Lone traveler to NYC using Airbnb?

[PoisonousSmurf]

I want to go to NYC, but my husband hates big cities. All the hotels seem to be very expensive. Then I found the 'joys' of Airbnb!
Has anyone been to NYC as a lone woman and did you feel safe?

I've visited alone there twice. Shortest visit was 6 nights. It's an extremely safe and very fun city. I've stayed in an Airbnb there once. It was great, but i missed the housekeeping. It's also illegal, so you need to ensure you can deal with the very possible consequences of that.

Airbnb is illegal? So if the immigration officer asks where I'm staying, I have to lie and say I'm in a hotel?

we stayed in Long Island City which was much much cheaper than NYC, and max 20 minutes from Times Square by subway.

Yes it's illegal in NYC. Give them the name/address of a hotel. But really it's the other residents of the apartment building you'd need to worry about.

Subletting accommodation is illegal. Stay in a hotel.

Yes it's illegal and in June, a vote passed for additional fines and enforcement actions to be taken against hosts found to be subletting for less than 30 days.

I suggest Googling AirBNB New York legal, reading the recent articles about the changes and the fact that AirBNB are not going down without a fight, and making your own mind up about the risks.

But they aren't popular in NYC and as above, if you do go ahead, you might have to use subterfuge with neighbours and customs.

Our family have used air bnb in NYC and it was fine
You should give immigration the correct address - I wouldn't give them false info. Immigration don't care about air bnb - it's the NY city that have a problem with it

Thanks for the info. Good to know all the pitfalls before being stuck in one.

NYC as a lone woman isn't an issue as long as reasonably street wise. If you'd stay in London alone then you can stay in NYC alone.

(For someone not at all streetwise - male or female - I'd suggest they find a hotel in mid-town and don't venture too far south or north.)

You need a bit of money in Manhattan though - especially with the pound this weak. I'd rather have a holiday in a budget on London where so many museums and galleries are free. Very little is free in NYC and when it is, it's packed.

And YY to short lets being illegal there. And also bedbugs rampant. Either shell out and stay in a decent hotel or save u and wait to go when you're feeling more flush.

I am a lone woman currently in New York on business. I wouldn't stay in airbnb. There are so many hotels around there really isn't any point. I do a lot of trips to NYC. Pick a reasonably central hotel preferably with breakfast and you will be fine. I walk everywhere and eat out alone in the evenings. Never had a problem

I stayed there alone earlier this year, four blocks away from Avenues A to D in lower east side, which were rough back in the bad old days. It was fine everywhere I went, most of the outer neighbourhoods are now gentrified, crime rates nothing like what they used to be.

Same as London really, look like you know where you're going, don't get into an empty subway car or cut through parks after dark, listen to your instincts.

There is the very odd dodgy housing estate, but you're unlikely to accidentally stumble into them.

NYC is perfect for solo travel, even eating alone in the evenings isn't a problem, everywhere I went had loads of people on their own, lots of restaurants with counters and bars actually set up for lone diners.

Do not use AirBnb for NYC; practically all apartment rentals of under 30 days in that city are illegal. Fellow apartments renters can and do complain to the super of the building and tourists sometimes find that they have nowhere to stay or that the apartment is not as advertised. Many NYC apartments are tiny in size as well and not all of them have lifts.

Quite apart from those issues there is also a vast opportunity on such sites of being scammed as these sites do not check the veracity of listings. You will need to stay in a hotel instead.

You will be ok in NYC on your own providing you use common sense. Generally speaking you should always be aware of your surroundings.

First of all subletting is not illegal, and AirB&B isn't illegal, per se. The problem is the type of apartment and situation. If you were renting a room in someone's apartment, that would likely be all right. Also, if you really research, you should be able to find a cheaper hotel, or a "real" B&B.

But NYC is a not only very safe for women, but also very comfortable. It's perfectly fine if, for instance, you go out to a restaurant alone.

Depends what you want, an entire apartment in Manhattan is illegal, booking a room isn't (many rooms are ensuite).

I did this in Chicago this year. My hosts were a lovely couple . I basically arrived chucked my bag in my room and headed straight out to an event and got back after midnight and we sat chatting for a good hour. They were leaving early in the morning and offered me a ride to the station (although I was welcome to stay after they had left). They were traditional Airbnb ers enjoyed hosting people from other places and chatting . If I attend the same event another year I'd definitely book again , the room was a tenth of the price of the nearest hotel and actually closer to the event. Airbnb isn't for everyone but if you want to live like a local it's fab and very single traveller friendly.

Thanks for all your replies. I might save up a bit more and bring a friend and treat ourselves to a nice hotel in Manhattan. In a few years.

It is illegal in NYC and they are cracking down. If you want to use airbnb go to Jersey City or Hoboken. Downtown Jersey City (newport and exchange place/ paulus hook) and Hoboken are fine for a single female. The hotels around Newport can be reasonable so don't discount them. Check the Holland Tunnel Motor Lodge, Doubletree and Marriott Courtyard. In Hoboken the W hotel sometimes runs specials for $150 a night if you pay in advance. If you want recommendations of airbnb places I know three people who are signed up and can refer you to them.

I've stayed on my own for a few days in NYC in a timeshare apartment which my friend was unable to use. It was fine, even though it was in the Winter and bitterly cold.

I was quite happy to go to the box office and get a ticket for the David Letterman (comedian) TV show (before he left the CBS station the shows were recorded at 5pm and broadcast late at night across the USA).

I also went to see a performance at Carnegie Hall, just across the street from the apartment, and went to see a matinee of 'Jersey Boys', went to a few museums and galleries and did some shopping. I had no problem using public transport in the evenings - I just made sure that I wasn't standing on my own at the subway platforms and stood near groups of people.

A good place for a single traveller or a couple to check out which is inexpensive by New York standards is the Pod Hotel (actually there are now two of them, the original is on East 51st St (near the Rockefeller Center, MoMa etc.) and also on East 39th St: www.thepodhotel.com

Also you may get a good rate at the Holiday Inn Express hotels in NYC.