New York Accommodation

[valleygirl]

I'm hoping to drag my bf to New York for New Year's Eve for a few nights and am wondering if any of you have any good suggestions for decent, but CHEAP accommodation in New York - don't mind a hostel if it has private double rooms, anyone know of the Gershwin for example, or how to get a room at University Dorms whilst students are away for the break? Got to decide if I want to book the flights by tomorrow, so all suggestions welcomed.

Ta very much
valleygirlx

My brother and his wife who is terribly terribly, always stays at the...wait for it....Ymca - they have basic rooms there and he reckons its fine

You might want to consider doing a home exchange - look at Digsville for instance. I haven't done it yet but am planning to try it next year. Good thing about it is the accommodation's free!

I stayed at the Gershwin with my best friend a couple of years ago (left kids and partners at home!)- we had a really good time! The hotel is certainly not deluxe, but it was interesting (original pop art all over the walls) with very nice (and exceptionally attractive!) staff. Our room, although apparently one of the most basic, was just fine, with good clean bathroom, air conditioning, tv, phone with voicemail etc. We thought the loaction was good - a short walk to the Empire State, a longer walk to the museum mile or wall street (but we took the subway, which we found to be frequent, clean cheap and safe). The hotel is set in a part of town which was once home to the garment trade, and its not particularly fashionable, but not at all rough.

Wherever you stay, I'm sure you will have a fab time- I still count the five nights I spent in NY as one of my best holidays!

btw, the Gershwin has a website - we booked online for convenience, with no hitches.

spacemonkey, thanks for that link, I am now desperate to do a swap almost anywhere but we would need a month-long House Doctor/Changing Rooms kind of effort throughout our house before I would dare put it in!

managed to find excellent rate at the 4* Intercontinental at The Barclay, Midtown for just over £80 per room per night - website was www.needahotel.com
got a 12.5% discount as i work in travel, but still, looking at new york accommodation "discount" websites, they were all quoting crazy prices - $150+, plus taxes, for very average 2-3* hotels, with shared bathroom - probabaly sharign with cockroaches!

If anyone's been over Christmas/New Year period and have any must-do recommendations, would love to hear your stories!

know what you mean janh, i've got the same problem here, but i'm hoping to have the place up to scratch by next year (but i haaaate decorating soooo much!)

valleygirl

Christmas/New Year period and have any must-do recommendations, ice skating and the Christmas tree at the Rockefellar Centre. ice skating in Cenral Park, Shopping at Barney's. Met Museum. A concert at Lincon Centre. Rent a car and drive up the Hudson River to West Point (Day).Do not go to time square on New Years eve unless you want to get mugged, crushed and left stranded. Let me know what you are into and I will give you more info. Dress warm as you can freeze your bits off that time of year.

Also want to go to NY but have different concern - how do you transport your baby (she'll be about 18mths by the time we go) in cabs?? Can they provide carseats if you call up and order a cab? Sorry if it sounds like a dumb question but I have no idea what people do - and there must be parents travelling with babies all the time. After experiencing NY traffic, don't want to chance it without having her properly strapped in.

My friends in nyc with babies just hold them/strap them in the seat belt with them in cabs. Even I who am completely obsessive about car seats did this.
For the most part though, I took the subway (even at night). It's clean, easy, reliable and cheap. Although most stations don't have escalators or lifts, I rarely had to wait for 10 secs. before some stranger was offering to help carry ds's buggy down/up the stairs. And people frequently give up their seats, even in rush hour.

To be a taxi driver in NYC you need the following qualifications. 1) You have had to arrive in the USA within the last three months. 2) You cannot understand English. 3) You don't know your way round. 4) You must drive over every pot hole in the city ( there are many). 5) you must be able to scare your passengers big time. 6) You will always take the west or east side highway if you can, as the fare is twice as much.
Saying all of that we took the kids in the Taxi's all the time. You just have to keep reminding him/her to take it easy.
I would not want to get caught down on the subway late at night.

This might be a bit late for you, valleygirl, but a couple of times in NYC we have used 'At Home In New York.' They rent appartments which can be hosted or unhosted and are pretty reasonable in comparison to hotels.

Got the best and cheapest hotel in NYC - Carlton Arms. It's mad, all rooms decorated differently, we were lucky we had blue paradise, or something. Loads of travellers stay ther. Can't reccoment enough, so cheap and good fun.

They don't seem to have their own website but type Carlton Arm hotel NYC into google and there's info on it there.

Valleygirl - are you going to be able to go clubbing? If you can and are interested - must go to Body & Soul. Amazing atmosphere. Sunday daytime is a good one to go to. Have a room for breakdancers, could have stayed all day and night watching and listening to the fab music. Really friendly raw NY club.
Central Park - during day - rollerskating park - brilliant even just to watch.
Went one evening too and we heard classical music and stumbled upon these people waltzing around the fountain, must be a little club that get together to do it. Also fab restaurant in park by lake.
Do NOT boither going to Statue of Liberty, just take free Staton Island ferry for great view of Manhattan.