I'm trying to get a good deal on the hotel. I only want it to be close to a subway station, so we can move around easily and not be too far away from the good places. I've found some good ones in Long Island, but do you think it'd be too far away from downtown ?

There are also plenty of good deals in the meadowlands and new jersey, but I guess that sucks too ;)

Any advice on which area to stay ? Should I only look in Manhattan, Brooklyn, ... ?

Posted by Silverfuel:

Stay in Manhattan bro, Brooklyn is a long ways away for tourism. If you live to far away from Midtown, you will spend most of your time traveling.

Exactly. Stay close to the action. But try travelocity.com and check with your fight. You might be able to find a hotel included in your trip, at a reasonable price. Especially seeing that you are International. Planning well in advance helps also. Prices are better, just as long as it isn't during special events, like Christmas or some huge convention. And there are hotels that are very reasonable. You just have to look for them and keep on looking until you find something. The prices go up and down.

Are you both travelers, who are just looking for a place to stay for a night, or do you want a nice, securer kind of place? What about Hostels? But try nyctourist.com - they have a listing of hotels, and show the price per night. Check it daily and you will see that the prices come down sometimes. Again, keep trying travelocity.com. If push comes to shove, you might actually have to pay a little extra, just for the convenience. And that's worth it. And make sure you understand their policies.

I know what you mean about New Jersey and Long Island. They do have cheaper prices, but for what your willing to spend a night, you can find some places that will meet your price.

Already found one idea for ya!

http://www.hotelplanner.com/?sc=google_grouptravelkw

But be sure to look for more.

Posted by K22:

Posted by Silverfuel:

Stay in Manhattan bro, Brooklyn is a long ways away for tourism. If you live to far away from Midtown, you will spend most of your time traveling.

I don't know about that. Downtown Brooklyn is becoming pretty touristy lately.

I suspect some Brooklynites want to keep tourism out. I agree with keeping it centered mostly in Manhatten, but Brook is coming into it's own. We'll see.

u probably won't be able to score any Yankees-Red Sox tickets on Ticketmaster, but i'd try there first... if not, then buy them off Stubhub or some other ticket resale site... u can get them at the Stadium too from scalpers but that's an iffy proposition & you won't know where you're sitting til u get there if u can get them at all.

have fun in NY w/your girl.

oh & definitely stay in Midtown Manhatten area if u can so it's most convenient to every location.

Definitely try and make it to a UK Basketball game.

I guess I'll play the contrarian role in this story...

Midtown and Times Square may be indicative of "American" culture, sort of, but it sure ain't representative of the majority of NYC culture. If you want the traditional "touristy" NYC experience it works. If you want a cultural experience NYC in a way that most people who live here do, then those areas are places many here avoid. Of course, some may go to the theater, but mostly it's for those who live there (which means you are probably upper class) and/or don't mind spending significantly more for everything you can get and experience for less most elsewhere, or you work in those areas.

Times Square is almost exclusively composed of tourists and businesses catering to this audience. There are locals who go there for activities, but I think most tend to be very young because they can't go out anywhere else. It's sort of like a giant outdoor mall. Personally, I find it to be mostly flash and little substance, but I grew up and have lived here for my whole life.

Also, you don't HAVE to stay in Midtown, or even Manhattan, but yes, it's the place most tourists choose to stay. There is no guarantee you will have direct access to subways you want, and even some trains in Manhattan change schedules (i.e. disappear, skip stops) late night and on weekends. You can also stay a bit more uptown, or downtown and probably pay a bit less with relatively the same access to subways that you would find in Midtown.

In fact if you stay near 14th st. you will be on the only other street besides 42nd that has a crosstown subway (the L) and express or local trains that go uptown and down. Some younger "hip" folks like to stay near there because much of the nightlife for folks 21-45 is centered in that area East-West. 14 street touches Greenwich Village, the Meat Packing District, Union Square, which are very popular areas for somewhat younger people who live here to spend time. If you and your gf want to shop Soho, which is the real shopping center for designer clothes these days, is below 14th street, and very close. So are a lot of other popular tourist and local neighborhoods like Little Italy, Chinatown, Wall Street, WTC/Ground Zero, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Staten Island Ferry, Lower East Side. With the L train you can also venture into one of the "hippest" neighborhood for young adults Williamsburg, in Brooklyn (Bedford Ave).

Downtown Brooklyn actually has better access to major subways that go to both the East and West side of Manhattan, which is convenient because getting "crosstown," East to West or West to East in Manhattan is the most common, difficult, time consuming travel you will encounter no matter what time of day or where you are on the island (with the exception of the far South and far North ends).

Even staying in Jersey, right across the river is not out of the question because the Path Train goes to both lower and midtown Manhattan. This is not usually what folks chose, but I believe it costs less to stay there.

But since you have the Euro on your side this may matter less.

I like tripadvisor.com for hotel info, because it breaks down in some detail, based on user reviews, what each place might offer, cater to, etc.

Everything depends on many factors, regarding what you are looking for, etc. Not knowing exactly what you like/are interested in makes it hard to suggest too much.

Good luck getting Yankees-Red Sox tix. You'll probably have to pay a hefty surcharge because those are "premium" games, but if you're willing to shell it out I'm sure it's possible.

[Edited by - PresIke on 03-02-2008 02:24 AM]