NYC hotel recommendations/Early December

[wasCB14]

---

@GApeachy wrote:

---

@Cindy_FICO wrote:

---

@GApeachy wrote:

---

@tacpoly wrote:

The newest thing is Hudson Yards. You should walk the length of the Highline.

Have fun! NYC is great around the winter holidays.

---

I'm looking right now. Found it!  

What is Highline?

---

I really liked the Natural History Museum and the MET (if you're into art). Yes!  Thank you! If you are looking for views, I liked the view from Top of the rock better than the Empire state. I'll look that up, I've been searching today for just that, views.  Thanks!

The Highline used to be an old railway(?) and is now an elevated park right next to Chelsea Market. Ooooo, that sounds awesome...I cannot wait!  Thanks Cindy  and Everyone!!!!

---

---

There is a reason some people may wish to shop at Hudson Yards, or not shop there.

This reason cannot be discussed on MF, but it is not difficult to discover if you look at recent news involving a major investor in the property.

Personally I would not shop there for that and a few other (bigger) reasons (which are not likely to apply to many others).

[tacpoly]

I suggested Hudson Yards and the High Line as not standard suggestions you may want to do. (You don’t have to shop there — it’s at heart a shopping mall and I think your mall would be better — but the Spanish food court and other restaurants are very good.) I mean most people have heard of the Natural History Museum (there was a movie that took place within its confines, for goodness sakes) or the Metropolitan Museum of Art — those are standard recommendations so I thought you would already know that. If not, then I suggest seeing Central Park as well as the Statue of Liberty (reservation needs to be made ahead of time). There are other museums: the Met Modern, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, the MoMA (it might be under renovation).

My favorite museum is the Morgan Library — it usually has really fascinating exhibitions (e.g. Emily Dickinson’s drafts of poems or Einstein’s letters as he works out his General Theory). Because it’s not constantly crowded you can linger and examine the exhibits. It’s also one of the best examples of the marriage of old building and new extension (by Renzo Piano).

If you are in the area (if visiting the 9/11 memorial, for instance), check out Calatrava’s Oculus in the financial district. Again, it’s not necessarily for the mall experience, but for the architecture.

And, of course, try the restaurants in NYC. Go to high end 2-3 Michelin star places (reservations required well in advance) specially those you don’t have many of where you live (no idea where you’re coming from) and hole-in-the-wall seating 4 people at the counter only.

Walk around the West Village — it doesn’t conform to the grid so you might get turned around, but you’ll discover something good in the process. A friend was visiting us and I walked him around the area by our apartment to show him key locations (ie where to find good coffee). The next day he couldn’t find the place (literally 1.5 blocks away) but found others as he wandered about.

[GApeachy]

---

@tacpoly wrote:
I suggested Hudson Yards and the High Line as not standard suggestions you may want to do. Thank you, I hadn't heard of it, is this also where, if I decide to take Amtrak, where I would end up? (You don’t have to shop there — it’s at heart a shopping mall and I think your mall would be better — but the Spanish food court and other restaurants are very good.) I mean most people have heard of the Natural History Museum (there was a movie that took place within its confines, for goodness sakes) or the Metropolitan Museum of Art — those are standard recommendations so I thought you would already know that. If not, then I suggest seeing Central Park as well as the Statue of Liberty (reservation needs to be made ahead of time). There are other museums: the Met Modern, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, the MoMA (it might be under renovation). I hope to see it all!  

My favorite museum is the Morgan Library — it usually has really fascinating exhibitions (e.g. Emily Dickinson’s drafts of poems or Einstein’s letters as he works out his General Theory). Because it’s not constantly crowded you can linger and examine the exhibits. It’s also one of the best examples of the marriage of old building and new extension (by Renzo Piano).

If you are in the area (if visiting the 9/11 memorial, for instance), check out Calatrava’s Oculus in the financial district. Again, it’s not necessarily for the mall experience, but for the architecture.

And, of course, try the restaurants in NYC. Go to high end 2-3 Michelin star places (reservations required well in advance) specially those you don’t have many of where you live (no idea where you’re coming from) and hole-in-the-wall seating 4 people at the counter only.

Walk around the West Village — it doesn’t conform to the grid so you might get turned around, but you’ll discover something good in the process. A friend was visiting us and I walked him around the area by our apartment to show him key locations (ie where to find good coffee). The next day he couldn’t find the place (literally 1.5 blocks away) but found others as he wandered about. Can I do all this in a 3 or 4 day period?

---

Edit to add:  I'm printing out everyone's suggestions and carrying them with me.  I'm wondering if I need to stay 5 days instead.  Also, Does anyone have anything to say about taking Amtrak?  I'm anxious about flying; really anxious.  

[Anonymous]

Major Amtrak Bonus: You'll arrive at Penn Station right in the middle of Manhattan and not deal with the time/cabs/traffic of coming from one of our airports. 

Wandering the West Village is my favorite suggestion I've seen here I used to live in neighboring Chelsea and it always amazed me how I could walk 4 blocks and feel like I crossed into a completely different place.

