It worked out cheaper for me and my boyfriend to rent an apartment from sites like www.holiday-rentals.co.uk rather than a hotel as we visited in June’s high season. It means you can have your own space and come and go as you please :) We stocked up the fridge with Mountain Dew as you can’t get it in the UK!

There’s definitely plenty of things to do. You can’t miss out on Lady Liberty and the Empire State, they’re amazing to see other than on the tv! A tip for Liberty Island is to get your tickets the day before you want to visit so you miss out the long queues, and get on the boat fairly quickly. This saves time to use on another attraction!

Also, in Macy’s go to the visitors centre and pick yourself up a visitors card where you get a nice 10% off purchases :)

Try the Pod Hotel – it’s got the feel and attitude of a European hostel but is a modern NY hotel.

http://www.thepodhotel.com/

Airline tickets are going to be a bit touchy. The major hubs here are Delta and Continental (both partner with Air France, I believe). But since NY is a major gateway to Europe, nearly any major trans-atlantic airline will get you here. Alas, prices are what they are these days.

Hey Hanna,

I would highly recommend staying at the Chelsea Lodge (http://www.chelsealodge.com/). In my mind, it is the best place you are going to get for $130/night in a clean and cute atmosphere in the Chelsea District. My husband and I stayed there and it was great, a close walk to the subway and lots of fun restaurants around. I would also suggest checking out the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (http://newyork.ucbtheatre.com/), which has hilarious improv shows for really cheap—usually around $5. Sometimes, stars from SNL and other comedy shows will randomly stop by to perform.

You have to check out Greenwich Village, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, see a Broadway show, and go up the Empire State building. Happy traveling….I heart NY!

What is your budget? Where are you trying to fly from? A few more details, and I’ll try and help you as much as I can.

The Pod is a cheap and nice place to stay. My friend stayed there recently for about $100 and gave it rave reviews. Also check out hostels, you can get private rooms and sometimes private baths. But make sure to read the reviews – there is definitely a difference in cleanliness. I recently stayed at the Candy Hostel for about $100 for a private room shared bath and it was pretty clean.

As for things to do, there are plenty of cheap or free things to do. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn to Manhatten after dark – it’s beautiful and free. Take the Staten Island Ferry for a great view for free. Search free NYC in google and you’ll get lots of suggestions.

Hi Hanna!

It is pretty hard to find a cheap room in NYC. The way I get a great deal is to go through www.hotwire.com. I got a room in midtown Manhattan for a 3rd of the price! Any neighborhood in Manhattan is usually pretty good. Only problem is you won’t see the hotel name until after you pay, but that usually isn’t a problem if you stick to 3 & 4 star hotels. Another cool option is a hostel. You meet awesome people and it is SUPER cheap. A pretty cool hostel is http://www.chelseahostel.com/ or http://www.bigapplehostel.com/. Hotwire.com is also great for cheap plane tickets so is Priceline.com. Depending on where you’re coming from JetBlue has some great deals.

One thing you can’t miss while you’re in NYC is Serendipity III (225 E 60th St, New York, NY). It is a little hole in the wall on the Upper East Side, very close to Bloomingdales. Sit down and have a big frozen hot chocolate. One of the yummiest things ever!! Might be a good idea to make a reservation. Another great food spot is Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker St, New York, NY). Best cupcakes in the world! It is also on Bleeker street which is a great spot if you’re into the history of rock music. If you’re into art one of Claude Monet’s famous waterlilies is on display at MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). I just saw most of the series in Paris, AMAZING! And of course, none of my trips are complete without a visit to Strawberry Fields in Central Park where the John Lennon Memorial is located (West side of the park, 72nd street entrance, follow the path with the signs). A haunting but beautiful place. Bring a flower or card if you’re a fan. The memorial is always covered in them.

Another great find is a vegetarian cafe (owned by Moby) on the Lower East Side called Teany. (90 Rivington St, New York) It’s a little off the beaten path but great! Check out Chinatown for some fun cheap shopping and Little Italy around the corner for delicious food and great stroll. Another fantastic stop if you’re into art is the Met. There’s a great little outdoor cafe on the roof where you can have a drink and look out over Central Park.

Have a great time!!!!!

