Looking to holiday in NY, which rental?
Looking to holiday in NY, which rental?
Hi,
Just trying to find some rental in NY and decided to try my luck here.
We, 1 couple and 8 years old daughter are planning to fly over before the end of the year.
Any good address (want to avoid staying in crowded&hectic Times Square and would love being able to come "home" from the bustle without much hassle) and tips to do all the touristy things like Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art... things you would recommend to do...
I know that wherever we re gonna stay we ll have to take the subway because everything is so spread out but since I ve never been on the other side of the pond and don't know where to start, a bit of help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Isy
Just trying to find some rental in NY and decided to try my luck here.
We, 1 couple and 8 years old daughter are planning to fly over before the end of the year.
Any good address (want to avoid staying in crowded&hectic Times Square and would love being able to come "home" from the bustle without much hassle) and tips to do all the touristy things like Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art... things you would recommend to do...
I know that wherever we re gonna stay we ll have to take the subway because everything is so spread out but since I ve never been on the other side of the pond and don't know where to start, a bit of help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Isy
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger !
Instead of the subway, you can buy 2 day tourist bus passes (hop on and off). That way you get to see the area and hear commentary as well as get about. I will warn you, though, on our first day the traffic was so slow we got off and walked!
So - take comfortable shoes as you will walk for miles.
If you want to see a play on Broadway,and chose your show rather than take just any left over tickets, go on the USA ticket master site. You will only pay about $6 booking fee per ticket, but if you buy from the Broadway website you will pay around $30 booking fee per ticket.
It is worthwhile checking out now what plays are on Broadway as those with big names in get sold out months in advance.
You will have a great time, there is so much to see and do.
So - take comfortable shoes as you will walk for miles.
If you want to see a play on Broadway,and chose your show rather than take just any left over tickets, go on the USA ticket master site. You will only pay about $6 booking fee per ticket, but if you buy from the Broadway website you will pay around $30 booking fee per ticket.
It is worthwhile checking out now what plays are on Broadway as those with big names in get sold out months in advance.
You will have a great time, there is so much to see and do.
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Hi Isy - many moons ago I lived in New York for a couple of years and have been back many times. If you did say near Times Square you'd be central and could walk to many places. Manhattan isn't that big - 1 mile wide and 13 miles long I think? Things I'd recommend:
* Circle line - a boat trip with commentary around the island. You get to see things from a different angle and more interesting stuff
* Ellis Island - the immigration museum is really well done and I think you can get a ticket to Liberty Island at the same time?
* World Trade Center memorial
* Central Park - book lunch at The Boathouse. Great location.
* Empire State Building - unmissable
* South Street Seaport - bit touristy but OK, plus you're near Wall Street and can do the world trade thing at the same time
* Go inside Grand Central Station - amazing architecture
* There's also plenty of good museums - museum of modern art etc.
Sorry I can't help with a rental recommendation though. Very jealous - enjoy!
* Circle line - a boat trip with commentary around the island. You get to see things from a different angle and more interesting stuff
* Ellis Island - the immigration museum is really well done and I think you can get a ticket to Liberty Island at the same time?
* World Trade Center memorial
* Central Park - book lunch at The Boathouse. Great location.
* Empire State Building - unmissable
* South Street Seaport - bit touristy but OK, plus you're near Wall Street and can do the world trade thing at the same time
* Go inside Grand Central Station - amazing architecture
* There's also plenty of good museums - museum of modern art etc.
Sorry I can't help with a rental recommendation though. Very jealous - enjoy!
Hello,
I went with my husband and daughter for a short break in New York last Autumn. I can't recommend an apartment I'm afraid as we stayed in a hotel but we really liked it and do recommend staying there if you would consider a hotel. It's called Hotel 414 (http://www.414hotel.com). It is near Times Square but not on a busy street and if you ask to stay in the second town house behind the one on the road it is nice and quiet. The people who run the hotel are lovely and early evening there is complementary wine, beer, cheese in the reception area which was fun to drop in on before heading out again to eat in the evening. If you look on Tripadvisor you'll fine lots of positive reviews too.
I went with my husband and daughter for a short break in New York last Autumn. I can't recommend an apartment I'm afraid as we stayed in a hotel but we really liked it and do recommend staying there if you would consider a hotel. It's called Hotel 414 (http://www.414hotel.com). It is near Times Square but not on a busy street and if you ask to stay in the second town house behind the one on the road it is nice and quiet. The people who run the hotel are lovely and early evening there is complementary wine, beer, cheese in the reception area which was fun to drop in on before heading out again to eat in the evening. If you look on Tripadvisor you'll fine lots of positive reviews too.
