards the end of the year (more concerts at MSG!), and as the Pestana CR7 is expensive for the dates we wanted, we're trying the Doubletree by Hilton Times Square South which had decent room rates and is only 4 minutes stroll from MSG. It's located on 8th and 36th. The Pestana is on 39th, so three further blocks north.

We've never done the AirTrain/Jamaica malarkey to get to/from JFK. I believe it is pretty straightforward and cheap, but how easy is it if you have suitcases? There will be two of us this time round, both with a suitcase and hand luggage. I am particularly thinking of subway stations/gates, getting cases through etc. Any advice on that front much appreciated!

 

[Austrian Gull]

We stayed at the Graduate on Roosevelt Island last summer.

Quiet location on an island in the East River but very good connection to Manhattan etc. My kids loved it there - the view of the city lights was just breathtaking at night.

 

[Weststander]

We like to stay in Midtown. You’re literally the centre of everything.

We stayed here this April, shaving a few $k from an earlier visit elsewhere in Midtown. Big rooms, huge beds, great location by subways, a no frills reception. Don’t worry about the people piling in with awful TripAdvisor reviews …. almost all of them were folk seeking refunds after cancelling, just don’t cancel!

https://the-herald-powered-by-luxurban.hotels-innewyork.com/en/

For the first time, we took Penn Street LIRR > Jamaica station > JFK Airtrain. Worked a treat, cheaper than the taxi and far quicker. No vast Queens traffic jams. We had big cases.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Depends where you want to be based. But the Moxy in Chelsea was my 'go to' when I used to have to travel and work out of HY 4 times a year.

 

[BiffyBoy]

Depends where you want to be based. But the Moxy in Chelsea was my 'go to' when I used to have to travel and work out of HY 4 times a year.

Second, the Moxy. I've stayed at the Times Square location, but there are others as well.

I stayed at Staypineapple a few months ago (they do stay 2 nights and get the 3rd for free), which is mid-town, quirky/nice, and reasonable. I've used them in a few US cities; they have always been a good experience.

If it's over the weekend, the cheapest deals always seem to be in Lower Manhattan.

 

[BBassic]

We stayed at Ace Hotel in Midtown last September and it was decent

 

[AZ Gull]

...

We've never done the AirTrain/Jamaica malarkey to get to/from JFK. I believe it is pretty straightforward and cheap, but how easy is it if you have suitcases? There will be two of us this time round, both with a suitcase and hand luggage. I am particularly thinking of subway stations/gates, getting cases through etc. Any advice on that front much appreciated!

I flew in to JFK last summer when I went to see the three PL Summer Series Albion matches. I actually flew in to JFK and had a couple of nights in Brooklyn (as I had never explored Brooklyn before), then rented a vehicle at La Guardia and drove one-way to Philadelphia, flew to Atlanta, then flew back to New York and finally departed from JFK back to Phoenix.

I did the AirTrain to Brooklyn initially and then travelled back from Manhattan to JFK on the subway/AirTrain to fly home. I think I had a suitcase and a laptop bag. Pretty simple, no hassles. Each subway station should have a door in the gate area that you can use to take luggage through. If you are changing levels there should be an elevator you can use.

I did do a fair amount of planning before I went; there are lots of videos out there but I found the ones from "Free Tours By Foot" very helpful. This is their one for the AirTrain - How to Get from Manhattan to JFK Airport

I bought a MetroCard and just added value as needed (also covers bus transfers, which I needed when I headed to La Guardia for the car rental).

Feel free to ask me any questions, either in this thread or by "Conversation".