Liz

There is lots of info on the City Break and America forums on HT which should give you lots of ideas.
Flights usually go on sale 11months before the actual date you want to travel, so next month you should be able to book. I think Newark is the easier of the two major NY airports though last year I flew into JFK NewYork without any problem.
On my visit to NYC last year I stayed in the Radio City Apartments just a couple of minutes walk away from Times Square. I stayed in a studio which had a small kitchenette, the hotel also has one and two bedroom apartments. The location was really good, it was very close to The Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue and Broadway and it didn't take long to walk to Central Park, though in February you will need to wrap up well when I was there the end of March it was very cold.. The subway was in easy reachof my hotel. On my first full day there I took a bus tour of the city http://www.newyorkpartyshuffle.com which took about five hours, the guide was superb and gave us lots of info we even got to ride the Staten Island Ferry during the tour and got a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan Sky line. I had a really good idea of the layout of the city after the tour. There is also a hopon-hopoff bus and you can buy one or two day tickets for unlimited rides around the city.
There are loads of museums and The Grand Central Station is worth a look.
I took a walking tour with a company called Foods of New York, I walked through Greenwich Village and Soho learning about the area and tasting some of the ethnic foods. Shopping of course is great with bargains in all price ranges.
The city is easy to get around and I never felt unsafe. A web site which I found invaluable for info about new york was http://www.tripadvisor.com
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Hi I always keep an eye on the airlines for cheap tickets and book my hotels online through the agents (rather than a package) - make sure you are thorough and check them all out as the prices change wildly. I have been three times so far and try to book hotels in midtown ie near to Times Square, I dont book expensive accommodation as theres usually a gang of us and our only requirement is that its clean and safe. To be honest we go with the flow, have an idea of all the sites you want to see, make a little plan and have a ball. If I can be of any help dont hesitate to ask.

I was a first timer last February, we went over for our anniversary. We booked with Virgin and flew into JFK airport and virgin did all the transfers for us free. It cost us £1000 for 6 nights for two of us. We stayed right near the Empire state building, well a block or so away in the 30/30 hotel. We were central to everything, Macy's where we spent most of our time shopping. There are a lot of shops and malls we went into without having to get cabs from here. The hotel itself did what we needed it to do, the beds were soft and pillows, it also had a great power shower. Good storage space for lots of shopping (this was the main reason for us going), we took home two large suitcases each with virgin. The hotel has mixed reviews, but i am a bit of a person that likes luxury, but decided buying my shoes and clothes was more important. As i say it was clean, and comfortable. We didnt want a hotel in times square as for us it was further a field to drag all the bags as we were on the door step virtually central for everything. We did some sites, namely the ESB which you could see thru our bedroom window!, It was ok although i personally didnt like it half as much as top of the rock, this building is so open plan and everywhere you can see, esb is restricted more. If you cannot afford both i recommend the top of the rock, lines virtually none existent. Great shops there also and an ice rink outside which is fun.

The helicopter ride over the statue of liberty was awesome, we loved it and will do that again.
We went to see a show Mama Mia on broadway, we didnt book through virgin but went to the tourist information neat to planet hollywood up from times square, great prices and at the front.
We also went to central park, we walked from our hotel, it took 25 mins and went on the horse and carriage. Visited the biggest Apple store, bloomingdales, gap, calvin klein stores, the lot. I found shopping up that end very expensive than Macy's, and around that area.

It is such a fantastic place, and i am waiting for a time to go back to spend spend spend

Any more info, please ask.

ps....food is gorgeous and huge portions
Heres our review
edited to add link ........http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/united-states/new-york/manhatten/thirty-thirty-hotel/

Thanks for your replies, I am looking for flights now...so anyone recommend any airlines from Manchester please let me know.

Thanks

Liz

We flew Continental from Manchester and had no problems.

As you know that New york is a very large city with lots of tourist attractions, planning your trip should depend on your and your daughter's interests. Flights and hotel reservations in advance can save you time and money. Finding cheap hotels in New York is not easy, but still you can find some nice discount hotels if you search through several hotel reservation sites. You can book your trip one year in advance at cnghotels.com which, I have heard, are quite reasonably priced. You might also like to search Expedia and Travelocity for price comparison. Furthermore, I would recommend that you choose a large and famous hotel chain (e.g Radisson, Best Western or Holyday Inn etc) for your stay. Such large chains are worth paying a few extra dollars. Also choose a hotel closer to the places of your interest e.g. if you heart movies then you might like to stay near the theater district. You might also like to visit Times Square in midtown Manhattan.

I am going to New York in October,have booked the flights and now looking for accomadation.I have been on the Alpha10rooms website.They are quoting Hilton times square for £1500 for 7 nights,every other site is quoting £2500 to £3000.These prices are for 3 adults.Has anybody used these before as these prices seem to good to be true.

Those prices sound very high for a Hilton.....
Have a look at this one, it's a moderate priced hotel about four blocks from Times Square.
http://www.edisonhotelnyc.com/
I'd rather have a lot more money to spend.....

Thanks emdia,i did look at that hotel but there was a few bad reviews aswell as lots of good one's.Prices were about £1300,so when the Hilton came up for £1500 i decided to go for the name.I just couldn't understand the difference in prices.I went onto the Hilton website and it was close to £3000 on there.I'll probably understand when we arrive and we're shown to a broom cupboard.

