New York City travel suggestions

[Letang Is The Truth]

interesting.

[mac5155]

Quite

[Fire0nice228]

With those sites like priceline you cant pick the number of beds in the room right?

[shafnutz05]

With those sites like priceline you cant pick the number of beds in the room right?

No, but you can request a king bed usually when you get there.

[mac5155]

With those sites like priceline you cant pick the number of beds in the room right?

No, but you can request a king bed usually when you get there.

This has been the case in my instances too. As long as they have one vacant they will usually allow it, unless you're going from 2 double beds to the penthouse suite obviously.

[Fire0nice228]

I need 2 beds so does it auto book 2 beds or is it random whether you get one or two that you cant find out till you get there or call them?

[shafnutz05]

I need 2 beds so does it auto book 2 beds or is it random whether you get one or two that you cant find out till you get there or call them?

Generally, since most bookers prefer king beds, you have a better chance of getting doubles anyway.

[MelicharSux]

I need 2 beds so does it auto book 2 beds or is it random whether you get one or two that you cant find out till you get there or call them?

It auto books a King (or room for 2 people or something). I just call the hotel immediately after a bid is accepted and request 2 doubles. I haven't had a problem yet.

[pittsoccer33]

ive booked rentals cars on priceline before. that only works with airport locations.

you put in your airport, the dates you want the car, and the car class (compact, full size sedan, small svu, etc), and your daily bid amount. it works the same way. if they accept it you are charged on the spot and cannot cancel, if not you can try another car class or wait a day.

i got a mazda 3 at the tampa airport for $14 for 8 days this way. also got a cadillac xlr for $48 a day in tampa. the cheapest i did in boston was a ford fusion for $90 or something like that. boston's car rental taxes at the airport were insane.

[Letang Is The Truth]

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.

bump. looking to go to nyc for bastille day in july. looking to stay in times square area. considering parking in NJ and taking train. how long is the train ride usually? does it save on the headache and $$ driving in?

[CERV96]

If you like pizza go to John's Pizzaria in Times Square.

[manicmonday18]

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.

bump. looking to go to nyc for bastille day in july. looking to stay in times square area. considering parking in NJ and taking train. how long is the train ride usually? does it save on the headache and $$ driving in?

I can't speak for the stay in NJ and train it in idea bc I've never done it, but I highly recommend using Hotwire or Priceline. The deals for NYC are insane. I routinely get 3.5-4.5 star hotels for <$250 per night including the ridiculous NYC taxes. For those of you worried about beds I always just call after finding out which hotel I got and request 2 beds. (it's usually a mother-daughter getaway to NYC in the summer for me.) I've always had my requests met with no issues. Also had the $20 trick work multiple times (google it). I'm going July 25-28 and staying at St Giles the Court and booked with Hotwire for like $150 a night....so with tax I think it was like $200 a night. Considering we can walk nearly anywhere we want to go or quickly board a train, it is infinitely better than wasting time taking mass transit into the city...to then take mass transit. The website betterbidding.com basically breaks down how to use Priceline and Hotwire in every situation and also gives you a complete and detailed list of possible hotels in each zone. It's so useful you usually can narrow your mystery hotel down to 2-3 choices.
As far as staying IN times square, there's no real reason to. Those hotels are swarming with idiots and in general not very nice. Stay a block or two away at a minimum. The "Times Square" intercontinental is the perfect location...about 2 blocks away so away from the insanity but close enough to walk literally anywhere. Staying on the south (east or west it doesn't matter) areas of central park is Also a fantastic option especially in the summer. Close Enough to walk to times square but quickly Able to enjoy all of the park as well.

Must eats:
Shake shack (convenient location near times square but the original in Madison square park is worth the experience...expect a long line)
Patsy's (Italian...great for before a show)
Wafels and Dinges (liege waffle cart in central park by plaza hotel but also other locations...use google or twitter)
Magnolia bakery (location near NHL store/rockefeller plaza is very convenient)
The burger joint hidden in the corner of le Parker meridien (delicious and quite the experience)
Soured hospitality (Justin timberlakes restaurant....delicious BBQ and most importantly Mac and cheese)

Highly recommended tour company:
City sights (the blue buses you see everywhere. Night lights and sights tour and the Brooklyn tour are must sees. Definitely worth the money)
Go to the top of the empire state building at NIGHT
Go to the top of the Rock during the DAY (you can see the park)

[ExPatriatePen]

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.

bump. looking to go to nyc for bastille day in july. looking to stay in times square area. considering parking in NJ and taking train. how long is the train ride usually? does it save on the headache and $$ driving in?

