Where Should I Stay In New York City
That depends entirely on what you want to do. There’s something great about every neighborhood in New York, so it’s tough to go wrong. If it’s your first trip to New York and you want to be close to the tourist action, you may be interested in a stay closer to Times Square, Central Park, NoMad, or Flatiron.
Of course, these areas tend to be some of the most crowded, so if you prefer a slightly quieter stay, or if you’re a business traveler heading to Wall Street, consider downtown areas like the Financial District, Seaport, and Battery Park.
If high-end shopping and hitting boutiques is a top priority, trendy SoHo might be right up your alley. Young travelers and those looking to enjoy more nightlife will likely want to be in the Lower East Side and East Village, or in Chelsea and the Meatpacking District .
Of course, there are other boroughs outside of Manhattan to consider too. For incredible skyline views from your room, look to Brooklyn and areas like Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
Bonus 3 What You Should Know About Hotels In Nyc
- Its highly recommended to stay somewhere accessible by at least 2 subway lines so you can make sure youll have options for getting around in case one of them doesnt work. Plus, the subway doesnt pass that often during in the night time so the more options the better.
- Dont forget to double-check if the property charges taxes on top of the price shown or if youre paying for the grand total. The hotels in this article are on Booking, which is a website that shows you the final price WITH taxes, but if you book directly from the hotels website, this might not be the case.
- The rooms in NYC are usually small so, if you are traveling with kids or you have a lot of luggage, this might be an issue. Make sure to double-check the pictures for your chosen hotel and the number of square meters .
- You might find some places that dont have Wi-Fi , make sure to double-check this as well.
- Some places dont offer breakfast. If thats the case, you can go to a diner and try a real NYC style bagel instead
- Tap water in NYC is drinkable .
- It is generally expected from you to leave tips for maids .
What To See On A Budget
While many museums and sights in the city charge exorbitant admission prices, these fees are a suggested price only. You can visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art and pay whatever you please. Still, most people opt for the standard admission.
If playing by the rules is your modus operandi, deals can still be had on certain days. Head to the Museum of Modern Art on Fridays after 4pm. Its free to admire the works of masters such as Cezanne, Seurat and Pougny.
Want to learn about Native-American history? Venture downtown to The National Museum of the American Indian, which showcases works by and documents reflecting the indigenous people of the Americas. And its always free.
Although an official city pass doesnt exist in NYC, a group of locals created The New York Pass, which gets you into more than 80 attractions for free. Pay your respects at the 9/11 Tribute Center or enjoy the cherry blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. If youre spending more than a day sightseeing around town, its a great option and you can avoid the queues.
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Best Hostel In Lower East Side Blue Moon Hotel
The Blue Moon Hotel is our top recommendation for where to stay on the Lower East Side. Walking distance to some of New Yorks most famous landmarks, this hotel is close to shopping, dining, drinking and more. It boasts private bathrooms and balconies, as well as refrigerators, coffeemakers, and minibars.
Best Cheap Mid Budget And Luxury Hotels In Brooklyn New York City
Brooklyn isnt anywhere near as touristy as Manhattan and just from a quick hotel search that much is apparent. However, despite far fewer options, there are also far fewer people booking the rooms. Less demand means less supply.
Williamsburgs bars and restaurants spill out onto Berry Street and Bedford Avenue. Wythe, Hoxton and William Vale are in close proximity to this area and each other. Hotel Indigo is in a much busier area but well connected.
Further down in Brooklyn, if you can afford it, we think 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge has to have one of the best views in the city sunset over Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan every single day from the pool no less!
Here are the best hotels for each budget around Brooklyn :
- 8. Luxury 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge 8.7
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Make Sure To Get Discount Broadway Tickets
Obviously, catching a Broadway show is one of the things to do in New York City. And yesyou can do it on the cheap!
Heres what you do: check out the TKTS Booth in Times Square . There, you can find theatre tickets with steep discounts: sometimes up to 50% off! Get there early in the day to grab tickets before theyre gone.
Pro tip: If you do choose to pick up tickets in Times Square, be on your guard. Although New York City is safe, Times Square is a tourist hub, and pickpockets know it. For more info on common scams, talk to someone who lives in New York.
Best Cheap Mid Budget And Luxury Hotels In Lower Manhattan New York City
Lower Manhattan hotels typically fill up during weekdays but often run cheaper weekend prices. Like most other areas in Manhattan, you have plenty of options from budget to luxury.
We stayed in a wonderful junior suite room at NY Marriott Downtown. The high-floor room directly overlooked One World Trade Center, which lit up at night was an awesome sight. Its just a 4 minute walk to 9/11, One World Trade Center and Oculus.
