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Planning a holiday to New York

M

Migroo

Diamond Member
Hi guys,

We're planning a trip to New York. We have some general ideas on flights and hotels, but we need an idea of how much things cost (ie food, taxis).

Obviously we're looking to stay in Manhattan, to be in the centre, but assuming I know almost nothing about New York, where is the real 'centre' and how far does it extend? Are there areas of Manhattan that you wouldn't necessarily go and see?

Can anyone recommend any nice hotels that aren't too expensive, and relatively close to the centre?

Oh, and a list of things that we have to see would be good too 🙂 Do you think there will be enough to do if we stay for a week? My girlfriend doesn't fancy spending the money on the flight unless we stay for a worthwhile length of time. 😉

Cheers!

BTW, we're from the UK and we'll probably be flying from the major international airport - Heathrow. As we understand it there is 'JFK' and Newark airports - which one is closest to the centre? Is there any particular airport to avoid?
 
Originally posted by: dartworth
Originally posted by: joedrake
Be prepared to spend A LOT on food/taxis/etc.. New York is an expensive place
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it doesn't have to be...
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When I went there I spent like twice+ on lunch than I do in Philly.
When people think of New York they think of the Statue of Liberty, but it's not really anything too impressive. My dad lived in NYC for 40years and he's never even been there. Watch out for pickpocketers/those sort - NY is crowded so there seems to be a lot.
A week should be enough, IMO - but some people like to spend more at a place :/
O, and be sure to get some pizza
 
You're definately going to want to see a Broadway play, I can tell you that they are amazing.

Food and taxis are expensive. You're probably going to want to take taxis as your primary form of transportation, unless you will be feeling brave enough to try and navigate the NYC subway system. I've eaten at 2 very neat restraunts, Mars 2010 and Jeckle & Hyde's. Both of them are themes restraunts, but the food is good and the experience is cool.

See the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building, 2 landmarks of NYC.
 
Cool, thanks,

Sorry to sound dumb, but what kinda prices are we looking at? $30 per meal? i dont really know how much things will cost over there seeing as i live near london prices are major over here!

Assuming we arent going to any really expensive hotels, I think we will need to get breakfast too, can anyone give me an average price for each meal, breaky, lunch and dinner?

Thanks 🙂
 
depending on where you eat, you can get a pretty cheap meal... head on over to chinatown if u want some quick, cheap food. but there are plenty of fine restaurants in downtown Manhattan. u dont even need to spend a lot of money on taxis, u can pretty much walk everywhere (i'd recommend it if u want to take in all the sights and sounds) but if u are pressed for time, taxi or subway is the way to go
 
I'm a fairly frequent NYC business traveller, so let me see if I can help ya out.

First off, there are very few inexpensive hotels in NYC. Assuming that you don't want to stay in a slum area or New Jersey (what's the difference? 🙂 ), you'll probably be paying at least $120 a night.

I'd skip the taxis if you're not in a hurry, and get the $7 "one day fun pass" to the subway system. If you use the subway just 4 times in one day, it will more than pay for itself. Don't worry about safety TOO much, though... Since 9/11 all of the major tourist areas are patrolled by police and even the occassional National Guard soldier during major events.

Food at the local NYC fast food joints and delis are pretty cheap, actually. If you eat there, you'll be able to spend less than $10 for breakfast or lunch. You'll probably want to eat at some of the fancier places for dinner, though, so I'd factor in at least $40 a person for the three star places. If you're looking for ideas, go to http://newyork.citysearch.com and read the reviews.

I guess that you'll want to see the Statue Of Liberty/Battery Park, and the Empire State Building. That's cool and all, but the problem is that all of the other tourists do as well! Try NOT visit those sites during the weekend, or you'll be waiting in lines for hours. You'll also want to see Times Square, Canal Street (Chinatown), Central Park, and the high-end shops on 5th Avenue and Madison Ave. Make sure to see at least one Broadway show, but please don't pick one of the "Disneyified" ones like Beauty and The Beast. That is NOT a real broadway show, it's a tourist attraction.

