New York City travel suggestions

[eddysnake]

I just received an email and I won 2 tickets to see Paul McCartney at the Apollo theater in Harlem, NY on Dec 13. Somehow I got picked out of the millions of sirius subscribers, I still can't believe this. It's been a long time since I've been up to NY. Anyone have any suggestions on getting up there?

I could take the AMTRAK from altoona to Penn Station for $260 round trip (roughly 7 hours) or I could drive 6 hours. Seems like driving would be alright until you get to New York, then it may be a pain. Any suggestions on places to stay around Harlem? Not looking for anything fancy.

[Kraftster]

Wow, congrats. That's crazy to win with those odds.

No suggestions, though, sorry.

[stopper40]

No suggestions but I'm jealous. Congrats, enjoy

[DocEmrick]

Driving up there can be a real pain, especially when you get close to the city. I'd definitely suggest mass transit, train or bus. Once you're there, it's easy to get around, so definitely leave the car at home. As for places to stay, can't help there, but there should be plenty of places. Pricing might be a little high for less because it's NY. I used to regularly travel there, but I never had to get a hotel.

[JoseCuervo]

mega bus

[rasbatch]

If your a musician check out Manny's cool store!

[slappybrown]

I just received an email and I won 2 tickets to see Paul McCartney at the Apollo theater in Harlem, NY on Dec 13. Somehow I got picked out of the millions of sirius subscribers, I still can't believe this. It's been a long time since I've been up to NY. Anyone have any suggestions on getting up there?

I could take the AMTRAK from altoona to Penn Station for $260 round trip (roughly 7 hours) or I could drive 6 hours. Seems like driving would be alright until you get to New York, then it may be a pain. Any suggestions on places to stay around Harlem? Not looking for anything fancy.

Do not take AMTRAK. The 7 hours advertised is not accurate in any way.

[eddysnake]

we are either going to save the money and drive up or drive to the brothers in Jersey and take NJ Transit up from Trenton. Probably looking at staying at the Belnord which is 3 blocks from Central Park and 2 miles from the Apollo. We'd be close to the Park and Rockefellar plaza which would be cool in winter if we are only going to be there for a day or two.

[slappybrown]

we are either going to save the money and drive up or drive to the brothers in Jersey and take NJ Transit up from Trenton. Probably looking at staying at the Belnord which is 3 blocks from Central Park and 2 miles from the Apollo. We'd be close to the Park and Rockefellar plaza which would be cool in winter if we are only going to be there for a day or two.

NJ Transit into Manhattan isn't bad. Driving to NJ and then training it in is fine.

[eddysnake]

we are either going to save the money and drive up or drive to the brothers in Jersey and take NJ Transit up from Trenton. Probably looking at staying at the Belnord which is 3 blocks from Central Park and 2 miles from the Apollo. We'd be close to the Park and Rockefellar plaza which would be cool in winter if we are only going to be there for a day or two.

NJ Transit into Manhattan isn't bad. Driving to NJ and then training it in is fine.

At this point since we'd be driving all the way to NJ, would it still be better to do the NJ transit or just drive into the city? I'm guessing it will probably be cheaper to park the car in NJ rather than the city for a night or 2

[blackjack68]

I work in Trenton and have taken the train a few times. It's $15 each way from Trenton or Hamilton Station (more suburban and just off Route 295) to NYC/Penn Station. Parking at Hamilton is about $18 for a 24-hour period, but I forget the hourly rate.

Hotels are really expensive in NYC especially this time of year, I would Priceline a 4-star for $125-150 and see if you get any takers and then increase a little.

[blackjack68]

Yes, take the train. Saves a lot of hassle of driving and parking in the city.

[cheesesteakwithegg]

$260 seems expensive for a round-trip train ticket. That being said, Ive never rode a train, so I am not sure what the going rates are. Just seems a little pricey off the top of my head.

[JoseCuervo]

Yes, take the train. Saves a lot of hassle of driving and parking in the city.

PATH ftw

[mac5155]

i took the train from greensburg to altoona and it was about 35 round trip.

[shafnutz05]

I recommend staying in Harlem

[shafnutz05]

Yes, take the train. Saves a lot of hassle of driving and parking in the city.

PATH ftw

Just had to take the PATH from Newark to Jersey City, what a mess that was (a bunch of power lines are down)

[eddysnake]

I recommend staying in Harlem

done. will you be our private security?

[Marshall Dylan]

Whatever money you might save driving will be more than consumed by parking costs. If you park someplace cheap outside of Manhattan, then you have to pay fares in and out of the city.

Amtrak used to be horrendously late, but they've gotten better. You can check the arrival times of recent days on their website to see if they're running on schedule lately. If you take the train, take something to read or some other distraction. There isn't a lot of scenery going across PA.

Price seems expensive, but they're like the airlines in that it costs more at the last minute. If you're a AAA member, Amtrak offers a discount. I think it's 10%.

Look for hotels on the Upper West Side and take the subway to the Apollo. Try tripadvisor.com for the best deals and reviews so you can find a decent hotel at a reasonable price. Warning: NY hotels are usually insane price-wise Dec. 1-15. Things settle down from Dec. 16-30, then get crazy again for New Year's.

[PenguinSteve-o]

I just know that around Manhattan, closer to Central park, where my friend lives there were alot of parking spaces, even when I got there after Midnight. There are spots to park over night for like Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs. Kinda weird. If you are going for a day or so then just park somewhere there and take the subway. Might have to move your car before the next night.

[eddysnake]

Thanks all, got it narrowed down to 2 places in the upper west side

Hotel Alexander
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60763-d649058-Reviews-Hotel_Alexander-New_York_City_New_York.html

Belnord Hotel
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60763-d217627-Reviews-Belnord_Hotel-New_York_City_New_York.html

Anyone have any suggestions for places to eat, nothing extremely fancy, someplace nice to grab a bite before the 8pm show.

[tifosi77]

My co-worker lived in Manhattan for a long time and he suggests the following:

For extreme bare-bones accommodations, there is the YMCA on 92nd street. If you're after a more boutique small hotel type of thing there's the Hudson Hotel near Columbus Circle.

For eats, if you like soul food there's a place called Sylvia's in Harlem that's apparently pretty chill.

[eddysnake]

rad thanks, while I'm used to staying in $2 hostels in Mexico, I think we may go real classy and stick with the 2 star hotels, but I'll check out Hudson Hotel. Will check out Sylvia's as well. Thanks!

[Letang Is The Truth]

bump - looking to travel to NYC august 10-13 this summer. looking for some nice accommodations in a location that is close to food and attractions. budgeted hotel spend around 350/night max. based on feedback in this thread it appears easier/more economical to park outside side and train it in?

[shafnutz05]

bump - looking to travel to NYC august 10-13 this summer. looking for some nice accommodations in a location that is close to food and attractions. budgeted hotel spend around 350/night max. based on feedback in this thread it appears easier/more economical to park outside side and train it in?

I say train it in for multiple reasons. We parked at a valet garage there, and I was appalled at how the gutter trash that worked there treated the vehicles they parked. I heard tires squealing everywhere.

And I know I sound like a broken record, but I REALLY recommend using Priceline to find a nice hotel in Manhattan. We stayed in a really nice Hilton (Avenue of the Americas) for like $140/night.

You don't have to stay in a cheap, dive-ish place at full price.