Top tip: Stay in Lower East Side if youre in the city to eat, drink and party.
Here are the best hotels for each budget around Lower Manhattan :
- 9. Luxury The Four Seasons 9.2
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Greenwich Village & Chelsea Most Authentic Areas
Chelsea and Greenwich Village are two great, laid-back places to stay in New York in case you already had enough time to explore Midtown and you want to live the real city!
Some of the highlights here are the Flatiron Building, Chelsea Piers, Union Square Market and Chelsea Market as well.
One downside of staying here is that youll need to use public transportation to visit the main attractions in Midtown such as Times Square. Instead, youll be closer to the interesting sights in the southern part of the city such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and Wall Street , for example.
The Best Budget Hotels In New York Are:
Best for food and drink: Moxy Times Square, Booking.com
Best for city views: citizenM Times Square, Booking.com
Best for cocktails: Freehand, Booking.com
Best for an urban oasis: Arlo Soho, Booking.com
Best for history: The Jane, Booking.com
Best for proximity to Central Park: Pod 51, Booking.com
Best for wellness: HGU New York, Booking.com
Best for families: The Paul NYC, Booking.com
Best for futurism: Yotel Times Square, Booking.com
Best for music fans: The Redbury, Booking.com
Best for quirky design: The Moxy Chelsea, Booking.com
Best for space: The Boro, Booking.com
Best for discovering Brooklyn: Nu Hotel, Booking.com
Best for a timewarp: The Harlem Flophouse, Booking.com
The Independent’s hotel reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and book, but we never allow this to affect our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.
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Not All Locations Are Easy To Get To Manhattan From Within New York City
A lot of people think that New York City is smaller than it is. Its a huge city, so I recommend checking how long it will take to get to Midtown as many first time tourists to New York City spend most of their time in Manhattan.
If its over thirty minutes or theres multiple transfers, you might want to reconsider your choice as trains can break and taxis can be expensive
Best Hostel In Williamsburg Ny Moore Hostel
NY Moore Hostel is the best place to stay in trendy Williamsburg. At the heart of this lively neighbourhood, this hostel is close to fun bars, art galleries, hip restaurants, and independent shops.
This bright and colourful hostel has comfortable rooms, private bathrooms, a relaxing common room, and an awesome outdoor courtyard.
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What To Experience In The Upper West Side
So what will you do to keep your kids busy on your trip?
Well, West Manhattan has a plethora of options.
In addition to these, West Manhattan has really awesome playgrounds all over the districts which will be a lot of fun for your younger kids.
These include:
- Rudin Family Playground: Rudin offers a nice nature-buffered experience for the children. There are all sorts of play structures from slides to sandboxes. There is also a station for chess and checkers which the older kids might appreciate.
- Minetta Playground: it is a small colorful playground built mainly for toddlers and young children. It is gated for security and offers plenty of sitting space for parents to monitor their children.
Looking for a place to eat out as a family after all this fun and running around?
A great family-friendly option would be Spring Natural Kitchen.
This place serves organic farm-to-table meals that are not only wholesome and filling but also very affordable.
It is perfect if you have vegans and non-vegans in your family as the menu caters to everyone.
Another awesome restaurant to try as a family is Shake Shack.
This is a hamburger chain restaurant that the children will really enjoy.
The best part is that it is easy walking distance to all the districts major attractions including Central Park and The American Museum of Natural History.
Avoid Breakfast If Its Extra
My dad and I wrote an article about how to save money on hotels and one of our biggest tips is to avoid paying for breakfast if you can. Youll often pay at least $10 extra per person at cheap hotels for breakfast, so if its not included, dont be afraid to go to your neighborhood bagel shop or out to brunch in New York City.
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Hi New York City Hostel
One of the best things about staying at the HI New York City Hostel is the fantastic location in Manhattans famous Upper West Side which is just 2 blocks from Central Park plus you have a subway stop around the corner which connects you to the rest of the city.
Spicy noodles at Xians Famous Foods!
It is also a really cool neighbourhood -we discovered some great places to eat and drink on the doorstep of the hostel. Just around the corner there is Malaysia Grill which offers classic Malaysian dishes like Roti Canai and Nasi Lemak at really affordable prices. Theres also Xians Famous Foods one of Bourdains recommended eats in NYC where you can savour Xian style spicy noodle soups with delicious dumplings. Also a short walk from the hostel brings you to the vibrant neighborhood of Harlem and also the Columbia University campus where you can go for beers at the very relaxed Arts and Crafts Beer Parlour.
