The NEW YORK Megathread (questions & answers..not chat)

Toto Wolfcastle

I'm heading to NY in a couple of weeks. Usually on holidays we'll just find restaurants when we're there but now were are restricted by a special diet so I want to look up some places beforehand so that we're not walking around looking for places.

Any restaurant recommendations for breakfast or dinner?

Pythia

janeybabe wrote: »

I'm heading to NY in a couple of weeks. Usually on holidays we'll just find restaurants when we're there but now were are restricted by a special diet so I want to look up some places beforehand so that we're not walking around looking for places.

Any restaurant recommendations for breakfast or dinner?

Where will you be based? Have you seen menupages.com?

Toto Wolfcastle

We're staying around Lexington Avenue between 37th and 38th street. I had a look at menupages but tbh there is a lot there and I was a bit confused.

Louloug

hi there,

we are travelling to NYC in October. I am taking my parents with us- as a surprise so I have to organize the entire trip.

Looking for tips on, or if anyone got good deals on the following:
- where to get broadway tickets (did anyone get them from the stall in Times Square??)
- where to get JETS tickets (how far the stadium is away from NYC- it looks OK online distance wise)
- any nice/reasonable hotels or apartments

I have been in NYC twice, and last time we stayed in the Radisson on Lexington- it cost 495euro for the week- looking at prices now I think this was an unreal deal!!

Would appreciate any advice, thanks!

Louloug

cork*girl wrote: »

Looking at going to New York in October for 5nights.. there will be 5 of us.. anyone have any experience of the Affinia Dumont or any other hotel that accommadates 5people? or any recommendations are welcome!!

hi there,
I am going the same time- just wondering did you find anywhere reasonable?
There are 4 of us.

trustno1

Heading to New York at the beginning of November, can anyone tell me what to expect (roughly) weather wise?, is it absolutely freezing around that time?, or bearable???

Thanks in advance!..

lord lucan

trustno1 wrote: »

Heading to New York at the beginning of November, can anyone tell me what to expect (roughly) weather wise?, is it absolutely freezing around that time?, or bearable???

Thanks in advance!..

The couple of times i've been there in mid-November the temp has been in the mid teens. A hoodie or light jacket will do the job.

BrianJD

Because of budgetry requirements and the fact that I have the food tastes of a ten year old, can somebody tell me what price a standard hot dog from a vendor costs in NY.

Also, is fasting 2 weeks before the trip for said Hot Dogs, leaving it too late?:o

Thanks in advance!

lord lucan

BrianJD wrote: »

Because of budgetry requirements and the fact that I have the food tastes of a ten year old, can somebody tell me what price a standard hot dog from a vendor costs in NY.

Also, is fasting 2 weeks before the trip for said Hot Dogs, leaving it too late?:o

Thanks in advance!

They cost anywhere between $1-$2. Depends on where the vendor is. A vendor in Times Sq. might charge $2 because there's loads of tourists and business will be easier to come by. Go 2 blocks across and you may find a vendor selling them for $1 because there's less footfall.

Not sure why you'd fast,they're not that filling or fattening. They're handy as a light snack on the go but wouldn't fill you up for lunch by any means!

Omega28

me and the girlfriend are thinking of going at the start of next month for 5 nights. We were thinking of staying in the Doubletree Guest Suites New York or The Hilton Garden Inn.

Were willing to spend a max of 1100 euro per person for flights and accom. is this being realistic getting it for this price?

we were looking to leave the between the 4th-6th of sept. A max of 1100euro, even at that I'm pushing my limit! Does anyone know where I could get a good deal? I'v been doing alot of googling but prices are very high!

anyone got any tips? or any help at all I'd appreciate

thanks:)

hshortt

You could have a look at touramerica.ie they have package deals and it would less expensive that way.

ncmc

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

me and the girlfriend are thinking of going at the start of next month for 5 nights. We were thinking of staying in the Doubletree Guest Suites New York or The Hilton Garden Inn.

