New York City Travel Forum

Dear VT-ers in NY, I need your advice. I'll be renting a sublet come April and I'm choosing between a roomshare in an elevator building with great views at 42nd and 9th OR a private sublet in a walkup at W72nd & Broadway. I know both are quite close to trains. One is close to Times Sq and the other to Central Park.
I'll be with my husband and 7yr old daughter. We'd love to be near Central Park but at the same time have great views and be in the center of everything by Times Sq.
Thoughts?
Diff in cost is about $400more for the Times Sq location.

Where are you finding these sublets and what is a "roomshare?" Keep in mind that most of the short-term apartment rentals you'll see advertised are illegal, and many are outright scams. Please do not send anyone money in advance. There's a good chance you'll be left with no place to stay, and will lose your money with no recourse to get it back. Using paypal is no assurance that your money is safe, either.

What are your exact dates and what is your budget per night?

Sometime March - April and no definite date yet. Budget is about $100 per night. Which is best area?

Totally agree on the scammers -- I have received emails from them! Though I really don't send money in advance anyway. :-) Thanks for the advice!

What do you mean by "roomshare?" I realize they use different terms for some rental types in Europe and other parts of the world. So, its possible that your rental is not illegal. It pays to be careful, though. AS you live in a very beautfil part of the world, have you thought about house swapping? You can join sites where you agree to let folks use your home in exchange for borrowing theirs. If its too late for this trip, you might want to look into it in the future.

Whatever your room situation, I'd say go for the less expensive option - how much time are you actually going to spend in the room? - and use the extra $400 for some truly memorable moments, like taking a horse-drawn carriage around Central Park, dinner at Tavern-on-the-Green (a restaurant in Central Park, expensive, but most like it), ice skating at Rockerfeller Center, etc.

I wish you nothing but an enjoyable visit, of course, but how do you define a "roomshare"? Are you, your husband, and child renting a bedroom in a person's apartment? How did you find out about this "Landlord"? I know that I am alarming you here, but there are many scams in the Big City.

42nd street& 9th Ave today is very built up with many small theaters and high rise apartments so I wolud certainly opt for that area.

As the others mentioned make sure the room is not a scam and use the money to stay there and not for Tavern on the Green--that is a tourist trap and not worth the money.

Also contact
<www.bigapplegreeter.org>
and you can get a free walking tour of any area you wish to see.

Enjoy the Big Apple

Losham

1st - Yep, same as the other replies! I had a friend who supposedly had a roomshare situation. Don't do it unless you personally know them. 2nd - Time Square area is great, but noisy. 72nd street is too far out of the way.

As others already stated, most short term rentals in NYC are illegal. As far as neighborhoods--West 72 Street is not out of the way. It is one subway stop on the subway (5 minutes) from Times Square and the Upper West Side is a great neighborhood.

I would prefer the Upper West Side. 42 St is much noisier, and it is FULL of tourists! lol

Thanks so much guys for all of the wonderful advice! I will be very careful and selective with these rentals.

I think W72nd is a good and quiet spot and very close to the trains! I saw the 72nd MTR stop and it does have an express line.

I just wonder if that corner of Broadway and 72nd is quite a long walk to Central Park.

72 Street and Broadway to Central Park is a bit more than a 5 minute walk.

Let's see: from Broadway, walking East towards Central Park, you cross Amsterdam Ave, Columbus Ave, then Central Park West. These are 3 "long" CIty blocks, so it's nearly 1 mile. Uphill, but a mild slope.

Is there a bus to go crosstown?

Yes! You can take the -- what else? == 72 bus which runs on West 72 St, from WEst End Ave east to Central Park West. We DO keep it simple and direct in New Yawk! You can also go to mta.info to look at City train and bus maps .

Oh fab! If only all transportation systems were as efficient as NY! :-) Thank you all for the answers. Can't wait to go to NY!

I would go for the private sublet on 72nd for a number of reasons,
but first and foremost, it is a more authentic and genuine New York experience..
where as "a roomshare in an elevator building at 42nd and 9th" is a bit too much like a hotel, in a hotel area if you ask me.. not to mention, if it's in the towers there, not much of a hotel at that~
I also don't see there being much comparing a private sublet to a roomshare~

There is plenty to do and see around 72nd street, and you're a 5-10minute subway ride from Times Sq., a 5-10 minute walk to a great area of Central Park, and a 5 minute walk to the River and the boat basin.
It is accesible and a destination in itself~ Not to mention the money you'd save.. it's no contest.


As far as "illegal" sublets, come on people.. don't be such squares.. Just because it is under the tax radar does'nt mean it's dangerous, malicious or even ethically wrong. As long as you don't send money ahead of time, there is absolutely nothing wrong with an "off the books" rental agreement... I have lived in too many places to remember and I have only once went through proper "legal" leasing..once.
And more times than not, it's the renter who has the upper hand.. You could always use the illegality of it to blackmail the owner if they try to be dishonest with you at any level. The risk and the responsibilty is on the owners head, not yours. I think it's fair to say that a good %50 of young single working professionals and students in NYC live under informal rental arrangements

At 72 Street Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue cross. So you have to walk to Columbus Avenue and then to Central Park West which is at the park. This is a one-quarter of a mile walk (not a mile) and will take about 5 minutes depending on how fast you walk.