I'm afraid I'd have to disagree with SandyBeaches and say that we found the Empire State Building entirely missable! It was really dirty and we queued for hours in order to get to the top where a good view was difficult through wire mesh screens (which I do understand!) all the way around. And of course because you're in it, you can't see the ESB itself! As an alternative - or possibly as well as the ESB - I'd recommend the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Centre. Less time to queue and fantastic views through toughened glass panels. We went twice - once during the day and again at night.
Tried to pre-book Ellis Island but we were told not to bother and just to get to the departure point (I think Battery Park) by around 8.30am which we did. The queue was horrendous already and a guy came down the line to say it would probably take at least 2 hours from where we were to get on the boat.(this was an October half term) As we were leaving that day, we didn't really have time so we decided to take the free Staten Island ferry instead. Doesn't get you onto Ellis island but we had a fabulous view of the Statue of Liberty - and NY itself - and thought it was a great alternative, given our time constraint, and it cost us nothing. I'm sure you must be able to buy tickets in advance somewhere for Ellis Island that allow you skip the line and strongly recommend that.
Other highlights - ice skating at the Rockefeller Center, HOHO bus tours and eating in Ellen's Stardust Diner where waiters - many of them Broadway hopefuls - suddenly stop serving to jump on tables and sing. Our kids thought it was brilliant!
Tried to pre-book Ellis Island but we were told not to bother and just to get to the departure point (I think Battery Park) by around 8.30am which we did. The queue was horrendous already and a guy came down the line to say it would probably take at least 2 hours from where we were to get on the boat.(this was an October half term) As we were leaving that day, we didn't really have time so we decided to take the free Staten Island ferry instead. Doesn't get you onto Ellis island but we had a fabulous view of the Statue of Liberty - and NY itself - and thought it was a great alternative, given our time constraint, and it cost us nothing. I'm sure you must be able to buy tickets in advance somewhere for Ellis Island that allow you skip the line and strongly recommend that.
Other highlights - ice skating at the Rockefeller Center, HOHO bus tours and eating in Ellen's Stardust Diner where waiters - many of them Broadway hopefuls - suddenly stop serving to jump on tables and sing. Our kids thought it was brilliant!
I've been to New York twice in the last couple of years, the first time we stayed in this apartment:
https://www.vrbo.com/158702#
It wasn't luxurious but was absolutely fine, clean and comfortable and really well located 1 block from Central Park and steps away from shops and supermarkets. You don't need to be in Times Square, you just need to be close to a subway station which this place is. It was also quiet!
However, since then I've learned that such rentals are illegal in NYC and the city authorities are actively shutting them down, whether you want to risk it or not is up to you but when we went back the second time we stayed in the Hotel Beacon, also on the Upper West Side.
https://www.vrbo.com/158702#
It wasn't luxurious but was absolutely fine, clean and comfortable and really well located 1 block from Central Park and steps away from shops and supermarkets. You don't need to be in Times Square, you just need to be close to a subway station which this place is. It was also quiet!
However, since then I've learned that such rentals are illegal in NYC and the city authorities are actively shutting them down, whether you want to risk it or not is up to you but when we went back the second time we stayed in the Hotel Beacon, also on the Upper West Side.
Isy - it is worth walking along the High Line:
The High Line is an elevated railway transformed into a public park on Manhattan's West Side. The park features lush horticulture, artworks, seasonal food vendors, community programming, and unique views of the Hudson River and New York City skyline. The High Line runs between Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, between 10th and 12th Avenues. (taken from a description on TA).
We have been on two occasions, the second time it had been extended and its a lovely way to walk and see, and you can hop down at different places to restaurants etc.
We were in NY just over a year ago before Christmas and stayed at the Fitzpatrick Hotel, near Grand Central, http://www.fitzpatrickhotels.com/fitzpa ... tral.shtml which worked very well for us.
The High Line is an elevated railway transformed into a public park on Manhattan's West Side. The park features lush horticulture, artworks, seasonal food vendors, community programming, and unique views of the Hudson River and New York City skyline. The High Line runs between Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, between 10th and 12th Avenues. (taken from a description on TA).
We have been on two occasions, the second time it had been extended and its a lovely way to walk and see, and you can hop down at different places to restaurants etc.
We were in NY just over a year ago before Christmas and stayed at the Fitzpatrick Hotel, near Grand Central, http://www.fitzpatrickhotels.com/fitzpa ... tral.shtml which worked very well for us.