Were willing to spend a max of 1100 euro per person for flights and accom. is this being realistic getting it for this price?

we were looking to leave the between the 4th-6th of sept. A max of 1100euro, even at that I'm pushing my limit! Does anyone know where I could get a good deal? I'v been doing alot of googling but prices are very high!

anyone got any tips? or any help at all I'd appreciate

thanks:)

I think the problem will be that you've left it late to book flights. It's harder to get deals late in the day. Try www.skyscanner.com for flight comparisons, I think you could expect to pay €1000-€1200 for flights. This leaves you €800-€1000 for accomodation, I think that's doable for 5 nights. Have a look at the website www.quikbook.com or www.dealbase.com they have some good deals. I also like www.travelzoo.com they often have late hotel deals. It is a pricey time in New York, but don't tie yourself to times square. You could look in other areas and just use the subway to get around.

Just had a look at Quikbook and they have the Affinia Manhatten for an average of $231 per night. With tax added, that works out at about €200 per night.
http://www.quikbook.com/avail_search_mix.asp

gets pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor, but I think the problem is going to be flights, just had a quick look at Continental and they're quoting €761 each... ouch! The cheapest flight I can see on Skyscanner is Air France via CDG for €597 per person. Maybe you could look on saving money on accom by staying a little outside Manhatten and getting the subway in, I know on Trip Advisor the experts always recommend this place:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g48080-d1485678-Reviews-Country_Inn_Suites_NYC_in_Queens-Long_Island_City_New_York.html

conno16

has anyone stayed in the W on lexington ave..
heard some very mixed reports

BaZmO*

conno16 wrote: »

has anyone stayed in the W on lexington ave..
heard some very mixed reports

I think mixed hotel reviews is par for the course when it comes to New York.

I think it's generally the Yanks that give the bad reviews. It seemed that way with the hotel I stayed in last year.
The reviews were divided 50/50 between the Hotel being terrible and fantastic. It ended up being a great place.

rachel1000

Hi there, were thinking of going to new york next july for 7 nights, and it will be my 1st time visiting the big apple, so we are looking for somewhere very central times square? 5th avenue? but are looking to spend about €1000 for the week on accomodation? maybe its just me but i really cant seem to find anywhere for this price all hotels are a lot more expensive than this? any suggestions??

conno16

ya thats kinda what i figure
hopefully works out

Ponster

Hotel 41 at Times Square sounds like the place for you (if you're just looking for a room to crash in).
You should get it at that price too.

Though I wonder about what hotel prices are like when you're booking almost 12 months in advance?

kaykay27

hey guys thinking of heading to NY at the start of the Nov- reading through the posts and a lot of people mention priceline and hotwire- can anyone tell me how these work and how u go about bidding-cheers

Toto Wolfcastle

I used Hotwire a few weeks ago. The prices go down as time goes on so the longer you wait the better the deal you will get. You can choose the area you want to stay in and get updates of price drops for that area.

We were in New York for a week and then Boston. On the Tuesday in New York we booked the hotel in Boston using Hotwire. We probably could have saved more if we had waited but I wanted to get it done. As it was we saved a lot on a 4 star hotel right in the centre of Boston.

On Hotwire there is no bidding. I'm not sure about Priceline.

kaykay27

Hi Janeybabe

Thanks for the quick reply- just on hotwire now- so am i right in thinking that the closer to the date u book the better deal u get- so if im going 30th Oct (sat),should i leave it til the wed/thurs before i go to book?

Toto Wolfcastle

Yeah, generally the prices go down as time goes on. I would keep an eye on the prices and availability and decide based on that when you want to book. There are plenty of hotels in New York so you should be safe enough to book that close if there seems to be a lot of availability. I know of people who booked the day before they arrived in New York and were fine. We would have waited until the Thursday rather than the Tuesday but I'm a big wuss.

DingDong

Has anyone recommendation of sites to check for renting an apartment or one they have used before?. Looking for one with two bedrooms . The price for hotels is unreal, I tried priceline with no luck there so far .

ncmc

DingDong wrote: »

Has anyone recommendation of sites to check for renting an apartment or one they have used before?. Looking for one with two bedrooms . The price for hotels is unreal, I tried priceline with no luck there so far .

