[Closed - see new thread] New York Q&A

smudgemanc26

Thanks for that markymoo, yeah trip advisor is great. The hotel looks ok and has had positive reviews price wise it seems to be kinda in the middle but thats fine as im taking my dad as a treat.

Probably wont be one of them tourist with a tourist guide or map i think my plan of action is just to go out in the morning explore and see where the day takes us. It will be like a little adventure! :j So excited!

Think the brooklyn bridge is a must tho along with visiting all those fab stores you have mentioned! Lucky for me my dad likes shopping and looking around.

Its going to be so nice doing my Christmas shopping somewhere else this year it all looks so magical everytime i see it on TV, gonna turn into a big kid i can feel it! :rotfl:

bleepandbooster

Hello Smudgemanc26
We stayed in the Salisbury a few years ago..........clean and tidy, but a little out of the action. We now stay in the BW President just off Times square. We are heading there in a few weeks for something like our 9th visit. Small rooms, but clean and tidy never had a problem. Whilst doing your research, check out Frommers.com website, you can ask locals all your questions. A nice place for a beer and food is O'Lunneys just around the corner from the big Swatch shop in Times Square or Harmony View another Irish bar not far away.
David

M4RKM

There may be a few nice restaurants around times square, but i URGE people not to only eat and visit places around there. from what i found, they are targeted at tourists, and the food is average at best, but there are so much better places in other areas, a short cab ride away, or a subway ride away. Better food, better atmosphere, and cheaper.

If you like ribs, may i recommend Blue Smoke - 116 E 27th Street,
for a good french meal a very small restaurant - Les Routiers - 568 Amsterdam Ave
for some contempary american - Dekk - Reade Street


Just some random ideas...

smudgemanc26

markymoo wrote: »

There may be a few nice restaurants around times square, but i URGE people not to only eat and visit places around there. from what i found, they are targeted at tourists, and the food is average at best, but there are so much better places in other areas, a short cab ride away, or a subway ride away. Better food, better atmosphere, and cheaper.

If you like ribs, may i recommend Blue Smoke - 116 E 27th Street,
for a good french meal a very small restaurant - Les Routiers - 568 Amsterdam Ave
for some contempary american - Dekk - Reade Street


Just some random ideas...

Thanks for them im starting my NY info file right now with all these suggestions and ideas so please keep them coming people! :T

yeslek

markymoo wrote: »

Cosmopolitan Hotel in tribeca.. you have a subway stop right outside the door, straight to midtown & times square

you have ground zero walking distance away, plenty of places to eat and drink. It is reasonably cheap too (http://www.hotelconxions.com)

thats like nearly $200 a night!!

no thanks, would cost more than most package deals

GlennTheBaker

I totally agree with markymoo about the whole 'central location' thing. I, personally, like to get away from the hustle of Times Square when calling it a day. I've been to NYC twice and stayed in Lower Manhattan near to Wall Street. Its quiet at weekends and you can often get good rates at the hotels there (they obviously cater for the suit-wearers Monday to Friday). As long as you're reasonably close to a subway station you can be uptown and right in the thick of it in 10-15 minutes.

On the subject of The Salisbury, a friend of mine went there a couple of years ago and said pretty much what has already been posted here. Clean, tidy and a good base from which to be a tourist.

M4RKM

yeslek wrote: »

thats like nearly $200 a night!!

no thanks, would cost more than most package deals

thats a very rude response IMO.. $175 a night (which is what a standard room at the hotel costs) is cheap for manhattan. I can't find anything of the same quality, (private bath, and clean) and a good location, (below 14th street). If you can find something for me, i'd be more than willing to give you a courteous response to your post.

Pinklepurr

I've been to NY twice before and always got around on foot or by cab. However, I'm going again in November with my sister and we thought we'd like to try the subway. How easy is it to use and how safe for two females? I'm quite savvy when it comes to travelling and will not be wearing or carrying any expensive items, but is there anything we should be aware of?

