- Is AirBNB or a hotel better? We tend to prefer the former as you can usually get quite a bit more space for your $$$, but hotels can be great when you donât know a place well
Donât know of any AirBNB, but have had visiting friends/families stay at ones at or near our neighborhood, in very nice apartment buildings, complete with the all-important concierge and doorman amenities. Iâve visited them and places are very clean, modern, costs just a bit lower than the nearby hotels, but the huge spaces, with kitchens, are what they needed and looked for. But, having said all that that, if Iâm simply travelling alone or with the wife, Iâd opt for a hotel. There are the huge corporate ones mainly in tourists or business areas (Times Square, midtown or downtown Financial Districts), and those are for business travelers on corporate dimes or for tourists who feel comfortable with brand names, but there are plenty of boutique-types scattered everywhere in Manhattan and I can tell you that my visiting friends/relatives have enjoyed and swore by the boutique-types that they stayed in.
- Neighbourhoods / places to stay with a lot of good cafes
Touristy:
Times Square (tourists, tourists, tourists âŠ. aaaargh, canât breathe!)
Midtown (tourists who though Times Square is too touristy, so they crowd here)
Hellâs Kitchen (if you really want to scrimp on hotels but need one right by Times Square, but donât say I didnât warn you about the quality)
Art:
Museum Mile in the Upper East Side (The Met, Frick, Neue, Breuer, Asia Society and other little ones)
Soho (small galleries, boutiques, many good restaurants)
Lower East Side or LES (almost like Soho but more quaint, truly old New York, many good restaurants, and my personal preference)
Local Neighborhoods:
Upper West Side or UWS (up to 80âs streets have decent neighborhood cafes, relatively cheaper accommodations),
East or West Village (old school quaint and truly pretty neighborhoods, have the most/best cafes, bars and restaurants for local foodies),
Lower East Side, or LES (same as E/W Villages),
Tribeca (quiet, if E/W Village and LES have the most Grand Cru in restaurants, here is where the great Premier Cru types are, can be expensive)
Financial District (not so lively at night and on weekends, if itâll make you comfortable then youâd want to wear your suit to walk around during weekdays)
Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Midtown East (Local neighborhoods, many restaurants good enough for many tourists but they suck when measured against the standards that this city offers; but the neighborhood can be a nice option to be far away, at most 20 minute walk, from the hustle and bustle of the city)
Not in Manhattan:
New Jersey (good luck with that!);
Queens (go to New Jersey, instead);
Brooklyn (nice neighborhoods, but Iâd still say âWhy? When you seldom visit NYC?â)
Staten Island (word is youâd need a passport to get to/from Manhattan)
- Any safety tips / concerns
Generally, you can safely venture out and around until late nights in 95% of the areas I noted above, but youâd be fine and feel more comfortable if, wherever you go you just stick to where people are;
Donât touch anything in subways or goods offered by somebody on the streets, unless youâre willing to pay for it or have adequate health insurance coverage.
- Any advice on tipping norms or other points of etiquette
My personal rule, 25% to 30% in restaurants/bars/cafes; 20% - 25% for cabs/taxi;
Make sure to have enough low denominations for hotel non-restaurant staff (house-keeping, porters, door men)
If somebody you had never seen in your life come up to you and ask for his/her tip ⊠just walk away.
- Cool things to see and do
Museums, eat, drink, people-watch, walk-a-lot, choose from all kinds of shows; try the subway
- Advice on getting around, e.g. is the subway best
WALK!
Also have to attempt a subway ride; but buses (plenty of them all over and some with routes) can be better as you will be above ground and can see around, but need research and some planning;
Taxis/Uber ⊠great city mode of transportation, but can be difficult to hail one during rush hour or after Broadway shows; NOTE as they often say, everything in the city is at most 30 minutes cab ride away).
Donât be afraid to ask for directions ⊠us locals like to feel weâre worthy of something.