Coming to New York!!

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 4/30/08 at 3:15pm

Hi all--

I will likely be making a trip to NY in mid/late May, as I have had a jones for the longest time to see some Broadway!! It's been a while, and it may wind up with me flying out alone for a few days. Where is the best place (reasonably economical, clean, safe) to stay in Manhattan where a 36 year old woman can feel safe travelling alone and getting around to various theatres, food, and other nearby attractions or shopping/browsing? Also, which is the best time of day to fly in and into which airport would you recommend? It will likely be a Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning departure from here in Chicago.

Any other recommendations for stuff to do and bus info from the BWW community are welcome, thanks! Feel free to PM me.

Updated On: 4/30/08 at 03:15 PM

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 4/30/08 at 3:17pm

Updated On: 1/23/09 at 03:17 PM

[george95]

Posted: 4/30/08 at 3:21pm

I fly between O'hare Intl. airport and Newark/Laguardia about 10 times a year, and even though all you ever hear about it delays, I'm pretty much never delayed.

Flying to LGA or EWR are both easy from ORD. Continental, United, and American all have nonstops all day long. You are more likely to get delayed though the later in the day that you fly.

If money is no object, you could cab it from either airport. But, public transit from both airports are easy as well. You could take a 1.35 bus ride from Newark airport to Newark Penn, then its about a 25 minute PATH subway ride to 34th St in Manhattan.

From LGA, you could get on the M60 bus to the N subway and be in Manhattan in 15 minutes or so.

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 12:37pm

Thanks for the info.

Do you have any actual recommendations on decent hotels? I could look at any hotel guide but not know what's really inside any of them, you know?

How much is a cab from the airports to Manhattan?

Thanks again!

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 12:42pm

From LGA, you could get on the M60 bus to the N subway and be in Manhattan in 15 minutes or so.

It can take greater than 15 minutes for the M60 to make it thru all of the stops within the airport, and then to the N/W line- there's no way the M60 to the N/W is going to get you into Manhattan in 15 minutes.

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 12:49pm

Yes. The M60 to the N/W line by itself takes a good 25-30 minutes, usually, and it's about 15 minutes to midtown from there. Plus, it's not fun to be on the bus with luggage, so if you have a big bag, forget it.

A cab from LGA should only be $35 or so, I think. I haven't taken a cab from there to midtown in ages, but it's only $30 to my apartment (including tips and tolls) and midtown isn't that much of a difference in distance. From JFK, it's a flat rate -- I can't remember the exact amount, but it should be easily searchable. From Newark? Expensive. Take a train or the shuttle to Port Authority.

Stay away from the gyspy cabs. When I was coming home at LGA the other night, I saw one snag a tourist, offering her a ride to the Marriott Marquis for $45 (and he probably was going to tack on toll and expect a tip after that). Ridiculous. And there wasn't even a line for cabs, either.

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 12:53pm

Thanks for the tips.

Actually, I just thought of something: Don't the NY airports have a flat rate SuperShuttle or something like that? Most major cities have them and they're pretty cheap, now that I think of it. Hope NY has something like that!

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 12:57pm

Only JFK has a flat rate for cabs.

There are shuttles to Penn Station, Grand Central, various hotels, etc. from LGA, but I've never used them.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 1:00pm

Macy's on 34th Street is always fun. FAO Schwarz is fun too. That's on 5th Ave. I forget exactly what cross street it is near, but it is up near the bottom of Central Park. I believe it's 58th Street, but I could be wrong.

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 1:06pm

Macy's and FAO Schwartz? I was asking about hotels...

But yeah if I have time, maybe I'll check those out for fun, if that's what you meant. Thanks. :)

[madbrian]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 1:06pm

From Newark, you can ride the tram that runs through the terminals then connects to NJ Transit, and catch a train into Penn Station. Very easy, very convenient, total cost is around $11.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 1:09pm

Sorry, I saw that you were looking for ideas on things to see too.

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 1:12pm

Thanks Marianne, no need to apologize. I realized that I did write that as well in my original post. Guess my head is in "first things first" mode!

I really hope to see a final production of "Rent," maybe "Young Frankenstein" and possibly "Wicked" for good measure, but will need stuff to do during the day!

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 1:13pm

Don't miss the cat in Chinatown.

[thatgirl712]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 4:43am

Oh yea, I heard about that cat!

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 5:15am

Updated On: 1/23/09 at 05:15 AM