Lounge area, HI New York City Hostel
One of the other reasons Id recommend HI New York City Hostel is the wide range of facilities on offer to make your stay comfortable. They have an excellent in-house cafe/deli where they serve monstrous sized sandwiches with tasty fillings ranging from meatballs marinated in tomato sauce to smoked salmon or pesto chicken.
Great place to chill- Courtyard at HI New York City Hostel
Bacon and egg bagels for breakfast!
Premium dorms at HI NYC Hostel
Inside peek at the premium dorms in HI NYC Hostel
Cheap Accommodation In New York With Airbnb
If you look on Airbnb, youll often find apartments listed that are considerably cheaper than comparable hotel rooms. Wed still advise against staying in an Airbnb apartment in New York.
Heres why:
Airbnb ruins the housing market for locals
We used to be huge fans of Airbnb. For two reasons: It allows you to rent out your apartment when youre on vacation, and you get to stay at a private apartment instead of a hotel and feel at home everywhere in the world.
The basic concept is great. But these days, Airbnb is full of professional vacation rentals leased for the sole purpose of putting them on Airbnb and filled with random ugly furniture to make a quick buck by renting them out 365 days a year.
The result: The housing market in major cities has become even more overcrowded and prices have skyrocketed. People are being driven out of popular districts, which then devolve into total tourist traps. That really sucks and we dont want to contribute to this cycle any longer.
Weve had several bad experiences with Airbnb.
Whats more, weve had some very bad experiences with Airbnb apartments over the past few years and were very disappointed with their customer service.
We ended up emailing back and forth with Airbnbs customer service for several days, sometimes even weeks, only to come to the realization that guests ultimately get the short end of the stick when problems arise.
Airbnb has been illegal in New York since October 2016
Where did you stay in New York?
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Check Out All The Awesome Free Historical Sights
If you love history, youre in luck: New York City is bursting with historical landmarks, monuments, and memorials. As public spaces, theyre totally free to check out. Some of our favorite places to visit in New York involve history .
Check these sites out for sure, but for total immersion in New Yorks history ask a local history buff to make you a custom walking map that hits the spots you want to see.
Best Hotel In Lower East Side Sago Hotel
The Sago Hotel is one of our favourite hotels on the Lower East Side. Conveniently located in the middle of the city, this four-star hotel is close to bars, restaurants, museums and galleries. It boasts a variety of amenities that include an outdoor terrace, on-site restaurant and 24-hour room service.
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Why Is Brooklyn One Of The Best Places To Stay In Nyc
If you want to know what its like to live in New York City, spend a long weekend in Brooklyn among commuters and local residents eating and drinking after work in a varied selection of bars and restaurants throughout Brooklyn.
Brooklyn only has a slightly lower population than Chicago, which would make it the 4th highest population in the US if it were its own city.
Most tourists will visit Brooklyn on a first visit to NYC and leave thinking Yeah, I could live here!
Explore The Citys Amazing Parks
Dont get us wrong, Central Park is breathtaking. Its full of great trails, a zoo, beautiful lakes and plenty of green space. But the New York City park scene is way more than just Central Park.
- Prospect Park: Nestled alongside the fantastic Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens you might like Prospect Park even more than Central Park. Full of green space, gorgeous lakes, and beautiful shady bridges, you can spend an entire afternoon exploring the nooks and crannies of this magical part of Brooklyn.
- Washington Square Park:Theres always something happening in Washington Square Park. The center of the vibrant Greenwich Village neighborhood, Washington Square is home to New York Universitymaking it a youthful, lively spot. There are always people aroundlounging in the grass, listening to live music, or challenging each other to a game of chess.
- Riverside Park:One of the less-frequented parks in New York City, Riverside Park runs along the Hudson River parallel to Columbia Universitys campus on the Upper West Side. We suggest walking north through the park and then looping back toward Columbiathere, you can check out President Ulysses S. Grants tomb.
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Things To Do In Syracuse
Shop til you drop at Destiny USA, where you can browse over 200 different stores like Macys, Pottery Barn, Steve Madden, and more! Put on some sunscreen and head to Onondaga Lake Park to get in a quick jog, go rollerblading, or cross-country ski in the winter. Explore the 43-acre Rosamond Gifford Zoo to see snow leopards, monkeys, and armadillos. Have lunch at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a local chain that will leave you feeling full with Dino Poutine, Drunken Spicy Shrimp Boil, and Bar-B-Que Pork Ribs. Order the famous Spicy Hot Tomato Oil, Wicky-Wicky Chicken Riggies, or Pastas Creamy Mac and Cheese Bake at Pastabilities. Or enjoy a breakfast feast of Oreo French Toast or Lobster Benedict at Modern Malt.
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