Hanna!
NYC is a great place to visit!
Check out Travelzoo for travel deals on hotel and plane tix.
You may be able to score a good deal on a ticket these days.
I agree with the other respondants. Chinatown and Little Italy is a must!!
For Food the Lower East Side is a great place to find ethnic eats and unique eateries like Katz Deli on Houston and AVE A – the best NYC pastrami and brisket sandwiches hot dogs and egg creams get authentic and wash your sandwich down with a celery soda. Get a knish at the Schimmels knishery on houston and 2 ave and some great Turkish food on houston & first at Bereket there stuffed grape leaves are to die for! Then theirs il Laboratorio del Gelato at 95 Orchard St.
(between Broome & Delancey Sts) they have the most insanely delicious gelato and sorbets on the planet!! All handmade with wild flavors like basil gelato, champagne, lychee sorbet very very good…. if you have more questions just ask I’m in city

i stayed at the gershwin last time i was in NY and loved it. very clean, fun, and reasonable prices. plus, good location:
http://www.gershwinhotel.com/english/site1.html

Try kayak.com for tickets. They don’t have American which has some good fares, so search that separately. Good luck.

Hey Hanna, Being from the area i must tell you first off regardless where you stay you will end up spending a decent amount to stay. Honestly, in my opinion i would look into staying somewhere in northern NJ (Hoboken, North Bergen, weehawken, Seacaucus, Jersey city) all of these places are only a few miles from the city, most of which you can take the path train, bus, train, or ferry into the city. This option will also be great if you plan to visit the statue of liberty, ellis island, liberty state park, liberty science center.. all of which are accessible from NJ …not to mention im assuming you would fly in from newark international, again a few miles from these towns. however, if you are set on staying in the city i would check out expedia or any of the other travel sites mentioned earlier.

As for entertainment, well skies the limit! every corner you turn there is something to see and do. empire state building, museums (Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, Museum of Modern Art top picks), central park,China town, little italy, brighton beach (brooklyn), Yankee stadium (last year to see before they tear it down), Broadway, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, Jacob K. Javits Center, New York Botanical Garden, New York Stock Exchange, Rockefeller Center, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Times Square, United Nations…i could go on forever. check out www.ny.com. it has loads of information, places to visit, things to do, where to eat etc. My personal suggestions to eat would be ruths chris, carmines, tao, Prune, Hagi, Sakegura, and serendipity all great choices.

Again check out the website and if you have any specific questions dont hesitate to ask! enjoy your trip! =0)

Save dough. Meet cool friendly folk. Here: http://www.couchsurfing.com/

Look into Jet Blue’s fares. We drove to Chicago so we could fly out for 200 plus they have really great in flight service.

I stayed with a friend in Brooklyn so I can’t help you there. But I’d check out hostels.

Hanna,

Good for you, NYC is a really great city!

I spent 3 weeks there in December and was on a really tight budget (having splurged all my funds on orchestra seats at my favorite musicals plus I was visiting during ultra peak season), so I stayed at the Broadway Hotel and Hostel (http://www.broadwayhotelnyc.com/?src=ppc_google_brand). It was very cheap(you can’t beat $37 a night for a 4 bunker), but of course the facilities and ambiance could have used a lot of improvement. The lounge area was great though and you are only a block away from the nearest subway station in the upper west side. There are certainly a lot of travelers that bite the bullet and stay there, so you’ll get to meet some people, too. Another option is to look at newyork.craigslist.org for places to stay. A lot of New Yorkers rent out rooms or couches.

Everyone has stated the great things to do in NY and I couldn’t agree with them more. One thing I’d suggest if you are planning on doing all the touristy stuff is getting a New York City Pass (http://www.newyorkpass.com/) – one pass will get you to multiple attractions, plus you get to skip the long wait lines. If you are a Sex and the City fan like I am, you HAVE to go on the SATC Tour! (http://www.screentours.com/tour.php/satc/). It is something I would totally do all over again.

As for airfare, I travel a lot and always use kayak.com (like Scazza said), but you can also check out farecast.com to see if fares might go higher or lower. Usually, airlines launch new promotions Wednesdays (at least here in the US), and traveling in and out on a weekday is usually cheaper. You might also look into the difference in fares between flying in to JFK International, La Guardia, and Newark (only a train ride away).

I hope this helps and best of luck!!!!

Hotel Alexander

Timing is everything. Late October/early November then January/February/March are when you can expect some bargains. Once Thanksgiving comes, the bargains are gone through New Year’s, and likewise from about Easter through the end of summer.

One of my favorite sites is www.quikbook.com. Keep checking back because rooms get loaded on daily. Also, be sure to print out a copy of your confirmation and have it with you. I was quoted a rate at one hotel for $199 and found my bill read $265. They claimed they didn’t have a $199 rate, but when I produced the confirmation, they gave it to me (as they should.)

The Hotel Excelsior on the UWS always seems to have good rates, and it’s away from the noisiest parts of town. Good luck!