M4RKM

Pinklepurr wrote: »

I've been to NY twice before and always got around on foot or by cab. However, I'm going again in November with my sister and we thought we'd like to try the subway. How easy is it to use and how safe for two females? I'm quite savvy when it comes to travelling and will not be wearing or carrying any expensive items, but is there anything we should be aware of?

The New York Subway. One of those weird beasts, in that it looks hard to master, but is obviously a lot simpler..

Firstly, let me say that i think the majority of New Yorkers travel by subway. It is the quickest way around town, and cheap (i'll come onto cost later). As for two females travelling, if you're travelling at peak times, you'll be fine, If you're travelling late at night, wait in the yellow off peak waiting area, and when you board the train from that area, you'll be in the same carriage where the guard is located. However, late evening after 11pm, the trains are less, and a taxi is recommended.

How to use the subway. Work out where you want to go is the best way. Some smaller stations will have different entrances on different sides of the road. Some for uptown, some for downtown. so check before you go in, and swipe your card. One thing you'll notice is that there are really only 2 trains that go crosstown. Other stations, have one entrance, and then you walk down to the up or downtown side that you need. So knowing which way you want to travel (higher street numbers is uptown, lower street numbers downtown) helps. Also, if its a small station, there is a light at the top of the stairs, like a globe lampost.. if it is green, the entrance is open, if it is red, the entrance is closed.

Also, knowing which station you're getting off at helps too. The reason i say this, is because you'll have, for example different trains running on the same line, a local train, and an express train. An express stop is a white circle with a black outline, a local stop is a black circle.
To make this clearer, i'll give you an example.

At Times Square 42nd street station, there are various lines and trains. One of which is the 1 / 2 / 3. If you wanted to catch a subway downtown to go to Canal Street, you need the 1 train, as it is a local train. If you wanted to go to Chambers Street, you'd get a 2 or 3 as these are express trains within manhattan.

The same applies to the 4 / 5 / 6 train. the 6 is the local train, and the 4 / 5 are express in manhattan.

look at a map - http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm - and re-read what i've just written and it will make some kind of sense.. once you've travelled on the subway, it makes even more sense..

Crosstown travel - there are only 2 lines that go cross town, now manhattan is a fairly narrow but long island, but once you've walked across 4 blocks, and back and across again, it can get tiring... so the lack of crosstown trains also can be annoying.. the L runs across town from 14th street at 8th avenue --> to 1st avenue and then across into brooklyn

the other crosstown is the S - the times square shuttle, short, only 2 stops, times square, and grand central station.

All in all, you can get to most places and only have a short walk, but it might take some thinking!

How to pay
You need a metro card. There are a number of different types of metrocard you can get, but they all look the same..

you can get a multiple ride one, where you load up with say, $20 and you get 10 rides, plus 2 free ones.. you can swipe this through the turnstile, and pass it onto your sister for her to swipe through... this means you only have one card. however, it may not be the best way, working out what you are doing in a day again comes into play..

for $7 you get a Fun Pass (honestly, it is called that!) this gives you unlimited rides, from the moment you swipe it until 3am the next day (don't swipe it at 11pm for the first time then!!) you'll need one each, for each day..

depending on how long you are staying, you could also go for a 7-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard - my personal choice for trips of around 5 days.. this is $24 (and again you need one each) for as many rides as you want.. (£12 for a weeks travel!!! cheeaaap!!) that means if you are going to make more than 6 subway rides in your visit, go with this, and save some cash!

So, i think this is really a NYC Subway 101 over and done with.. if i can think of anything else, i'll add it to this post... Hope thats helpful. I find the subway fun, stress free and easy to use!

P.S - i hope no one things i'm taking over this thread..

(added crosstown train details)

Crabman

markymoo wrote: »

P.S - i hope no one things i'm taking over this thread..

Your input is greatly appreciated and a help to many, as are those of all who contribute to this master thread :beer:

How about doing a guide on "New York - Travelling around the City", as there's so much useful info above?

Go on... :T MoneySavers - Going on Holiday? Tell us all about it!