Where to stay in New York, New York

[BJane]

Aussie Gal -

The last time we were in NYC was almost two years ago. You can go to Liberty Island on the ferry and walk around even if you cannot go inside the statue. The ferry stops first at Ellis Island and then goes to the statue. They run frequently in the summer and fall, but don't know about winter. If you miss one there is a place to eat while you wait for the next boat. I am afraid of heights so would have no interest in climbing the statue, but I found the views from walking around the area to be spectacular. I got some great closeup shots of the statue as well as of NYC across the river.

[BJane]

PS to Aussie Gal

 

Try http://www.nps.gov/stli/ for Statue of Libery information. Sorry I don't know how to do the "link thing"!

[Aussie Gal]

singerbj,

 

Thanks so much for that link. I have also found the link to Ellis Island and have printed both out.

 

Hopefully we will go on a sunny day and will enjoy walking around the statue.

 

Jennie

[Balliett]

aw general max you got ripped off on the cab ride. I hate it a lot when I get to know a city well enough to know the cab scams. That is, long trips for a higher meter. Like from your new york airport to the your eastside hotel via Maine, LOL. I'm not fond of conflict. So from LaGuardia, to the east side Marriott, you have to say "TAKE THE QUEENSBORO!!" and it's like $20. I hate this situation because I don't care if I pay 20 or a hundred. I just hate to get screwed. Maybe I am on the road to limo-ville. Jim

[Aussie Gal]

We have organized for our hotel to send a limo to pick us up from Newark as we are not fond of cab scams either and we certainly would have no idea which way was the correct way. We would rather pay more, go in a limo and know we are being taken directly to the hotel.

 

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

Thanks to this Board I have just booked our ferry trip to Liberty Island and Ellis Island this afternoon on the web for Monday 11th July.

 

We are also doing a tour of the Observatory on the Statue of Liberty. Thanks to everyone for their help.

 

Jennie

[auntdeedee]

Hi Aussie Gal. Hope you enjoy your trip to New York! Just wanted to chime in to say that while on Ellis Island, they offer an audio-tour (where you rent the headphones). It is 100% worth every penny as it really "makes" the experience.... walks you into every room and explains it thoroughly while narrating neat stories. I don't recall how much it costs, but I highly recommend.

 

I think you said you already have your hotel booked, but for future reference, if you like to really feel the "heart" of New York, my favorite place to stay is The Time, just a block off Times Square. It's a hot, happening, fun hotel (and I usually book the cheapest internet special I can find for business travel) www.thetimeny.com

 

Have a great stay!

[Aussie Gal]

auntdeedee,

 

Thanks for your good wishes and for the info about the audio on Ellis Island. We will definitely hire one as there is so much history to listen to and see there as well. :)

 

Thanks also for the link to the Time Hotel. Yes, we have already booked into the Sheraton Russell which is a lovely small hotel run by the Sheraton chain which has a good reputation and is in a good position, close to Grand Central, Empire State Building and not too far to walk to Broadway. I booked it last year and received a good rate ;)

 

Jennie

[geocruiser]

Hi,

 

Try this link:

 

http://www.nyc.gov/portal/index.jsp?epi_menuItemID=e2a1b26d9be35ff6a62fa24601c789a0&epi_menuID=27579af732d48f86a62fa24601c789a0&epi_baseMenuID=27579af732d48f86a62fa24601c789a0

 

Geo

[Aussie Gal]

Thanks geocruiser,

 

I have bookmarked that link and will enjoy looking at it in detail when I have a moment.

