After you go to Tom's Restaurant, walk west towards riverside park, it's really underrated

for a nice night out, a good midtown dinner/drinks combo is il corso restaurant followed by salon de ning, the peninsula hotel's rooftop bar. you guys could walk over to times square too.

there are nicer restaurants in that area but il corso is one of my faves for the $150 price range.

I'm a NYC newb, but my only reco would be that if you are going to do Times Square/midtown around there, make it a driveby. my sense is that everything in the area (hotels, restuarants, bars) are catered to tourists and is therefore expensive and not as good as places that depend on repeat business.

my office (which I'm at 30% ish of the time) is midtown west but I try not to stay around here. much prefer UWS or west village

I would suggest stretching the budget out if possible - NY is expensive, and having that extra little bit for each meal, ticket, etc. will mean that you're going to get more out of the trip. NY has a lot to offer, but a lot of it is inaccessible if you are pinching pennies.

Some parts of Brooklyn are really easy to reach by subway - it's possible to be in Brooklyn and have a shorter subway ride to some parts southern Manhattan than if you're in the UWS/UES or farther north in Manhattan.

No!!! Do NY, it should be a great trip.

If you book a good deal on a hotel around now you can probably do 4-5k without skimping on many things. Giants tix may be doable depending on playoffs. Blue Note and Village Vanguard are both worth checking out and nearby. You can find fantastic jazz/music in the non-'name' bars all over the city, believe me. When I first moved there the local club had Les Paul every week, it was pretty amazing.

TKTS for Broadway, obvs. Or you can get lucky and get some of the 'reserve' tix that they release each day. And Memphis is a terrific show that's still easy to get tickets to see. Highly recommend, and def one of the best shows I've seen on Broadway since Chicago re-launched with Bebe Neuwirth and Ann Reinking [and Orbach, rip].

You can get good-to-great food virtually anywhere in NYC for cheap, even at good sushi, thai, italian, steak places and etc $150 is easily doable for nicer places. I highly recommend checking out a nice, well-reviewed, midtier french restaurant if you've never been. A lot of the top chefs have 'bistro' places now aimed squarely at you. Try brunch at Pastis/Balthazar for celeb-spotting and the best brunch in town [most 'name' brunch places are terrible, C-team only.] Lunch at the top restaurants in NYC is still the best deal that is virtually never spoken of -- best lunch I ever had was probably Gramercy Tavern for half what it would have cost 4-7 hrs later.

I may be biased, but NYC is absolutely gorgeous in the winter, you don't have the awful summer heat and smells, no humidity, and even the little things like the shop windows look amazing. And while tourists are annoying, the holiday spirit makes almost everyone friendlier. Don't listen to the haters, absolutely go and enjoy yourselves, you'll be glad you did. You don't have to spend like a Rockefeller to enjoy it, 4-5k for ~6 days is easily doable if you're not eating at Per Se every night and seeing 6 shows and buying out Van Cleef.

Can anybody recommend cool clubs in/around Soho? I'll be around next weekend Thurs-Sunday.

Ok, I mean we're talking > 3k for 5 days. Maybe I just don't spend that much, but seriously? That's > 600 a day. Unless you're staying in a ridiculous hotel (just priceline a nice one almost anywhere in manhattan for ~ 125 a night) and eating at ridiculous restaurants for all meals (there are plenty of great dinners you can do in NY that don't have Michelin stars), you should have WAY more than enough left over to do what you want to do. Most sites are free or have a nominal (or optional) entrance fee. You definitely don't have to scrape to do a week in NYC on this much.

If you have money to blow, by all means, a 10k week in NYC would be awesome. But I definitely object to the thought that you would have to penny-pinch to do 5 nights in NYC on 3k-4k.

