Good evening,

Got a question regarding a trip I hope to plan as a retirement gift to myself this month actually. The main purpose of the visit is to visit the the Freedom Trower Memorial. I regret never making the time to visit the towers before they were attacked resulting in them being brought down.

Im thinking ill stay somewhere in times square. While there I also hope to take in a game and of course the typical site seeing.

Any suggestions maybe where to stay or resources that may help me plan this trip. I reaching out to my fellow Landlords because my experience is that most have general experience in moving around the country.

This will be my first major trip since retiring from public service and today Im just enjoying the new freedom from the grind and just taking care of my portfolio.

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated, thks again to the community.

Go to Travelzoo.com and search New York City.

Just checked and saw Candlewood Suites New York City - Times Square. $114 & up—Spacious Manhattan suite near Times Square.

Also saw a link for - $20 & up - NYC attractions, spas & shows, up to 50% off.

Back in the 1990's the best bargain in town was the Staten Island Ferry. Boat ride takes you out next to the Statue of Liberty.

Last time I was in Times Square was before Disney bought it. It was very different then :)

Think "Back to the Future II" time frame because we saw in a theater there. THAT was an experience.

You can visit Roosevelt Island to make the coolest pictures. Pick up the tram at 59th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan. It makes trips to and from Roosevelt Island every 7 to 15 minutes and takes less than five minutes. Cost a Metrocard ride.

We took a trip there about 14 years ago. Felt very safe using the subway. Hopefully that’s not changed. Four adults in our group, me and hubby, daughter and her fiancé . Central park was one of our favorite places, besides the fashion area that the trip was intended. ( daughter was going to sew her own wedding gown, we couldn’t find fabrics locally, so planned a trip. Then she found an almost exact replica of her design at a bridal show, her size. For less than materials would have cost.)

This year (2024), we visited NYC. Warning: many New York hotel rooms are just barely larger than a double bed. No room to move around. I think it is Bookings dot com that lists room size on the website.

We stayed at the Hilton New York Times Square on West 42nd Street. Our room was large, clean, modern. Corner room with two view windows. The room had a safe and a fridge.

There was a $35 food and beverage charge daily, use it or lose it, daily, so we ate breakfast in-house to use the Daily Charge instead of throwing it away. Eh.

DM,

Know it's a very different world than TX.

It's a deep blue state with a couple hundred thousand desperate "asylum seekers" without jobs. Police do not arrest theft under $1000.

Only carry the bare essentials - lots of pickpockets and purse snatchers.

No shoulder strap purses. No valuable watches or jewelry.

Dull clothes to blend in. They target people who look like tourists (seems most NYers dress in black or grey).

Wallet in front pocket. I carried only ID, one CC, and some cash, no wallet. A few bills in another pocket to hand over when confronted.

Scooter thieves run up from behind, grab your stuff, and zoom away.

Stealing phones is huge. They will just grab it while you are taking a photo. Consider a phone strap.

A HUGE no to subways - urine, crazies, thieves - you are trapped with them for extended time. The crime was so bad they have National Guard down there.

Cabbies will tell you their credit card machine is broken so you have to pay cash.

Me? Next time I'll hire a driver for the day from a cab service to take us to great spots. There is SOOO much to see but ya gotta know where. They circle the block while you eat or shop. 5 years ago the price was $200 per day. Well worth it. Safer.

We did the double decker bus on top in good weather. Saw a lot, on and off privileges for the day.

BRAD

PS

The hotel recommended the taxi co.

Driver offered to get us weed.

My wife and I spent a week there in the summer of 2018. We used public transit everywhere we went except from and to the airport (Uber). We bought a week pass that was good on the subway and buses. We stayed in the same hotel (Giraffe Hotel) the entire time and don't see a reason to change hotels every few days. We never felt like we were in danger and people were super helpful if they noticed that we couldn't tell which way we were supposed to go. Google Maps will get you there, but it wasn't as easy for me to tell which way to go on the subway as it is in DC, for example. For the show we saw, we went to the same-day TKTS booth to get our tickets. We went over to the Brooklyn window and were in line before they opened and got the show we wanted. We also used the New York CityPASS for admission several places. You would just need to look at it to make sure you would get more value from the places you would go than paying for them individually.

I've been back twice since on short 2-day business trips. In 2021 I stayed at the Marriott in Brooklyn since the conference I was attending was in Brooklyn and didn't go much elsewhere. In 2022 I stayed near Times Square. I did have some time the first evening and walked around some, and I wasn't quite as comfortable as I was in 2018, although I did not feel like I was in danger. The vibe was just different than it was a few years earlier. One major difference is that marijuana was legalized in 2021, so in 2022 I could smell it everywhere I went.

Another thought,

Times Square is fun to say you've been there, take some pics, but it's just one little stop in your day.

There are soooo many famous and historical places to enjoy. No need to move hotels - everything is within a cab ride.

We did the Empire State Building upper deck because of "Sleepless in Seattle."

Local knowledge can help you avoid 1-2 hour lines.

Go to travelzoo com and look at this week's top 20.

$129 & up—NYC boutique hotel through March 9, save 60%

Thks again, its scheduled hope to be in Times Sq the evening of the 23rd.