 

Jennie

[General Max]

The Timeny appears to be a reasonably priced hotel at $189 per night. New York prices.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[xpcdoojk]

We last flew in to NYC on Friday of Presidents weekend in February. Our hotel was midtown, and our flights were very delayed due to weather, we didn't land until 2am... Yikes.... Anyway, I was dead tired, and as we headed towards the exit at LaGuardia we were approached by a guy wanting to arrange cab service, it was $45 for the wife and I. I was sort of still stunned, and took a slip of paper. Started thinking finally as I got to the doors, and realized I was being scammed into an expensive cab ride. wadded the piece of paper up, and went to the regular cab line. Got a cab before the people in the scam line and paid $25 for two to our hotel. It is really hard to get a cab in the city, so we did a lot of hiking, which we love, because it is the best way to see the city. We took the subway one day to cover some ground, but back on the surface we chose to walk. We did dinner and a show with some business associates and we did get one of the scam cabbies, between dinner and show, and we all 6 of us crammed into the scam cab, he charged $50 to go about 3/4 of a mile. I would have just walked to the show (Wicked was the show, and it was a blast, great show), but since the business associate was paying I went along for the fun of it. :D The other two couples are on the very large side. It was actually, funny as heck seeing the two guys with their plus size wives on their laps crammed in the scam cab. :D I only visit NYC for business and vacation, and very infrequently, but make sure you know what the authorized cabs are, as there are a lot of operators in the big city. ;)

 

 

jc

[General Max]

There's enough to worry about when in New York City. Now we have to be on alert for the scam taxis. How do you recognize the scam taxis.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[geocruiser]

Here are some links for the subway and bus line and ferry in NYC.

 

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm

 

For the best free ride in town, try the Staten Island Ferry. You will get a great view of the harbor, bridges and the Statue.

 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/masstran/ferries/statfery.html

 

If I can remenber anything else that will help you, I will post again.

I left NYC seven years ago to live in up state NY. But you should be able to get around using public transportation. Most times it (subway) is faster than a cab.

 

Geo

 

Ps,

 

Just found this site, which will help you with the cabs.

 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/home/home.shtml

 

Click on Pax info

[geocruiser]

Hi, Just some more of my favorite places.

 

http://www.ellisisland.com/

 

For the Statue

 

http://www.nps.gov/stli/

 

For art the Met can't be beat. This is my all time favorite.

 

http://www.metmuseum.org/

 

America Museum of Natural History is a good place to visit. Of course you could spend a day in each of the museums.

 

http://www.amnh.org/

 

 

Geo

[Aussie Gal]

Thanks Geo for all those websites. I did have a couple but not all of them.

 

We should be very organized when we arrive in NYC. We have just received our seats for "Chicago" and they are in a wonderful position, front row of the front mezzanine which is what we wanted. I was given a great site on the web for discount tickets.

 

Jennie

[marp109]

Weather dependent, of course, try and see other neighborhoods as NYC is made up of many small communities that you'll never experience if you stay around Times Square. We're transplanted to upstate but when I get the chance I do self-guided walking tours to get a feel of the history and neighborhoods. Any bookstore will have selections plus there are are companies such as Big Onion tours where you meet a guide on a street corner and pay when you get there. Even in the winter, if you bundle up, you can cover lots of places. Duck into coffee shops or an art gallery if you get too chilled or better yet go for tea in the tea rooms that are popping up all over. Practice street smarts and don't leave purses dangling and you'll be fine - even on the subway. If there's a cuisine, there's a restaurant here that serves it so explore. Enjoy!

[General Max]

Geocruiser, thanks for the website links. Aussie Gal, what is that site for good discount theatre tickets?

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[xpcdoojk]

I think the official taxis are the Yellow ones, and the others are not yellow, but I am not an expert! I am sure some of the NYC residents can give you good advice on which taxis to avoid.

 

jc

[General Max]

We have a reservation at the Marriott Midtown East for February 17th to February 22nd, 2006. I will check closer to our arrival date to see if there are any better prices in the area. February can't be prime time for visiting New York so the hotels should be having specials at that time.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[kelly-NYC]

Hi all. I am a NYC resident who lives a few blocks from the Marriott East Side. I used to stay there when I visited here. It's a nice hotel and I like the neighborhood. It's not far from Central Park, Bloomingdales, Times Square, etc. Personally I don't like to stay in Times Square. It's too crowded for me, but it is close to the theaters.