As for recs, I'd try to go to a broadway show (TKTS if you have a few shows you'd want to see, especially if they aren't "hot"), the opera (if you'd be into that), and another show (there are plenty of venues all over -- see the rockettes or an orchestra or a play or something that's not a huge musical or go to carolines). Go to the museums (Met, MoMA, Nat History, and any of the others you might be into, e.g., the Guggenheim). Do the dumb touristy stuff (like ice skating in Rockefeller Center). Go to mass at St Patrick's. Walk thru Central Park if you get a reasonably nice day. Visit ground zero. Do a walking tour if you can find one. Hockey or basketball fan? See a Rangers or Knicks game at MSG. Dinners? Find smaller, more intimate, more local venues. If you're a big foodie, sure, do a serious place, but also remember that this is New York. Have dinner on Arthur Avenue. Go get dim sum in Queens. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge (again, on a nice day) and have lunch at Grimaldi's. Go visit your friend in Brooklyn Friday and go to happy hour at Brooklyn Brewery.

I don't mean to jump on you, mosdef. I agree that having $$ is better than not, especially here. But you can do a hell of a lot for a reasonable amount of $$ in NYC without scraping, as long as you're not going to Per Se every night, as someone mentioned.

if you could show me how to priceline a nice hotel in Manhattan for $125 / night, that would be awesome. you're on vacation and don't want to bring back bedbugs with you from some fleabag, under $300 / night allin for a decent place is not easy to do

Just as a proof of concept. I'm certain that if the Hyatt and Millennium Hilton are going for ~150, one can get one of the boutique hotels in, say, Chelsea/MSG/ESB for 125.

http://www.betterbidding.com/index.p...7&#entry490737

Also, copied/pasted from the last hotel I pricelined in NYC. It was very nice.

Hotel Details
Affinia Shelburne
303 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-689-5200
Check-In: Friday, December 10, 2010-03:00 PM
Check-Out: Saturday, December 11, 2010-12:00 PM
Room 1: <name>
Confirmation # <conf #>
Summary of Charges
Apply for our new priceline rewards Visa card today and you can earn up to $50 cash back on your first purchase. Plus, enjoy these additional benefits:
- Earn double, triple, or even quadruple points on priceline.com purchases
- Redeem your points for anything you buy ($25 minimum)
Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $105.00 (USD)
Number of Rooms: 1
Number of Nights: 1
Room Subtotal: $105.00 (USD)
Taxes and Fees: $29.49 (USD)
Total Room Cost: $134.49 (USD)

edit: This is a helpful post for someone with a budget of appx 200/night looking for a 4* in NYC for 10 days in late Oct.
http://www.betterbidding.com/index.p...7&#entry489237
It describes how to take multiple bites at the apple, so to speak, on Priceline. You can tailor this idea to your own specs.

edit2: and this is a list of the priceline hotels in NY (find NYC and see the lists for each zone with star levels). Google the hotels and see what falls into your acceptable range, and go with god.
http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=93&

GoldBar is a smaller lounge/club but is still a pretty hot spot.

Greenhouse was one of the it spots about 2 years ago and is still a good place.

I just won a bid for this weekend for $160/night for a "4 star" hotel, which turned out to be some Sheraton in Manhattan (just a few blocks south of central park).

Reviews seem to indicate it's closer to a 3 or 3.5* though - I guess we'll see.

nice.

I am in NYC every other week now and need to get hotel rooms constantly, so figuring out priceline should be something I do asap.

the only problem is that I'm commuting to 1 particular place, so I don't want to get stuck somewhere where the commute sucks.

the other thing is that Priceline is a bit weird about their neighborhoods and selection. there appears to be very little between midtown and downtown

There's a bunch of hotels that are listed in the list, but aren't showing up on that map. I'd go by the lists rather than that map.

Also, anyone who uses priceline or hotwire should really use betterbidding.com (or similar sites).

People post their winning bids/star rating/area so you can get an idea of how low you can bid.

Also google for the "rebidding" strategy. Basically, you can add neighborhoods that don't have any hotels in the star rating you want, which essentially lets you make another bid immediately instead of waiting 24 hours.

