Good afternoon/morning; whatever the case may be.

Hi,

I am making a trip to New York early next month with a mate of mine. We would like a hotel that is around $100 for both of us per night and has relative proximity to ';where it all goes on';, should i say. Don%26#39;t want to be stuck far out from attractions/city centre, or whatever the case may be.

It is my first trip to the US, so looking forward to it immensely.

What about attractions ? We are in our mid-late twenties, btw.

I am especially looking forward to stacked pancakes, yankie-style eggs, etc. Is there a breakfast bar that you might reccommend that perhapos is near to an attraction that you reccommend; ie. beside Central Park / adjacent to somewhere that you might hop off at on the New York bus tour, etc.

Please forgive me as know very little. Have used these forums on trips before, but I am confident that the New York forum surpasses anything else :D ;)

What about a nice American grill serving good steaks / ribs, etc. ? Perhaps go to Times Square at night and dine at one of these beforehand ??

Thanks v.much in advance,

Andrew.

Good afternoon/morning; whatever the case may be.

Oh, and I am from Northern Ireland, so know very little !

Please Help !!!

:)

Good afternoon/morning; whatever the case may be.

You%26#39;re going to struggle with accommodation for that price this late on in the day. Try www.secondhomesecondavenue.com, www.bedandcoffee.com and www.chelsealodge.com. These are all shared bathroom places but all in a good location (for me personally bed and coffee is in the worst location of the three). You could also try some of the YMCA%26#39;s.

Here are a couple of links that might help

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k659365-鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k669721-鈥?/a>

Good ribs near TS - Virgils.

And invest in a good guide book - the attractions you might like to see will differ from those say I would or someone else. My top ones are in no partic order

Top of the Rock

Empire State Buidling

Time Square

Central Park

Brooklyn Bridge (walking Brooklyn to Manhattan)

Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty

Macys

Greenwich Village

Chinatown (for a wander to see the fish markets and for food)

Link to Virgils (their trainwreck fries are to die for!) http://www.virgilsbbq.com/

So, you%26#39;ll be there in November. I agree that finding good hotel for %26lt;$100 may be a challenge, especially at this late date, but do try. Try going throuogh Orbitz, and the other discounters, Hotels.com, and the Hotel links at the airlines.

Some hotel names Ipicked up in this forum:

30/30 Hotel - There have been some mixed reviews, but it may work okay if oyu are flexible.

Da Vinci Hotel

Cosmopolitan Hotel

Newton Hotel

You can Google for the websites. Those 3 may be more than $100 if they have space, but worth the try.

Check the websites for Comfort Inn, Travelodge, Days Inn. They may have some lower rates.

Are you a member of International Youth Hostel, and are you interested in these places? There are a few few IYH and private hostels in Manhattan. Worth checking out.

Breakfast in NYC - there are a couple of different ways to go - working class and middle class. By working class, I am thinking of breakfast and lunch places that serve up a quick meal for people getting to work. It has nothing to do with social class, and everything to do with getting breakfast on the way to work. These are often small lunch counter places that may have a few tables or booths. You can sit at the counter and wathc the cook, who is a flash of arms and eggs and toast. The food is usually great, if a bit on the greasy side, and cheap. You can still get breakfast in these places for as little as $1.99 for 2 eggs, home fries and toast. You will find these places in residential neighborhoods and in high density work areas, such as the Garment District (mid 20s to the upper 30s between 5th Ave and 9th Ave), all along 2nd and 3rd Ave, Broadway, Columbus or Amsterdam Aves. above 59th street, etc. Less likely in Times Square or other touoristy areas.

What I am calling middle class, is more visually attractive or cushy. The places are generally larger, as are the prices. The portions may be larger, but not necessarily. But the presentation is nicer, and the food may be a bit less greasy. And you won%26#39;t get to watch the cook. There are a lot of delis that will serve an awesome breakfast like this, but expcet to pay $6 to $10 or more, depending on where you go.

My suggestion is to experience both. I have no specific places to recommend. I am sure others will.

Attractions - Check out Greenwich Village at night. Lots of night life there, live music, dance, sports bars, hang out bars, etc. Also check out other nieghborhoods both to walk around and for night activity - Upper West Side - 60s to 90s+ Broadway and either side. Union Square, Tribeca, Soho, Little Italy, East Village - all these neighborhoods pretty much connect to each other, not necessarily in the order that I have noted them.

Thanks v.much, folks - you have been most helpful !

Am also spending a couple of days with my mate at Westchester.

Getting around is best in a Subway, right...? :)

Definitely try hotels.com - you can see places in your price range at a glance and it will check availability for you. Although if there is somewhere you particularly like the look of or read up on an area and fancy it then it would be worth contacting the hotels directly.

Subway is probably the cheapest way to get around (other than walking of course!) but I thought I missed a lot by zipping around underground.

Would probably rate the choices like this

Walking - Cheapest, most interesting (you can always stumble across an area that you want to explore more) but slowest.

Subway - Fastest, next cheapest to walking, but you might miss a lot of sights for the ease of getting from A-B quicker.

Bus - Same as subway but you get to see the sights, same cost (get a metrocard, have a look on http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/metrocard/index.html for more info) but a slower because of traffic.

Taxi - Most expensive, do it at least once just for the experience! Slower in traffic as with anywhere.

And don%26#39;t forget the water-taxi if it happens to be on your route - its a fab way to see the skyline and get where you%26#39;re going at the same time.

nywatertaxi.com

Hi Andy. Keep in mind that Manhattan Island is only 2 miles across and 8 miles long so nothing whatsoever is far away. You%26#39;ll be delighted with the ease of getting places in Manhattan. I used to presume New York City (in my mind comprising Manhattan) was a tangled, bewildering overcrowded, frenzied place, but being there was so-o-o easy to navigate.

Also, public tranportation is bounteous. I%26#39;m staying at Holiday Inn Express Metro Tunnel in a couple of weeks and it%26#39;s in Long Island City across the river in Queens. Even so it%26#39;s on a subway line which makes it quite central. A Trip Advisor member%26#39;s good reviews from a very recent visit steered me in that direction. The hotel%26#39;s lowest rate, for any kind of room, is $128 plus tax (@ 14%?), and it%26#39;s a widely available price.

My point is that to get a room in your price range requires booking outside Manhattan but booking outside Manhattan doesn%26#39;t necessarily isolate you from it. Do check hotel forums for places in Queens and nearby New Jersey on the public transit and you won%26#39;t miss out.

The two of you will have a blast!!! :-)

Actually, Manhattan is 12 miles long, but if you are not going to the Cloisters, it is easy to forget about that top part up there... ;o)

Oh! Quel bleu! I%26#39;ve been wrong all this time! [giggle] That still makes it 30 sq mi. Our school district is 89 sq mi so Manhattan seemed cosy. Well, sort of. (But you don%26#39;t have the Cone Road grain elevator, do you?)

Sorry for silliness. It%26#39;s Friday.

I want to go to The Cloisters, even though I don%26#39;t exactly know what it is/they are! Over the years I%26#39;ve heard good reviews from credible people. Now at least I know it is/they are up North a ways.