Is visiting New York worth the cost?

[puteoli]

Yes flights are cheap at around £250, but accommodation is obscenely expensive. £140ish a night for a cheap not great airbnb, but looking more like £230 a night for somewhere nice that isn't in a dingy dodge basement.

Hotels are not much better either.

I don't get why it is so expensive. London is equally as big of an economic powerhouse, and small central geographic space.

DP and I really want to go to the MoMA, Met and Guggenheim. But the cost of the accommodation would mean we'd be eating mcdonalds every day due to accommodation.

Any thoughts/cheaper options?

It's definitely worth it! Fantastic city.

Thanks for the suggestions all! I'll look into staying further out. It just sort of feels like coming to London and staying in say Golders Green.

How many nights would you recommend? 5 or 6? I've been eyeing up some high rise hotels with swimming pools.... but no way at £2000 haha.

Thanks for the tip about airbnb! I read a weird listing where it was saying anyone who tells someone it is an airbnb is liable for a fine. I know understand what they owners meant!

now*

Six nights! As many as you can do! 😁 And yes, echo Airbnb tales - my friend had one cancel her the day before she arrived. Please also be wary of booking apartments through Booking.com too - they're often just airbnbs listed on there that booking.com has no control over.

I love New York. I went high end as it was a holiday of a lifetime for me but if you have a budget, I can see no problem staying in outside areas and commuting in. The subway is cheap and was $2.75 with a Metro card each ride when I was there with no restraints on distance like with the London Tube but as a PP said a pass might be more economical. Staying outside Manhattan is what I'd do if I went again and had budget restraints.

Food wasn't cheap in Manhattan so you need to be careful about that. I didn't see all the hot dog carts etc I expected to. Maybe I missed them? If you can push the boat out once, I'd recommend Tavern On The Green for brunch. Try and get a really good table with a view of Central Park if you can book one in advance. Food was amazing there (I had lobster benedict).

I'd plan carefully where you want to visit and make sure you go to your prime destinations first thing in the morning as it can get very crowded to get good views etc. I went to the Empire State Building first thing and it was stunning. An hour later you could hardly move.

I went to the 9/11 memorial and paid for the tour which I would recommend. It was a humbling experience but I appreciate not everyone would want to visit there.

If you are on a budget and can't afford to visit the Statue of Liberty, many people take the Staten Island Ferry which passes reasonably close to her. It's free and you simply rush for the next ferry back once you reach Staten Island (unless you want to explore). Don't try and catch it during rush hour though.

A good idea is to take the subway to Brooklyn and walked back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn bridge. Absolutely stunning views and a lovely walk.

Wow, that was an essay

We stayed in New Jersey. It was a 15 minute bus ride into Manhattan.

Hotel: New Jersey Garden Inn Secaucus/Meadowlands

Would have been more fun to stay in Manhattan but it was much cheaper. The hotel was good. It is a Hilton.

Some of the museums have times when they are free - for example Moma is free Friday evenings. Check on their website.

Stupomax I'm interested to know why you prefer Chicago? I've been to both and although Chicago is a nice city, it has nowhere near the amount of tourist appeal that NYC has IMO. It was also outrageously expensive to eat out.

I go to NY and Chicago pretty regularly. I find Chicago much friendlier, better and cheaper food, loads to see and do, great atmosphere, lots of interesting suburbs to explore.

Less claustrophobic, very walkable, great shopping.

I love the hotels and their bars and restaurants (Chicago Athletic Association especially).

And so much cleaner - Chicago is built with alleys behind the streets so there is somewhere for all the rubbish to go, unlike NY where it all just piles up in front of the businesses.

But tbh I probably also prefer Chicago because it's not so jammed with tourists and I don't feel so ripped off when I go there.

I always suggest to people to stay further out. We stayed in Manhattan but found it too full on. When we went to Brooklyn it was so nice and clean and calm! We met up with a friend who was staying in an airport hotel in Jersey for really cheap then just travelling in each day. It made it a lot cheaper for him.

