Jhonvomer

My husband and I are planning on going to New York for the very first time in February. We have looked for hotels+flights in our price rang in Manhattan but we can't find anything we would like to stay at for the price we can pay. I found a reasonable package to stay at Aloft Brooklyn and it says it is only a few minutes away from the subway to get to Manhattan. Would it be a bad idea to stay in Brooklyn rather than just staying in Manhattan? We would be paying the fees everyday to travel back and forth, which from what i read is only $2.50 per person a trip. If you have any other advice for me to help make our trip better then feel free to put in your opinion or give advice for our first trip to the big apple

Tony10s

Loook at Hotwire or Priceline
And stay in Manhattan
Or even the app. Hotel Tonight

sbm12

Welcome to FlyerTalk!!

That hotel is actually in a pretty decent neighborhood and the train connections you've got within a few minute walk aren't bad at all. Yes, you will lose a bit of time every day with the commute, but if the price is right I'd definitely consider it. As an added bonus you'll get the opportunity to do things like dine in a more residential neighborhood rather than being stuck in midtown or Times Square.

And if you buy a MetroCard the rides are only $2.25 each.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Like others have said, try Priceline or Manhattan for the same price. Personally, I'd rather stay at Aloft in Brooklyn then a cheesy hotel in the middle of Times Square, so I would not take anything in Manhattan under three stars.

February can be bitterly cold not to mention a possibility of a foot of snow on the ground. Therefore, doing outside activities such as touring Central Park and the Hudson River front may be out of question. If you do stay in Brooklyn, try to plan your day's activities out in advance

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

And don't forget about the option of purchasing an unlimited-ride Metrocard, which might save you some money depending on the length of your stay, and how many times you expect to ride the subway and local buses during your stay.

Often1

The Aloft is nice, but either you are giving up nightlife in Manhattan, staying in Manhattan all day and then into the evening or doing two rount-trips which is a real downer.

On the other hand, if you stay in Manhattan, don't skimp on the hotel, but understand that what you need is clean and quiet (sort of). The rooms in upscale hotels are often tiny, but that's because space is expensive. You aren't presumably spending time in the hotel other than sleeping.

Analise

Welcome to Flyertalk. Hotel prices are insane here in New York; if you want to stay in Manhattan, bid on Priceline.

themicah

Technically they're $2.1028 each if you buy more than $10 of Metrocard credit at a time (since you get a 7% bonus).

dhammer53

Types of neighborhoods:

- good
- pretty decent
- bad

If the OP is from a big city, this will affect their decision.
If the OP is from a small city, this may affect their decision.

As someone that grew up in Brooklyn, my feeling are biased. Brooklyn is changing. The Brooklyn of 2012 in some parts, is nothing like Brooklyn of the 60's 70's 80's.

Maybe gritty is a term I'd include above. That's just my opinion.

Jhonvomer, welcome to Flyertalk.

dh

Nugget_Oz

The only other thing to think about with Brooklyn is that with all the MTA service changes the lines going to Brooklyn are affected to a greater extent than Manhattan lines.

RooseveltL

As a long time former resident of Brooklyn.
If you plan to commute and visit a lot of areas in Manhattan - you either spend 20+ mins walking cross town (from Manhattan hotel not central), taking cab for 20+ mins, or take the subway from Brooklyn for 10+ mins.

Manhattan lodging is easier for simply walking back to your room if late dinner or drinking if you stay midtown.

If you are comfortable with public transportation (24/7) you should/will have no problems. Aloft is a nice hotel and nice bar/lounge in the building. If it saves you money a good way to go!

When they say it is within minutes of Manhattan - most of the subway lines nearby have at most 2 stops (less than 5 mins) before entering lower Manhattan or Chinatown. One line goes over hte Manhattan Bridge.

dstan

Welcome to FlyerTalk, Jhonvomer!

I'll echo the comments by our other members - for your first visit to NYC, I would encourage you to try to find a place to stay in Manhattan. It will be much more convenient- although there are four different subway lines at the Aloft, they all link up with the southern end of Manhattan, while many of the things you'll likely want to see on your first visit will be farther uptown.

Feel free to ask more questions and we'll be happy to help you with your visit!

duchy

An out of towner opinion.

If you are comfortable using public transit.......or if you are so un accustomed to it that the novelty value becomes a part of your vacation then you'll be fine.

I've done the stay in Manhattan and the stay further out and commute thing in NYC and the major difference is you need to plan better so trips back to get things you've forgotten are avoided otherwise personally I find the trade off cost versus a little bit of travel time completely acceptable.

Wouldn't hurt to try priceline though -most-times that's how I've booked staying in Manhattan -I'd agree try four star -some of the 3 stars aren't the nicest.

Definitely get the metrocard though !

stockmanjr

What dates are you looking for? I think the Aloft is fine it really is less then 10 minutes to Lower Manhattan/Chinatown during the day and about 25 min to Midtown. Now at night(Post 2200-midnight depending on the line) it's going to take a bit longer as the headway between trains is greater and some of the express trains start to run local but it won't be bad. Also the MTA does do some service changes at night due to track work but you've got several options by the Aloft so you'll be fine getting back.
Cheers
Howie

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

For the OP, go to www.mta.info for late night and weekend track work for any of the subway lines you intend to take. The MTA as stockmanjr has posted is currently doing major trackwork late at night (after 10PM) and on the weekends.

If the OP intends to stay out to late at night, the journey by subway could take considerably longer.