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Thread: New York City: I Have To Ask

  1. #1
    Williamsmith
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    New York City: I Have To Ask

    My 35th wedding anniversary is coming up this summer. My wife is constantly commenting on the fact that she has never been to New York City. You see where this is going.

    I hate the thought. There is seemingly nothing I feel I am missing out on, but I’d like to surprise her with a trip there. I thought about a bed & breakfast outside the city for accommodations but would consider a place in the city. I’m concerned about getting around in the city. I also have no idea what to take her to. I can drive to a staging area outside the city, it’s close enough to my home logistically.

    If you were going to plan this.....what would you do?

  2. #2
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    A couple of years ago, we went there for several weeks to attend the Met’s production of The Ring. My wife found us an apartment within walking distance, and it was great.

  3. #3
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    Instead of surprising her, how about telling her now and letting her plan it? I bet she'd love to plan it and I bet you would enjoy not doing so.

  4. #4
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    (Source: former resident of NYC suburb; have visited twice in the last decade)

    Do it! I would get a place near most of what you want to see. NYC sprawls and you'll need to be a fair amount away for any savings on a place to stay after you include transportation costs and time lost during your visit to being in whatever conveyance gets you around. And -- it's a room. You just need someplace clean enough to sleep and bathe. You could check AirBnB or VRBO to see if you can get a better deal for a room than by using a discount from GroupOn or through your credit card company or some affinity group to which you belong (AARP, etc.) or through a travel consolidator.

    Transportation choices are rife. There's buses, cabs, the subway, ride-sharing services,... Walking works really well and if you're out at normal hours and aren't looking like a tourist and dripping with jewelry and $350 "kicks" you'll be fine. Last time I was in NYC I stayed in a hotel near Grand Central Station (disclosure: paid for by work); it was an easy walk to Times Square and the Empire State Building and the Museum of Modern Art and it really would not have been hard to keep going down to the 9/11 memorial or the South Street Seaport for part of the day. I knew I could grab a cab if I got too tired during the walk.

    This is where your wife comes in. If she's wanted to go to NYC for a loooong time, she likely has ideas on what she'd like to see and do. Tammy's idea of letting her plan it is a great one. That also will help define where you might want to stay.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  5. #5
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    Stay downtown!!. All is within walking distance and you can even try a taxi or the subway. We have some really funny stories about each. I loved the Met Museum of Art (takes 2 full days). Each of the museums we went to were huge. Loads of great restaurants of all ethnicity. I walked from Columbus Circle to the WTC. It was a long way but there is much to see. We were interested in food so checked out the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle and the Chelsea Food Market. We enjoyed a long time spent at Grand Central Station. Big food market and huge fast food eating area with some wonderful stalls.

    There is a huge cooking school for chefs that has recreational classes and has some walking food tours around NY. We took one from a walking group around Chinatown and one around Greenwich Village and had a great time. Loads of walking tours for allmost any interest. The cooking school's website is https://www.ice.edu/ .

    We occasionally just walked up to a box office and asked what tickets they had available. Saw a couple of shows. Since we were already downtown, we did not have to worry about leaving the city. We felt safe and always surrounded by loads of people.

    ps: you can stay in a sterile fancy hotel for big $$ or try one of the odd ball bed and breakfasts or small hotels. I recommend 23rd Street area.

  6. #6
    Yppej
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    I went several times, using both train (once) and car (other times) to get there. If driving look for a hotel that has subsidized parking. Once there I walked, took the subway, or took cabs. Once I walked so much I and my cousin's feet were horribly blistered so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. One thing I have not done that appeals to me is see the city by boat cruising down the Hudson River.

  7. #7
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    Hubby and I spent 8 days there a few years age, due to a work conference. We selected the lodging and meals ourselves and were reimbursed or hubby used company cc. There were eight couples all spread out. This is a time where you really need to rely on the online ratings! We did well in an independent hotel / apartment building, but some who booked chains were very disappointed.

    We used ride shares, subway and walking. I have to say that I never felt unsafe - if that is a concern. With your background, you'll be fine, I'm sure!

    Like you I imagine, we were not eager to go and now can say it's a check mark off the bucket list ( and an experience we'll treasure) but will not return.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Sad Eyed Lady's Avatar
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    Oh yes, do it! I have been three times and have loved being there each time. Stay in the city. If you are walkers, then that is the way to see things. For getting somewhere quick take the subway. I have used walking, subway, bus and even uber the last time I was there (because the friend I was with wasn't much of a walker but loved uber!). The two times DH and I went we felt we got a pretty good deal through combining services (fight, hotel and shuttle service) through something like Expedia. There is just an energy there that is hard to explain unless you feel it. GO!
    "Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in the midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free." Leonard Cohen

  9. #9
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    I would definitely stay in town. You have to have the total NYC experience. Check around for good hotel rates, or airBNB. Midtown/Times Square would be the most central to get anywhere you would want to go. Upper West Side near Central Park, or Union Square area are a tad quieter and more "residential", but still have lots of things nearby. The Village/Soho is a lot of fun. None of the neighborhoods are quiet, though--this is the City That Never Sleeps, and it's really true. If you want a bit more peace and an escape from Manhattan's high energy, try staying in Hoboken. You take the PATH train right into Manhattan and it's very quick and cheap.

    If you shop around and are flexible with dates, just play around on Expedia or some other travel site you like. Hotel rates are very random. You may pay $400 one day and $130 the next for the same room. Depends on the season and what's going on in the City.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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  10. #10
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    I have never been, but if I do go, I want to stay at the Algonquin and see the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building and Central Park. Oh, and the Dakota, at least a walk-by since I was a huge fan of Rosemary's Baby.
    I have visited these places so many times in books that it would be cool to see them with my own two eyes.
    I fully agree with involving your wife in the planning process.

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