 

Anyway, I thought I would answer the taxi question. "Official" taxis are yellow. There is a taxi line outside of each of the airports. It is clearly marked. This is where the yellow cabs are to take you to Manhattan. Often there are "car service" drivers inside near the baggage claim offering rides back to Manhattan. Usually they have just dropped someone off at the airport and they are trying to make extra money by taking a rider back to the city. The cars they drive are usually black Lincolns or something similar. Being a woman who frequently travels alone, I never take them up on the offer. I know people who have. You have to negotiate a price before the ride. My old boss used to do this all the time and he claimed it was sometimes cheaper. I'm just not comfortable doing it.

 

There are several ways to get from LaGuardia by cab to midtown, the most popular being: Queensborough/59th Street Bridge, Tri-borough Bridge and Midtown Tunnel. I have taken all 3. The cost advantage of the 59th Street Bridge is that there is no toll. The other two have a $4 toll. I have found that the 59th Street Bridge can take just as long or longer than the other two routes depending on traffic and therefore can cost just as much as the other two routes. With the recent taxi fare increase, I have paid from about $25-$35 with toll and tip to get from midtown to LaGuardia.

 

Keep in mind that I have taken cabs to the airport probably 50+ times in the past few years and I only felt like I got scammed twice early on. I didn't tip either time. There is NOT a flat fee from LaGuardia to Manhattan. The flat fee only works from JFK to Manhattan. There is not a luggage charge. There is not a per person charge. These are all scams that I have heard experienced by tourists. There is a list of rules on a large sticker right in the cab on the back of the driver's seat.

 

I have found if you mention names of routes that the driver is less likely to scam you. When they ask where I am going, I usually ask something like "How's traffic tonight? Do you think the tunnel or the 59th Street Bridge is better? How's the triborough?" Then they know that I know what I am talking about and I almost always get a straight answer. When I didn't live here, rather than giving the hotel name, I would give the cross streets - 49th and Lex. Once we got closer and the route was determined, I would give more exact info. Maybe it didn't help, but I felt they would be less likely to treat me like a tourist.

 

Here is some basic NYC taxi info from the LaGuardia website:

Tipping is customary for good service (15 - 20%).

There is a $1.00 peak time surcharge for trips 4pm to 8pm on weekdays.

There is a 50-cent surcharge for trips 8pm to 6am daily.

One fare pays for all passengers to one destination.

Four passengers (five in minivans) is the limit for New York City Cabs.

Meter must read $2.50 at the start of the trip

 

Hope this helps someone. I will keep an eye on this thread. If anyone else has any NYC tourist questions, let me know!

Kelly

[Aussie Gal]

General Max,

 

I have two sites for the Broadway tickets and they are both good.

 

Here they are:

 

http://www.broadwaybox.com/ and

 

http://www.entertainment-link.com/broadway/musicals/shows.asp

 

It certainly beats standing in line at a cheap ticket box and wasting the day's sightseeing.

 

Jennie

[obriendan]

Aussie Gal,

 

Sorry we won't be meeting you on the Maasdam cruise. We join the cruise in Rotterdam for the return voyage. If you're up early, I'll be on the pier taking pictures of your arrival.

 

We spent two days in New York after a QE2 crossing and went to see Chicago and enjoyed it very much. If you're interested in a good, reasonably priced Italian restaurant for before or after the show, try Becco (355 West 46th Street). We had a very good meal there before the show. Its within walking distance of the theater.

[Aussie Gal]

obriendan,

 

We too are sorry we will be missing on meeting you. When we originally booked the cruise we were tossing up whether to do the B to B but decided that we would be missing from home too long. I am a bit sorry now but we will still be having time in Switzerland before returning home.

 

Thanks so much for that recommendation of Becco. We will definitely try it out and as it is so close to the theatre, that is a big plus.

 

We have never seen the film of Chicago let alone the musical so we are excited at the thought of seeing something new for us and on Broadway. We have a lot of the other musicals playing here in Melbourne at the moment and we have seen others so this is a really new experience for us.

 

Jennie

[General Max]

Aussiegal; thank you for the links to theatre tickets. we saw the play Chicago when we were in london in 2003. You will enjoy it.

 

Kelly- NYC; Your information on New York City taxis is immensely appreciated. The Tunnel..........Triborough..........59th Street bridge; will definitely use that line. Great tips also.

 

Cheers

 

General Max