NYC in January

[TarHeelAlan]

Posted: 6/17/23 at 2:01pm

Former New Yorker here, now DC based. We usually hit Broadway 3 or 4 times a year, but have never visited in early January. That may be a possibility in 2024, but my only options look like either Jan 2-4 or Jan 9-11. Planning on doing the usual: seeing at least a couple of shows, nice dinners, some museums, etc etc. For those of you familiar with NYC and Times Square around that time, is either one a better choice shortly after the usual NYE madness? Or is it pretty much a tossup in terms of holiday crowds (or hopefully lack of) and TS cleanup post-NYE? Thanks in advance for any first-hand advice. 

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 6/17/23 at 2:34pm

I’d say 9-11. Would be better.  Be sure to catch merrily we roll along. 

[jakethesnake]

Posted: 6/17/23 at 2:37pm

All the tourists get out of dodge right after NYE.  I think either one is safe. 

[sppunk]

Posted: 6/17/23 at 2:48pm

The 2nd full weekend of January (ie the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr Day) is about our favorite time for theater trips and we do it nearly every year (5 or 6 three day trips a year otherwise, we love only 3 hours away by direct Amtrak). It’s not too crowded, no tourists, no major conventions, hotels are less than a majority of other dates, and it’s about as busy show-wise as you can get.  

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/17/23 at 5:08pm

The New Year's Eve madness is over the next day. The streets are swept overnight, the barricades are removed and everything is back to normal by Sunrise on the 1st.

[jagman1062]

Posted: 6/17/23 at 5:40pm

I've often seen shows during the first week of January and haven't found the theater district to be very crowded. This year, I saw a show on New Year's Day, and there were a lot of people in Times Square, but to be fair, it was warmer than usual and getting around wasn't a problem. You should be fine going earlier in January.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 6/17/23 at 6:20pm

I might lean towards Jan 9-11. While Times Square may not be crowded on the 2nd, I wonder if hotel rates may still be a little elevated to capture the tourists who decide to stay over an extra day or two and ticket prices a little elevated for the same reason. You don't have to worry about that going 9-11..

[TarHeelAlan]

Posted: 6/18/23 at 9:12am

Thanks to everyone for your replies. Sounds like it's a bit of a toss-up for either week, which is good news as it gives me a bit more flexibility. Now I have to see what Amtrak availabilities are like for saver fares. (Preliminary search actually turned up some sold out Acela trains.) 

UncleCharlie, as far as hotel rates are concerned, the hotel where we would stay surprised me with almost identical rates for either week (cash or points). The rates are as expected substantially lower than normal, which is part of the reason we are considering the trip. 

Theatrefanboy1, we are indeed planning to see Merrily, and the show is the driving force for the trip. Cost and ticket availability will help determine whether we go up the first or second week. 

[Huss417]

Posted: 6/18/23 at 9:30am

I live just outside the city but decided to spend 3 nights in the city just to get away. I was there Jan 3-6 2023. The hotels were a really good buy and was able to have my pick of just about any shows. This week I have to be in the city and the hotel I stayed in last time is almost triple the price.

 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 6/18/23 at 9:49am

TarHeelAlan:

You may already have this in mind, but as someone who also visits a lot in January, the January hotel rates fluctuate quite a bit.  So I do my best booking well out and then check periodically as those rates get calibrated based on updated occupancy projections.  I've often see additional drops of $50/night or more only a week or two out.

[TarHeelAlan]

Posted: 6/18/23 at 9:57am

JasonC3 said: "TarHeelAlan:

You may already have this in mind, but as someone who also visits a lot in January, the January hotel rates fluctuate quite a bit. So I do my best booking well out and then check periodically as those rates get calibrated based on updated occupancy projections. I've often see additional drops of $50/night or more only a week or two out."

Thanks. Yes, I'm very much aware of this, and routinely check and double-check for updated prices on existing bookings up until the last possible day no matter where in the world or when we're staying. Our visit in August has already seen several price drops, and I've rebooked each time. I anticipate seeing some further softening of prices as we get closer to January, although the current prices are already pretty close to rock bottom for our hotel of choice. 

 

[yyys]

Posted: 6/18/23 at 10:33am

We did it this past January (first weekend) and it's definitely less crowded and we won lots of lotteries and not a lot of people rushing at shows. We'll probably do it again next year.

Updated On: 6/18/23 at 10:33 AM

[TarHeelAlan]

Posted: 6/18/23 at 11:47am

yyys said: "We did it this past January (first weekend) and it's definitely less crowded and we won lots of lotteries and not a lot of people rushing at shows. We'll probably do it again next year."

Good to know about your experience with the lotteries and rush. Given that we're looking at mid-week I would hope we might even stand a better chance. Other than Merrily we don't have any sure things that we want to buy at the moment, so if we can snag 1-2 shows that way it would make for a nice (relatively) inexpensive trip.

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 6/18/23 at 12:26pm

January is the most dead month in NYC. So, it's a good time to get discounts, win lotteries and rush shows. Either dates work. Enjoy. 

 

[TarHeelAlan]

Posted: 6/20/23 at 3:14pm

Thanks to everyone for your advice. We decided to go up Jan 2-4. Picked up 4th row center balcony seats on TodayTix for the Jan 3 Merrily matinee at a decent discount compared to performances on other days. Will likely decide on any other show(s) based on availability from the usual discount/lottery/rush suspects as we get closer. Grabbed an excellent hotel rate at a really nice hotel in TS, too. All good, so long as there's no blizzard!