Anyone fancy NYC and Vegas?

[Jiglo]

Thinking about heading off to the States at the end of the month doing something like 4 nights in New York and 4 nights in Vegas, taking in the Grand Canyon while there

29th may - June 6th flights are 483 quid (297 NYC, 186 Vegas)
June 5th - 13th flights are 450 (264, 186) and the rooms in Vegas are very cheap, but the rooms in New york aren't

Hotels in New York are about 100 quid upwards per night and in Vegas they're around 20 quid upwards, although the Stratosphere (the one with the cool rides on top) is 31 for 2 doubles

Anyone fancy it?

[Shooms]

Do we have to spoon ?

[T.C]

sounds like a dream

If only I had oodles of spoondoolies

you better take loads of pics of the Canyon if you do go

[Jiglo]

Spoonings optional Shooms

Will defo T.C Still not booked yet but with the exchange rate being so amazing at the moment i'd be mad not to

[ashley]

d love to go to vegas always wanted to go spend spend spend in the casino

[Jiglo]

Haha you'd probably be one of the few winners too ash

I'm not going there for the gambling as it ain't my thing, but it seems theres a million and one other things to do there

[simzzzz]

sounds ace , I am deffo going back NYC this year, around Aug time. I love the place lol..gutted my missus wasnt made redundant as was going to use the payoff money to go live out there for a few years.

a nice cheapo hotel I have stopped in in NYC is this Hotel Grand Union, New York City

its clean, very basic, around £80 for double room a night and right in midtown manhattan, 32nd Street right by the empire strikes back tower.

most cheap hotels are quite dated in NYC and you really do get what you pay for over there.

remember jiglo, hush hip hop tours you will love it. 4 hours around the bronx and Spanish harlem where to be honest you would never go as its that rough, good to see a different side of it though.

[Jiglo]

Aye cheers simzzz, that's one of the reasons why i'll be there saturday as don't think they were doing em last time i went in sept 99.

Would have thought August would be a bit too humid as from what I read you'd need a few changes of clothes if you go mid summer. I went in september and it was mid 20's, sunny and perfect weather for doing it, suppose 1 month out wouldn't have been too bad though

[simzzzz]

Originally Posted by Jiglo

Aye cheers simzzz, that's one of the reasons why i'll be there saturday as don't think they were doing em last time i went in sept 99.

Would have thought August would be a bit too humid as from what I read you'd need a few changes of clothes if you go mid summer. I went in september and it was mid 20's, sunny and perfect weather for doing it, suppose 1 month out wouldn't have been too bad though

yeah it supposed to be hot then, but i have never been when its been really hot, i have done most of the tourist stuff now, so not so much walking around this time, I just want to chill out in a bar around soho in day time, check out galleries and stuff. on the night go around lower east side, some cool bars around houston and ludlow st.

yeah those hush tours only do them of a Saturday, think there the best ones from what I seen, some top old skool rappers/ dj's do their tours. you been on their web site ?

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

Sounds top that...
New York's just about my fave city in the world... so much to do there... you're right tho in high summer it'll be too hot.
Low-mid 70s at the minute, so not too bad.

Vegas wouldn't be my choice, but you're right there's loads to do there...
If you're after alternatives, then Boston's lovely (and not too far from NY) much more European in feel, lovely people, great food (on the coast so brilliant seafood) and all that coastline round cape cod is beautiful.

San Francisco would be on my list too. I've never been tho so can't speak from experience. It's meant to be fab tho.

You been to NY before?
Fitzpatrick Grand Central is another nice hotel in a good central Manhattan location... Not too bad on price if memory serves...

Angelo & Maxie's for a wicked steak, or Sparks (my personal favourite)
Some of the brick oven pizza places around greenwich village for cheap dinner/nice atmosphere/live bands
Stay away from the tourist traps like Little Italy for eating out though. They will see you coming and rip you off.
Union Square for the bars...
Stay out of Harlem unless you're feeling brave.

[Mr Radish]

We stayed here.


Downtown New York Hotels | Hotel 17 New York City NY

It was on 17th and 3rd so very handy location in mid town. And very cheap for NYC. Woody Allen filmed in the hotel for Murder in Manhatten.

Very basic with shared bathrooms (never was a problem). They have a sister hotel also which is nearer Madison. It may be hotel 31 from memory.

Also here is a great list of things to do, my mate sent me. It was a good list.

