Chicago or New York.
 

I will add that I have already been to New York and I enjoyed it.

Chicago looks good but it's smaller and i'm not sure there's alot of touristy stuff to do there. I would be worried that i'd have nothing toget up to. It's really cheap though, I can get a excellent hotel for my budget. The only thing putting me off it though is the lack of a dayflight. Last year I took the dayflight from JFK and it was fantastic.

I will say I hated the attitude of some New York shop clerks.

What do you think?

"it's smaller and i'm not sure there's alot of touristy stuff to do there"

It's like 10 times the size of the largest city in Northern Ireland. Would you tell people there's nothing to do there?

It's a big city, that is for sure.

It just doesn't have the same cachet/rep as New York.

I've been once, briefly. I've also been to NY, for a week.

I'd go back to NYC. There are quite a few things I didn't get to do/see first time round, and there are quite a few that I can't wait to do/see again.

There are things in Chicago I do want to see--Wrigley Field, Sears Tower, ride the L--etc.

But given my limited travel budget, it would be NY again ahead of Chicago.

That said, my last trip was Hong Kong and Hanoi. The trip was to Hong Kong, and I went to Hanoi for a couple days because I wanted to see another city in East Asia, one that wasn't identical to Hong Kong, and one that was within my flight budget.

I knew very little about Hanoi, and I loved every minute of my visit. One surprise after another, all of them good.

In short? Try to do both. :D

I am a student and this will be my last holiday for a while (unless my parents pay) as I have to save for a year abroad in America.

The hotel in Chicago that I have been looking at looks really great. But on the contrary, I loved staying in the financial district in NYC, there's something really nice about it that I just can't put my finger on.

Like you there are a tonne of places in NYC that I have not visited and need to see. But I don't know whether I should spend this trip going somewhere that I have not been to.

The dayflight is really swinging me to New York. I know that is trivial but I cannot stand night tatl flights - they kill me.

I have tried to add New York and Chicago together but it is too expensive with the connecting flights.

I don't have a clue what to do. My budget is very restrictive and I am trying to make the most out of this trip.

I find it interesting that you stay in the Financial District in NYC, though I realize that's much more of a tourist destination than it was 16 years ago. What hotel in Chicago?

I'm a NYer (well, NJer) who relocated to Chicago 25+ years ago, so I have experiences with both.

Chicago is one of the top tourist destinations in the United States. What are your interests? Happy to suggest some sights that would meet your requirements.

American Airlines has daytime flights to London. Departs at 8:55 am and arrives at 10:40 pm.

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"I have tried to add New York and Chicago together but it is too expensive with the connecting flights."

:confused:

Book an open-jaw ticket from your originating city to ORD, with a return flight from JFK or EWR. Book the flight from Chicago to New York separately. (Check southwest.com for flights on Southwest Airlines from MDW (Chicago Midway, not Chicago O'Hare) to LGA or EWR.) Or, if you'd like to visit a third city on your trip, check Southwest's fares from MDW to PHL; you can then take Megabus from Philadelphia to NYC -- often for under $10 USD if you book far enough in advance. ;)

Check travelzoo.com for hotel deals in all three cities.

Yeah, I stay there because I like the fact that it's quiet, I also like the park around there. The hotels are so expensive though, Holiday Inn wants £1,100 for 8 nights.

I thought my budget would've at least got me a decent hotel. :td:

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Owenc, when do you plan to travel? I'm seeing ORD-LGA nonstops on AA and UA for just $62 USD one way in late February. (Add $25 if you need to check a bag.)

Owenc, I am moving your thread to the FT Chicago Forum. Some of the sharpest people on Flyertalk are from Chicago and I'm sure you will receive some good advice.
Happy New Year
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Your budget (whatever it is) will go a lot farther in Chicago than in NYC.

AA has a day flight ORD-LHR, it departs ORD at 850am.

Hi, it's not even that. I would just be worried that Chicago wouldn't have enough for me to do.

For example places like times square or the Statue of Liberty

Chicago has countless tourist activities, but you have to tell us what kinds of things you like to see and why. How much time do you spend in Times Square and are you going to the theater, eating at the (chain) restaurants, surfing the porn stores or just taking photos with the cartoon characters? We don't have Times Square in Chicago, but we have plenty of theater, shopping, etc.

Check out this thread for some Chicago recommendations from insiders.

Well in NYC I spent alot of time around the Financial district eating in the restaurants. There was this place called "le district" we went there alot, also walked along the side road with views to Jersey city. One day was spent shopping and another going to staten island and the central park. I have considered going on a daytrip to Philadelphia or Boston but don't know if that we be too much hassle.

I have tried to get the two combined but the crazy hotel prices make that impossible.

