Ask me anything about New York and Manhattan (NYC)

[CoffeeAddict]

lan-evo
As far as the nightclub thing i should add that reasonably priced BARS are plentiful in specific areas but a full on CLUB is not a cheap experience in Manhattan. Also, clubs are for the B&T crowd in Manhattan, not for the locals. Exceptions are when big acts are in town like say Daft Punk are putting on a big show or some other international mega-DJ.

If you're into hip hop AT ALL you MUST MUST MUST go to sputnik in Brooklyn for DJ Evil Dee
http://www.barsputnik.com/index.html
papermag and village voice are good resources for shows/bars/clubs as well.

[porphyra]

Thanks for your advice CoffeeAddict. Am not busy bidding for hotels in Manhattan. Damn they are not cheap, but I would rather pay the extra and experience the real deal. Will worry about the rest another time.

BTW> Know of any good drinking holes to go in the evening. Relaxed atmosphere, maybe some good jazz music where we can have a few beers or a couple of glasses of wine. Hopefully not too expensive!

Thanks.

[CoffeeAddict]

good jazz?
no need to look any further than the legendary Blue Note
http://www.bluenote.net/newyork/index.shtml

As far as i know it is not directly related to the Blue Note jazz label but it is a legendary jazz/blues club

p.s. you may prefer the iridium which is a more mainstream/big event kind of joint
http://www.iridiumjazzclub.com/
It's smack dab in times square though which is a big negative for me
I avoid that area like the plague. After you've seen times square once there is absolutely no reason you should go back there

[gimpflagger]

Coffeeaddict,

Is there a big difference in flying into La Guardia (LGA) or JFK?

I will be staying in Manhattan.

It looks like LGA is a bit closer so I'm going to assume a cab ride will be much cheaper to LGA than JFK? or are taxi fees based on a flat rate?

TIA

[RLP06]

Coffeeaddict,

Is there a big difference in flying into La Guardia (LGA) or JFK?

I will be staying in Manhattan.

It looks like LGA is a bit closer so I'm going to assume a cab ride will be much cheaper to LGA than JFK? or are taxi fees based on a flat rate?

TIA

JFK is fixed $45 from anywhere in manhattan, LGA is not fixed, but should be cheaper at most times during the day (with the exception of heavy traffic).

[CoffeeAddict]

The cab ride into manhattan from LGA should be roughly $40 after taxes and tips but i've done it as cheap as $30 on a good day. $50 on a really bad day is a possibility.

[gimpflagger]

Thanks for the replies...

would you suggest taking public transit instead of cabbing it from either LGA or JFK?

How long would it take to get to Manhattan from LGA and JFK via public transit?

[CoffeeAddict]

If you don't mind taking public transit then by all means go for it!
These directions are from the airport websites. Others might have better routes depending on your destination:

From JFK
Note: New York City subways and buses are not equipped for large pieces of luggage. Please plan for this contingency if you plan to use public transportation upon your arrival at JFK.
# Subway and Long Island Rail Road - Connect to and from AirTrain JFK at: LIRR at Jamaica Station
# A subway at Howard Beach/JFK Airport Station
# E, J/Z subway at Stphin Blvd.-Archer Ave., Jamaica Station
# NYC Transit Bus Lines at Jamaica Station: Q20, Q24, Q30, Q31, Q43. Q44, Q54
# Green Bus Lines at Jamaica Station: Q6, Q8, Q9, Q40, Q41, Q60
Subway "A": (718) 330-1234. Operated by New York City Transit. For subway service to Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, take the AirTrain from all JFK terminals to the Howard Beach Subway Station where passengers board the "A" train. Stops are made throughout Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and via transfer to other subway lines to the Bronx. Passengers traveling from Manhattan or Brooklyn to JFK should use the "A" train going to Far Rockaway. Fare is $2.00 (Cash, or MetroCard). There is an additional $5.00 charge for AirTrain. Travel time is approximately 60-75 minutes from JFK to mid-Manhattan.
MetroCardNote: Free transfer between bus and subway and between subway and bus available. Valid only with MetroCard.

From LGA
M60 bus from Manhattan and Astoria
With the M60 bus, you can travel to all terminals at LaGuardia from the West Side, the East Side or Astoria (Queens). The M60 runs between 106 St and Broadway in Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport from approximately 5 am to 1 am, seven days a week. The M60 serves all airport terminals. Connections can be made with all north-south Manhattan subway lines or with the N and W trains at the Astoria Blvd station.

If you pay your fare with MetroCard, you can transfer free between the subway and the M60 bus. The M60 also makes convenient connections with MTA Metro-North Railroad at the 125 St station. Travel time between Broadway and 116 St and the Delta Terminal is approximately 40 minutes.

[B0000rt]

Carrying large pieces of luggage on the MTA Subway isn't pleasant.... Try flying into Newark Liberty, and taking the NJTransit Trains into New York Penn.

[RLP06]

One time I dropped off my GF at LGA, and was too cheap to get a cab. Had to make it to work by 9, got on a bus at 8 something... the bus stopped at a stop in (Spanish?) Harlem, I could take the 4,5,6, train and get there 30 mins faster than if I went all the way to Columbia U....

Lucky it was 8am and there were no gangsters around

[$AVINGS]

Can anyone recommend a nice hotel in midtown. 5 star perferably or 4 star. Something really nice and clean. I care about price obviously but I don't mind paying a little more if it is nice. The most is probably $500/night. We usually stay at the Affinia 50. It was voted 9th best hotel in manhattan for value, location and some other things but I'm getting a little sick of it and would like to change it up. Affinia cost around $329/night which is good for New York and the location is amazing but I would like to get some opinions from others.

[CoffeeAddict]

This thread might be able to help you out
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=660610

The people in that forum might be able to help you out as well as far as choosing a luxury property goes. Lucky you for having a lofty budget for NYC! My ceiling is like $120 via priceline lol

I've read good things about the Mandarin and the St. Regis in NYC but at that level you're talking about personal preference over a specific ranking

The nice thing about the Mandarin is that you're on Columbus circle so you're right next door to Masa. The finest sushi restaurant this side of the pacific.
http://masanyc.com/

EDIT: Noticed that you're down with a 4 star and you wanted midtown. Believe it or not you could probably priceline something 4* for $250 and then upgrade at the counter at check-in with either a nice tip or a smile and some charisma

[wrcfocus]

I recently got back from NYC on a business trip. We took a cab from LGA to 34th/8th street on Saturday morning around 11ish and it took about 20 minutes, which wasn't bad. It cost us $30 including the bridge toll which was $4. I would recommend taking a cab into Manhattan since taking one of those shuttle buses provided by a hotel would most likely take longer. I'm only saying that because the shuttle bus normally wouldn't be parked at the airport when your flight arrives, so you would have to wait for the shuttle bus to arrive and then it'll take you to your hotel.

[cchiu]

This is not completely true. While it is expensive on weekdays, on weekends it is not and you may even be able to find free parking if you go several blocks away from Times Square...say, 57th and 8th. If you want something closer, you can use paid street parking. It's not terribly expensive ($12 for 6 hours I believe).

I've been to NYC many times on long weekends, almost always drive there and within the city.

Alrighty... I thought I would be a bit

Parking your car in Manhattan is going to be expensive. Period. I recommend not driving into Manhattan if at all possible. If you HAVE to drive into Manhattan try www.iconparking.com or www.bestparking.com to see what kind of rates you can get in your neighborhood.

[CoffeeAddict]

thanks for the info cchiu i'll add it to the top posts with credit