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Vacation to NYC - any tips/advice?

calbear2000

Golden Member
I'm planning to vacation in New York City in the summer. I've never even been to the East Coast, so I can definitely use some tips.

Air and hotel packages (departing from Bay Area) look to be at least $1000 per person (2 people total) Can someone recommend some decent and reasonably priced hotels? I'm looking into Hotel Pennsylvania, Ameritania Hotel, Habitat Hotel New York, Skyline Hotel, Hilton New York

I'm assuming Midtown Manhattan is where all the action is (close to Broadway shows, shopping districts, famous buildings, etc) Is there a certain area I want to avoid or be close to within Manhattan?

Also, should I rent a car or will walking and taxis/subways be sufficient?

Finally, is there a nice tourist bus that gives good sightseeing tours like in popular European tourist cities?

Thanks!


 
You should be able to fly JetBlue from Oakland to JFK for cheap, if you order your tickets soon. The Hotel Intercontinental is an awesome bargain, as is Radio City Apartments (although the rooms are small). There are tons of tourist busses.
 
Thanks for the link and info werk. By Hotel Intercontinental, you're talking about Inter-Continental The Barclay or Central Park? They're both a little pricey, but look very nice.

How long is a good time to stay in New York? I was thinking 6 days, 6 nights.
 
midtown is nice and all, but there's tons of culture all around the city. Visit Greenwich Village in the evening and hang out in a coffee shop or two. TImes Square is always nice to visit. Dinner at TImes Square is EXPENSIVE, so make sure you go to www.zagat.com and find out which Midtown restaurants are worth your money.

THere's Chinatown, Little Italy, and Central Park. Central Park is a nice place to walk around. You can get a horse&carriage ride or something, 😉

There are lots of museums in NYC. There's the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History, the CLoisters, and etc. etc.

Again, get to Zagat and NYC Citysearch and find some nice places to eat and such.

 
I was talking about the Barclay. My mother stays there whenever she goes up to NYC. She said the rooms are usually ~$100 a night and it's a 4 star place. 6 days should give you plenty of time to check out all the main tourist attractions, etc. Guybrush gave some good tips on stuff to do. There's also the obvious tourist stuff like Empire State, Statue of Liberty (although I believe the stairs to the crown are still closed since 9/11 🙁), 5th Ave Shopping, Broadway plays (make sure to go to the 1/2 price tickets place in Times Square), etc.

Also, one thing alot of people miss when they go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the rooftop gardens. Ask a guard where the elevator is to them. There's a nice view of the park up there.

Definitely pick up a Zagat's, and DO NOT eat around Times Square, it'll cost you an arm and a leg. There are tons of little places to eat and smaller clubs in the Village to go to.
 
If you stay in Manhattan, I don't see a point in renting a car cause you'll never find a parking spot where you go. The subway is probably the easiest way(notice I didn't say cleanest way 😀) in getting around. However, if you do decide to go outside of the city, a car might come in handy.
 
personally i woud avoid stuff like times square. a few reasons for this. there are way too many people there, most of them are tourists, theres really nothing to see unless you like looking at ads, and there's tons of teenie boppers. but yeah, definetely go to the greenwich village. it's a cool place to hang out and they have lots of interesting shops there.

another thing. if you've never been to the east coast before than you should hop on the LIRR and head to the south shore to see the ocean. the beaches are loaded with hot chicks too!! it's worth it.
 


<< If you stay in Manhattan, I don't see a point in renting a car cause you'll never find a parking spot where you go. The subway is probably the easiest way(notice I didn't say cleanest way 😀) in getting around. However, if you do decide to go outside of the city, a car might come in handy. >>



Theres plenty of parking spots. Only problem is the cost. You gotta go to parking lots to really get a parking spot, and those get to be expensive.
 


<< another thing. if you've never been to the east coast before than you should hop on the LIRR and head to the south shore to see the ocean. the beaches are loaded with hot chicks too!! it's worth it. >>




are you serious? Damn, been in NYC my whole freaking life and i didn't know this!!

*running to LIRR station*
 


<<

<< If you stay in Manhattan, I don't see a point in renting a car cause you'll never find a parking spot where you go. The subway is probably the easiest way(notice I didn't say cleanest way 😀) in getting around. However, if you do decide to go outside of the city, a car might come in handy. >>



Theres plenty of parking spots. Only problem is the cost. You gotta go to parking lots to really get a parking spot, and those get to be expensive.
>>



agreed, don't rent a car unless ur going to be visiting Brooklyn or anywhere outside manhattan.
Parking in Manhattan is harsh, let alone driving in Manhattan, so just stick with mass transit.

the train system may intimidate you, but ask anyone for help and you'll get to where you have to go. Don't take NYC public buses, they're WAY too slow and inconsistent.
 
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<< are you serious? Damn, been in NYC my whole freaking life and i didn't know this!!

*running to LIRR station*
>>




are you kidding me man? i live on the island (north shore) but i used to go to the south shore all the time. go to jones beach or robert moses ANY day in the summer. 1000's !!! of hot girls dude.
 
Thanks for all the info guys.

GuybrushThreepwood and Werk - I'll definitely check out the Metropolitan Museum (and its rooftop gardens). And Greenwich Village sounds interesting too... never heard of it before.

Ok, so no rental car. Its all about taxis and the subway, and walking

Oh and I'm bringing the girlfriend with me, so can't be checking out girls at beaches... thanks though 🙂



 
Getting around in NYC:

Buses: Only if you are going up or downtown along a single avenue. If you are on 23rd and 3rd and want to go to 83rd and 3rd, then the bus will work for you. Going cross town or making a change makes it not worthwhile especially for a tourist.

Subways: It's hot down there in the summer, but the cars have A/C. You can get all over town pretty quickly.

Cabs: Except for going crosstown during the day this is often your best door to door option.

Renting a car: don't even think about it.
 
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