I really don't know what to do, I keep swinging back and forth. On one hand I don't want to miss out on another city but on the otherhand don't want to go somewhere where I could potentially be bored and not have things to do.

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"I have tried to get the two combined but the crazy hotel prices make that impossible."

What sites have you been using to check hotel prices? What time of year will you be traveling? Are you amenable to staying outside Manhattan, near a subway station; or is the hotel where you stay an important part of your travel enjoyment?

Provide a little more information, and we can provide better assistance.

Hi. I only wish to stay in the Financial district.

I have been using Hotels.com. I have a bit of leniency but will not go below 3*.

My budget is £1,200 for the hotels and that is ate up in NYC.

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But what time of year? Hotel rates in Manhattan can vary widely with the season.

Have you tried Hotwire's opaque rates? Priceline's Express Deals? Or Priceline's name-your-own-price bidding option, which lets you specify both zone and quality level?

Hi, just 3* and middle of August.

I just can't decide. I've been going in circles with this decision.

The dayflight to Dublin is swinging me at the moment. Going via Heathrow is not an option.

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A few suggestions:

1) Airlines are sometimes able to offer lower prices on airfare and/or hotel if you buy a "package" from the airline that includes both. Not sure if this is possible on an open-jaw ticket, if you were to book DUB-ORD//NYC-DUB.

2) I'm seeing one-way airfares in August on Delta ORD-LGA for $115 USD (add $25 USD to check one bag). That means that if you can find hotels in Chicago for $35 USD/night less than the cost of hotels in Manhattan, you should be able to do four nights in each city -- and pay for your flight between the two -- for the cost of eight nights in Manhattan. As mentioned upthread, I would also check fares on Southwest -- which offers free checked baggage -- for MDW-LGA.

3) Travelzoo.com is currently offering very good rates for January-March at the highly-rated, 4-star World Center Hotel in Manhattan's Financial District. Rates will undoubtedly be higher in August, but you still might be able to find a decent rate there, either through Travelzoo, or by bidding on a 4-star in the Financial District area on priceline.com.

Good luck!

If your trip is in August, I wouldn't think twice, it would be Chicago. During the summer, Chicago is full of outdoor concerts, cafes, movies, and sporting events. Not to mention the beautiful lakefront, lake front parks, and multiple beaches. To me, Chicago during the summer beats hot, sweltering NYC, which will be over run with tourists.

I'd suggest doing a little research in Chicago. There are some very famous museums, the Willis (Sears) Tower sky deck, the Hancock, famous architecture, and some excellent restaurants. Plus the people in Chicago are very friendly, especially in the restaurants and bars, but also at the Cubs game you'll want to attend in August. Although I have to admit, New Yorkers are much friendlier now than 10-15 years ago. More side trips from New York though. From Chicago, I would only recommend Milwaukee, which is very nice in the summer.

Having spent a lot of time in many large US cities, I would say these are probably the two greatest, and with a little homework you will have a great time in either one. I'd also recommend San Francisco and Washington DC.

Also
 

In August Chicago has the world's largest free air show:

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en...atershow.html/

Big crowds but if you enjoy a great airshow, it's terrific.

I have been to Washington and I loved it but I wouldn't go again anytime soon.

I have found a Hilton hotel which I can afford and it says "pay later" I don't know what that means. Does it mean pay at the hotel or wait to a few weeks before?

I stayed in that hotel last summer. For some reason they think that £1,600 is an acceptable price for 8 nights in a standard room.

For the hotel, I assume it means that you don't actually pay until you stay. That's actually the typical method, but I've been seeing this more from hotels in an attempt to differentiate themselves from hotels offering non-refundable, pay at booking for their cheapest rates.

I recently had to cancel a trip to Munich and Vienna with 2 hotel rooms for a week, only 24 hours before departure, and I was very glad I didn't purchase the non-refundable room rates.

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"I stayed in that hotel last summer. For some reason they think that £1,600 is an acceptable price for 8 nights in a standard room."

You might have been able to book that same room for less if you had booked it through a different booking channel. That is the reality of hotel booking these days. An "acceptable price" is what the market will bear, which can vary considerably from month to month (or even from day to day). What is the hotel's rate for August, 2016, via Travelzoo?

"I have found a Hilton hotel which I can afford and it says "pay later" I don't know what that means. Does it mean pay at the hotel or wait to a few weeks before?"

"Pay later" typically means that you pay at check-in. By contrast, "Pay now" is an advance-purchase rate which may be non-refundable, or have cancellation penalties.

I found a hotel in the Financial district which has a full kitchen bathroom and living room.

£1,100. Gonna try and book it tomorrow, just worried flight prices will increase.

Can't pay for those now until probably March.

I think it's really funny that this thread ended up and is still here. I'm surprised no one has come up with any more suggestions on what to do or where to stay in New York. :D