Help! NYC Lower East Side or Downtown Hotels?

[Bogwoppits]

Planning four days in NYC this half term. Looking at BA sale for flights/hotels. Overwhelmed by where to stay. Travelling as a family with teens aged 13/15. The Moxy hotel, lower east side looks interesting or the Hotel Indigo downtown. Budgeting around £850pp for flights/hotel. Want to avoid Times Square/Midtown I think, as it sounds like it’s full on even by NY standards. Maybe Upoer West Side is worth considering too as it’s more for locals with grocery stores etc and might be easier to eat affordably? Hotels seem to charge alot of extras which I’m confused by, resort fees? Also think a basketball game would brilliant to experience but no idea if that’s just a Harlem thing and are we going to be too far out if we’re downtown?? Want to plan sensibly so we’re not wasting time. I think there are itinerary apps? Is citipass worth it?? So many questions. If anyone has the time/inclination to respond I’ll send you a doughnut. 😀

First , basketball you will find in the Barclay Centre in downtown Brooklyn , the team is the Nets . Tickets may be hard to come by though .
Lower East Side is a good location as near Chinatown, Little Italy , Greenwich Village . Upper West is also good as all the museums and Centrsl Park is there. You are right to avoid mid town and Times Square . Do get a subway card .
There are loads of cheaper places to eat . Guess you would have to research that .

No, basketball is not just a Harlem
thing at all, the NBA is huge in the US.

The NY Knicks NBA basketball team play at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan and would be far nearer to travel to if they are at home then. The season starts around October 9th. Game tickets can be bought for the games quite easily , price very much depends on where you sit in the arena.

As you are only there 4 days I would stay as centrally located in Manhattan as possible near to a metro station. Do look at the BA sale.

We stayed with teens in the financial district at Club Quarters.

Big rooms. Kettle, coffee maker, fridge and microwave. Free coffee and bottled water for guests and a free laundry. Some rooms overlook the memorial pools. Next to several subway stations, some decent restaurants and a great diner for breakfast called George’s. Across the street from O’haras pub which is a must visit. You can also walk to the charging bull and the ferry for the SOL in 1O minutes. Wall Street and Trinity church and one world observatory on your door step.

You won’t be too far out in the financial district. When we go again, we will stay in the same hotel.

I would stay somewhere Chelsea / Meatpacking / Greenwich Village / Little Italy / SoHo if you are after a more residential area. Definitely more delis, cafes and supermarkets. Upper West side is quieter too but apart from Central Park and The Met is further away from the other things you will probably want to see.

Be under no illusion though that anywhere is cheaper to be in Manhattan. The USA is expensive full stop right now even before adding in The Big Apple premium. A sandwich or filled bagel is between $10-$15. A main meal in a big standard restaurant $30. A box of pre cut watermelon from a supermarket $8. Self catering will save you 20% as you won’t have to pay service charge But it’s all ££££££

We are staying here
https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/sohotel-new-york-new-york.en-gb.html?age=17&age=17&aid=964694&app_hotel_id=55984&checkin=2024-08-21&checkout=2024-08-22&from_sn=android&group_adults=4&group_children=2&label=hotel_details-u7nd3N%401695189703&no_rooms=3&req_adults=4&req_age=17&req_age=17&req_children=2&room1=A%2CA%2CA%2CA%2C17%2C17&auth_success=1

I can recommend the Placemakr on Wall Street. Big studio rooms with proper kitchens, free laundry facilities, a gym, on the express train lines uptown and near the river and Brooklyn Bridge. Bonus is that it's quiet in the evenings when all the traders and investment bankers go home!

We stayed at a Sonder - included a kitchen, dishwasher, lounge and dining table. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Worked great with teens as we didn't have to eat out for every meal

We stayed at the Moxy Downtown in the spring with kids the same age and had a blast! Location is great as you can get everywhere from Fulton Street. We walked to Seaport, world trade centre and battery park. The added benefit of the Moxy if your kids are into basketball is that it has its own indoor court! My kids played for ages in there one afternoon and the Recreation bar has loads of cool games, skee ball, pin ball so we would often head back there for a drink when our feet ached after sightseeing before going out again in the evening. Very much recommended!

You don't need a subway card if you have eg Apple Pay - you just tap the phone. You can use the same device for you and up to another 3 people. (We stayed in the James Hotel in NOMAD - nice hotel but if going back would try and find one with in room fridge and preferable laundry facilities. Area was very good though).

Thanks everyone, really helpful feedback.

@Bogwoppits The Edition is lovely. DD stayed there.

Greenwich Village is west side. We have also stayed in Soho and it’s a very different vibe down there. It was our third trip and I liked that area best. However it’s a long way to the Met!

We found the subway dreadfully old fashioned. No live train info so it can be confusing. DD lived in NY as an intern and said she never got used to it’s idiosyncratic ways. It’s also in poor condition in some places. So my advice is stay within reasonable striking distance of where you want to go and be prepared for high costs and high tips.

We stayed at the Soho Grand. Got a great deal at the time.

We are going half term - for me the pass worked out more expensive as most things we would want to do are not on there.

Something I have applied for is big apple greeter. I think it was on here I originally saw about it - you can select areas / days and then apply to have a free guided walking tour. Only issue could be if you are trying to book around it you may not hear back very quickly to know for sure which of your slots you have for (if at all).

Have you checked flight prices? 850pp for flights and hotel at halfterm sounds hopeful.

The BA sale is really good. Flying out on the Sunday evening and back Friday morning there are several hotels in the £850/£900 bracket. Cheaper than Rome where I was originally looking. Only concern is how expensive it will be when we’re there really. And whether the city is crime riddled, grimy and rat infested, as some news reports seem to suggest!

Grimy yes, but then what big city isn't? But I didn't see any rats or crimes being committed! And I didn't find it as expensive as I expected but having a hotel room with a kitchen helped keep costs down.

@Bogwoppits Ws have always booked via BA sales. Excellent prices. You just have to suck up the costs when you are there and get used to the tipping culture. We have been to Copenhagen recently and that’s expensive too. There are free things in NY so decide what matters to you. Theatre is expensive for example. There’s also take out bakeries! Easy enough to find in Soho which is a lot more “villagy”. Hotel breakfasts cost a lot but a shopping bag with a take out breakfast in the room is ok.