Where to stay in NYC?? And what are your must sees?

[aprilgail2]

We stayed at the Marriott Marquis once several years ago. Very nice hotel in the heart of Times Square.

I've heard and read good things about Edison and I think Times Square is such a great spot to stay, the atmosphere is so exciting.

Staying in Times Square area is the best! Loved all the activity at night. My daughter and I were hanging out in Times Square after the broadway shows we saw and just loved people watching and all the hustle and bustle and then just had to walk a few feet to our hotel!

 

[lorimay]

We have stayed at The Marriott Marquis 3 times. Its right in the heart of Time Square.
We have never disturbed by noise from outside. I don't know how they insulate those windows like that but it works.

We love staying in that area, so close to the shows and some good restaurants too.
Juniors Cheesecake and restaurant right across the street.
The Marriott Marquis also has 'The View" up on top of the roof. The restaurant rotates, what views!!!! They serve food but you can go up and just have a drink.

Have a wonderful time, NYC is one of our favorite cities.

 

[Art 1]

I always stay the The Belvedere Hotel on 48th and 8th.

 

[Sultana]

We stayed at the Hampton Inn that was like 5 steps away from Macy's and 5 minutes walking from Times Square or Empire State Building. Room was small, but it wasn't too expensive and location was great.

 

[meajuly5]

Is anyone familiar with the Lowes Regency? We have a lot of Lowes points and qualify for a nice upgrade there. Wondering if this would be a good base for walking to lots of spots.

lovedit

 

[clh2]

Juniors Cheesecake and restaurant right across the street.

Juniors Cheesecake is a MUST-DO if you like cheesecake. One of my favorite stories about our NYC trip. One day, the 3 of us had breakfast (bagels, coffee, OJ) at a place near our hotel. We did lunch at the cafeteria by the boathouse at Central Park (3 awesome bowls of soup, a couple of croissants and some hot apple cider), dinner was so me slices of pizza and some pop. After the theater, we went to Juniors for cheesecake (3-cheesecakes and 1 soda). Our meals cost $16; $18; $12 and $36 respectively.

The cheesecake was so worth it! And our waiter was just awesome too!

 

[Little Flower]

We stayed at The Muse on west 46th street. Gorgeous hotel and it's just off time square so you walk there in literally 2 minutes but you have the peace and quiet of being on a side street. There's a gorgeous Italian restaurant on 48th and 8th called Patzeria family and friends. We had the best night there and it was not expensive at all

 

[Wishing on a star]

AustinTink,
We really loved the Intercontinental Times Square, which is actually like a couple blocks off that crazy strip! Can not beat the huge almost floor to ceiling windows (that the bottom portion can be opened)! Rooms are not large (but, good by NYC standards!) Request a mini-fridge. Consider joining the Intercontinental program to get a free weekend night, plus an upgrade to a skyline view. It costs some money, but probably much less than that night's room rate. We did see some savings by doing this. (we had to do this in advance... as it took time to process and receive our certificate) Like most NYC hotels, this is pricey! And, if your plans are flexible, rates can actually fluctuate from day to day... One weekend the rates might be much more than the next, according to the anticipated occupancy in NYC...

Shake Shack is actually like in the bottom corner of the building...
Gotta have a Shake Shack! (Just order it a bit more well done... they use prime beef, but serve it med-rare unless you request otherwise.)

If you have never been to NYC and experienced the Times Square area, then yes, might as well go for it.

Centrally located, North to Central Park... South to see the Statue of Liberty...

Here are a couple of pics...

Happy Planning!

 

[K and K's Mommy]

We stayed at the Doubletree Times Square last trip and it was fantastic! Great having the space, the hotel was lovely, the location was awesome! Couldn't fault it, not one thing.

There is a report, with photos in my TR link below.

This is where we stayed. It was great for our family of five. I liked that it is on the corner of Times Square so you could turn away from Times Square and not be in the madness. I loved staying there for my first trip. I probably would stay someplace less hectic my next trip. However, it is hard to beat the size of their rooms. However, breakfast is not included. When you are in the hotel, you do not sense you are in the middle of Times Square. The rooms are quiet, and you have to show your hotel key to go to the lobby.

 

[xipotec]

Planning a trip right now to NYC. We always stay on the upper west side, much nicer place then the tourist trap in Times Square....
If you want some hotel recommendations there let me know.

 

[Momof1redhead]

We went for 5 nights in January (FREEZING!!!) and used airbnb.com for booking and stayed in a brownstone in Brooklyn. Airbnb is a site where you can rent a home or apartment. In our case, the homeowner travels and is gone much of the time and we had the place to ourselves. It was fantastic! We could cook, spread out after a long day of sightseeing and felt so much more comfortable than we do in a hotel. The rates are usually much better than hotel rates and I felt like we lived more like New Yorkers. Whatever you decide, have a great trip!

