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Where to stay in New York City area?


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My family is going there for 3 days, 2 nights this summer. There are 5 of us. We're taking Amtrak in from the DC area to Penn Station. Anyone have an idea of a good place to stay that is walking distance from Penn Station area. We're hoping to walk to most places or take public transit, taxi if we have to.

 

Thanks for any ideas you can give me! I'm trying to book everything asap, since things are filling up already! :001_huh:

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With 5, try the Doubletree Suites in Midtown.

 

Oh and a NYer's definition of walkable might be a bit broader than yours. :tongue_smilie:

Thanks, I'll look that up.

 

:001_smile: Yeah, that could be. Though we walk a lot, and don't consider a block (block can be relative to what city/town/etc. you're in also, I realize, so I'm using it generically) a long ways! ;) Now 3 blocks? :lol: JK We'll see how sorry we'll be! :tongue_smilie:

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We love the Manhattan Club. They have very nice rooms/suites and a great midtown location. You'd have to cab it from Penn Station though (about 25 blocks and you'll have luggage). I think they're very reasonably priced for NYC. And the fact that they have a kitchen can save $$ on meals out.

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The Hampton Inn on W 35th St is good. We've stayed there twice. The rooms are small, but recently remodeled with great beds and dark wood cabinets in the bathroom. The free breakfast is also a plus. Also they will store your bag for free before check in and after checkout. Not that far to walk to Penn station.

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Brindee, I haven't lived in Manhattan for awhile now, so things may have changed. But the Penn Station area isn't the place where I'd stay due to the dearth of decent hotels. The hardest thing will be maneuvering with your luggage. So I would plan on cab rides to/from Penn Station. The rest of the time, you should be able to navigate by subway/bus/foot.

 

I favor the West side, so definitely check out the Manhattan Club too. (Never stayed there, but kitchens plus a Whole Foods close by would turn my head if I were staying awhile). BUT, don't ignore the East side hotels, esp. if you are going to be there on the weekend. They might have better rates then.

 

P.S. Didn't see csl's response as I was composing mine. The above is no comment on the Hampton Inn. Glad to hear something good is coming around the area (I love Hamptons!).

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Does Amtrak continue on to Grand Central Station too? We've stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel just a couple blocks from Grand Central and loved it. It is an elegant old hotel. Sometimes they have good deals on hotel websites.

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Thank you so much everybody! I am checking out these places now! I so appreciate you taking the time to make suggestions!

 

Does Amtrak continue on to Grand Central Station too? We've stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel just a couple blocks from Grand Central and loved it. It is an elegant old hotel. Sometimes they have good deals on hotel websites.
When I checked Amtrak it only showed Penn Station. I'll check in more detail now that I'm working on it, and hoping to figure it all out soon! :001_smile:
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Amtrak only goes to Penn Station.

 

Have you read the reviews on Trip Advisor?

 

I would check out hotels in Hoboken/Jersey City. Then you can take the Path train back and forth.

 

Getting back and forth through the Lincoln Tunnel can be easy or it can be a nightmare. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to when there will be an accident or construction, etc.

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Amtrak only goes to Penn Station.

 

Have you read the reviews on Trip Advisor?

 

I would check out hotels in Hoboken/Jersey City. Then you can take the Path train back and forth.

 

Getting back and forth through the Lincoln Tunnel can be easy or it can be a nightmare. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to when there will be an accident or construction, etc.

What's the Path train? Should I just Google it? Thanks for the info.!
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What about Comfort Inn Chelsea? They have a family Suite for less than some of the other hotels that only have rooms for 4 or less. The rooms have AC, and breakfast is included. That may be worth something! :001_smile:

 

Oh yeah, that's a fine area! And breakfast is def. a good thing!

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Oh yeah, that's a fine area! And breakfast is def. a good thing!
Thank you (and to Starr too, who I also meant to quote)! Wow, I don't know whether to go cheaper and farther away and one extra night, or more expensive, closer, and one less night???

 

What about the Secaucus area? (way cheaper!)

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If you stay in Chelsea then you can stay out late at night and not wonder how you are going to get back to New Jersey. You can just hop in a taxi and be back at your hotel quickly.

 

Its also nice to be staying in NYC if you decide you get tired and want to go back to your room to rest or drop off packages.

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What about the Secaucus area? (way cheaper!)

 

No.

 

 

Look, live in NJ. I LOVE NJ. I used to live right across the Hudson from NYC. (I also lived/owned in Manhattan before that, but needed a second bathroom).