[GApeachy]

---

@Anonymous 

---

I think you just talked me into Amtrak, thanks!

[iced]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@GApeachy wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

You may need to double your price range to find a decent hotel in Manhattan that time of year.

In January and February you can stay all sorts of good places for $125-$150.

---

Sorry, I forgot to mention that my friend would pay her half.  So it would be between 400-600/night.  Glad you mentioned that.

So that's doable, right?

Would love suggestions from anyone that's stayed near Time's Square and enjoyed the ease of walking instead of trying to take a taxi or whatever.

---

Now you're in the range!

New Yorkers hate Times Square, but I understand visitors wanting to by nearby. I'd still recommend going 10-20 blocks either north or south, though. It's a 10-20 minute walk if the weather is cooperating OR a 3 minute cab if you don't want to deal. 

I've stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn - Chelsea on W. 28th Street numerous times . . the location lets you travel 10 blocks north for the hustle and bustle of Times Square or 10-15 blocks south for the quieter parts of Chelsea and Greenwich Village. 

I think their prices are generally a deal for the area as well. I threw some random dates in for a long weekend in early December, and they had availabilty in the high $300s per night.

---

Agree with staying in the northern midtown area rather than Times Square. Manhattan is already very walkable and by going a little more north, you're also striking distance to several museums and theaters if that's your thing. Between 45th and 60th is the sweet spot IMO.

I'm a Marriott guy so my picks will be from their portfolio, but I've personally done both the Lexington and the Renaissance 57 and both should fall about in your price range.

I will add if you've never stayed in a dense/expensive city before, also temper your expectations for hotel room size. Don't expect 400-500 square feet of open space unless you pay for it. Most hotels (including the ones I've mentioned) are going to be about 300 sq. ft., possibly less depending on the room you get.

[GApeachy]

---

@iced wrote:

I will add if you've never stayed in a dense/expensive city before, also temper your expectations for hotel room size. Don't expect 400-500 square feet of open space unless you pay for it. Most hotels (including the ones I've mentioned) are going to be about 300 sq. ft., possibly less depending on the room you get.

---

Lol, I'm starting to see that.  I'd love a room with a view, would really like a kitchenette and a tub.  Question:  Are there rooms with balconies or some roof top where I can chill out?  I found a couple but they look more like restaurant type settings that might not like me lounging, Idk.

[wasCB14]

---

@GApeachy wrote:

---

@iced wrote:

I will add if you've never stayed in a dense/expensive city before, also temper your expectations for hotel room size. Don't expect 400-500 square feet of open space unless you pay for it. Most hotels (including the ones I've mentioned) are going to be about 300 sq. ft., possibly less depending on the room you get.

---

Lol, I'm starting to see that.  I'd love a room with a view, would really like a kitchenette and a tub.  Question:  Are there rooms with balconies or some roof top where I can chill out?  I found a couple but they look more like restaurant type settings that might not like me lounging, Idk.

---

Roof top bars are fairly common in the spring/summer but are likely to be closed in December. In Manhattan, at least, the narrow spaces between buildings can create some very intense winds. In the December cold, you'd probably not want to "chill out" in such a place for long, anyway.

I can't think of any hotels with single-room balconies. With kids and room service serving alcohol it's a big legal risk.

[iced]

---

@GApeachy wrote:

---

---

Lol, I'm starting to see that.  I'd love a room with a view, would really like a kitchenette and a tub.  Question:  Are there rooms with balconies or some roof top where I can chill out?  I found a couple but they look more like restaurant type settings that might not like me lounging, Idk.

---

Going to depend on the place. If you go to a historically interesting building (both my choices are early-mid 20th century classic NYC brick towers, with Art Deco touches), you can expect your "balcony" to be a fire escape. The windows will be smallish, and possibly not even open due to safety requirements. Most of the top-floor rooftops are going to be lounges/clubs, restuarants, or penthouses, but you can find rooms with those amenities for the right price. Club access is your easiest play at that type of setting, where you can hang out for an hour or two and enjoy the view, though by no means is it the only play.

Honestly, in NYC in December, you don't really want to be out on a balcony anyway...at least not an outdoor one. The sun sets at 4 PM, the towers create a LOT of wind (and thus chill), and unless you love the sounds of horns blaring and the smells of street food mixed with 100 year old heating systems spewing up street steam, you might not find it the picturesque scene you're picturing. If you do want scenery, you probably want to score a room overlooking Central Park. Everywhere else is just going to give you views of the 25th floor pet park or balconies across the street from you.

I think the thing to keep in mind with midtown NYC is that there's a lot of wealth there, and a lot of wealthy people competing for limited space. There's residential towers in that neighborhood where the penthouses command tens of millions of dollars, with a few approaching $100 million. At that level of valuation, they're not handing out hotel rooms with private rooftop balconies for a few hundred a night.

[GApeachy]

---

@iced 

That's me laughing at myself.  I'm an old country girl.....didn't think/know about winds in a big city,  and idk what I was thinking about chilln' in December.  Funny I thought I could afford so much for so le$$.  Thanks for setting me straight.  I'll be lucky I survive.