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Where should we stay?


Scrapr

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The lovely Sara with an H & I were watching the Today show (mostly as background noise) as this bakery came on the show

https://www.today.com/tmrw/what-does-professional-baker-do-t174050

mmm...that looks guud. And we asked each other if we had been to NEW YORK CITY? We had not so looked at airfare. Not too bad...but a little rich. Hmmm...Alaska air has companion fare. How much is that? Dang it doesn't apply to First class. I sat on it for a night then remembered Sara with an H has miles & I have miles.Well how much is it using miles? Bingo!!! 100k each. Booked...$11 each roundtrip

So which neighborhood should we stay? 

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32 minutes ago, Scrapr said:

The lovely Sara with an H & I were watching the Today show (mostly as background noise) as this bakery came on the show

https://www.today.com/tmrw/what-does-professional-baker-do-t174050

mmm...that looks guud. And we asked each other if we had been to NEW YORK CITY? We had not so looked at airfare. Not too bad...but a little rich. Hmmm...Alaska air has companion fare. How much is that? Dang it doesn't apply to First class. I sat on it for a night then remembered Sara with an H has miles & I have miles.Well how much is it using miles? Bingo!!! 100k each. Booked...$11 each roundtrip

So which neighborhood should we stay? 

@Randomguy 

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57 minutes ago, Scrapr said:

The lovely Sara with an H & I were watching the Today show (mostly as background noise) as this bakery came on the show

https://www.today.com/tmrw/what-does-professional-baker-do-t174050

mmm...that looks guud. And we asked each other if we had been to NEW YORK CITY? We had not so looked at airfare. Not too bad...but a little rich. Hmmm...Alaska air has companion fare. How much is that? Dang it doesn't apply to First class. I sat on it for a night then remembered Sara with an H has miles & I have miles.Well how much is it using miles? Bingo!!! 100k each. Booked...$11 each roundtrip

So which neighborhood should we stay? 

Don't know about neighborhoods, but if you're planning on doing Broadway, etc. you'll want to be close.

I have a cousin an hour away in Morristown, NJ and stay there when I visit New York City.

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Are there other things you'd like to see in particular in NYC?  My recommendation is usually mid-town, typically on the west side a little north of Times Square.  It's a central area with easy walking access to Times Square.Central Park/theaters/restaurants/museums etc. 

If you want to go to southern Manhattan (Wall Street, WTC Memorial/Chinatown) you can have easy access by subway, or cab if you're not comfortable with the subway.  Southern Manhattan is another option and there are some touristy things there, but the more traditional tourist locations tend to be easier to access from mid-town.

People who want to save on hotels will often stay outside of Manhattan and rely on public transportation, but if you're coming for a short visit, it's nice to be easy walking distance to a lot of sites.

If you have some options, post them here and we can give some thoughts.

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6 minutes ago, Kirby said:

Are there other things you'd like to see in particular in NYC?  My recommendation is usually mid-town, typically on the west side a little north of Times Square.  It's a central area with easy walking access to Times Square.Central Park/theaters/restaurants/museums etc. 

If you want to go to southern Manhattan (Wall Street, WTC Memorial/Chinatown) you can have easy access by subway, or cab if you're not comfortable with the subway.

People who want to save on hotels will often stay outside of Manhattan and rely on public transportation, but if you're coming for a short visit, it's nice to be easy walking distance to a lot of sites.

If you have some options, post them here and we can give some thoughts.

This is what I'm looking for. thank you

I think we want to see a Broadway show. Maybe Rikers Ellis island.  My grandpa came through Ellis island. Levain bakery for sure. Today show (plaza) Is there ice skating at Rockefeller Center? Bull & Bear statue on Wall street. 

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We stayed at a Holiday Inn near the cruise ship terminal, pretty close to Hell’s Kitchen. HK is a bit tamer now, it could be called Heck’s Kitchen, and not far from Times Square and even Central Park. We met RG at a Honky Tonk country bar for some PBR’s, but don’t ask him for a tour of Times Square, he is allergic to that place. 
 

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/new-york/nycws/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-US-_-NYCWS

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11 hours ago, Kirby said:

So just group your activities so you're doing the Southern Manhattan things on one day and mid-town on other days.  The distance isn't too far between the areas, but traffic can be annoying.

Yep - pick Manhattan, and central southern part of the island.  EVERYTHING is walking distance on Manhattan, with a cab or the subway as a back-up plan. 

We've stayed all over the place in NYC - from a Best Western just off Times Square to some fancy places on Park Ave to with family down in by SoHo.  Honestly, we were just using it as a base of operations, so pretty much somewhere between Central Park at the north and Battery Park at the south should be your boundaries, and then you'll just radiate out from there.

I don't know if Jerry is still at it, but one helluva fun day was his "Grand Tour" - a walking exploration of Manhattan.  He was still at it a few years ago, but he has to be getting up in years.  

Again, if you can, just WALK WALK WALK everywhere and enjoy the nuttiness of a large city with interesting stuff on pretty much every block.

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4 hours ago, Bikeguy said:

This looks cheap....     Just bring your own tent.  

image.jpeg.08ada9dd72435aab76f533799a580dea.jpeg

Hey...I can practice in Portland before we go. Maybe a van down by the river has an air BnB?

