New York, New York: So nice, they named it twice
NEW YORK CITY — We sat in the big yellow taxi, immobilized in Manhattan gridlock. The taxi driver sighed heavily, then asked if I minded if he honked his horn.
"Go for it," I replied. He gave a long, angry blast. We both felt better, although, of course, it didn't make the traffic mess any better.
In a fall visit to New York City, that was the only unruliness I came across — a taxi driver who asked before he ignored the city's no-honking law.
Once a capital of crime and rudeness, in recent years the city has become a kinder, cleaner and more law-abiding place.
How nice have New Yorkers become? As I studied my city map on subways and street corners, locals approached me three times to ask if they could help. Service at restaurants was quick and polite. Streets are safer: I walked through Times Square at midnight, strolled the Lower East Side and lingered in the fall sunshine in Bryant Park. On my first visit decades ago, those were drug- and crime-ridden places that I avoided.
What's made the city nicer? Tougher policing, especially a crackdown on petty crimes; more prosperity and jobs; and perhaps the lingering aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, a tragedy that brought New Yorkers together.
Whatever the reasons (and some locals bemoan the dwindling of the city's grittier, working-class side), it's a much more welcoming place for visitors.
There is, however, one big problem: Manhattan hotels are staggeringly expensive and often booked solid; the city is booming with about 44 million visitors a year. Here (and on the back page) are suggestions on saving money on hotels and other tips on visiting New York.
When to go
This is prime time, from September through December, with new plays and Broadway musicals (now that the stagehands' strike is over), new museum exhibits, good weather earlier in the fall and lots of holiday fun this month.
But it's also the busiest and most expensive time of the year for hotels, with prices spiking sky-high around Christmas (and Thanksgiving).
For the lowest hotel prices, go in January and February when tourism lessens and hotels drop their rates, often by a third or more. The weather is crummy, but it's easy to escape the cold in museums, shops, theaters and nightspots. And the crowds dwindle.
Spring has good weather, but hotel rates are higher than in winter. Summer is sticky-hot and jammed with tourists, and hotel rates stay high.
Getting there and around
Fly nonstop to minimize delays and missed connections; New York airports have the worst flight delays in the country. Alaska, American, JetBlue and Delta are among airlines that offer nonstops between Seattle and New York's John F. Kennedy or Newark airports. On a short visit, take an early morning or red-eye flight there and an evening flight back to maximize time in the city. Most hotels will store luggage for guests arriving early or departing late.
Get around by subway, bus or taxi. Don't even think of renting a car. Manhattan street parking is like gold dust; hotel garages charge about $50 a night, and traffic congestion is awful. From Newark and JFK airports, use the airport buses and subway/commuter trains to get into city. I goofed and took a cab to Newark airport. It took almost two hours (versus 40 minutes in lighter traffic) because of spectacular gridlock, and it cost a painful $88. At least a cab from JFK airport to Manhattan is a flat rate of $45 (plus any tolls). Get airport transit information at www.panynj.gov/
Sights
Some don't-miss city sights:
Central Park: Take a break from the nonstop action of New York streets among the park's 843 acres of greenery. Its Strawberry Fields area has a peaceful garden and the Imagine memorial in honor of John Lennon, the former Beatle who lived by the park and was murdered in 1980. Bethesda Terrace, with outdoor stairways and promenades, draws street performers. Or just stroll the miles of paths, rent a bike, take a rowboat or gondola ride around the park's little lake. www.centralparknyc.org/
Metropolitan Museum: Egyptian mummies, Rembrandt portraits, Impressionist paintings — there's something for anyone at this grand and elegant museum. It's open Saturday evenings for those who want a different night on the town. 212-535-7710 or www.metmuseum.org. For 20th-century and contemporary art, head to the Museum of Modern Art, 212-708-9400 or www.moma.org
World Trade Center: Just across from the site of the destroyed towers, families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have helped set up Tribute WTC, a small visitor center. Its heart-wrenching displays include a firefighter's charred uniform, videos of the attacks and copies of the missing-people posters that blanketed Lower Manhattan. Daily walking tours are led by survivors and relatives of victims. www.tributenyc.org/ or 866-737-1184.
Empire State Building: The New York icon has stunning views — and crowds. Go early in the morning to beat the tour-bus crowds and buy your ticket online to avoid the ticket-purchase line; you'll still need to line up for a security check. Ignore the many souvenir booths (including overpriced photos) as you wait for elevators up to the observation deck on the 86th floor. www.esbnyc.com
Bryant Park: A perfect place for people-watching in the heart of Midtown. There's a free ice-skating rink in winter, free wireless Internet access (popular in warm weather with hundreds of people who lounge on the park's wrought-iron chairs and benches). In February, the block-square park hosts Fashion Week shows in huge tents, drawing an uber-stylish crowd, and this fall the "Sex and the City" movie has been filming in the park. The imposing New York Public Library edges the park. www.bryantpark.org
Where to stay
Midtown Manhattan, which includes Broadway theaters, Times Square and the Empire State Building, is the most convenient area for most visitors. It's packed with hotels and is, as the name suggests, in the middle of everything.