Have a read through this:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k1563270-Renting_a_vacation_apartment_a_collection_of_posts-New_York_City_New_York.html

Apartment rentals for the most part are a scam, they are also a legal black spot, and as of next year they will be properly illegal.

You might be better off renting an apart-hotel like Radio City Apartments, Eastgate Towers or Beekman Towers. They're not cheap, but at least you know your money would be safe.

DingDong

ncmc wrote: »

Have a read through this:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k1563270-Renting_a_vacation_apartment_a_collection_of_posts-New_York_City_New_York.html

Apartment rentals for the most part are a scam, they are also a legal black spot, and as of next year they will be properly illegal.

You might be better off renting an apart-hotel like Radio City Apartments, Eastgate Towers or Beekman Towers. They're not cheap, but at least you know your money would be safe.

If you book with credit cards you should be covered from fraud?

ncmc

DingDong wrote: »

If you book with credit cards you should be covered from fraud?

You probably would, but you might not realise it's a scam until you get there and then you're left with nowhere to stay and no chance of getting a good deal at such short notice. I'm sure plenty of people have rented an apt with no problems, but I don't think I'd risk it, especially as it is illegal as of next March. What are your dates and budget?

DingDong

I'm heading the end of October and was hoping to get somewhere for around €600-700 for 5 nights. I've seen two bed apartments for around $300 a night which would suit as another couple is coming with us.

ncmc

DingDong wrote: »

I'm heading the end of October and was hoping to get somewhere for around €600-700 for 5 nights. I've seen two bed apartments for around $300 a night which would suit as another couple is coming with us.

What about this place,

https://www.affinia.com/Reserve.aspx?chain=5158&lang=1&start=1&arrive=10/23/2010&depart=10/28/2010&Adult=3&Child=0&Hotel=10147&Dest=NYC&promo=&group=&iata=

I just put in a random date at the end of Oct (23rd) for 5 nights. They have a one bedroom suite with kitchen and sofabed in the living room for $327 per night, with tax and converted back to euro that's less than €300 per night. A bit over your budget, but at least you know exactly what you are getting and that there would be a room waiting for you when you get there! Much safer bet than a possibly illegal apartment IMO!

furiousox

Hi all, going back to NYC for 4 nights with my wife in November, we've been there once before on our honeymoon which was all of 15 yrs ago.
Flights and hotel all sorted, I've booked the same hotel we stayed in before (New York Helmsley on 42nd St) and we're flying with Delta into JFK.

Our Delta flight (165) leaves Dublin at 10.45am so I'm wondering what time we should be at the airport at?
Hopefully we'll have completed our check-in online though we'll have one suitcase with us for bag & tag.
Does the immigration process in Dublin take long?
(Already have the ESTA approval)
Would arriving at 8.30am be ok or should we be there a bit earlier?
Thanks!

BuffyBot

I'd recommend being there slightly earlier. Immigration is a "how long is a piece of string" game at Dublin (of course, come November you will quite possibly be departing from Terminal 2 and the new immigration facility there which should be a lot better). A lot of US bound flights go around that time, so it can get quite busy.

ncmc

BuffyBot wrote: »

I'd recommend being there slightly earlier. Immigration is a "how long is a piece of string" game at Dublin (of course, come November you will quite possibly be departing from Terminal 2 and the new immigration facility there which should be a lot better). A lot of US bound flights go around that time, so it can get quite busy.

+1 on this, it's recommended that you're there 3 hours before a Transatlantic flight . Even security can be a bit of an ordeal in Dublin, never mind immigration, so if it were me, I would be there by 7.45-8.00. It's only 30 mins earlier to get out of bed and it's worth it if it gives you peace of mind. Nothing worse than being caught for time at an airport and leaving yourself under pressure. Not a nice start for a holiday!

Nice idea staying in the same hotel btw, very romantic!