Yeah, New York

Xander

You Can Call Me Ash
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
4,507
Age
39
Location
Own Imagination
(Sorry, felt like a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song title)

Anyway me and two people from work are considering a holiday in New York because one of them wants to move there in a year or two. Was just wondering if anyone could help me find hotels and flights (from the UK) for fairly cheap.

We're looking at Brooklyn area (dunno why, the guy who wants to move there decided) and I've looked through all the brochures and they're mainly Manhatten.

Plus any advice, suggestions etc will be appreciated.

Oh and a question. London is much more expensive then the rest of England, is New York the same (I know its not the capital but t'is a pretty intregal part to America really)
 
Ah I so cannot help you I just wanted to say how jealous I am, heh. Me and a friend was sort of planning a New York trip this summer, but that will so never happen cause I don't have the money. But anyways, that sounds like a lot of fun.
 
There was another question I was going to ask but I forgot. Heres one I can remember:

What are the taxi fairs like? Because we're doing this independantly we're going to have to get a taxi from the airport (looking like JFK) to our hotel, which could be anywhere. I've seen offers for a car to pick you up for £70 to your hotel, which isn't too bad when split with 3 people. Also saw a limo for £100, which would be amusing.

Also I text the main person and he said anywhere is fine, but I still wanna mooch around Brooklyn because I think thats where he is really interested.

eponinethen, I've been wanting to go for a while but never thought about it. When it was suggested I was like "yeah, why the hell not?" because I have had money saved up and never really had a plan for it. I'm really looking forward to it, and looking forward to getting past the horrible planning stage. Booking flights, hotels, insurance etc. Its all boring.
 
I don't know Brooklyn very well. But I will tell you if you decide to stay in Manhattan DO NOT (repeat DO NOT) stay at a place called the White House. It is the biggest dump on the planet lol. A lot of people from the UK stay there cause it's cheap but like, I've heard there aren't even real walls between the rooms.

If you are going to Brooklyn, I would probably just get a cab from the airport. The flat fee JFK to Manhattan is $45. I mean, if you want to pay extra to have a "car" go for it, but I think you'll end up paying more. Taxis are $2.50 flat fee and then I think 40 cents per 1/5 mile or each 2 minutes in traffic. So depending on where in Brooklyn you're going you can decide.
 
Finally, remember what I wanted to ask. Two of us will be under 21 so we know we can't drink or go to clubs but we were wondering if there were any under-21 clubs (or preferably 18-21) because we'd still like to go out even if we don't drink.

Thanks for the help BS. I'll make sure to avoid the White House. Flat fees are cool, wish that happened here.
 
Aah lucky you going to my fave city! NYC is more expensive than most US cities (aside from perhaps LA) - I have REALLY good friends living in LA, NYC and London and they are all from here so we have all compared 😀

One thing I would recommend is if you want to see a Broadway show then line up at the TKTS booth in Times Square. There are other locations but this is the one I went to...major discounts on both Broadway and off-broadway shows..the lines go really fast too. I saw the Rocky Horror Picture show and it was awesome. Sebastian Bach (of Skid Row) was in it and Sally Jesse Rapheal was the narrator, and I was on the isle seat so Sebastian touched my hair! LOL And I saw Paul Rudd, Rachel Weiz and Gretchen Mol in The Shape Of Things and Paul sat down next to my friend and I.

As far as hotels..I heard the Holiday Inn near Columbia University was good but not sure about outwards from Manhattan. I personally also found the cab fares there to be really inexpensive...my friend lived in Queens and we cabbed in once or twice but mostly I would just take the subway into Manhattan and then around the city (I bought a weekend pass for 17 bucks or something..MUCH cheaper and you can ride all you want!)

OH I also went and saw live performances at the Apollo theatre in Harlem which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone who likes live performances!
 
J
Jacklyn
I officially hate you now :) Sorry-I love Paul Rudd! :)
One of the guys from work is going next week and he's staying in a hotel across from Macys in Herald Square, will find out from him the prices and stuff and what its like 🙂
 
Oh, I just have to say: New York rocks! 😀 It's like the best place I've ever been to. I will never forget the time I got lost in Macys. I finally found the exit but I came out on a totally diffrent street and had to walk really long to get back where I started from. hehe.
Will people laugh at me now? 😀
 
Jenny said:
Aah lucky you going to my fave city! NYC is more expensive than most US cities (aside from perhaps LA) - I have REALLY good friends living in LA, NYC and London and they are all from here so we have all compared 😀

One thing I would recommend is if you want to see a Broadway show then line up at the TKTS booth in Times Square. There are other locations but this is the one I went to...major discounts on both Broadway and off-broadway shows..the lines go really fast too. I saw the Rocky Horror Picture show and it was awesome. Sebastian Bach (of Skid Row) was in it and Sally Jesse Rapheal was the narrator, and I was on the isle seat so Sebastian touched my hair! LOL And I saw Paul Rudd, Rachel Weiz and Gretchen Mol in The Shape Of Things and Paul sat down next to my friend and I.

As far as hotels..I heard the Holiday Inn near Columbia University was good but not sure about outwards from Manhattan. I personally also found the cab fares there to be really inexpensive...my friend lived in Queens and we cabbed in once or twice but mostly I would just take the subway into Manhattan and then around the city (I bought a weekend pass for 17 bucks or something..MUCH cheaper and you can ride all you want!)

OH I also went and saw live performances at the Apollo theatre in Harlem which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone who likes live performances!
I really only take cabs from the airport (because of having bags) and if it's real late at night and I can't walk.