 

Just no. Go and enjoy the city. People from around the world don't come to see Secaucus. For a reason. :)

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If you stay in Chelsea then you can stay out late at night and not wonder how you are going to get back to New Jersey. You can just hop in a taxi and be back at your hotel quickly.

 

Its also nice to be staying in NYC if you decide you get tired and want to go back to your room to rest or drop off packages.

 

:iagree:

 

I would stay in the city.

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I would stay in the city, if possible. Check out sites like hotels.com. We found a hotel that was able to put our family of 7 into one room once. Keep looking! Another site to check is bookings.com.

 

A friend recommended this hotel once as a budget hotel:

 

http://www.riversidetowerhotel.com/more.html

 

We've never stayed there and I really know nothing about it, but it looks to be more affordable. (A little further away, but still in Manhattan.) Sometimes if it's a private hotel rather than a chain, and you email them personally (or call) rather than go through their computerized booking system, they will figure out a way to accommodate a bigger family.

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I'm glad I asked! I ALMOST booked something in Secaucus for the first nights, then I thought I might book a nice place downtown for the last night.

 

I'll go back and check on the downtown places again...

 

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

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I'm not sure what a New York Pass entitles you to. I guess it depends on what you want to see and how much time you want to spend there. Remember that the MET and Natural History are a whatever you want to pay donation. Also factor in travel time from one place to another. My opinion is that one can't see everything in a couple of days. All the museums have so much in them. I love to see a show. And your kids are old enough to want to walk through neighborhoods like China town and just enjoy being in the city, sitting in sidewalk cafes and wandering a bit.

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I'm not sure what a New York Pass entitles you to. I guess it depends on what you want to see and how much time you want to spend there. Remember that the MET and Natural History are a whatever you want to pay donation. Also factor in travel time from one place to another. My opinion is that one can't see everything in a couple of days. All the museums have so much in them. I love to see a show. And your kids are old enough to want to walk through neighborhoods like China town and just enjoy being in the city, sitting in sidewalk cafes and wandering a bit.
You pay a certain amount, then you can use the card to bypass lines and get in, and if you go to a few places you save some time and money. That's the gist of it I think, from what I gathered while searching.

 

Since we want to do the touristy things, I was trying to figure out what we could actually do in a couple of days to make it worth getting....taking into consideration not overdoing it TOO much, and the logistics of getting from one place to another. It includes a guidebook that shows where everything is, which helps you see which things can be done on the same day since they're in the same vicinity.

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Thanks, I'll look that up.

 

:001_smile: Yeah, that could be. Though we walk a lot, and don't consider a block (block can be relative to what city/town/etc. you're in also, I realize, so I'm using it generically) a long ways! ;) Now 3 blocks? :lol: JK We'll see how sorry we'll be! :tongue_smilie:

 

 

I wouldn't worry about that. It's so easy to walk 10 blocks in NYC and not even realize it.

Edited by LibraryLover
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Okay, nevermind the Hotel Chelsea. Looks like it's not in the running for Hotel right now. Though it seems to be listed with price and all!??? Current pics look bad, though...

 

So, I seem to be leaning toward Sohotel and The Milburn Hotel. Anyone know anything about one or both of these?

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Okay, nevermind the Hotel Chelsea. Looks like it's not in the running for Hotel right now. Though it seems to be listed with price and all!??? Current pics look bad, though...

 

So, I seem to be leaning toward Sohotel and The Milburn Hotel. Anyone know anything about one or both of these?

 

The Milburn Hotel is a great location. You are close to Lincoln Center and a bus/quick subway ride away from Times Square (you could even walk it if you are ambitious :001_smile:). You are also close to Museum of Natural History (which is amazing) and Central Park.

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The Milburn Hotel is a great location. You are close to Lincoln Center and a bus/quick subway ride away from Times Square (you could even walk it if you are ambitious :001_smile:). You are also close to Museum of Natural History (which is amazing) and Central Park.
Thank you!

 

My dh liked the location of The Milburn Hotel better, so I booked us there. I also booked Amtrak to make sure we could get there and back. ;) So we are getting set! :thumbup:

 

Now I need to do more research on where we want to go and how long it will take, etc., etc.

 

 

THANK YOU everyone for your help!!! :grouphug:

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Other than the Statue of Liberty I've never had trouble with lines. But it might be nice see a tour in print.
Really? I keep seeing dire warnings on the internet, as well, of long lines and therefore crazy long waits. I hope we have your luck and don't run into horribly long lines! That'd save so much time! :001_smile:
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