NYC hotels

[Kate Ashlock]

Hi all,

I've been scoping tripadvisor and other sites for a hotel to stay at for 2-3 days (depending on the price) prior to our Sept 2006 cruise.

I was a little shocked by the prices and now I'm so not sure where we should stay. I'm worried that by taking a cheaper route we will really be sacrificing cleanliness and service.

We'd like to spend our time checking out the museums near Central Park so I was thinking the Upper West Side might be a good spot, but I'm totally open to suggestions from people that have been there ....

[LisaP]

Hi Kate. NYC is terribly expensive, yet you'd have to get pretty far away before the prices become more reasonable. I travel to NYC quite often for business, and find the area near 54th and Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas)/Broadway to be very convenient. There is a lot of foot traffic at all times of day and night, which makes me feel safer about staying there, too. It's close to the Broadway theatres and the Museum of Modern Art, and a 10-minute walk to Central Park South. Upper West Side may be OK, too, but the closer to the park, the better.

Which museums are you thinking of visiting?

[Kate Ashlock]

Thanks for your reply Lisa. We ended up booking a hotel across the road from the American Museum of Natural History. This was one of the museums we wanted to stay at, so it is very convenient. Subsequently we are also about 2-3 blocks away from Central Park South and should be in reasonable walking distance to the various other museums. I can't wait for this trip!

[LisaP]

Glad you got the hotel you wanted, Kate. Growing up in New York, I used to visit the Museum of Natural History on field trips from school, and we'd have to write a report on what we saw. I definitely prefer visiting as an adult.

I'm a bit confused about the location of your hotel. The Museum is on Central Park West around W. 80th Street, about 20 blocks from Central Park South (CPS is a portion of 59th Street.) Or, do you have one hotel booked pre-cruise and a different one post-cruise? Both are great areas, BTW.

[Sandy]

Natural History museum is in a great area. Leave lots of time to see the museum and the new Rose Planetarium.

Sandy

[Kate Ashlock]

Sorry Lisa, I meant the south tip of the actual Park, not the street.

The hotel is across the road from the museum which is adjacent to the park if I read the map accurately. Seems like a good area for me, and ultimately I'm cabbing it to the port from wherever we stay, so I wanted to pick a locale where we could see the sights we wanted to.