[Archived] New York/boston

[Tim Southampton Rover]

I am off to New York and Boston in September for 10 days (5 days in each) however I am struggling to find a clean, decent yet cheap hotel to stay in. So far i've singled out The Chelsea Lodge which is just south of midtown Manhattan but i'm hoping to find something a bit more central. Can anyone recommend any where for me?

I'm willing to pay up to £90 (pushing £100 if I get a complimentary robe) and hoping to stay as close to the 'touristy' areas as possible or near an Underground station.

A lot of people have recommended hostels to sleep in as they have private rooms but I don't want to stay in a hostel because quite frankly, i'm keen not to befriend some bed bugs or have people partying until the early hours and interrupting my beauty sleep....seriously, I need a lot of it!

Also if anyone has any recommendations of things to do for a first time visit then that would be awesome!

[Rovermatt]

I stayed in a very nice guest house when I was in Boston in 2001. It was a very convenient distance from the main part of the city. Any time I've been in New York I've stayed with my uncle so I'm not at all sure about hotels etc there.

I would definitely recommend you visit all the usual attractions in NYC. Ellis Island (track down your immigrant ancestors), Liberty Island, Battery Park, Greenwich Village, MSG, The Empire State Building, 5th Avenue, are all worth seeing. Take the ferry over the Hudson to Hoboken also. It's only just in NJ but pretty much the same as anything on the other side of the river (plus it's straight out of The Sopranos)

Boston isn't as vast as New York but there's still loads to do and see. Follow the the set route that is literally marked on the pavement to see all the main attractions and go to Fenway to see the Sox play if you can.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Cheers Matt!

Do you remember what the guest house was called in Boston?

My lass has got friends in Dracut (about an hour outside of Boston) and we're going to be staying with them but I don't fancy driving an hour into and out of Boston on a daily basis and would rather stay in their at least one night as well.

[pg]

I did 3 days in New York in September '07. Have a look here and see if something takes your fancy.

New York (days one and two)

New York (day three) - scroll down.. right at the bottom

[T4E]

Just got back from NYC last Tuesday, stayed in the Marriot Marquis in Times Square. A bit on the pricey side but I would be surprised if there is a hotel in Manhattan that scores higher for location.

If you can, look to purchase a "New York Pass" - contains free entry to many tourist attractions including Liberty Island/Ellis Island Ferry, Madison Square Garden tour, Empire State Building Observatory, Madame Tausauds, NBC Studio tour, Central Park Zoo, Bronx Zoo, MoMa, Guggenheim etc etc etc. Also contains many money off offers for places like Bloomingdales and Macy's. I got it as an added extra when booking the above hotel on Expedia, I think it was circa £40 each for a 3 day adult pass.

Also went in 2006, staying at Grand Hyatt at Grand Central Station - again, great accomdation and location, and a fair bit cheaper than the Marriott.

Whatever you choose, you'll have a great time - Manhattan is fantastic.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

You must have been loaded to stay in those hotels!

Thanks for the advice on the NY Pass. I'll expect we'll get that as we plan to do most of the above places so over 5 days it should save us some money rather than individually paying for each place.

I just checked out those hotels. They look awesome! I expect the hotel bins are better compared to the dirty holes i've found

If there is anyone reading this, I am going outside of Europe for the first time. This is my dream come true. Feel free to sign up to a 'Tim Southampton Rover membership' where you will receive daily updates of my American Dream. A free badge and a certificate. All for a small fee of fifty Great British Pounds. Not only are you guaranteed to make me happy, you can also boast how you made my dream come true. If you choose not to then you're probably a Burnley fan.

[Paul]

Visit the Museum of the American Indian (Native?) and go watch the New York Yankees, I presume they are still playing in September

[ABBEY]

yankees???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Rovermatt]

Visit the Museum of the American Indian (Native?)

I'm pretty sure that's been moved to D.C. I was there in March. It wasn't that good in actual fact (the one in D.C. I mean. I was at the one in NYC six years ago and it was great)

[Ben-2000]

I stayed in the Crowne Plaza hotel in New York - very impressive and very near Times Square, can't remember the price or anything but I thought i'd just let you know! It was exactly 4 years ago.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Whats the deal with tipping over there? Friends at work say I have to tip everything, whether I like it or not, yet i'm someone who will refuse to tip someone unless they really deserve it.

I can see me causing trouble if my friends are right!

[Dunnfc]

Do a home alone and give him some gum

[Ben-2000]

You don't HAVE to tip but it is a custom to do so. For example they will hang round you expecting it.

[rebelmswar]

Whats the deal with tipping over there? Friends at work say I have to tip everything, whether I like it or not, yet i'm someone who will refuse to tip someone unless they really deserve it.

I can see me causing trouble if my friends are right!

Don't worry about that I am in New York all the time and if you don't like the service don't tip, I don't. Of all the cities in the US, the New Yorkers will be the least offended if you don't tip for horrific or even slightly shoddy service.

You must eat pizza at New York Pizzeria just across from the Fox studios it is the best in the city.

