US Holiday

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WCErevival said:
Looking for any recommendations on places to stay in New York.

Something half decent but dont want it to break the bank.
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http://www.frenchquartersny.com/

Stayed here a couple of years ago , was excellent .
Cool bar/restaurant attached to it , but since it's right in the heart of Hell's Kitchen there is amazing drinking/dining places everywhere .
8th Ave subway station one block away and times sq 2 blocks away .
Great hotel in a great location.
Just depends on your budget i suppose but for NYC and such a great location the prices are quite reasonable imo.
 
Stone in sock said:
http://www.frenchquartersny.com/

Stayed here a couple of years ago , was excellent .
Cool bar/restaurant attached to it , but since it's right in the heart of Hell's Kitchen there is amazing drinking/dining places everywhere .
8th Ave subway station one block away and times sq 2 blocks away .
Great hotel in a great location.
Just depends on your budget i suppose but for NYC and such a great location the prices are quite reasonable imo.
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Nice place but too expensive for me. Its for 14 days.

Xfactor1979s would be more suitable I think.
 

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Stone in sock said:
Can anyone recommend a hotel in San Fransisco .
Been researching online then cross referencing with Trip Advisor but that can also be misleading depending on who likes a coffee maker in their room or how soft they like their pillows .
Was looking at wharf or union square , but am always up for experienced views .
Happy to pay up to $300 a night as SF can be quite expensive .
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In 2001 stayed at Hotel Bijou which is a boutique hotel.

www.hotelbijou.com
 
WCErevival said:
Looking for any recommendations on places to stay in New York.

Something half decent but dont want it to break the bank.
Click to expand...

I stayed at marrakech, which is broadway and about 103rd W.
Subway directly below. No point in spending much money on accommodation when there is so much to see in NYC.

I swear by hotwire.com for all US accommodation.
 
Great thread - heaps of helpful info.

Heading over next year. Wanted to get peoples thoughts on stuff to do in Chicago (only there 2 nights unfortunately)?

I'm also keen to catch some music in NYC. Any good websites for checking touring dates?
 
have a look at this site.

http://www.beacontheatre.com/

Its a little early yet for next years program to come out but this year when i was there this was the May/ June program

May 19 Adele
May 22 - 24 Elivis Costello
June 14 - 15 Deep Purple
June 16 The Monkees Reunion
June 17 Peter Frampton 35th anniversary of Frampton Comes alive,
June 19 Michael Bolton & Kenny G
June 20 KD Lang
June 21 - 22 Eddie Vedder
June 23 Chris Botti
June 24 Charlie Wilson
June 28 - 29 Earth Wind and Fire
June 30 Alicia Keys

Somethinmg for everyone there and in a famous venue as well.

If you want to see the best house covers band in the city go to Cafe Wha?

http://cafewha.com/

You cannot get a more historic venue in the city than cafe wha? - check out its history - its in geenwich village and is a basement club.
 
thoselionslads said:
Great thread - heaps of helpful info.

Heading over next year. Wanted to get peoples thoughts on stuff to do in Chicago (only there 2 nights unfortunately)?
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You could spend two days just walking around the city marvelling at the architecture on Michigan Avenue. Tribune Tower, Wrigley Building, Hancock Tower and Sears Tower to name a few from memory.

Go to a blues club.
Eat a Chicago deepdish pizza.
Go to the iconic Soldier or Wrigley Fields depending on season.
United Center for Bulls or Blackhawks game.
Wander Grant and Millenium Parks.
Swim at the beach.
Waterfront between Navy Pier and Shedd Aquarium.
Cruise on Lake Michigan and Chicago River.

O'Hare Airport was huge as well.
 
Got my tickets, tour passes and hotel vouches today.

Leave in 20 days. Going to be epic. 2011 has been a s**t year, great opportunity to start 2012 in a good way.

Renting a car in LAX and driving to Vegas - do USA rental companies up date their fleet every year like they do hear in Australia?
 
2009premiers said:
I swear by hotwire.com for all US accommodation.
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So do I, especially if you're not fussy about their secret deals.

I booked an Atlanta hotel through hotwire. I wanted to stay downtown and they had an offer of $80 a night for a 5 star hotel as a secret deal.

The 5 star hotel on booking turned out to be Hyatt. I was stoked how good it was for the price I got. Basically anything 4 star and above through Hotwire, you can't go wrong, providing you are happy to stay in a general area.

I've started to use hotwire for Australian hotels too.
This week Hotwire has a secret deal for $125 a night during the week before christmas for a 5 star hotel on the Gold Coast with 'casino' facilities.
Obviously it must be Jupiters as their are no other casinos on the Gold Coast that are 5 stars. Sure better paying triple the price for the same top accomodation and sure better paying the same price for only 2 star quality
 
In San Francisco at the moment, such an awesome city. The whole Christmas themes make it that much more amazing. Staying at Vintage court hotel for the guy who asked, not so flash but good prices and perfect location in Union Square.