Book way ahead. I started looking for a Midtown hotel more than a month before my mid-October trip and found few vacancies except for luxury rooms costing more than $500 a night.
An old-fashioned Midtown favorite, the Hotel Metro (www.hotelmetronyc.com or 212-947-2500), was booked solid. I tried, with no luck, to get one of the truly tiny rooms at the Pod Hotel. Prices start about $100 a night for a Pod miniroom that's barely bigger than a queen bed. That's a deal by Manhattan standards. www.thepodhotel.com or 800-742-5945.
I ended up at a Marriott chain hotel, the Residence Inn Times Square (www.marriott.com or 888-236-2427), with an excellent Midtown location. My large, comfortable room had a king bed, sofa bed, kitchenette and peekaboo view of nearby Bryant Park. The room rate includes a big buffet breakfast and some nights a free pasta buffet. This past week, a room like mine was a pricey $479 a night; it drops to $249 in mid-January. By Manhattan standards, that's a good price for a good room.
Chain hotels have popped up throughout Manhattan. They lack the charm of older hotels but offer the reliability of newer, standardized rooms. Older New York hotels can be a room lottery; will you get lucky and get a nice room or a cramped, worn one that faces a brick wall? Other chain hotels in Manhattan include Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, La Quinta, Hilton Garden Inn, Embassy Suites and Marriott's Courtyard Inn as well as Residence Inn. Just be ready for sticker shock, since they often charge more than double the rate of such hotels in other cities.
Need a real budget option? The Hosteling International New York hostel, www.hinewyork.org or 212-932-2300, is farther from the action on the Upper West Side, but rates start at $29 a night for a bunk in a dorm room. The West Side YMCA has a great location by Central Park; rooms are small and very basic, with shared baths, and cost about $100 a night. www.ymcanyc.org/westside or 212-875-4100.
Get information on hotels through NYC & Company, the city's tourist promotion office, www.nycvisit.com or 212-484-1222. An online resource for visitors' comments on hotels is Trip Advisor, www.tripadvisor.com.
Hotel deals
Hotel rates vary by day as well as season; Sunday is the cheapest night of the week since weekenders have gone home and business travelers haven't arrived. To boost occupancy, about 40 Manhattan hotels offer a Sunday-night discount. Called Sunday Stays, rooms are reduced 20 percent or more and include perks such as free breakfast and a free cocktail. It's run with NYC & Company, the city's tourism promoter, www.nycvisit.com or 212-484-1222.
Always ask about other price breaks; many hotels give AAA, AARP, corporate and military discounts.
Priceline is another option. Bid on a room in a certain category of hotel at www.priceline.com; you find out the specific hotel after making a nonrefundable payment. Priceline works best in slow periods (such as January and February) when New York hotels have empty rooms and are willing to fill them at discounted prices. One drawback: If you need a two-bed room, there's no guarantee you'll get one. Hotwire.com has a similar room-discount program.
Of course, one way to beat the high hotel prices is to stay outside Manhattan, but much of the pleasure of a New York visit is being in the heart of the city.
Theater deals
You don't need to pay $100 for a good seat at a Broadway musical. Get discounted theater tickets through:
• The Times Square TKTS ticket booth has same-day discounted tickets for up to 50 percent off, www.tdf.org. Because of construction, the ticket booth temporarily is located at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on West 46th Street, off Broadway. Or get a membership in the Theatre Development Fund, which runs the discount booth, so you can buy discounted tickets online.
• Playbill and Theatermania offer discounted tickets in advance for Broadway and Off Broadway shows. www.playbill.comor www.theatermania.com
• Broadway tickets also are available through StubHub, a ticket resale Web site where individuals buy and sell tickets. www.stubhub.com
Cheaper eats
You could spend a lifetime eating in Manhattan and splurge at countless elegant restaurants.
To eat more cheaply, head to small ethnic places. I went twice to a Midtown Korean restaurant, Cho Dang Gol (55 W. 35th St.); excellent dinners for about $20 per person.
Search for restaurants (and reviews) through The New York Times Web site by type of cuisine, restaurant location — and price: www.nytimes.com/pages/dining/. Or check The New Yorker magazine's reviews, www.newyorker.com/arts/food/index.
Kristin Jackson: kjackson@seattletimes.com or 206-464-2271
