We stayed at Hampton Inn Times Sq. North on 8th Avenue near 50th Street for 4 nights; June 8-June13. Don't hesitate choosing this hotel (tips we learned about nyc at end of review). We've stayed in big cities before such as Paris, so I knew what I wanted before we went. First, the subway entrance is across the street which means a lot less walking just to get to your destination. The area is safe and kept up well. The hotel is clean and well managed. The staff was always very helpful...if concierge was busy, we asked a dif. employee for i.e. directions and they were always helpful & correct. Breakfast was sufficient...get down there before 7:30 a.m. Our last day there, my daughter and I slept in and my husband went down and got us some breakfast. He went back down at 8:30 for something and he said it was packed and the breakfast food wasn't all replenished. We went to bkfst between 6:30 and 7:00 the other days and it was quiet and all the food was out. Nothing to brag about, but it gave us something decient to eat before heading out for the day. There was always something hot such as a cheese omelete (okay) & i.e. bacon or sausage. One morning they had western omelete and hashbrowns. Always a variety of bagels, pastries, muffins, a fruit mix, fresh fruit i.e. bananas, apples, juices, cold cereal, & coffee. I read the reviews before I reserved it and the apples are good (someone wrote they are mushy), so get some extra. Also, there are breakfast bags at the front desk (you've got to get these before 7:00 or they're gone) for people on the run. We got a few for our train ride back. We reserved a two queen bedded room and we got it(checked in after 5:00 p.m.) The room was clean (not spotless, but close) and the beds were comfortable. The pillows were average. I would definitely stay here again. As were were leaving, they were offering a two night stay starting at 299 (no taxes included). We paid $1666 for 4 nights which included all taxes(there's a lot of nyc taxes). We were in a hurry so we didn't have time to really think about it so we decllined. If we didn't want to visit some other places, I think it was a great deal. we'd love to go back and we definitely would stay at their hotel. Some tips: If you are going to use the subway and buses get a daily fun pass or 7 day metro card. We got the 7 day care which saved us a lot of money (we didn't have to decide, should we take the bus or subway and pay 2.25 each or walk a lot further). A lot of the subway runs north and south. North is uptown (this is how it is defined at the subway); South is downtown...that's used for the directions. In example, if you are leaving Penn Station and going to this hotel, you would use line E uptown. There are some subway lines that go into i.e. Queens or Brooklyn and it will say this as the direction...just figure which direction you are going and asked someone who doesn't look like a tourist. I usually asked people ages mid 20's to late 30's and they were very helpful. I have to say, NEW YORKERS ARE FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL. When we arrived from Penn Station and took the E line and my husband was carrying the luggage (one at a time) up the stairs, people offered to help us and we were glad to get the help : ) When we asked someone about how to get somewhere, most people were glad to help (we only ran into i.e. a couple of people who ignored us...maybe they were tourist from a dif. country??) We bought the New York Pass (not the city pass) which included more places. We used our whole day and part of the evening visiting many places. I checked what times they were open and the days (i.e. Met. Mus of Art open till 9:00 on Fri.) and put the places were wanted to see the most first and the others at the bottom. Without the pass it would have cost us more. Food in nyc is not that expensive. We live in OH and it was much more than what we pay here, but we didn't go to any fancy restaurants. Caruso's pizza place by Fulton and Broadway was really good and inexpensive. There are Chipotle (the one across from our hotel gave my daughter and I bathroom problems-we had the chicken burrito). But everything else there was reasonable. Check out American Eagle at times sq. They have a deal: if you purchase something, you get your pic on the jumbotron...it's really something (she also has A.E. times sq. top and others that you can't purchase anywhere else...that is cool for a 15 year old : ). I think that was the best part of her trip even though she loved everything else. Before we left I borrowed from the library & read NYC for dummies and Eyewitness Travel NYC and Eyewitness Travel top 10 NYC. I also borrowed a travel nyc dvd. They are all good books to read. They eyewitness ones have a lot of pics (the top 10 doesn't have as many pics, but you can look them up on the internet). We also took Amtrak to nyc out of Clev. After see the traffic there, we definitely would not drive and are glad that we didn't have to. We used the subway as late as 1:30 a.m. and no problems- There is an S subway train that goes into Times Square...Take it! Or at least just visit the subway area...bands playing...a man dressed as spider man and playing a saxophone, etc...too much fun to miss. Some free sights are Highline Park which is beautiful; Central Park; Metropolitan Museum of Art (they ask i.e. $10 suggested adult donation, but you don't have to give that much...this was included in our NYC Pass...to a free place??? Anyways, St. John Cathedral Divine on Amsterdam (there wasn't a charge when we went although it said there was on the internet and it was included in our NYC Pass). Other beautiful Churches such as St. Patricks by Rockefeller; walks in Little Italy Area & Chinatown---The one nice thing about having the nyc pass was that if it was included and we wanted to see it, we didn't feel like we had to stay at the place along time to get our money's worth (like at the Guggenheim...went there to walk along the hallways, but they were closed getting ready for a new exhibit...exhibits not much to look at...just wanted to see the building. Metropolitan mus., American museum of natural history; MOMA are terrific museums. I recommend getting either this pass or the city pass and mix it in with free places for an eclectic vacation. Have fun on your trip!
hotel reviews