First Time New York City Advice Please

[merciantinkerbell]

So, as the title says hubby and I want to go to New York for our next holiday. Would love to ride the Coney Island Cyclone before I get too old! LOL. It won't be till June 2016 for our anniversary but due to costs/saving we always book around 12 months in advance.
Does anyone who's been/live there have any advice? Places to stay, getting around with wheelchair? Difficult? Easy?
Any and all advice appreciated. Thanks in advance

[Katzateer]

If you watch for special rates, the Waldof Astoria is in an area near shopping, plenty of tourist sitesand museums, They have good rates but you are in older rooms. Lodging is very expensive in NYC.

Thr sidewalks are so crowded and you almost have to walk. Not sure how navigating a wheelchair on the streets will be but all the major attractions are certainly set up to accommodate wheelchairs. Most of my trips have been day trips and I walk to Times Square area. Central Park is a hike but in nice weather I have been.

Places to consider visiting-

Top of the Rock
tour of NBC
Museums
radio City

Broadway shows!

Central Park tours are fun.

Hopefully someone else will have some lodging suggestions.

I have never taken a boat tour or seen the Statue of Liberty. We went to 9-11 before the memorial was completed. It was an expense taxi ride from Penn Station.

Hope you find the perfect place to stay and have fun planning your trip!

Have you considered staying near the Jersey shore and taking a train in to tour? It might be cheaper. You can get into town early in the day and visit attraction. I wouldn't want to take a later train out though so mattinees of shows would be a better idea. Fort Mommouth area is nice and if you go to the park you can see the city from the shore and enjoy some beach time!

[merciantinkerbell]

Thanks for the advice and info. We'll look at outside the city if its easy to get into from there and also the Waldorf - but sounds very posh! . Top of the Rock looks like a great photo opp .

[Katzateer]

We got a special rate for about $300 a night. It was in an older room but it was comfortable. Hard to find a room under $300. And even at that they are SMALL rooms.

And I would go towards the shore looking for out of city lodging not towards Newark.

[DisneyFan1979]

This thread hasn't been active for 2 weeks or so but since you're planning your trip far in advance, hopefully my reply is not too late:

If you are not tied to going only on holiday weekends and during the busiest seasons you can absolutely find hotel deals. I was supposed to go this past wknd, but had to cancel due to the snow in New England. I originally had a $229 AAA rate at the Omni Berkshire Place in midtown. I go to NYC twice a year and I see rates at luxury and high-end boutique hotels vary between $199 and $600 depending on the date.

If you are on a budget do not confine your search to just what people consider budget-friendly hotels. There is sometimes little difference in price between the big budget chains and the high-end boutique hotels in NYC.

For best proximity to the biggest attractions, I recommend sticking with the mid-town area. Also, the sidewalks are all wide so navigating with a wheelchair should be doable.

[merciantinkerbell]

Not too late at all. We won't be booking until about September when hubby can book time off work but I'm a serious planner and like to know where, when and how!! I could NEVER do one of these last-minute spontaneous trips, I'd be in a right tizz!!
Our anniversary is 30th June so we'd be there ( hopefully) for July 4th. Good idea? Never been over there at that time but I know its a national holiday.

[RBrooksC]

Make sure you visit Grand Central. The main concourse is a sight to behold. Also, there is some nice shopping and a good Farmer's Market in there.

And if you can make time to eat at Carnegie's Deli or Junior's. Junior's is in Times Square. Carnegie's Deli is a couple of blocks south of the bottom end of Central Park.

[tjstrike]

Have you looked at going with some sort of tour group ? That's what we did last year. They put us up in NJ and we rode the bus into NYC everyday. Everything was pre planned which was very convenient. We hit all the major sites (statue of liberty, empire state building, central park, freedom tower, radio city music hall, phantom of the opera, grand central station, etc...)

[Tink#64]

Merciantinkerbell,

We visited NY 3 years ago and loved every minute! We stayed in NJ, at The LaQuinta Inn and Suites in Secaucus, NJ and it was perfect for us. We got a suite with a great rate, free parking and a motor coach picked us up directly across the street and delivered us to The Port Authority in NYC for $8.00 each round trip. From there, Times Square is a 2 block walk, could also access the streets for walking or taking a bus or go directly to a subway platform.

Among our favorite things were exploring Central Park, visiting Top of The Rock, which I chose over The Empire State Building due to reviews on Trip Advisor and it was fantastic! I would highly recommend! We also really enjoyed Times Square, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ground Zero, Chinatown, shopping 5th Avenue, exploring Grand Central Terminal and finally Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty! This trip was myself & DH & DS's then ages 15 & 16 and we all had a fantastic time! It was a whirlwind couple of days, I'd love to visit again and stay longer next time to enjoy more! The police presence was comforting and they were all so nice! We felt very safe during the entire trip - even on the subway! We asked to take pictures of the DS's with all the various police officers we saw, on horseback, motorcycles, on foot, even some with what appeared to be semi ? automatic weapons! Everyone we encountered in the city was extremely kind & hospital! Not what I had expected at all! We had very detailed plans including maps that we'd stop to consult every so often, and every time, a local would stop and offer their assistance! It was a fantastic experience!