Plan Your Trip For The Winter
New York travel prices can be steep, especially during peak travel seasons. If youre looking to design a budget trip to New York City, think about visiting in the winter.
Will it be cold? Yes, probably. But New York City in the winter is a magical place. Between ice-skating, hot chocolate, and holiday decorations, its an enchanting time of year to visit .
Where To Stay In Long Island City
Courtyard by Marriott Long Island City/New York Manhattan View
All rooms are equipped with a desk, an iron with ironing board, flat-screen TV and a coffee maker. Some rooms offer a view of the city as well. The fitness centre at the Courtyard Long Island City/New York Manhattan View is equipped with cardiovascular equipment and free weights.
Best Western Plus Plaza Hotel
All warmly decorated rooms at the Best Western Plaza hotel offer a refrigerator, coffee maker, and a spacious work desk Each room includes a hairdryer and free bathroom amenities. This hotel provides a daily continental breakfast and a 24-hour business centre. A concierge service is available to all guests.
Nesva Hotel – New York City Vista
A work desk along with an iPod docking station is featured in each room at Nesva Hotel Long Island City. Select rooms offer views of the New York City skyline. Breakfast is served each morning and it features hot coffee or tea along with fresh fruit and pastries. A business centre is available for guests. A 24-hour reception is also provided.
Where To Stay In Lower East Side
Hotel on Rivington
Some of the rooms at Hotel on Rivington are fitted with a balcony, tub, steam shower and/or floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The property is designed by architects Grzywinski + Pons. The property has a coastal Mediterranean restaurant onsite, called Café Medi. Guests can dine at the bar, the atrium dining room or on the sidewalk patio
Madison LES Hotel
All guest rooms include a coffee maker, a work desk and a flat-screen cable TV. Guests of Madison LES can use the on-site business centre or fitness centre. Flatiron Building is 2 miles from the hotel, while The Highline Park is 2.2 miles away. LaGuardia Airport is 9.3 miles from the property.
Hotel Indigo Lower East Side
Each room here will provide you with a minibar. Featuring a bath or shower, private bathroom also comes with a hairdryer. Extras include a desk, a safety deposit box and ironing facilities. At Hotel Indigo Lower East Side you will find a 24-hour front desk. Guests can dine at Mr. Purple or enjoy a dip in the open-air, heated pool.
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Best Hostel In New York Blue Moon Hotel
The Blue Moon Hotel is our top recommendation for a New York hostel if youre on a budget. Walking distance to New Yorks most famous landmarks, this hostel is close to shopping, dining, drinking, and more.
It boasts private bathrooms and balconies, as well as refrigerators, coffeemakers, and minibars.
Why Is Midtown South In Manhattan One Of The Best Places To Stay In Nyc
As mentioned above, you are right in the thick of Manhattan in this area. Grand Central and Penn Station are close, providing transportation access and subways are aplenty.
International visitors: Penn Station is the easiest place to access Manhattan from both JFK and Newark.
Shopping, dining and tourist attractions are easy to reach, plus you will get to see more of NYCs most iconic landmark the Empire State Building.
Hotel options span the budget ranges and it is a less chaotic area than Times Square.
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Best Hotel In New York Freehand New York
Located at the heart of Midtown, Freehand New York is our top choice for where to stay in New York City. This hotel is close to the best landmarks, museums, and restaurants in New York.
Rooms are spacious, comfortable and outfitted in a modern-rustic décor. The hotel has a coffee bar, dry cleaning service, and on-site restaurant and bar.
Are Taxis Safe In New York
New Yorks famous yellow taxicabs are as they are in the movies all over the city. They are easily identifiable, obviously. Theyre YELLOW.
Make sure you get a licensed cab though. Youll be able to tell these are legit from the ID number on the taxi sign on the roof and on the hood of the car.
There ARE other companies, which arent yellow, like the street hail liveries, which are light green. Again, IDs are on the sign and the hood.
You can either hail a cab on the street or go to a taxi rank. But youll need to make sure you know where youre going and speak confidently to the driver so they dont mess you around.
When arriving in New York at the airport, you may be offered a taxi from a tout at Arrivals. But dont think youll be saving any time by doing this these taxis are often unlicensed and generally not safe for your money, at least. Youll run the risk of getting ripped off.
Either queue up at the airport taxi rank or call a New York City car service which will take you to your destination for a flat rate.
Taxis are safe in New York. And youre bound to have an experience in taxis alone, pretending youre right out of a movie.
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Best Homestay In New York Bed
This comfortable private room has its own entrance and two huge windows that let in plenty of light! This warm and characterful homestay is packed with vintage decor, giving an intimate feel. You can choose between preparing a meal in the kitchen or making food with the microwave and mini-fridge in your room. Look out for the cats in the communal areas!
Things To Do In Central Park
You can easily spend a full day walking around Central Park.
- Dont miss Central Parks The Mall, Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge and The Ramble.
- Nearby world famous museums include The MET, Natural History Museum and Guggenheim Museum.
- Easy access to the upper parts of Midtown, such as 5th avenue shopping, Top of the Rock, MoMA and Broadway.
We would recommend looking for a hotel right along the southern edge of Central Park or as close to it as possible for your budget.
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Places To Avoid In New York
In order to have a safe visit, its important to know the areas in New York that arent super safe. Keep in mind that New York is a major tourist city, so wherever you are, you will have to watch out for pickpocketing and petty theft.
Luckily, this also means that most of New York is pretty safe. Things only change at night this is where youll have to start being very careful. To help you plan a successful trip, weve listed the neighorhoods with the hightest crime and assault rate below.