 

[AustinTink]

Wow so many replies! Thank you all so much for the input. I'm going to spend that next hour pricing all of the hotels you recommended. There are so many good options, it is going to be impossible to choose.

The one I mentioned earlier, the Lowes Regency, seems like it's a bit too tucked away to walk everywhere we want to go. Our maybe I'm just reading the map wrong. It's at 61st and Park.

I'm still leaning toward Times Square area. We plan to see as many shows as possible. Would be nice to walk.

 

[AustinTink]

Staying in Times Square area is the best! Loved all the activity at night. My daughter and I were hanging out in Times Square after the broadway shows we saw and just loved people watching and all the hustle and bustle and then just had to walk a few feet to our hotel!

That sounds wonderful!

 

[AustinTink]

lovedit

How was the walking distance to midtown?

 

[AustinTink]

I would also love to know if anyone has done a walking tour. I'm currently looking at several.

 

[AustinTink]

We have stayed at The Marriott Marquis 3 times. Its right in the heart of Time Square.
We have never disturbed by noise from outside. I don't know how they insulate those windows like that but it works.

We love staying in that area, so close to the shows and some good restaurants too.
Juniors Cheesecake and restaurant right across the street.
The Marriott Marquis also has 'The View" up on top of the roof. The restaurant rotates, what views!!!! They serve food but you can go up and just have a drink.

Have a wonderful time, NYC is one of our favorite cities.

My son just discovered that he loves cheesecake last year. Now he is making up for lost time. I'm putting Juniors Cheesecake on my list of must dos!

 

[meajuly5]

How was the walking distance to midtown?

it's close to the museums, Central Park and Madison Avenue shopping.

It depends what you are looking for. It is a quieter location. I personally don't like staying in Times Square. I can see the appeal though if you are planning to see a lot of shows. I find it too hectic and crowded and touristy. I like to get in and out of there. One caveat is that when I stayed there it was the Christmas holiday and an absolute mob scene. I had young kids and it was a hassle for me at the time. I might enjoy it more now. I personally enjoy other areas of NYC more. We stayed at the marriot marquis. I know people love it. I didn't like having to line up for elevators and battling with throngs of people there. I do enjoy having a drink there before or after a show but got annoyed going In and out all day.

 

[laughinplace199]

We are taking DD14 in June. We booked a room at Courtyard Marriott Midtown East.

 

[Aristocath]

So I go to NYC two or three times a year to see shows and visit family. I will see as many shows as I can while I'm there so I prefer to stay in the Times Square area so I don't have to take the subway or a cab back to my hotel. I've stayed at a lot of NY hotels over the years-Hilton Times Square (42nd Street),Hilton 6th Avenue,Edison Hotel, Crowne Plaza,Hotel Mela, The Muse, The Beacon, The Hampton Inn (by Macy's), The President, The Millenium Broadway,The Algonquin, The Renaissance, The Doubletree Guest Suites, The Paramount, The Milford(which has a new name), The Intercontinental Times Square, The Affinia Dumont, Hotel Americano, The W NY, and The Westin off the top of my head. I can honestly say the only one I refuse to return to is The President. They all have pros and cons and it depends who is traveling with me. My husband and I prefer the boutique hotels like Hotel Mela but when we have the boys we go with the Crowne Plaza or The Doubletree if we can get a good price. I avoid staying on the East Side because transportation just isn't as great as the West Side, IMO. If I can give you any specific information, I'd be happy to.

And make sure to walk The High Line. It's one of my favorite new things to do in the city.

 

[xipotec]

My son just discovered that he loves cheesecake last year. Now he is making up for lost time. I'm putting Juniors Cheesecake on my list of must dos!

Yes I ate there daily when I attended college at LIU.

Its a good stop if you visit the Freedom tower , otherwise its a bit far to travel from Brooklyn.

As far as where you stay, its not a huge deal as travel around the city is very easy. (But expensive)

We stay at The Excelsior on 81st across from The Museum of Natural History ( incredible place) and on Central park west ( also incredible!) there is also the Lucrene about 2 blocks away. Subways are right at the end of that block.

We are former New Yorkers so when we visit we stay far from the tourist stuff...

Best things to see in NYC from a native...

1. TMONH ( best museum in the world!)
2. Central Park
3. The Intrepid
4. 9/11 Memorial
5. A broadway play night out. Or better a matinee
6. Jazz or any live music club
7. Eat Italian , pizza for sure.
8. The Met
9. Window shop 5th Ave.( and laugh alot)
10. Greenwich Village art