(I feel like I see threads like this all of the time, but when I did a search the most recent one I could find was from 1.5 years ago. Apologies if I missed something more recent!)
I will be going to NYC at the end of the month, and there is a chance I might not be able to crash with my aunt and uncle. Does anyone have any Upper West Side hotel recommendations? I’m looking for clean, dry, and (relatively) cheap, for just a night or two. I know that people who live in the city usually don’t know anything about the hotels, and the Upper West Side is more residential than tourist, but I figure it can’t hurt to ask.
In the old thread I found, someone recommended the Hotel Olcott – anyone know anything about it?
I have some relatives that come to the city ofter and frequently they stay in a hotel.
They like the Days Inn that is in little Korea (mid town) but once on a lark they checked the Plaza hotel and by internet special or something it was actually cheeper.
In case you don’t know The Plaza is pretty freaking nice.
Yep, I know that The Plaza is pretty freaking nice, but 5th & Central Park South seems pretty freaking far from 84th & Central Park West.
The midtown Days Inn isn’t in the right location, either, but I keep hearing good things about the Days Inns in Manhattan so I might have to see if there’s one nearer to where I’d like to stay. Thanks!
There are only two hotels I’ve been in on the UWS.
The On the Avenue on 77th between Broadway and Amsterdam is pretty nice but I don’t know what the prices are like (my in-laws were staying there). http://ontheave-nyc.com/main.htm
The Lucerne on 79th and Amsterdam is nice and the prices are okay for Manhattan (under $200). Rooms are tiny, even by NYC standards, but the area is bar central for the UWS, if that matters. http://www.newyorklucernehotel.com/
The Beacon (75th and Broadway) is looking nice after the renovation of the lobby but I’ve never known anyone who has stayed there.
Is location such a big deal? I stayed at the Comfort Inn in Midtown (totally reasonable price) which was next to a subway stop. In less than 10 minutes you’re uptown.
Wow: if I try to find rates for checking in on the 29th and out on the 30th, both the Days Inn and Comfort Inn say they require a minimum two-night stay. If I look up rates for checking in on the 28th, the Comfort Inn says it requires a minimum three-night stay! :eek: The Days Inn will give me a rate for just two nights, and $120/night isn’t bad at all, but I’m really trying to avoid an almost $300 hotel bill on top of my $200 flight/taxi costs. $500 for two nights in NYC is more than this chick can afford.
Sue Duhnym, On The Ave is the cheaper of the two hotels you provided links to (and is only $50/night more than the Days Inn), and will let me book just one night. I’ll ask my uncle to see if any of his friends are familiar with it, but so far it’s the winner. Thanks so much!
(Zhen’ka, location isn’t a huge deal – you’re right, the subways make it pretty easy to get around Manhattan, and my aunt and uncle live just blocks from a station (who doesn’t, right?). If nothing on the Upper West Side works out of course I’m willing to go midtown, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to see if there are any recommendations in their area. :))
Years ago I used to stay at the Alcott, right on 72nd and Central Park West. It was a decent place with a good location. Don’t go expecting “The Hudson” kind of hipness though. People with poodles that live there share the elevator rides up. It’s right next door to Yoko Ono’s place, so bring earplugs.
Hah! Upon further review, I see I was spelling it wrong. That is the Olcott of which you speak. It’s nothing but a room. Nothing too special. Still the old fashioned type radiator heat when I was there. And the elevators were extremely slow. And the doormen would help you until the second a resident showed up, then you would be ignored. But at the time, the price was good and the location was excellent. This is over 5 years ago though, so take that into consideration. Not dirty. Not glitzy.
Last February I stayed at the Plaza Fifty Hotel (155 E. 50th Street). I found it very good - not too costly, and close to the subway and all of the Midtown attractions.
Last October we stayed at the Excelsior Hotel (http://www.1excelsior.com) and enjoyed it. It wasn’t too expensive, and it was right near the subway, and walking distance from some really good eating (Artie’s New York Deli, I miss you so much!!!). A clean, relatively quiet neghborhood. I recommend it.
I can’t speak from experience yet, but at the moment, for an upcoming trip, I have emergency backup reservations at the New York Helmsley Hotel. Based on what I can discern from their website, it looks decent enough, and the midtown location seems to be OK.
Ding ding ding! We have a winner! The Excelsior is 3 blocks from my uncle’s, and cheaper than On The Ave. I just made the reservation (emergency backup reservation, as Spectre so aptly puts it).
Thank you so much, everyone (especially Rufus!). I love this freakin’ board!
I stayed at the Olcott about ten years, and liked it for its value, location, and general funkiness. Unfortunately, a couple of months ago I tried to book there and found that it’s no longer open for transient business. (I.e. residential only.) Shame.
So instead I stayed at the Hayden Hotel, 117 West 79th Street. Good rates, and a great location, literally across the street from the American Museum of Natural History/Rose Center/Hayden Planetarium. The room was one of the smallest I’ve ever stayed in (I had a smaller one in Paris once), but it was clean, and what do you want for around $120 in Mahattan?
My pleasure. If you do stay there, please post your feelings about the place in this thread. I would be very interested to get someone else’s perspective. And do be sure to eat at Artie’s for me if you can. Oh boy did I love to eat there…
My trip is an annual pilgrimage for a pub crawl, and a crawl weekend tends to have its own traditions: Saturday we eat at the various bars/pubs, and Sunday we go to Fred’s (Amsterdam & 83rd) for brunch. I’ll have to ask my uncle if he knows Artie’s.
My wife and I stayed at the New Yorker for a week. The rooms were decent, but were quite small, but pretty decent for the price if all you need is a room to stay in that is in a good location for tourist activities. There is also a decent cafe on the first floor that doesn’t cost a bundle as is great for catching a quick breakfast in the morning before you head out. About a block and a half from the empire state building and very close to the subway.
I’m going to NYC in mid-February to see Christo’s “The Gates” . I’d really like to find a room with a view of Central Park. I’m looking at the suggestions that have already been posted, but have a question.
How far away from the park can I get and still get a good view of the park? How high would my room need to be? (For instance, is there a good park view if I’m three blocks away and on the 10th floor?)