Depends on where you catch the train and wether you're taking PATH or NJTransit.

In any case the schedules are all on line (for the commuter rail - NJTransit) and the subway (PATH) runs no less than once an hour.

Me? I'd definitely park the car outside Manhattan, as for staying in the city or over in Jersey, that depends on how many are in your party and what your onjectives are.

[Letang Is The Truth]

Definitely staying in the city

[Letang Is The Truth]

whats up with the meat packing district? my aunt recommended a pretty cool looking hotel near there/soho but we had are targets set on staying somewhere midtownish

[ExPatriatePen]

whats up with the meat packing district? my aunt recommended a pretty cool looking hotel near there/soho but we had are targets set on staying somewhere midtownish

Dude, don't sweat what part of Manhattan you stay in. With the subway system, you can get end to end in 30 minutes.

Actually, I prefer the upper west side. But yeah, I'd stay where you get the best value and use the subway to get around.

[Letang Is The Truth]

ended up getting hotel mela on priceline for 170/night last night. very excited to go. whats the best way to drive from pgh? down 80 all the way?

[ExPatriatePen]

ended up getting hotel mela on priceline for 170/night last night. very excited to go. whats the best way to drive from pgh? down 80 all the way?

Depends on traffic.

If its expected to be a busy driving period, then yes. I take Rt. 28 up to I-80 and head straight across.

But the fastest way, is straight down the PA Turnpike to Carlylse then up 81 to 78 then straight past Mikey on 287 and you're there

[Letang Is The Truth]

we are planning to leave pgh around 4-5pm and drive straight thru

[ExPatriatePen]

we are planning to leave pgh around 4-5pm and drive straight thru

The drive will take you about 8-8.5 hours if you observe the speed limit. (Which I recommend you do, the State troopers are a nasty unforgiving bunch)

You're going to have a lot of traffic from Pittsburgh to Breezewood at that time of night. From Breezewood to Carlysle you should pretty much cruise.

Carlysle to I-78 will probably be around 7-9pm so it shouldn't be too bad. I-78 is pretty easy but you'll be sharing it with a lot of 18-Wheelers.

Once you cross the Delaware (about 11pm - Midnight) the Drive across NJ will be easy.

If you take the Rt. 28 to I-80 option, you won't have much traffic but the trip will take a bit longer. (an hour or so?) It *is* safer though, the PA turnpike is one of the most dangerous highways I've ever traveled.

Good luck

[Letang Is The Truth]

any really unique or dynamite restaurants (breakfast lunch or dinner) that we should definitely try? we are doing book of mormon friday night but open for anything other than that. max price range would be about 120/person

[PensFanInDC]

Don't take the megabus

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/2-injured-when-megabus-from-pittsburgh-crashes-in-new-york-694793/

[King Sid the Great 87]

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.

bump. looking to go to nyc for bastille day in july. looking to stay in times square area. considering parking in NJ and taking train. how long is the train ride usually? does it save on the headache and $$ driving in?

Trenton train station is a dump and the neighborhood is sketchy. The parking amenities were garbage every time I was there (I left Southeast PA in '07 so it may be improved). It's better to drive the extra few minutes and go to Princeton Junction.

From the Monroeville exit, I'd say you are looking at about 5 1/2 hours if you only stop when you need gas. Traffic is negligible almost the whole way. It might be crowded in places but you will never be crawling if there isn't an accident. Once you hit Donegal, you'll cruise clear to King of Prussia and even that should be pretty clear in the evening.

From Princeton Junction, you will be at Penn Station in less than 90 min on NJTransit.

[rarst17]

I'd recommend leaving the car in Weehawken and taking the boat across the river. It's definitely less stressful than driving into the city and less boring than taking a train into the city. The Staten Island Ferry is also a decent option and it's free (just the ferry, not parking).

[Letang Is The Truth]

We are driving in to manhattan not worth the hassle with all the stuff and not having to worry about a schedule when we want to leave