Hotels are extortionate due to high demand and insane costs of land per square foot in the city.

Air BnB is your best bet, BUT be warned, its a really grey area now with lots of rentals deemed illegal (changed the rules due to intense hotel lobbying groups) so as per the advert you found, you need to have one thats owned and rented and lived in by the owner, This means they either need to be in the rental (i.e. rent you a room) or you rent a studio / flat off them in a building they own (often called grandma or inlaw apartments)

Its not a cheap city to be in, especially with the pound to $ exchange rate atm. Also worth remembering the price you see is usually not what you pay, due to sales tax (like VAT) thats added on at the till, or in services charges with tips etc. The other thing to note is the Guggenheim etc all charge entrance fees - usually $20-$25 each which soon racks up if there's two of you.

You can come and do it on the cheap with lots of walking to see stuff (and you can get an unlimited subway 7 day card for ~$30 which will take you anywhere) groupon and living social for food and entertainment deals etc. My biggest tip would be to come in spring or autumn - if you come in winter or summer you'll spend a ton of cash in coffee shops etc for the break from the weather you'll inevitably need!

I'm another one who preferred Chicago.

I enjoyed NY, especially Ellis Island, loved the history there, but I didn't rate the food and didn't really enjoy the Guggenheim.

I won't be rushing back.

We got married there last year and are going back for 5 nights this year. My 5th visit.
Planning to spend a day in Brooklyn and also Greenwich Village which we love. We stay in the Library hotel which is fabulous.

Not a patch on London IMO

So worth it!

We found we didn't really need more than 5 days there but it depends on how much you want to do. We did:

The high line
9/11 museum
Brooklyn Bridge
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Museum of Natural history
Central Park
Ice hockey at madison square gardens
Empire State Building day and night
Rockerfella Center

Would bave liked to have gone to Coney Island and done Top of The Rocks.

You can get a city pass which gets you admission to these places for cheaper and I'd also recommend a subway pass for easy travelling.

If you do go, my advice is, walk into Times Square, take a couple of pictures and then get out of there. If there's a hell, it looks, sounds and smells like TS.

And try to leave almost a whole day for Central Park. It's HUGE. Fantastic place for people watching and it'll take you hours to see it all.

Agree about Times Square.
Awful.

OP what time of year have you found the super cheap flights for? I'm planning an NYC trip for our anniversary next year but I'm struggling with when to go cheapish flights vs enjoyable weather! This thread has bee super helpful so thanks for starting it!

I'm going back for 40th celebrations I've been for my 30th and in 2003 too. It's an amazing city with loads to do in my eyes. Loads more I haven't done that's why I'm going back. We are doing 5 nights there and then in Toronto/Niagra too.
My dad visited for 7 days and still didn't touch the surface.

It's expensive that's why it's a special birthday holiday this year but worth it. Haven't been long haul since I last went, been travelling to places in Europe as it's cheaper.

I can see why we’re unable to get handle on climate change...

Definitely worth the expense. I've gone around 10 times I'd say and love it every time (usually go just before Christmas to shop).

We only stay in Manhattan if we get a good deal on Booking.com.

Otherwise we typically stay in Secaucus/Meadowlands in New Jersey (La Quinta Inn and Suites or Holiday Inn - both basic but all you need and normally include breakfast).
15 min bus to Times Square.

We've also stayed in Long Island City in Queens which is just over the water from Manhattan. 10-15 mins on the subway into Manhattan. This is handier for getting to and from the airport if you're flying to/from JFK because you can get the subway and it's on the way to Manhattan. And you can get a metro pass to cover your subway fares for a week.

Secaucus is handy if you're flying to/from Newark because it's in New Jersey. Around 20-30 mins to the airport by cab.

5 nights is more than enough in my opinion if you want to keep the cost down. But do 6 if you can, it's amazing!

And try to leave almost a whole day for Central Park. It's HUGE. Fantastic place for people watching and it'll take you hours to see it all.

Agreed. Also, the Central Park Zoo is small but an absolute gem, especially if you're there with kids.

Central Park Zoo