Have walked past this hotel many times. You're very near to good parts of town. Basically you want to head downtown to East Village, Lower East Side, Soho and West Village. That's where you'll find cool bars and in Soho Joanne will find good shopping.

You basically want to be south or east and west of Washington Sq Park when drinking and or shopping and exploring. Best thing for you to do is spend half a day just rambling around this area -- dead difficult to get lost because it's all a grid.

Bars to go to down there include:

Fanellis Café (my favourite) on Prince and Mercer -- also Mercer Hotel bar is opposite and that's pretty cool

Spring Street Lounge -- on Spring Street

Corner Bistro -- 4th St / Jane -- best burgers in New York (heart of the East Village, proper Bob Dylan 60s style area

Coffee Shop (Union Sq West) -- good food / great milkshakes / fittest waitresses in NYC

Babbo -- best restaurant in New York -- 4th St in West Village I think. I'd think about booking now. It's dear but well well worth it. Probably best restaurant I've been to

Cocktails in Gramercy Park Hotel (Gramercy Park)

Half a day walking round Central Park -- BEAUTIFUL!!

Fricke Gallery -- best collection of OLD MASTERS anywhere -- 70th st and 5th Ave

Walk over Brooklyn Bridge at sunset or dawn

Gotham -- great restaurant on 12th st between 4/5 aves I think. Try the chocolate martinis!

In April you might be able to catch the Yankees or the Mets at start of baseball season as well

Visit to Harlem for some soul food!

Old Town Bar (classic old style NY bar) -- 18th or 19th St and Madison I think -- anyway, about a block from your hotel. Burgers also mint. As is Old Town Ale.

Take the Staten Island ferry -- nothing to see there but view of South Manhattan and Stat of Liberty is awesome

Go up Empire State building at sunset and watch all the lights coming on. AMAZING

And finally, every good English pilgrim has to visit the Dakota Building (72nd st and Central Park West I think) where Lennon lived and was shot and then walk into Strawberry Fields in Central Park and leave an offering at the Imagine mosaic.

Enjoy mate!

[Jiglo]

Originally Posted by Sheikh Yerbouti

Sounds top that...
New York's just about my fave city in the world... so much to do there... you're right tho in high summer it'll be too hot.
Low-mid 70s at the minute, so not too bad.

Vegas wouldn't be my choice, but you're right there's loads to do there...
If you're after alternatives, then Boston's lovely (and not too far from NY) much more European in feel, lovely people, great food (on the coast so brilliant seafood) and all that coastline round cape cod is beautiful.

San Francisco would be on my list too. I've never been tho so can't speak from experience. It's meant to be fab tho.

You been to NY before?
Fitzpatrick Grand Central is another nice hotel in a good central Manhattan location... Not too bad on price if memory serves...

Angelo & Maxie's for a wicked steak, or Sparks (my personal favourite)
Some of the brick oven pizza places around greenwich village for cheap dinner/nice atmosphere/live bands
Stay away from the tourist traps like Little Italy for eating out though. They will see you coming and rip you off.
Union Square for the bars...
Stay out of Harlem unless you're feeling brave.

Done San Francisco twice, great city

The first time was february and t shirt and shorts weather and I loved every minute The second was colder and didn't stop raining and it limited what I got around to doing. Might have been because I did the main things the first time around.

Thought about Boston in the past, but then the allure of NYC is magnetic and makes you feel alive every second you're there and I really wanna feel that again

Haha I walked a fair way into Harlem and knew it wasn't quite as safe as the rest of the places i'd been too, but seemed fine where I got too

[Jiglo]

Nice one Chris, that's a big long list mate.

I stayed 3 blocks from the Empire State when I went after the recommendation in one of the travel books. It was Hotel Wolcott Hotel Wolcott, New York City Discount Hotel and I stayed in a big 2 bedroomed suite. Perfect location I thought between Broadway and Fifth and a 5 minute walk from Times Square

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

nice one about SF I'm deffo gonna go there one day.
You can catch a train from NY to Boston, takes about 3 hours and apparently is a nice journey. Peeps from work have done that for business trips and stuff, I never have though... Summat to think about maybe...

I do agree though... nice as the other cities are there's really just nowhere else like Manhattan...

[Jiglo]

Vancouver is my second favourite city and been there a couple of times. It has everything you could want, including a long beach right in the city and I went for a walk along it most evenings watching the sun setting over the water and it had pockets of people all chilling the fook out

Amazing place and should be on your list too