[Rovermatt]

Whats the deal with tipping over there? Friends at work say I have to tip everything, whether I like it or not, yet i'm someone who will refuse to tip someone unless they really deserve it.

I can see me causing trouble if my friends are right!

Though my experience of this is based outside of NYC, I have to say I think it's preposterous. You essentially have to tip for everything, though you won't get arrested or anything if you don't. It's simply a convention whereby you tip an employee of a company providing you a service for, er...providing you with that service. Taxi drivers, waiters, hotel porters; all expect you to subsidise their wages as do their employers. Though bizarrely there's never a need to tip the staff at McDonalds, Burger King, Subway etc.

[Paul]

yankees???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OK change that to - go to a baseball game. Great fun!

[Rover down South]

Went to NYC in December. Truly an amazing place. Stayed at the Novotel on 52nd West. Hotel wasn't that bad & location was good. Subway stations are walkable really wherever you stay & they are cheap. Many sights to see so don't be sleeping in. In my opinion the Empire state building is a must, Liberty Island was ok, Ellis island was a bit boring (if you are not really interested & just want photo's of statue just get the staten island ferry from South Ferry which is free & you can get great photo's, once at staten island go into terminal & reboard the ferry to come back, they won't let you stay on), yankee stadium was good, although you will need to take subway (an eye opener!!) or taxi to the Bronx to see it, madison square gardens is home to ice hockey & basketball (if in season when you go), best to book before you go, cos cheap tickets are not easy to get.

Natural history museum is extremely boring & expensive.

On the whole it is relatively cheaper than uk, especially clothes etc. We worked on the basis of tipping around 10%. A lot of places will state on your bill on how much to tip. Taxi from JFK to Manhatten was about $60 including tip.

One thing is for sure, you will definitley enjoy it, brilliant place, loads to do, people really friendly.

[T4E]

Taxi from JFK to Manhatten was about $60 including tip.

Currently the Taxi fare from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan is set to $45 flat rate, excluding tip.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Currently the Taxi fare from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan is set to $45 flat rate, excluding tip.

If thats the case, i'll make sure he drives me all around Manhattan before taking me to my hotel and have a little mini taxi tour included in the price!

Is there not a train available to get to and from JFK which is slightly cheaper than $45?

[T4E]

We always book the Super Shuttle. Picks you up from the airport in a nice big blue van and takes you direct to your hotel.

http://www.supershuttle.com/default.aspx?content=NewYork

It'd be about $23 for you on your own, and $12 for each additional passenger if you book it on that website. We booked it as another optional extra on Expedia and I think it was about £8 each.

[USRoverME]

Depending... some hotels may also have a shuttle service to the airport, worth checking on. Ones downtown likely won,t but ones in teh out reaches may, same with Boston.

If you need more help with Boston, send me a PM, my wife worked in the City for 4 years, and her father did for like 15-20 years before he retired. Personal advice, for Boston, get a hotel or place to stay in the outlying areas (cheaper) and take the T (underground) into the city proper. Heck I went to college a 90 min drive outside Boston, and I think the train from Worcester to Boston was at the time (8-9 years ago) was $5 each way. Cheaper than finding a place to park in the city.

Also since you are spending ~ 5 days in each city, I'd recommend looking into the weekly pass for the underground in both cities. Likely the cheapest way to get around, thought the NYC system is complex as hell.

[ABBEY]

my brother went to a good strip joint in boston...lemons,ping pong balls and bannanas

[Rovermatt]

Cheers Matt!

Do you remember what the guest house was called in Boston?

This is it. It would appear to have taken a slight turn for the quaint since I was there but I distinctly recall it being spotless, very big, very quiet and very convenient to the metro system which will bring you into downtown Boston in the blink of an eye. It's situated in a very respectable area (quite an affluent Jewish district if I remember correctly and John Kerry owns a house nearby) across the road from an awesome diner called 'The Busy Bee'. The house didn't serve breakfast so we ate there each morning and it was one of my favourite memories of Boston.

We stayed in a big family room in the basement and did have to share a very nice bathroom with the only other room on that floor but my memories of the place are only positive. It was quite near the legendary Fenway Park also. A fifteen minute walk up the hill from the guest house in the direction away from the city centre brings you to a nice collection of small stores and a fantastic authentic Chinese restaurant where I distinctly remember pigging out one evening.

[American]

For Boston I'd recommend the Club Quarters. Nothing fancy, but you can usually get a pretty good price and the location is decent enough (not a bad area, close walk to the Freedom Trail, etc.). When I get more time I can send you a PM with a ton of suggestions for Boston.

As for NY, it might be worth it to stretch the budget a bit, but they also have a couple of Club Quarters. You won't get a fancy hotel, but they have some good deals and they cater to repeat business travel, so you won't get a crap experience, either.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Cheers mate!

When I get my new credit card through, i'll be sorting out pretty much everything so I shall list on here what i've done or plan to do and any suggestions you or others have will be greatly appreciated.