Can I still get around if I stay on 1st Ave in NYC?

November 23, 2004 12:20 PM

Is "location,location" crucial for a winter NYC tourist?(guess what)

NYC Feb05.10 days. Can get a good deal $150 + E33rd & 1st.
Should I spend an extra $50 a day to be in Greenwich or somewhere closer to some action?

posted by johnny7 to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

If cold doesn't bug you & you are happy to subway/cab, then that location is fine. Then again, going crosstown is the biggest pain, so if you think you'll be spending a bunch of time on the west side, you might want a hotel there. Uptown/downtown is easy.
posted by dame at 12:34 PM on November 23, 2004

Depends on your tolerance for cold and you willingness to take advantage of New York's bus system. If you can't handle long walks in the cold, and have no desire to use the bus, then yes, spring for the more expensive room. Otherwise, you'll be spending more than that on cabs every day, as there are no subways anywhere near there. Having lived a year on 26th and 1st, I can assure you that, in my experience, there is absolutely jackshit in that neighborhood, too. I would certainly spend the extra money, if I were you.
posted by saladin at 12:36 PM on November 23, 2004

What saladin said. If you're not in a cool neighborhood and not near a subway stop, you're going to be out way more money on cabs than you'll save.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:29 PM on November 23, 2004

I'd go with what you have. If NY is "foreign" to you, the relatively remove location will actually add to your stay; think of it like an outer arrondissement of Paris....
posted by ParisParamus at 1:33 PM on November 23, 2004

You might want to look downtown. There's a hotel just off Wall street (Gold st. and John st.) that has hotel rooms for 99$ a night during December.

It's a fairly quiet area (I live very near there) but the subway options are numerous.
posted by bshort at 1:50 PM on November 23, 2004

You will wind up taking some cabs from there. The closest stop is 2 avenues away (at 33 and 3rd Ave), which is a brisk 5 minute walk. And that's to a line where you're sure to need to switch to get to the west side. You'll either go up 1 stop for midtown or down 2 stops for lower manhattan.

I'd take a pass on it. Or stay a few days there and hop around some(?!). If you're going to be in town for 10 days, there's definitely the desire to scrimp on lodging. I marvel at how much a 10-day vacation to NYC must cost.

If it's business travel, then it probably doesn't matter. Go out after the biz day / conferece and get dinner drinks in another part of town. Then take a couple of subway rides and do the walk. If that's your situation, I imagine that it's fine.
posted by zpousman at 1:50 PM on November 23, 2004

And on preview: bshort rocks!
posted by zpousman at 1:52 PM on November 23, 2004

I've been in the Envoy Club before, but during the autumn, when walking's not bad. The 6 train is 4 blocks west on Park Avenue, which takes about 8 minutes to walk. You can catch a cab easily off 1st Avenue since there's a hospital across the way.

If you can afford the extra $50/day, I'd pick somewhere else if you want to be close to the Village. Otherwise, I can say that the staff and rooms at the Envoy are excellent, so you will enjoy any length of stay there. Anytime someone from one of our other offices visit, that's the first place we try to reserve. However, it frequently sells out so our people usually wind up elsewhere in smaller, cramped quarters.
posted by myopicman at 1:58 PM on November 23, 2004

Pay the extra money and go somewhere more centrally located. NYC can be overwhelming and exhausting for visitors and you'll appreciate easy (or at least easier) access to wherever you're staying.
posted by papercake at 2:11 PM on November 23, 2004

The closest stop is 2 avenues away (at 33 and 3rd Ave), which is a brisk 5 minute walk.

There is no subway there. The nearest subway is at 33rd/34th and Park Avenue. Myopicman has it right.
posted by Mo Nickels at 2:12 PM on November 23, 2004

Definitely check hotels.com. You should be able to find a better deal in a better location.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:26 PM on November 23, 2004