- Vinegar Hill
- Theatre District / Times Square
- Meatpacking District
Other areas that you should be careful at are public transport stations at night, especially the subway, dark side streets , and any area that looks like tourists dont often go there. Stay away from these areas and youll have a great time in New York.
Best Cheap Mid Budget And Luxury Hotels Near Central Park New York City
Central Park hotels are abundant but do tend to span the higher price point bracket. A budget hotel around Central Park could cost more than a Mid Range hotel in Times Square.
We stayed at 1 Hotel Central Park and it was fantastic. The materials of wood with wrought iron were elegant and relaxing. It reminded us of when we stayed in traditional Ryokans in Japan.
The Whitby Hotel has a 9.5 rating, which is the joint highest Booking.com rating in New York City . We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon tea in the Whitby Hotel bar area.
Here are the best hotels for each budget around Central Park :
- 1. Budget La Quinta 7.4
- 10. Luxury The Whitby Hotel 9.5
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Getting Around New York City On The Cheap
Balancing safety with your budget is important when you travel solo. The New York transit system works well and is generally very safe. Yellow cabs are more expensive but safe. Uber and Lyft are s slightly more expensive option to cabs and have their safety system built in through the rating process. I don’t recommend ever getting into an unmarked cab though I have often been offered one in New York.
New York Neighborhood Guide
New York City is one of the most massive and sprawling cities in the world. A epicentre for food, fashion, culture, finance and trade, NYC is truly a global metropolis.
It is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the planet each year New York City attracts more than 50 million domestic and international visitors to tour its museums, gawk at its iconic sights, and stand at the center of Time Square.
Divided into six boroughs, New York City is home to 59 neighborhoods. Each borough has its own unique culture and atmosphere, and could be a city all on its own. In fact, if Brooklyn was its own city, it would still be one of the biggest cities in the US. For that reason, we are going to focus on accommodation in Manhattan, NYCs most famous and touristy borough.
Midtown is the heart of Manhattan, and where you will find NYs most iconic landmarks, like Time Square, Rockefeller Centre, Broadway and Bryant Park.
North of Midtown are the charming neighbourhoods, Upper West and Upper East Side. On either side of Central Park, these neighbourhoods are home to world-class museums, verdant parks, and famous addresses like Madison and Park Avenues.
Still not sure where to stay in New York City? Dont worry, weve got you covered!
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Midtown Where To Stay In New York City For The First Time
Midtown is the neighbourhood at the center of Manhattan. Stretching from the Hudson River to the East River, this neighbourhood is home to famous architecture, vibrant streets, and world-renowned landmarks.
Midtowns most famous attraction is undoubtedly Time Square. Nicknamed the crossroads of the world, this part of Midtown is awash with bright lights, entertainment and shopping.
No first trip to New York City is complete without a visit to Broadway. A historic and cultural landmark, the Great White Way is famous for hosting some of the greatest theatre and musical performances of all time. Whether youre a longtime culture vulture or new to the scene, you wont want to miss the chance to see a show on Broadway.
When it comes down to it, Midtown is quite touristy, but this means its home to some of the best attractions in NY. Thats why Midtown is our pick for where to stay in New York for sightseeing.
Midtown South Manhattan Where To Stay In New York City To Be At The Heart Of Everything
Midtown South in Manhattan is about the closest area we could come up to encompass the strip of real estate between Madison Square Park and Bryant Park, sandwiched between 5th and 6th avenues.
This central strip of Midtown South is where you will find NoMad, Koreatown, Empire State Building and Macys department store.
Technically this area could stretch a little further South and West into Chelsea, which we loved walking around but think is more for third, fourth or fifth time visitors to NYC.
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Live Like A Local In New York City
Why Stay In Brooklyn
This is another great option for people looking to stay in New York on a budget, Brooklyn, however, is much more than a budget option now offering a microcosm of culture of its very own to explore. With popular areas such as the hipster Williamsburg offering artisan cafes, markets, vintage stores, and art galleries to the popular areas on or near the waterfront like Greenpoint, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, and Dumbo. The Museum of Moving Images is a popular destination as well as the various flea and antique markets that happen on a daily basis and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Its very easy to take the train or the ferry into Manhattan so theres no need to miss out on any of the sights there either. Perfect for people who like a more relaxed, edgy vibe.
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Where To Stay In New York For Any Budget In A Nutshell
- 5 areas of New York City: New Your City is divided into 5 counties, called boroughs. They all have their own identity that goes back to 1898 when they were all united in one municipal government. The best area to stay, especially on a first trip, is probably Manhattan. However, I would not discount the other boroughs, especially if you want to explore outside of the beaten path. Here below a map of the boroughs. They are all connected with city subways, buses and ferries. Read more below on all the 5 counties
- Best place to stay in New York first time: My suggestion is to stay in Manhattan, unless:
- you want to book your accommodation close to U.S. Open Tennis Championship
- you are traveling on a budget and you plan a long stay, one week or more. I will talk more about it later
- Can you tell me more about Manhattan: yes, I have written a full guide about the Island of Manhattan that you can read here.
Why Is Central Park One Of The Best Places To Stay In Nyc
This area is where to stay for a relaxing, quiet and calm New York City visit but with fairly easy access to the touristy spots in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan.
It is a very safe area, extremely family friendly and more upmarket than the likes of Times Square. Those who prefer to travel in luxury should look at hotels in Upper East Side.
Visitors who would like to walk or run around Central Park on a morning couldnt ask for a better location. Subway access is good but not the best. However, this is a very walkable part of the city.
It does take longer to reach the top sights in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, plus this is a more expensive area in general to stay and eat for those traveling on a budget to consider.
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