Travel Answers

Hallo. Has anyone used the New York explorer pass to visit attractions? Did you find it useful? Would you say it is money well spent? I'll be in NY for a week and I thought it might be a good way to save some money. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Arriving Tuesday! I would appreciate packing tips, looks rainy and humid but hot or not? Thank you.

I am traveling to Serbia and Macedonia..Can anyone tell me what mobile sim I should buy which works good in both countries and internet....thanks

Where we can find some cool concerts and underground music in New York City? (our first time visiting).

I am visiting NYC-Manhattan for an internship for about a month this summer. I'm from Houston TX, so I'm used to every other neighborhood being safe/unsafe, BUT because our city is sprawled out over so much space, I'm also used to everyone having a car to drive safely from point A to point B.

Point is, crime and danger are every day life in parts of Houston, but having to give up our safe and personal transportation control to a higher force is absolutely not. So, New Yorkers, I admire you. And I would really appreciate any advice on where is safe/unsafe to live/walk through/travel around in Manhattan. Please?

My entire family is planning a trip to the Big Apple for Summer 2013, is there a short-term apartment that can be made available for us?

is it true that taxis from NY airports charge a per volume fee? For example they dont take 3 suitcases, it;s over the volume allowed. So if 3 people want to take a taxi from the airport, one has to stay out. Sounds absurd. Is it true?

I'm looking for a fashion design workshop 1 upto 3 days for my young (19 y/o) niece traveling to NY for a week between June 30 to July 2 .

Would appreciate any feedback, website perhaps. Thank you in advance.

whate are the hotels near times square

Hi guys. I´m new in this forum.I´m planning to spend 2 weeks in NYC and I´d like to visit tecnology museums. Any suggestions ?

Two questions:
1. Is there something happening the first week of June this year? I see that several hotels in the Times Square/Theater District are already sold out. If there is something to avoid timewise, please let me know what it is.

2. The Official Spousal Unit, her mother, and I wish to go to Manhattan in June-ish timeframe. Prefer Time Square/Theater District for ease of getting around. Traditionally stayed at the Edison, but they are tired of crowds there (and seem to always to be put in non-renovated rooms). The MIL loved the Casablanca, but the prices have tripled in 2 or so years.

Boutique hotels are OK, but places like the Iroquois are showing up at $556.night in June. Suggestions?

Bill

How can I go to Time Square from La Guardia airport by subway? I have a layover time at La Guardia airport for 8 hours. How many minutes ride is it from La Guardia to Times Square by subway.

Hi
I'm going to be in NYC for a few days in May. My prepaid phone through Telus Canada will not work and i'm not about to change over to a contract just for 5 days. I figured I could buy a cheap pre-paid phone with air time. I've heard Virgin has the better Manhattan coverage. Are they fairly easy to find without having to search too far for a store that sells them? We'll be staying in the Times Square area near 9th Ave.

thanks!
Tvor

Hope you can join us on the evening of Wednesday, July 17 for drinks/dinner with the queen of the travel forums, who will be visiting the Northeast for a few days. Sign up here: members.virtualtourist.com/m... and we'll figure out details closer to the time.

For my US trip in July I'll be staying in midtown Manhattan and will need to go to New Haven again. Last time I took the Amtrak train from Penn (which was fine, though I didn't enjoy Penn itself) but I'm wondering if Metro North from Grand Central is a better option. It is cheaper but I'm iffy about a) personal safety and b) seats and baggage storage.

Getting to either station isn't a problem. I've already used Amtrak so I suppose I''m really looking for pros or cons about Metro North. I'll have a rucksack and a smallish wheeled suitcase which I can handle myself but which won't fit into overhead racks.

I need to make a decision soon because I'll book my Amtrak ticket way in advance if I decide to stick with that option.

Thanks in advance for any comments. :-)

hello all,
Looking for a chines restaurant in NYC.
any recommandation?

