Yankee Stadium Help

May 17, 2007 9:26 PM

Surprise trip to NYC to see a Yankees game. I know nothing of NYC. Please help me figure out where to fly and where to stay.

Game is at Yankee Stadium, on a Saturday afternoon (4pm start). I'd like to fly in on Friday sometime and out on Sunday, early, like before 10. What area of NY is convenient to the stadium to stay in (I'd like to spend less than $300/night) and which airport should we fly to? I'd rather not need a car, but I assume some sort of public transportation (the subway) will get us to and from the game?

I feel like an idiot, but I've never been to a big city, and just want to take some special people before they tear down the stadium.

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

You're going to want to stay in Manhattan, although Yankee Stadium is in the Bronx. The Bronx is very convenient to Manhattan via the subway. You'll see from this map that the B, D, and 6 trains all end up in Yankee Stadium (look for the 145th/Riverside Drive stop in the Bronx. You should be able to find places in Midtown for less then 300 a night, I couldn't tell you where exactly to stay though, anyplace in Midtown will be nice enough though.
posted by jourman2 at 9:33 PM on May 17, 2007

Also to get from either airport, Newark or JFK, to midtown Manhattan you can catch a train. Either the Long Island Railroad or New Jersey Transit depending on where you fly into.
posted by jourman2 at 9:37 PM on May 17, 2007

Sorry for the disjointed info, but for example there's Holiday Inn in Midtown East according orbitz.com that you can stay at for 269 a night. It'll be convenient to the 6 train which will get you directly to yankee stadium
posted by jourman2 at 9:40 PM on May 17, 2007

none of the airports is really that convenient to the stadium, and you won't want to stay nearby, so i would go with whatever's cheapest. it will probably be laguardia, or newark, in new jersey. if you fly into newark, you can take the airtrain to the new jersey transit to penn station in midtown nyc. it's really straightforward and quicker than a taxi in traffic. if you fly into laguardia, you can take the m60 bus through harlem, which isn't a bad ride at all (i used to do it a lot) and then at 125th street, hop the subway downtown toward your hotel. if your hotel budget is any indication, however, you will be able to afford a cab. it will be about $40, including the toll. DO NOT RENT A CAR.

with a budget of $300 a night, you'll be able to stay in midtown, which will give you the biggest bang for your buck for your limited time in new york. it's not my favorite part of town, but it's got a lot to do for a first-timer in new york, all in easy walking distance. it's crazy and touristy and insane, but you're not really going to get a lot of nuance in your 36 hours in new york anyway. :)

in midtown, there's central park, the museum of modern art, broadway, times square, macy's, bloomingdale's, tiffany, lots of restaurants, rockefeller center, the empire state building...pretty much the greatest hits. for nightlife, have a cab drop you on the corner of east 4th st. and 2nd avenue and walk ten blocks in any direction--you will be sure to find a restaurant or bar to your liking. take a cab home.

to get to the game: if you are on the west side, take the B or D (orange lines, but not the F, which is also orange) to yankee stadium. it's a long ride, but safe. if you are on the east side of manhattan, take the 4 (but not the 5 or 6, which are also green lines). also a long ride. once you come above ground on game day, just follow the crowds.

don't be afraid to ask directions. go to the little kiosk and buy a metrocard, which you can use on subways and buses. swipe, and pass on through.
posted by thinkingwoman at 9:50 PM on May 17, 2007

My personal favorite hotel is On the Ave on West 77th Street, which should come in under your budget, and it's a nice hotel. It's also four blocks from the B train at the Natural History Museum, which is only about eight stops from Yankee Stadium. You'll also be on the Upper West Side, which will put you near lots of great restaurants, the aforementioned Natural History Museum, Lincoln Center, and Central Park, if you're looking for other good stuff to do while you're in town.
posted by decathecting at 10:13 PM on May 17, 2007

If you fly in to Newark, here's my patented Newark to Manhattan bus route via NJTransit buses, which saves $10 each way, is less crowded, and (if timed right) is actually faster than the NJTransit train or the private coach shuttle buses.

Have fun!
posted by saladin at 4:39 AM on May 18, 2007

On my one and only trip to the Yankees stadium I took the ferry. I highly recommend it.
posted by MrMustard at 5:39 AM on May 18, 2007

what thinkingwoman said. don't rent, stay in midtown. subway to the games is super easy. if you fly to EWR via Continental, i believe they still have free buses to midtown.

oh, and as far as hotels go, i had some friends come into town recently for the exact same reason, and i recommended this place - cheap and chic, they loved it.
posted by allkindsoftime at 7:34 AM on May 18, 2007

Regarding which airport to fly into, and how to get into Manhattan from that airport, the best guide I have ever, ever found is on the Flyertalk Wiki guide, the NYC Airports to Manhattan FAQ. They've got it broken down by airport, and the fastest/cheapest/easiest way to get into the city.

The average hotel room in New York City hit $240 in 2006, a 39 percent increase from 2002, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers data. $300/month is a good, reasonable figure for an average hotel in midtown Manhattan (convenient to most every subway line).

One cheaper way to stay in Manhattan is to sublet a furnished apartment. My friends have used this service before to find a good sublet and were very satisfied. Here's also New York Magazine's best hotels under $150. And Manhattan User Guide's recommendations on where to stay. Here's also a list of MUG's unrecommended hotels, as well as Tripadvisor's unrecommended hotels.

For point-to-point travel directions via walking/bus/the subway, the only place to turn to is Hopstop. To supplement Hopstop, ask for a free subway map at any of the token booths. Even though it is free, you must ask for one.

Newyorkology.com is a regularly updated NYC blog that is geared towards locals and tourists alike. I recommend reading some of "the basics" essays, like:
NewYorkology Basics: Riding the subway
NewYorkology Basics: Taxi cabs
NewYorkology Basics: Walking

See also Newyorkology's regularly updated list of events in and around the city. Have fun!
posted by kathryn at 8:18 AM on May 18, 2007

Not a New Yorker here - but a frequent tourist. I like LGA and the M60 bus for getting into town. Cheap, easy and fun looking out the window. Like others have said the M60 will get you to the subway which will get you to the game. Although that ferry ride to the game sounds really interesting!

To buy a metro card in LGA go to the magazine stand across from the American Airlines baggage claim. You can get a week pass for all buses and the subway for $24. There's also a 10 rides card.

I went to NYC last weekend and got a pretty good deal doing a Hotel and Flight package deal off Hotwire. Not cheap, but I got a nice room at the Algonquin which was wonderful. I'm a dork for Dorothy Parker so this was particularly nice for me.

A cheap room can be had at The Carter in Times Square. It's a DUMP, but in a sort of skanky-nostalgic-1970's-Times-Square sort of way. The location is prime for getting around on the subway. Our room with a kingsize bed was $100. Know what you're getting into with this place - lots of justly complaining tourists in the lobby around a weird dated Christmas display.

Have a great time. NYC is so wonderful.
posted by dog food sugar at 9:46 AM on May 18, 2007

On second thought please avoid staying at the Carter. It's not for a special group unless that group is especially adventurous and forgiving.
posted by dog food sugar at 9:59 AM on May 18, 2007