Was in San Diego for 3 days, a very cool place as well. But LA before that was very average, just not an enjoyable place at all.
 
3 weeks today until I leave :D

Soooooo excited! I was up until 1.30am a couple of nights ago watching SOS's (I think it was his) video blog. Got me so pumped!

Got tickets for Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos on New years day. Looks to be an important match now than Denver are well in contention for playoffs.

Also got tickets for Dallas Stars @ Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals @ New York Rangers. Hoping now that the pre-season dates for NBA have been released, I can get my hands on some NBA tickets too.

Starting on 27/12, I've got 6 nights in Denver staying with a good friend of mine. Following that Ive got 4 nights in Seattle and 4 nights in San Fran. Flying to LAX on the 10th Jan to catch a Contiki tour (yes yes I know, much cheaper on your own, blah blah :p I did Contiki in Europe and loved it so much I was always gonna do another one) That runs through to NYC on the 6th Feb where I spend 8 nights. Then fly to Chicago for 4 nights then back to LAX for another 3 nights before I leave.

A couple of questions Ive got regarding some touristy spots.

1. Has anyone heard of/done a night tour of Alcatraz and if so, can you recommend a company?

2. Is it worth going to the crown of the Statue of Liberty? I mean, sure you get a good view of Manhattan, but is it that much better than just doing a river cruise?

3. Is it worth heading to some of the other boroughs of NYC? I think I'd like to check out Brooklyn & the Bronx, but is it worth the time? I know I definitely want to go to Coney Island. And how about Harlem? Is it possible to do a walking day starting at the south end of Central Park, walking up, through Harlem and back down?
 

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donsman4eva said:
3 weeks today until I leave :D


A couple of questions Ive got regarding some touristy spots.

1. Has anyone heard of/done a night tour of Alcatraz and if so, can you recommend a company?

2. Is it worth going to the crown of the Statue of Liberty? I mean, sure you get a good view of Manhattan, but is it that much better than just doing a river cruise?
Click to expand...

I booked the Alcatraz tour through the actual Alcatraz website and was perfect http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/
Have done both day and night and I found the night tour the best, they usually have 2 depature times, get on the first one so it gives you more time on the island and can catch the last ferry back. When you see the staff on the island, ask questions...we got taken down underground to old cells (just myself and partner) simply because we so fascinated, this isn't part of the normal tour and can only be accessed with a staff member.

Be sure to book early so you dont miss out, as its very popular!

Have been to the crown, basically because hadent done it before, have to say wasn't overly exciting, more of a just to say ive done it thing. The pedestal is perfectly fine to do and has great views.
The statue is a must I believe, you can do a normal river cruise and get just as good views, but it's more about standing on something that is so famous.
 
donsman4eva said:
Hoping now that the pre-season dates for NBA have been released, I can get my hands on some NBA tickets too.



A couple of questions Ive got regarding some touristy spots.

1. Has anyone heard of/done a night tour of Alcatraz and if so, can you recommend a company?

2. Is it worth going to the crown of the Statue of Liberty? I mean, sure you get a good view of Manhattan, but is it that much better than just doing a river cruise?

3. Is it worth heading to some of the other boroughs of NYC? I think I'd like to check out Brooklyn & the Bronx, but is it worth the time? I know I definitely want to go to Coney Island. And how about Harlem? Is it possible to do a walking day starting at the south end of Central Park, walking up, through Harlem and back down?
Click to expand...

NBA starts on Christmas Day, so you should see a real game not preseason rubbish.

1. The official cruise for Alcatraz was listed above.

2. I've done the crown and it was great. It is closed for repairs at the moment though. Liberty and Ellis are still worth visiting, in fact, you must visit on your first trip to NY.

3. You probably wont see everything in Manhattan, so travelling out to Brooklyn or the Bronx may not be time well spent. I only went to the Bronx to see a few Yankees games, and only ever went to Brooklyn over the bridge.

HI New York runs a walking tour for a few bucks around Harlem on Sundays where you get to see a fair bit, inclusive of a Black Gospel Church Choir. It is effectively Central Park north so you could easily walk up and back.
 
donsman4eva said:
3 weeks today until I leave :D

Soooooo excited!
Also got tickets for Dallas Stars @ Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals @ New York Rangers. Hoping now that the pre-season dates for NBA have been released, I can get my hands on some NBA tickets too.
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Catching the rangers at the garden was the highlight of my trip last
Christmas, such a great crowd (provided they're
winning)- I've been a devout follower ever since.
Also caught the ducks, paled in comparisson.