Thanks.

is it good value for money and will i be able to use the metro

Hi there!
I’m preparing for a 2-week trip to northeastern USA, landing at N.Y late May, while doing some (desperate?) efforts to keep the budget low (in this expensive country…) due to recent financial restrictions.
Could you please advise me about how to choose and combine some interesting sights with low budgets? Hoping that $ 60-70 per day plus intercity transport is feasible.
Initial thought is to stay within the corridor Boston – New York - Philadelphia - Baltimore – Washington, sleeping at hostels and moving with public buses…
My main interests are cityscape, street life, nature... (but no shopping, drinking)
Do you think the areas above make a good choice for that reason?
Also, could you suggest possibilities for hiking in nature around there (seaside/ mountain) accessible by public transport?
Any other tips for good sightseeing at earthly costs, will be a big big help, totally welcome!
Looking forward to hearing your tips guys, happy travels!
Nikolas

best hidden restaurants and bars in manhattan ???

As a tourist looking to enjoy the sights, is there a time that would be best to go on the Staten Island Ferry? I'd like a time when it isn't too crowded. I will probably do Lower Manhatten in a Friday, I would really appreciate recommendations of when to aim for the Ferry Trip!

Thanks!

My wife and I are in our 50's and 60's (in good walking shape) and are staying down by Battery Park. We were hoping to find a nice Italian restaurant & a couple other nice places to eat at in that area and also all over Manhattan. Looking for a good atmosphere, no black tie dress code, no 4 or 5 star places just nice, good food and drink. Looking at around $40 - $50 a plate without cocktails and beer (or somewhere in that neighborhood).

I lived in Europe for a while & when I was in the UK I spent most of my time in the good old Pubs (not bars). So we are looking for some great old Pubs with pub food, good beer, wine & cocktails and having some fun. Heard of a couple called the Spotted Pig & Blind Tiger but I know there are many. Just would like to hear about the
local's favorites. We'll hit as many as we can.

We love our music as well so any bars that have blues, jazz, rock (not to loud), folk etc.....that is a good time and not too expensive would be great.

My last question for the night.....is there any where over by LaGuardia Airport that has good sights and everything above? Thanks so much in advance.

2 old hippies

As mentioned in my former post, we are flying into LGA and staying in Jersey City. We are still trying to determine the best, most economical way to get from the airport to NJ.
One car service adds a $25 toll fee and another car service adds $15 for tolls. Is the toll just for the trip to New Jersey or is the toll also paid on the return trip to LGA?
These will probably seem like dumb questions, but staying in NJ is a new situation for us. Are the New Jersey transit systems connected to the NYC systems? Are tickets interchangable between the two systems? Are the transitions between the two easy? We will do most of our sightseeing travel by subway and walking. We will arrive May 13 and leave May 17 and welcome information on events going on during our visit to NYC.

I was wondering what the best way to get from Manhattan to Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ would be? I was thinking of taking a taxi but I just wasn't sure what the cost would end up being if it would be cheaper/easier to just rent a car or what would work best. We are going there just for on day, heading there in the morning and back at night. Any help or direction in this area would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks a lot :-)

Hallo, I would like to know whether I can use the bus to get from JFK to Bedford Styuvensant, is it a problem to carry luggage on board a bus? Do I need to pay an extra ticket for them? Is there a special area on the bus where one should store their luggage? Thank you

Can anyone advise on the most efficient ( in time and money) transportation from LaGuardia to Jersey City? Two adults traveling with several pieces of luggage.

Hi I am trying hard to find a seafood restaurant that open on Sat lunch time and they serve skate fish or monk fish? It was so difficult to search as most of them only open at night time. Any recommendation is appreciated! Many thanks!

Hello,urgent,important ?2females in US for 3months having been to US last time on coast FL to CA trip now NJ or can stay in NY close to it.Stay with someone close for months time.But for few months cant find economical accomodation in NJ or NY.Its long term need economical rental apartment/house or roomshare with someone looking for roommates or hotel/motel or homestay.Budget rent monthly 150dollars only. Pls only seriously reply if u know of any or lead to it.Do not reply only to say its impossible to find etc.Ty,hope this time too VT to the rescue :-)

looking for package deals for empire state building and ellis island etc where can i go for this

Has anyone picked up tickets at the Majestic before a show? I booked a ticket for Phantom for my trip in April, but after doing quite a bit of searching, I found nothing useful about picking up the ticket. Is the Will Call for this theater simply at the door before the show?

I will be departing on the coming Sunday and seeking for different means of transportation from the hotel to airport. We would like to go for a more economical way and when we search for the share van shuttle the latest pick up time is noon while our flight is at 6pm Sun. That's why I am struggling should I take the noon van to airport first or I can go at a later time in the afternoon? Thanks in advance for your suggestions!