"Nice" hotels near Lincoln Center

[wjglavis]

I'm hoping to get up to New York to see the Royal Ballet in July (possibly also being joined by a friend from the U.K.) and would deeply appreciate advice on where to stay. There used to be a nice hotel just across from the Met, but that no longer seems to exist. There also used to be a Howard Johnson's within walking distance but I don't remember exactly where it was - and am getting lost in a maze of internet hotel ads. IS there a good place to stay within walking distance of the Met?

Any thoughts on this problem????? Where do other ballet fans stay????

- Wendy

PS By "nice" I mean fairly respectable but not extortionately expensive.

[Mme. Hermine]

well if it's still there the howard johnson's was on 51st and 8th, as i remember. also the west side ymca is not supposed to be bad at all as an alternative. good luck.

[Leigh Witchel]

Wendy -

Yes, the Empire, which was reasonable, closed. If you can stomach the risk, I really recommend Priceline. It takes some research to use it properly, though - try www.betterbidding.com . If you're interested in this option (which means getting places like the Sheraton for about $100-$120 a night and possibly a good deal less) and need more explanation, just email - but the best explanations are at the site above.

[Michael]

Try the Beacon, at Broadway between 74th and 75th, or the Olcott, on 72d Street between Broadway and Columbus. Call them and they'll give you prices, I'm sure. There's also a good small hotel on 76th or 77th Street, between West End and Broadway, though I can't remember the name right now (but could come up with it very easily).

[carbro]

Depending how much "nice" you're able and willing to pay for, the New Mandarin Oriental Hotel just opened at Columbus Circle. A room with a view of the Hudson runs in the neighborhood of $800.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g6...ty_New_York.htm

There's also the Mayflower on Central Park West between 61st-62nd. Rooms start at $169.

http://www.mayflowerhotel.com/

In between -- just across Columbus Circle from the Mandarin, across 61st St. from the Mayflower -- is Trump International Hotel, rooms at $360. I would never stay at a place with the name Trump, but that's a personal bias.

http://www.trumpintl.com/?source=adwords

[kfw]

The Beacon is fine but so is the Y, and it's just a block from Lincoln Center, which is especially nice in the hot, sweaty summer. If you can get a southwest corner room there, especially from the top floor, the view sure beats what the Beacon offers.

[Mel Johnson]

The Donald really should get it together to make a hotel with an affordable schedule of rates - he could call it the Trump Dump.

[Treefrog]

Adding to Leigh's suggestion of priceline, we -- and by "we" I mean mostly my husband, as I've been to NYC once in the last 20 years! -- have had good luck with Hotwire (www.hotwire.com). For example, a room at the Waldorf-Astoria for $140 or so.

You do have to sacrifice some control, as you do not learn the exact name or location until after you make the reservation. You can specify general location (Midtown Central or Upper East Side, say), and you learn ahead of time the property's rating in number of stars. With a little practice and/or research on the side, you can even make a pretty good guess about which hotel is which before you commit.

[wjglavis]

Many, many thanks everyone!! That's given us lots of ideas to mull over - and I'm mulling like mad.

(Have to say that the $800 a night place sounds really ME, but think I may have to give it a miss until I get that big lottery win.)

Thanks again.

- Wendy

[pj]

The Westpark Hotel is on 58th (I think) near Columbus Circle. Down the street (again 58th, I think) from it is the Hudson Hotel. I have not stayed at the Hudson but hear it is nicer than the Westpark. I found the Westpark to be just fine (although when I was there in April they were undergoing some renovation, which is probably still underway). It was close enough to Lincoln Center to walk in 10-15 minutes.

[Guest balletbuddy]

Another decent hotel in the area is On the Avenue. It is on 77th between Broadway and Amsterdam. The rooms are kind of European (small). Rates are not too bad and there is usually availability. I stay there when I can't get into the Beacon which is usually pretty booked up in the summer. It's on most discount hotel sites. There is also a coffee shop on the corner of Broadway. And there is also the hotel on 81st scross the street from the planetarium. They sometimes have good specials. It has a nice lobby and small, but nice rooms, but there is no coffee shop nearby and the hotel breakfast is expensive. Good luck. A reasonable hotel in NYC in the summer is hard to come by. Oh, you might try the Phillips Club. It's right across the street from the Rose Building which houses SAB. It is an ownership sort of place, but occasionally rents out rooms. Call and ask if they are have any special rates for a short stay.

[Jack Reed]

I looked in a suite in the Mayflower on Monday (7th June), and found a lovely view of Central Park and, for this light sleeper, marginally acceptable evening rush-hour noise from Central Park West ten stories below as well as from the window-mounted Emerson Quietcool air conditioner in the bedroom. But no pots or dishes in the kitchenette, so not much advantage in paying suite rates.

Then on the plane back I ran into friends who had stayed many times in the Mayflower over the years but not this weekend, because it was full; looking on the Web, they had decided to try the 57th Street Holiday Inn, and were enthusiastic in the event. In a room on the back, they didn't get too much street noise - 57th Street is a major cross-town thoroughfare - and they really liked using the exercise room and having breakfast on the roof-top terrace. Three restaurants! they exclaimed. [As though there weren't enough in the area.] They expect to return. Not cheap - about like that parkside suite - $450 or so, I think, but check, especially as rates fluctuate seasonally.

Years ago I stayed some in the West Side Y and found it adequate except for tobacco smoke sometimes seeping into my room from where I know not. Being somewhat asthmatic, I found this a real problem, until I plugged up some gaps around some pipes. I suppose it would depend who's next door, or downstairs. And I seem to remember a little instrument practice, but not late.