AA68

Hey Flyers, Travelers,....

Thanks for stepping by. I'm really glad I found this forum on the wepage.

1st Question

I plan a trip to NYC on christmas 07 (Dec 20 to 27). I already
found a flight to LGA and now I'm looking for an Hotel.

Here are my preferences
- max $ 200,-
- clean and regular to larger rooms if possible bright and modern
- it should have a good connectivity to the Subway
- incl. breakfast

maybe also a high building near the bay or so,

Another criterion is we are 3 people so, we should stay
in one room so it is cheaper. Or do you think we should
take 2 rooms?

2nd Question

I really want to go to the best pizza place in nyc. (For this are already found the other threads).

But what else should we visit? I've already been in nyc twice and have seen
the Statue of Liberty, Empire State B. Central Park, Times Square, Rockefeller C. incl. the X-Mas tree.

We definitely go to see the Statue of Liberty again. We also would like to go christmas shopping.
I really do like corner shops, and place which are not so crowded, but I sure know that on X-mas
it will be wuuuh crazy.


I really could use some help and would really appreciate it, so if you got anything to tell me about NYC go ahead.
Looking forward to receiving a lot of answers

Thx for reading and take care!

P.S.: I'm from Austria, so please excuse my mistakes.

themicah

I'd suggest searching this forum for "Christmas." You'll come up with lots of good threads with good ideas.

Landing Gear

I echo themicah's advice to do a search of this forum, but offer just a few comments.

A room rate of under $200 a night in Manhattan is going to be difficult but not impossible. Asking that breakfast be a part of the deal will be tough. Better to go out and have breakfast.

We do not have any bays here. Are you thinking of San Francisco or Miami? We have two rivers, the Hudson River along the West Side of Manhattan and the East River.

Here is a map of New York City centered on the Empire State Building. You can zoom in or out to better view the geography.

I am sorry, but asking, "But what else should we visit?" is like asking for the complete computation of Pi. There is not enough room on Flyertalk for the response. Most bookstores here have at least 50 different guidebooks to the city. Make that 100. There are, for example, separate Michelin Guides to the city and its restaurants.

Moreover, you haven't indicated what your interests are. If you said you wanted to see "art," for example, we have hundreds of museums and galeries ranging from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to a small shop in Willamsburgh, Brooklyn. Take a look at http://www.nycvisit.com/home/index.cfm, the official New York City Tourism website. It's available in German at http://www.newyork.de/index.cfm?

The same comments would apply to shopping.

Again, after you do some research here and elsewhere, if you could narrow down your questions, you'll have a better chance of getting the replies you need.

dhammer53

Here's a good thread... http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...ight=dhammer53

In post #4, I outlined a walking tour.

I'd go back as far as you can in this forum. Plenty of good reading. Feel free to post away with questions.

dh

swag

Upper New York Bay (probably the best views)
Lower New York Bay
Flushing Bay
Jamaica Bay
Sheepshead Bay

Landing Gear

Ooh, gee, you think I'm busted? You can add a lot more like Bowery Bay, etc., etc, etc.

Perhaps I should have said "well-known bays."

Question for you: What city is known as "the City by the Bay?"

Hint: It's not New York.

Analise

Ok...

You can try www.quikbook.com for deals. NYC is pricey and the Christmas season is one the most popular times in the city. The rooms will be small but they should be clean. Most hotels are near one or many subway lines. If you find a place, let us know about it and we'll give you the scoop about location particularly about how close it is to subway lines. Including breakfast? Is this REALLY a priority? You're going to the best city in the world with bagel places and coffee shops galore. Breakfast is inexpensive and readily convenient no matter where you stay. If you want a view of New York bay, you'll need either a high rise or a hotel close enough to the battery which has windows facing the bay. I can understand wanting to see the Statue of Liberty from your window but keep in mind, whereever you stay, it will be tiny.

I would think one bigger room for 3 is less expensive than 2 smaller rooms.

I'm sure we have threads about this. The topic of pizza is subjective. Everybody has a favorite place and often nobody agrees. I'm partial to Bad Boys Pizza in Bensonhurst but that's quite a long subway ride into Brooklyn.

Do searches on this forum and peruse some of the hundreds of tour books on the city.

AA68

Hi guys,

Thank you for you suggestions - I did browse throu the forum.
and as followed I found some good hotels. I totally agree with
you about finding hotels under $ 200. Now I plan to spend around 300 - 500$
for suite or deluxe room with 3 ppl. or 200 - 300 for a standard room so I have to take 2.

My favorit at this point

Affinia 50
Affinia Gardens

Millennium UN Plaza
Grand Hyatt New York
Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson
Westin Times Square (but not really sure about that it is expensive)

Are the BestWestern hotels in NYC any good?


Offtopic: are there maybe some other hotels in Manhatten NJ with
a view similar or comparable to the in the Ritz Carlton? (River view)

swag

Not sure about the 2 Affinia's you mention, but I stayed a few times at the Affinia Manhattan (near Penn Station) and the rooms were huge. The studio was bigger than many Manhattan apartments I have been in, and the 1BR was almost twice that size. Both had full kitchens, too. The 1BR would be a great choice if sharing with a 3rd person for a week-long stay.

No views, though.

MollyNYC

The Affinia 50 is on 3rd Ave and 50th Street which is an excellent location. If I recall correctly from a friend who stayed there, the rooms were quite large and had a kitchenette.

Never heard of Affinia Gardens. Where is it?


Skip Jersey City or anything outside Manhattan.

vicki2

The Affinia 50 is nice, and an easy location. The Millenium UN is nice and you will be able to see the river if you're on the river side. The rooms are not large but not tiny either. My problem with that one are the super low ceilings. Kind of weird really.

MichaelJFK

I agree with the Affinia recoomendations, just had my Aunt stay at the Manhattan by Penn Station and she enjoyed it. Also, you might want to check out the Beekman Tower Hotel (an Affinia hotel) it is next to the UN so not in tourist central and you will probably get more bang for your buck. They tend to have really decent prices (for New York). That being said it is a short walk to public transport. It is a deco gem, that may be a bit tired but is well maintained and the Top of the Tower lounge on the top floor offers nice views.

vicki2

I used to live near the Beekman Tower and would often put people up there because it was roomy and there were large studio apartments with kitchens.
They used to be owned by a company which also had four other similar, older properties on the East Side. I didn't know Affinia had taken them over now.

Highly recommended if you don't mind older. River views can be great on the higher floors but the biggest room is on the second floor on the front door entrance. A great room!