New York holiday - December
New York holiday - December
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Sgt Bilko

Original Poster:

1,929 posts

245 months

Monday 25th July 2011
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I've been roped into going on a family holiday the first week in December to New York (tough decision eh!). Brother, Mum & me.

Seemingly since I'm the only one who can use the internet without accidentally booking home delivery of a camel, i have to sort the flights and lodgings out. Now having never been to NY, I'm at a loss as to what to do.

Flight preferably direct from MAN to any NY airport. Those appear to be quote easy to sort.
Accommodation seems to be a little trickier. Is it better to have hotel stay (three going, all three need their own room) or source an apartment for the week (Thur night to Mon day)? We are looking around Central Park (is that "Midtown"?). The amenities of the hotel don't bother us as we intend on eating out where possible.

Any suggestions?

Also, any good suggestions on "things to do/things to avoid" would be very welcome.

Cheers

Matt..

4,031 posts

219 months

Tuesday 26th July 2011
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Use the search. This question comes up all the time!

davepoth

29,395 posts

229 months

Tuesday 26th July 2011
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I think you'll be better off with hotels, that's a pretty short stay. How much are you looking to spend per person per night?

h0b0

9,084 posts

226 months

Wednesday 27th July 2011
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It's going to be very cold.....



Sgt Bilko

Original Poster:

1,929 posts

245 months

Wednesday 27th July 2011
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Tried the search - didn't find anything specific. Thanks for your input.

Cheers for the pointer towards hotels. Spend-wise, ideally not a huge amount, but enough to be comfortable/safe/enjoy it (no poverty towers and no Waldorf)

Cold I can deal with thanks. I word outdoors in all conditions.

ian-r

36 posts

211 months

Wednesday 27th July 2011
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Went to New York around a year ago now.

Hotel wise we stayed in one highly recommened to us which was the New Yorker:

https://www.newyorkerhotel.com/reservations-adword...

It was brilliant, traditional NY skyscraper, very clean and nice inside. We caught the train from JFK airport straight to the subway, which took us direct to a subway station at the side of the hotel. I think it was around $80 for a cab into NY city but train was only $10. It was my Fiancees 21st birthday and the Hotel upgraded us a room overlooking the Hudson. Very affordalbe prices there too. As you walk out the hotel the Empire State building is right in front so its in the middle of everything.

I will say that it is very expensive to eat and drink there, in my opinion, depending on budget, which we didnt expect. The bus tour is probably the best way to go around the major sights and see them all, Subway is fairly easy to use as well. We did a lot of walking around to see most things off the bus trip.

In the bus trip was a free Hudson river trip down the the Statue of Liberty, well worth it. I think the bus trip is around $70 for 3 days with the river trip, worth every penny.

I dont know if you have been to America before but the tip culture is rife in NY. Every where and every one wants a tip, most people tell you how much they want you to tip them. We wasnt expecting it say take enough $1 bills.

Feel free to give me a shout if you have any more questions and enjoy the trip and central park is midtown (Central park is amazing although you cant escape from the nosie of the city!)

Ian

Matt..

4,031 posts

219 months

Wednesday 27th July 2011
quotequote all
h0b0 said:
It's going to be very cold.....
I'd rather be in NYC in December than July!
30c+ in NYC is horrendous.

ian-r

36 posts

211 months

Wednesday 27th July 2011
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Matt.. said:
I'd rather be in NYC in December than July!
30c+ in NYC is horrendous.
2nd that...

AdeTuono

7,626 posts

257 months

Wednesday 27th July 2011
quotequote all
h0b0 said:
It's going to be very cold.....
We've been to NYC in November/December for the last 5 years and it's been exceptionally mild (although I generally don't feel the cold too much). Daytimes it's been OK just wearing a shirt and light jacket. The only time I felt cold was on the Staten Island Ferry, when it was bitter.

Mind you, open top bus tour through Harlem was a bit chilly around 17.00hrs...

h0b0

9,084 posts

226 months

Wednesday 27th July 2011
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Matt.. said:
I'd rather be in NYC in December than July!
30c+ in NYC is horrendous.
Agreed. And I bloody live there.

The weather around November and December can be very unpredictable temperature wise. I have been in central park in a t-shirt in November and I have seen snow storms the next day.

K50 DEL

9,767 posts

258 months

Thursday 28th July 2011
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AdeTuono said:
We've been to NYC in November/December for the last 5 years and it's been exceptionally mild (although I generally don't feel the cold too much). Daytimes it's been OK just wearing a shirt and light jacket. The only time I felt cold was on the Staten Island Ferry, when it was bitter.

Mind you, open top bus tour through Harlem was a bit chilly around 17.00hrs...
Same here, in fact I choose to travel to NYC at that time of year as the climate is so much nicer than mid-summer.
Hotel / apartment wise, try www.vrbo.com for apartments, mid-town's a good place to be, as is the upper east side, lower east side's a little more bohemian though good for nice restaurants.

Plenty to see and do in NYC at any time of year, don't miss a Broadway show (remember most theaters are dark on Monday nights) don't bother with Ellis Island, do the full circular tour of Manhattan on one of the cruise boats. Head to Fulton Ferry State Park for the best skyline photo of Lower Manhattan.

Beardy10

25,428 posts

205 months

Thursday 28th July 2011
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ian-r said:
Matt.. said:
I'd rather be in NYC in December than July!
30c+ in NYC is horrendous.
2nd that...
Have you ever been to New York when it's so cold your face goes numb if you walk more than a block ? Or then there's an ice storm ?

I hate the heat but believe me I'd rather be then when it's very hot than when it's very cold...I've been there for both quite a bit.

greygoose

9,669 posts

225 months

Thursday 28th July 2011
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Having breakfast in a diner rather than a hotel is generally cheaper if you are on a budget.

Loads of stuff to see and do there depending what you are interested in, e.g. museums, art galleries, shopping (should have Christmas displays at that time), sightseeing.

The subway is the easiest way to get around quickly. Staten Island ferry is free and gives good views of the city. Grand Central is a magnificent building inside.

Empire State Building has fantastic views both during the day and at night.

If you fly into Newark then you can get a good view of Manhattan as you come into land.

Sgt Bilko

Original Poster:

1,929 posts

245 months

Thursday 28th July 2011
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Thanks for all the info folks. Really appreciate it!

Robatr0n

12,362 posts

246 months

Friday 29th July 2011
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ian-r said:
Matt.. said:
I'd rather be in NYC in December than July!
30c+ in NYC is horrendous.
2nd that...
Couldn't agree more! It was well in to the 40s when we were in Vegas but it was much more comfortable than 35c in New York.

The first time I ever visited New York I had absolutely no idea what the weather would be like. For some reason, I'd made up in my mind that it was going to be like the UK but perhaps a touch warmer so the warmest item of clothing I had was a thin jumper.

Turns out that NY is actually bloody freezing in April! It even snowed.. hehe

SunnyD

698 posts

206 months

Friday 29th July 2011
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Decent central hotels can be mighty expensive so an apartment might be your better option. Try roomarama.com or housetrip.com you could probably get a pretty nice 3 bed for half the price of three hotel rooms.