There is a TKTS booth at the South Street Seaport, where the lines are much shorter so I recommend that. You can get tickets for that night's show, or the next day's matinee. (FYI not open on Sunday). Only thing is that there aren't always all shows available, but you do save a ton of money.

I know that there are Under 21 clubs, though I can't recommend any since I didn't live here when I was that age lol
 
Most of the big clubs in NYC are 18 to party, 21 to drink.

I'd definitely check out Webster Hall. It's really eclectic and definitely a good time.

Cabs will definitely get expensive. I'd recommend buying a good subway map. Most of Manhattan (with the exception of the Village/Downtown) is a big grid with streets and avenues moving in number (mostly) order. It's really easy to find things.
 
S
SlayerThe
Does this mean you'll show me all the hot spots when I come up?
Cordelia said:
Most of the big clubs in NYC are 18 to party, 21 to drink.

I'd definitely check out Webster Hall. It's really eclectic and definitely a good time.

Cabs will definitely get expensive. I'd recommend buying a good subway map. Most of Manhattan (with the exception of the Village/Downtown) is a big grid with streets and avenues moving in number (mostly) order. It's really easy to find things.
Unless you're Jacklyn 😛


Taxis do get expensive, but they are relatively inexpensive compared to other cities. 🙂

A great map to get is one from Staples (though I'm sure they sell it elsewhere, that's just where I got mine). They are these little fold out maps with the subway map on the outside and then it folds out into a street map. But it's durable and fits easily in a purse, plus you're not trying to hold thi shuge street map in the middle of the street and looking like a total tourist lol
 
S
SlayerThe
Same thing I said to Cordelia ^
J
Jacklyn
*GASP* Yeah, I live here and I still get lost, but Buffy, that was a hit below the belt!!! *sniffle* ;)
Looks like the ladies from the previous postings have you covered as far as everything that concerns clubs, taxis, etc. Good. They'll set you on the right track.


Now, Xander, as far as you guys wanting to go galavanting around in BROOKLYN, of all places, as well as your friend wanting to LIVE there....allow me to give you THIS advice.

If you must visit Brooklyn, do it during the day. Please. There isn't a whole lot in Brooklyn, at night at least, that you can't find in Manhattan. In fact, I think it would be a lot safer for you and your mates to get the hotel in Manhattan.

MANY Brooklyn neighborhoods are not safe, and make the nightly local news with alarming frequency....Bed Sty, Brownsville, East New York, just to name a few. Don't go to those neighborhoods just to prove to yourself that you aren't scared of going there, either. That would be, and is, sheer folly. Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, Park Slope, and Greenpoint are safe for the most part, except they get deserted at night, leaving open the chance for a mugging, or worse. If you must go there, then you are all better suited hanging out until 8 or 9PM, then taking the subway back into Manhattan. As I said, there is nothing in Brooklyn you cannot find in Manhattan. Most people, who live even in the nicest parts of brooklyn, are there only because of the outrageous rents in Manhattan.

Here is a listing of the worst Brooklyn neighborhoods:

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Red Hook, Brownsville, East New York, South Flatbush, and portions of the Bushwick Upskill Neighborhoods: Brooklyn Heights, Bay Ridge, Greenpoint, Bath Beach, and North Bay Ridge-South Sunset Park . Stay clear of these, seriously. Hang out in Manhattan. There ARE cheap places to stay there....and cheap doesn't necessarily mean dump.

Here's a couple of cheap hotel sites you might want to take a look at later on.....

http://www.justnewyorkhotels.com

http://www.bookitcheap.com/cities/nyc/


~~~~~~~~~~~


Xander said:
Oh and a question. London is much more expensive then the rest of England, is New York the same? (I know its not the capital but t'is a pretty intregal part to America really).


New York City (and I mean all five boroughs, as Manhattan is NOT the whole city), is the number one most expensive city in the United States according to most listings, including this one:

The Ten Most Expensive U.S. Cities

Here's the entry for #1:

1. New York, NY

"We dare you to find a student discount that actually resembles a discount. We dare you to feel OK about shelling out nine bucks for a movie, 25 bucks for a club entrance, or 63 bucks for a monthly MetroCard. And we double dare you to find a 'reasonably priced' apartment ($1,000/month) that isn't shoebox-sized and in a 'questionable' neighborhood. And that's why NYC is full of rooms split into rooms split into rooms - because not everyone can make the salary of 40-50 grand needed to pay the rent.

And yet, we're willing to pay exorbitant prices for our own bites of the Big Apple.

Why? We dare you to give up the bright lights and top billings of Broadway, or the world-famous art housed in some of the world's best museums and galleries. Could you? How about skipping out on an hour-long jog through Central Park, a trip to Yankee or Shea Stadium, or a night out in the Village? It's OK"¦ we can't give this stuff up either".
 
LOL-it's usually 9 bucks a movie in the Bronx, but *makes snooty voice* people are scared of the Bronx, so they miss out.... LOL 😛
 
Well either way $9-10.50 is not much different to the UK, sucky UK 😛

Thanks for all the tips, advice etc. Im not too worried about the cost of taxis because between 3 of us it wont be too bad.

The hotel I have in mind is http://www.excelsiorhotelny.com/ because the rate between us all isn't too bad for what it offers. Although breezing through the site it doesn't mention Quad Rooms, what I was looking for.

Cordelia said:
Most of the big clubs in NYC are 18 to party, 21 to drink.

Ta that would be ace. Personally im not fussed about drinking. Im drinking my first alcohol drink for 2 weeks at the moment. My friend might be a bit more...eager to drink but we'll see.

The guy who wants to move to Brooklyn said he wants to move to a particular area that is safer, but cant remember the name. Im sure he'll check it out though while there. Ta for the little snippet though.
 
Back
Top Bottom