Thanks for the help everyone. I'm looking at Air BnB & hotels. We'll find something. We saw a place on Air BnB that was $65 a night & bathroom down the hall. It was a bit out of the central part of NYC. We are planning on walking & subway. Uber when needed. Will have to read up on NYC subway. We loved London Tube. Super easy. We have a app called City mapper that can give you many modes of travel. For subway tells you which line to take & platform. 

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We get in at 10:30 pm. So we are going to grab an airport hotel room. Then get into the city. 

The TWA Hotel. I hope I'm not getting scammed because TWA has been gone for a long time

https://www.twahotel.com/photos

 

Have an Air BnB request  Waiting on a confirmation. Midtown I think. 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/50638818?source_impression_id=p3_1647301445_OHYaNxgnHH6JwEsD

We aren't going to have an action packed trip running from site to site. I think we are in for 2 theater nights. Phantom plus another one. Maybe Billy Crystals new one? Possibly Ellis Island. Possibly Today show plaza (need tickets) 

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22 minutes ago, Scrapr said:

We get in at 10:30 pm.

What dates are you here?

The hotel looks like fun!   The airbnb place should be fine, you will be right in the tourist mess, but at least you will be close to the theatres.  It isn't crucial to be in the tourist mess to be close, though, so if it doesn't work out then you should be fine.  

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Check hotel rates, not the chains.  There's always a deal to be had.  We found a great deal once at the Hotel New Yorker.  Funky and iconic.  And near Penn Station, if you're training in (we NEVER drive in).

Do NOT eat at any restaurant that has more than one location!  (pretty much any that have pictures of their own food on the menu)  So many great restaurants.  Just walk around Hell's kitchen, restaurant Row.  So many great little spots all over, and bad pizza is hard to find.  There's a place that makes the world's best cup of coffee, don't remember the name, I'll ask my Buddy.

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1 hour ago, BuffJim said:

BuffCarla just asked if we could do this as a weekend getaway. Train there (abut 10 hours) on Friday, home on Monday. Probably for her birthday in October. 

It's nuts that you are in the same state and that far away, while I am four states down and way closer to NYC!

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On 3/14/2022 at 4:11 PM, Randomguy said:

How did I not see this?

Advice on visiting here is always going to be weird, because most people do this tourist thing all wrong, but I am going to reserve judgement here until I find out what Scrapr wants to accomplish (see 'the sights', or see the city, or some combination of).  Some people are happy coming to NYC and seeing nothing of NYC at all, just times square and the like.  Times Square is hell if you live here, btw, but I understand why folks would want a look.  Make it a quick look at three in the morning and get out of there asap and you will have a happier trip, not being trapped with tourists and all with nowhere to walk and people asking you for money, and crappy restaurants that charge at least 8 times more than the quality would suggest.  

Anyway, I live on the UWS, and if you have any hope of seeing what a resident would see, I would look somewhere in the west 60's - 80's for an airbnb or a hotel.  It is calm, quiet, and there are places to go and eat like a normal person.  Plus, you would be close to me, and I am happy to play a bit of tour guide and have a beer or two with for sure.

From the UWS, you can walk in Central Park into the theatre district/Times Square throng if you must, without beginning and ending your day IN the throng.  That is the main advantage; an air of NYC normalcy.  

If not the UWS, just go wherever you get a decent rate.  You really will just be sleeping in your hotels or room, and the subway will get you around pretty well.  Uber and Lyft are everywhere, but it is super fun to just walk wherever you can and really learn the terrain.  The west village is nice, a spot there would be cool, too.  Nothing going on in the financial district at night, best not stay there.

Scrapr, if you have particular places or neighborhoods to choose from, I am happy to lend my 2 cents (if I have that much).  I am always happy to help and can recommend fun things to do or check out. just let me know.

I think most of us were waiting for this review.  Nice!

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On 3/14/2022 at 7:49 PM, Scrapr said:

We get in at 10:30 pm. So we are going to grab an airport hotel room. Then get into the city. 

The TWA Hotel. I hope I'm not getting scammed because TWA has been gone for a long time

https://www.twahotel.com/photos

 

I was going to say it's easy to just take a cab to the city and no need to stay near the airport, but the TWA Hotel may be a fun stay on its own.  It got a lot of press when it opened, but then the pandemic happened. Don't know what the operations are like now, but it's an historic building with a great story.  Love to hear what you think of it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Hotel

https://thriftytraveler.com/reviews/hotels/twa-hotel-jfk/

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/travel/twa-hotel-jfk.html

 

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4 minutes ago, Kirby said:

I was going to say it's easy to just take a cab to the city and no need to stay near the airport, but the TWA Hotel may be a fun stay on its own.  It got a lot of press when it opened, but then the pandemic happened. Don't know what the operations are like now, but it's an historic building with a great story.  Love to hear what you think of it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Hotel

https://thriftytraveler.com/reviews/hotels/twa-hotel-jfk/

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/travel/twa-hotel-jfk.html

 

I hear that's nicer than the ValuJet Airlines Motel

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3 hours ago, Dottles said:

Again @Scrapr, triple your budget. Seriously.

Yeah. I'm upping the budget. I'm looking at the UW. If I can get midge Maisel  apartment I'm willing to go to $200/night. I mean they pay the housekeeper/cook $30 a week. So $200 should cover a night

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