Q. Hi!
Three of my girlfriends and I are planning a trip to NYC in November but I am having the hardest time trying to pick a hotel.
What neighborhood should we shoot for? I want to be right in the middle of everything without paying $400 a night for a regular room. Do you have any suggestions?
– Melissa
A. Hi Melissa!
My take: most places in NYC are super easy to get to, so wherever you stay, you’ll probably be able to get to do everything you want to do. My friends Rachel and Matt recently came to the city and stayed in a $150/night hotel in Long Island City (if you do this, make sure you’re right off of a train stop – super important if you’re staying in a more out-of-the-way area) and had a blast.
Some on-a-budget picks you may want to look into:
– East Village Bed & Coffee (East Village; themed rooms with shared bathrooms and free WiFi; from $80/night)
– Bentley Hotel (Upper East Side; rooftop bar; rooms around $150/night)
– Second Home on Second Avenue (East Village; themed rooms with shared bathrooms; doubles from $160/night)
– Larchmont Hotel (West Village; shared baths, shared kitchenettes and continental breakfast; from $70/night)
One place I have a major soft spot for is the Hotel Chelsea (pictured above), which is just straight-up awesome (rooms are done up in themes and decorated with crazy vintage furniture) and loaded with NYC history (residents and guests have included Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan…and it’s the site of Sid Vicious’ alleged stabbing of Nancy Spungen in ’78). You can probably get a room in the ballpark of 250/night…but a warning: while it’s certainly an incredible experience, it can be a bit grimy, so it may not be what you’re looking for.
But the truth is that you don’t get a ton of opportunities to stay in NYC hotels when you live here – so I thought I’d post your question to see if any readers have even better suggestions for you!
HAVE FUN!!
j
P.S. Make sure to check out my what-to-do-in-NYC post for more ideas for your trip!