You'll also want to check out SoHo, Greenwich village, TriBeca, and the financial district. I'd avoid Washington Heights and parts of the Bronx, though.

Oh... the two local NYC airports are JFK and LaGuardia. Newark is actually a New Jersey airport, but it's also fairly close by. Out of those three, I like JFK the best. LaGuardia has a bad rap for delayed flights, but I've really never had a problem with it.
 
JFK is the best airport to fly into. You can take the airtrain for $5 that'll take you straight to the subway, and from there you can get anywhere in the city. If you go into LaGuardia, you have to either take a crowded bus to the subway (no fun with lots of luggage) or an expensive taxi to the subway station.

Don't be afraid to use the subway - you can save LOTS of money this way. $2 will get you anywhere in the city that the subway runs. That alone will save you tons of money on cab fare, plus it's much more reliable than a cab. It can be somewhat confusing, but take the time to study the route map and figure out where you're going beforehand and you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Entire subway system route map

Have fun!
 
Thanks guys, thats really helpful.

UltimateBob - I concur, we're finding out that most places are $120 a night. Guess we don't really have much choice. I don't see the point of staying outsite Manhattan.

Yeah the subway sounds good. We're used to the London tube so I don't mind navigating around 🙂

Could someone point out what the 'centre' is? Thanks for giving me some idea of areas not to visit 🙂 I've got a general idea of what the centre is (5th Av, Madison Sq. Gardens, Times Square etc... but how far does it extend?

Is it safe to assume that most hotels in Manhattan are going to be within a short walk from some restaurants etc? Some of the hotels we're looking at don't have any major facilities - which doesn't bother me, but I'd like to know that there are some nearby 🙂

BTW I'm going to be 23, and my GF will be 21. I know the legal drinking age is 21. Are we going to have any major problems getting into bars etc? I assume a passport or UK driving licence is enough for ID? 🙂

Black88GTA - thanks for the info on airports, I guess we'll try and get into JFK 🙂
 
manhattan is unlike any other city in the world. I guess you could say that the "center" begins around the 30's and extends all the way up into the 80's or 90's. ive never been to london, but NYC shadows the cities ive been to outside of the US (Paris, Madrid, Copenhagen, Berlin, Hamburg, Rome).

As far as bars go, should have no problems as long as you have your pass port.

Don't take taxi's if you don't have to. use the subway - very easy and covers most of the city.

definately check out the museums, MOMA, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History... the statue of liberty is pretty cool, so is ellis island (theyre next to eachother), the empire state building, the chrysler tower, ground zero :tear; you'll have a blast... if you want to go out to bars, i'd suggest going to the upper east side, theres about 3 bars a block up there.

check out the financial district if you can - eat in the winter garden, and see if they give out tours of the NYSE (I dont think they do anymore) but that could be a good afternoon, give me a shout i work down there lol

need any help, pm me

 
Originally posted by: Black88GTA
JFK is the best airport to fly into. You can take the airtrain for $5 that'll take you straight to the subway, and from there you can get anywhere in the city. If you go into LaGuardia, you have to either take a crowded bus to the subway (no fun with lots of luggage) or an expensive taxi to the subway station.

Don't be afraid to use the subway - you can save LOTS of money this way. $2 will get you anywhere in the city that the subway runs. That alone will save you tons of money on cab fare, plus it's much more reliable than a cab. It can be somewhat confusing, but take the time to study the route map and figure out where you're going beforehand and you shouldn't have too much trouble.
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Agreed -- the subway is the best way to get around town. Also ++ for the AirTrain.

OP, if you've been to London (or are from there), NYC will not seem expensive.

The city has at least two "centres" if you want to think of things that way: "Midtown" (think Times Square and a mile in each direction) and "Downtown" (the financial distrcit). OTOH, you could think of the most of the isle of Manhattan as the city center from the southern tip to around the mid 90's or so.

Edit: I highly recommend the full three hour "Circle Line" cruise around Manhattan. Even as a local I enjoy it.
 
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