NYC Travel Question

In My Humble Opinion
1

I apologize for the long lead-in, but I trust this is an interesting story:

This October I took the family for their first trip to New York city. I have some familiarity with the place, having previously visited in '76, '84 and '86, plus my usual copious amounts of reading.

I was solely responsible for the planning and execution of the trip, so I did some research on-line, trying to find the best hotel for our needs and budget. After a couple of hours of price-comparing various options and reading scads of traveler testimonials, I decided on The Skyline Hotel, located on 10th Avenue between 49th and 50th.

Mainly I picked it because it seemed the rooms were larger than average (and it was going to be me, the wife and two kids sharing one room), it had a pool, which the kids love, and it was centrally located. The testimonials all seemed to indicate that, although the neighborhood was a bit seedy, they definately felt safe walking a couple blocks from the subway to the hotel at night.

Well, two weeks before our arrival date, my wife is talking to her friend on the phone. Her friend, who graduated High School with us back in '86, has lived in New York City for about the last seven years and been a cop for the last two. When my wife told her friend where we were staying, the friend said something like “Oh, no! You don’t want to stay there! It’s too dangerous!”

When my wife relayed this information to me, I admit I was pissed. Did this friend offer any reasonable alternatives? No. Would I have to discuss with this friend where she thought we would be staying? No thank you. Could this be an example of unreasonable bias towards a neighborhood due to its racial makeup, or the fact that, as a cop, she only sees the worst that the area has to offer? Possibly. Her beat is around 42nd and 7th, which isn’t very far from the hotel.

Fuming, I decide I have no choice: the only neighborhood in Manhattan that I know appears to be safe is the Upper West Side. So I cancel our reservation at the Skyline and book us into the Excelsior instead. 50% more expensive, and a much smaller room, and no pool, but what the heck.

Finally, my question. Is the neighborhood around the Skyline Hotel really that bad? I resisted the urge to go there during our self-guided tour of the city, so I really don’t have anything to go on beyond this friend’s word. Did we dodge a bullet?

2

You’re kidding, right? I don’t know the hotel itself, but I have friends at 49th and 9th, and it’s a great, very safe area. I can’t IMAGINE 10th would be any different.

3

According to the Hotel Discounts website, the Skyline is a 3-star, recently renovated property. It’s about three (long) blocks from the theater district, and about two blocks from a subway station. I’ve never lived in New York, but I’ve stayed in that general area, and as long as you weren’t taking shortcuts through alleys at midnight I think you would have been fine. New York City overall has become much safer in recent years, and the crime rate is actually much lower than in many other large U.S. cities.

On the other hand, it might have been worth it if staying in the other place gave your wife some peace of mind in an unfamiliar city.

http://www.hoteldiscounts.com/cgi-bin/hotelinfo?SID=OLD&Dest=NYC&LKF=OLD&TRK=_B4_link&LANG=en&PROD=HOTEL&DispCurr=USD&HotelId=NYC%20SKYL&HName=SKYLINE+HOTEL&Rating=3.0&Return=Prev

4

I think cops see the worst. I live in the safest city in the US, and in one of the safest parts of the safest city, and one of my daughter’s friends father is a cop. They live around the block from us, and until she got into high school he was incredibly over protective of her. I bet your friend has seen some nasty stuff around there, and was worried. Are you from a big city or a small town - that might explain some of it also.

5

We three grew up in a big city - Los Angeles.

I’m fairly convinced that the friend was acting on some deep-cover prejudice enhanced by her experiences as a cop and that we would have been perfectly safe and happy at the Skyline Hotel.

On the other hand, not having my wife be upset or worried about the neighborhood = priceless.

6

Honestly, I’m a little shocked that some one would describe that area as unsafe. Especially today. I lived close by for many years, would go out at all times of the day and night, and not once did I ever feel even a little anxious walking around there.

7

Ironically, back in +/- 1999, my whole family had to stay in a hotel while the oil-based polyurethane dried on refinished our hardwood floors. We picked the Skyline bacause it of the reasonable rates, the newly renovated rooms, the pool (which my daughters loved) and its proximity to the West Side Hwy.

IMHO, the neighborhood keeps improving. 15 years ago, I would have described it as so-so or iffy for a family with children; you might have come across a few junkies and some syringes in the gutter. Today, in 2004 - I wouldn’t describe avoiding the area as anything close to dodging a bullet. 10th Ave will never be Madison Avenue, but hey - who needs 2 of those anyway?

If your curiosity gets the best of you and you do take the family to that neighborhood, I recommend a bite at the following:

Olieng - 45th & 10th. An inexpensive Thai place - Go for the food, not the ambiance.
Hallo Berlin - A few storefronts south of Oleing - across from the Hess Station. IF you like German food and beer. (Avoid the other one on 51st - It’s infesated with rats).

Just a couple of suggestions - I don’t wanna come off sounding like Joan Hamburg.

8

Your wife’s cop friend is an idiot.

9

That neighborhood is going through a revival/re-gentrification. It is sometimes still referred to as Hell’s Kitchen, but it isn’t the same bad place it used to be. Yes, there are dicey characters there, but no more, really, than you would find in other parts of NY.

Keep your “I’m in a big city” common sense and security-mindedness intact and you will be as fine there as anywhere…

10

That area is completly unsuitable because it is not a very fashionable area. You should have stayed in SoHo.
Do they have an indoor pool? How much swiming does one do in October?

11

It’s indoor. The other NYC hotel w/indoor pool that first comes mind is The Millenium UN Plaza Hotel. If you’ve never done it before, it’s kinda interesting taking a dip while looking out windows 39 floors above ground.