Hi

I have never been to New York before and was wandering if anyone can help me choose an area and Hotel to do all the major sites please.
I am going with my Daughter and don't want to travel too far especially at night..so would like to be in an area where there is plenty of restaurants and things to do. I want to see a show whilst there and she wants to go on the Sex In The City tour if anyone knows about this (I have never seen S.I.T.C before)

We would like to visit Central Park and all the usual Empire State, Stat Ferry, Rock Centre etc...please help as I am baffled by it all!!!

Cheers

Liz

Liz

Did you not ask this question back in February, I seem to remember giving you some tips about hotels and places to visit as did other HT members. Have you a specific question ie. itinerary ? that we can help you with, which wasn't covered in your earlier post. How long do you intend staying?
One company who do a Sex And The City Tour are http://www.zerve.com/onlocation/SATC
I bought the AA Essential Guide to New York which gave me lots of info about where to visit and stay. A very useful map is the New York Popoutmap which I ordered from Amazon.

Judith

Threads merged.

Hi

I have booked and am really excited now!!

Thanks for advice and links everyone.

We have booked the Salisbury Hotel near 7th Avenue, It is apparently in a good location for Times Square, central park etc.

Any hints, tips and advice as always is appreciated.

We want to see a show (les Miserables) whilst there, should I pre-book?
We are doing the Sex in the City tour, Rockerfeller, Emp State, Stat Ferry, Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge, and plenty of Shopping. We have 6 nights...is there anywhere I haven't thought of apart from Central Park you can think of and is there any sort of package I could but that would be cheeper to keep down costs?

What restaurants do you recommend?

Cheers

Liz

Liz

A website that will give you lots of info on New York is Trip Advisor. http://www.tripadvisor.com I found out loads of info from the site before my first NYC trip last year.
I booked my theater ticket over here before going last year. I used http://www.Theatermania.com I got a discounted ticket and picked the ticket up at the box office when I arrived. Another recommended theater ticket site is http://www.Playbill.com .You have to register as a member but it doesn't cost anything and you will see a selection of discount tickets for various shows. You can also buy discount tickets from a couple of booths in the city on the day of the show but if you only want to see one show in particular you might not be lucky . Are you going to book The Sex AND The City Tour before going, I believe it is quite popular so you may need to book ahead. The cheapest way to get around is by foot and subway, after sorting my downtown and uptown and different lines out I found it very easy to use and very cheap, each ride is just $2 and you could buy a Metro Card that both you and your daughter could use. I believe the hopon-hopoff ticket for the open topped bus costs $64 per person, though I think you can save $5 if you book online. This covers unlimited travel on the busses visiting all of the major tourists sites for 48hrs(during the daytime) and one evening tour. Its only a short walk to the Rockefeller Center from Times Square and I think in February the Christmas Tree may still be up. The Ice Rink will still be in operation.
If you need any more info please ask

Judith

I would recommend top of the rock which will be closer to you over Empire state building. Hardly any lines and much better view of NYC. Plus there is an ice skating rink open air right next to it.

Hi Liz,

Les Miserables is not currently playing in New York/Broadway; as far as I know there are no plans to bring a new production into town by the time of your visit. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

Info on shows currently playing can be found on the BroadwayBox website, among many others :-)

PS re: restaurants, I can recommend Artisanal on Park/32nd St if either of you are into cheese - it's a cheese fondue restaurant and totally scrummy Need to book though as it's v. popular! http://www.artisanalbistro.com

Re the Sex and The City Tour : I went with my mum last May for a 4 day trip to NYC - it was a birthday present to me from my mum!

Can I just say firstly that you will have the time of your life! It is the most amazing experience and its only when I got back did I realise how fantastic the place is. Could rave on for hours but wont We stayed in the Edison - art deco hotel right in Times Square. It was absolutely fine, bit dated but only slept in it.

Re. the SATC - done that too - make sure you book the original - included in your price is a cosmopolitan in Aiden's bar Scout, walk-by Carries Apt and cupcakes in the park!!!! If your daughter is a fan she will absolutely love it - dont miss it! My mum had never watched an episode-got back and borrowed my boxset.

Any more questions let me know

Kath

Thanks Choir girl, that's disappointing I will have a look for another show.

Katwizz thanks for info, could you tell me who you booked with please as I will book it A.S.A.P.
Did your Mum enjoy even though she had never watched an episode?It's just that I haven't either and thought I may be bored stiff lol!!
My Daughter is a big fan though and as its her 18th Birthday holiday I will have to book this for her.
She wanted to do the Friends tour but I have been advised that it isn't that good???

Cheers everyone for your help.

I don't know that there is a specific Friends tour, like there is for SATC?? If there was I'd have been on it!!! The only ones I could find were tours which just take you past the "Friends building", i.e. the brownstone block which was used for exterior shots in the show. As the show was actually filmed in LA (with the 'outside' scenes also filmed on an LA studio lot) there aren't really any other outdoor locations in NY which are relevant to the show, other than the generic 'shot of NY skyline/Brooklyn Bridge/ESB', which you don't need to pay for a specific tour to go and see

There are a number of bus and walking tours which take you past the Friends brownstone building in Greenwich Village for your photo opportunity, but's that's all it is really. I recommend the Foods Of New York walking tour, so at least you get to combine a bit of excited "I'm standing outside the Friends building!!!" with some yummy cheese/cookie/bread/pizza eating

Sorry again to be such a doom-monger for you!