Depending on where you need to be the Radisson and Marriot in Midtown East are pretty much always reasonably priced.

thoughts on the neighborhood they're in?

my office is Midtown West just south of Times Square...which is basically my least favorite hood in NYC so I would love to stay in better hoods that have a reasonable commute

hey guys, im from north jersey and im pretty ashamed to say that i rarely venture into Manhattan (probably 5 times a year at most). this friday in lieu of sitting around another friday night in my friends apartment 3 of us decided to take the bus into the city. our plan is to walk from port authority to a place my dad recommended in hells kitchen to get some dinner and drinks, and from there i was thinking about maybe going to see some stand up comedy.

ive only been to stand up places a few times, the places i went had little to no cover n had a 2 drink minimum, wich would be ideal, but im also not opposed to paying a little bigger of a cover if that means seeing a better act..can anyone recommend anywhere to go or any specific acts that are preferably within walking distance to port authority?

thank you very much in advance....

carolines?

Thanks, I'll check them out but I'll be sure to ask some cute girls where to go first

i've been to every major comedy club in NYC and my favorite (by far) is comedy cellar on macdougal. you'll need a reservation.

Iridium usually has really good stuff going on around christmas/new years. Blue Note and VV are both really cool establishments. I have not been to birdland. I would suggest checking the schedule before your trip and just seeing what shows look good to you. Fat Cats and Smalls are great Jazz clubs to check out as well.

Oh yeah, sure - going to NY on a budget is still a great trip. I`m just saying if you have the option, NY is a lot more fun with a little more cash. Don`t forget the initial $4,000 budget also has to include airfare and transit if I understood the person correctly. Not sure where the guy`s coming from but airfare could take up a significant part of that budget.

For a Jazz fan, Village Vanguard should be the first choice by a pretty large margin. You can trust me on this.

For contrast and a little more local color, you may want to check out Smalls (esp late at night) or the stone if you are into the avant stuff.

edit: don't know what dates you are here, but if it coincides with the winter Jazz-fest then that is a must. An amazing event, and pretty cheap.

I would consider trying airbnb. nye is the biggest blackout weekend of the year, most decent hotels aren't going to be putting up rooms on priceline this far in advance. also, I would advise avoiding midtown at all costs unless you want to be trapped in outrageous mob scenes, and you take a big risk on location with priceline.

on airbnb, you probably won't be paying $150 or less, but they won't charge taxes and if you are staying multiple nights you might be able to get a better rate because you can negotiate directly with the owner. also you'll have a real apartment so you don't have to eat every single meal out - which can save you oodles, especially when you consider that a brunch for 2 typically costs upwards of $50 if you include a drink. You can also have a glass of wine in your living room before going out without feeling like you are pregaming in your hotel.

just did a quick search and here's one for $200 in one of the best areas. I strongly recommend staying below 14th street, West village/greenwich village/soho would be my top recommendation and east village/lower east side is also a great location.

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/95898


re: reservations to shows/restaurants - here are a couple of my favorite date restaurants - not traditionally fancy but the food is v good and very nontraditional, prices are really reasonable and the ambience is intimate/cozy: graffiti (indian/se asian fusion) mayahuel (tequila/mezcal and tapas bar), ivo and lulu (french carribean), spotted pig (everything pork), malatesta (classic northern italian). If you want something a bit more sceny/hotspot/trendy, i would recommend rubirosa, la esquina, the fat radish.

I actually do date planning as a side project, basically acting as a personal concierge service to plan unique and interesting dates, mostly for men who don't have the time/resources to do it themselves. Send me a msg if you're interested.

depending when you go, you might be able to catch apple/pumpkin picking season. i know its cheesy but girls (me included) love that stuff.

applewood orchards in warwick has an attached winery, getting buzzed and climbing trees is great wholesome fun.