Will be a great game against the caps, let's go rangers!
 
Heading over for two weeks in Feb before flying to Europe. I'm visiting LA, Vegas before heading to New York. I have booked 4 nights accommodation for NY and I'm unsure what to do for the last 7 or 8 days. Any ideas? I am considering doing some day trips to surrounding cities and stationing myself in NY. I want to get the most out of the experience considering I wont be visiting for long.
 
deledio7 said:
Heading over for two weeks in Feb before flying to Europe. I'm visiting LA, Vegas before heading to New York. I have booked 4 nights accommodation for NY and I'm unsure what to do for the last 7 or 8 days. Any ideas? I am considering doing some day trips to surrounding cities and stationing myself in NY. I want to get the most out of the experience considering I wont be visiting for long.
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Washington DC is definetly worth a visit - you can train down and back from NYC and stay one or two nights - depending on what time you leave and want to get back - trains run hourly from memory.

Ditto Boston. Boston has a great sporting heritage and is a very pretty city - DC is full of great monuments and the smithosian of air and space is a must, diito having a geek at the white house etc.

As to which to go to if you only coukld choose one - i would pick DC.

I would then spend an extra couple of days in NYC - 7 days can easily be spent there. The first four days you will do the must do's then the next few days you will do the gems.
 
Thanks Peejay. I was thinking of checking out both Boston and Washington. Might stay overnight at both places and head back to New York for a couple of days.
 
deledio7 said:
Thanks Peejay. I was thinking of checking out both Boston and Washington. Might stay overnight at both places and head back to New York for a couple of days.
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Pity one is south and one is north of NYC but i guess you can't have everything.
 
Lets Roar like '44 said:
I booked the Alcatraz tour through the actual Alcatraz website and was perfect http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/
Have done both day and night and I found the night tour the best, they usually have 2 depature times, get on the first one so it gives you more time on the island and can catch the last ferry back. When you see the staff on the island, ask questions...we got taken down underground to old cells (just myself and partner) simply because we so fascinated, this isn't part of the normal tour and can only be accessed with a staff member.

Be sure to book early so you dont miss out, as its very popular!

Have been to the crown, basically because hadent done it before, have to say wasn't overly exciting, more of a just to say ive done it thing. The pedestal is perfectly fine to do and has great views.
The statue is a must I believe, you can do a normal river cruise and get just as good views, but it's more about standing on something that is so famous.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Was definitely leaning towards the night tour anyway. I heard it could get a bit crowded though, but eventually everyone just wanders off on their own.

Yeah, I guess the crown tour is one of those "must do" things. When I was in Venice I wasnt particularly looking forward to the gondola ride, but again it was a "must do". Ended up being heaps of fun.

2009premiers said:
NBA starts on Christmas Day, so you should see a real game not preseason rubbish.

1. The official cruise for Alcatraz was listed above.

2. I've done the crown and it was great. It is closed for repairs at the moment though. Liberty and Ellis are still worth visiting, in fact, you must visit on your first trip to NY.

3. You probably wont see everything in Manhattan, so travelling out to Brooklyn or the Bronx may not be time well spent. I only went to the Bronx to see a few Yankees games, and only ever went to Brooklyn over the bridge.

HI New York runs a walking tour for a few bucks around Harlem on Sundays where you get to see a fair bit, inclusive of a Black Gospel Church Choir. It is effectively Central Park north so you could easily walk up and back.
Click to expand...

Good point about Brooklyn/Bronx. I guess I'll just take it as it comes anyway. The only thing I've got planned for my time in NYC is the Rangers game, everything else is up in the air. If I feel like going I guess I'll just get up and go

As for the HI walking tour, is it available only to HI NYC guests or can anyone join? If it is only open for guests, is there another tour you (or anyone else) could recommend?

mike_ said:
Catching the rangers at the garden was the highlight of my trip last
Christmas, such a great crowd (provided they're
winning)- I've been a devout follower ever since.
Also caught the ducks, paled in comparisson.

Will be a great game against the caps, let's go rangers!
Click to expand...

Yeah, sports is always amazing around the world. So far the best thing Ive seen is a Barcelona Vs Sevilla game at Nou Camp. Absolutely amazing. Nothing beats going to see massive sports games.
 
donsman4eva said:
Awesome. Was definitely leaning towards the night tour anyway. I heard it could get a bit crowded though, but eventually everyone just wanders off on their own.
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I actually found the night tour the quietest because you don't keep getting more groups coming over. Only 2 night tours run, and if you still til closing you pretty much have free run of the place. Be sure also, they only open the hospital on the night tour, and even then it's only at selective times, so be sure to ask about it so you dont miss out.
 
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