Is 31st and 7th a good location for a touristy trip to NYC?

I%26#39;m not familiar with the layout of NYC. If I stay at 31st and 7th--is this within walking distance to many places or should we plan on a lot of cab fare?

Is 31st and 7th a good location for a touristy trip to NYC?

You%26#39;re in great shape, especially for shopping.

(I used to work on 31st bet. 6th and 7th.).

Are you staying at the Southgate?

Is 31st and 7th a good location for a touristy trip to NYC?

It%26#39;s convenient to public transportation, but I%26#39;m just not crazy about that area. It%26#39;s sort of a low end commercial district, so it%26#39;s not particularly nice to stroll at all hours. Most visitors stay in the Times Square / Theater District, but I recommend the beautiful Upper West Side, the neighborhood celebrated in the movie ';You%26#39;ve Got Mail'; (www.youvegotmail.com). It%26#39;s also got great transit access, plus lots of terrific shops and restaurants. In other words, a ';real'; NY neighborhood. Stroll and explore at all hours. Ten minutes to Times Square. The most frequently recommended budget hotels are the Beacon, Belleclaire, Milburn, Newton, Comfort Inn Central Park. Also compare the Lucerne, which might be a bit pricier but is very popular.

Or just place a bid on priceline. Browse through the previous postings on this forum, lots of people have had success getting 3- and 4-star hotels for budget prices.

bettina

could you help after reading your knowledge on the attached re areas and hotel is the millenium un plaza area ok as we have booked there for march

1. for walking distances [we are good walkers]

2. is it a safe area

3. any other reports

thanks lynda

nowen, use the subway anyway. It%26#39;s extremely fast, reliable, safe and clean and only costs $21 p.p for 7 days.

I%26#39;ve stayed around 34th St a couple of times and I second Bettinas advice. I didn%26#39;t find it attractive on an evening at all, although public transprt links were good and you can use the subway at all hours...it%26#39;s just not attractive. Last time I stayed on the UWS and it was a totally different experience. Transport is fine, and it%26#39;s such a great area. I liked it so much, I%26#39;m booking the same place again, and that%26#39;s after I%26#39;ve stayed in 3 different places in midtown. You just can%26#39;t beat it.

The UN Plaza is a wonderful hotel with great views. You%26#39;ll get different opinions here, but for me it%26#39;s way too far east. Very convenient if you%26#39;ve got business at the UN. Other than that, it%26#39;s a schlep to the subway. I think it%26#39;s so much more convenient to be on the west side.

Daisiegee stayed at a lovely B%26amp;B on the UWS, and loved it.

Re: U.N. Plaza:

It%26#39;s an extraordinarily safe place to be. I remember taking a dat to the Ambassador Grill there on the eve of the Persian Gulf War and gave no thought about our welfare.

My guess is you%26#39;re about a 20-minute walk from midtown (i.e., the Empire State Building), twice that far to the heart of Fifth Avenue, and just a few blocks from Grand Central Station.

It%26#39;s not an ideally located hotel but for the money you get a good bang for your buck and some of the views of the river are super.

I would not recommend staying in that area. It%26#39;s pretty secluded at night, and scary. If you want midtown, try anything between 42nd and 59th. (Or upper west side or upper east side is nice.)

My previous post was re: 31st and 7th area. Re: UN Plaza, it%26#39;s very far out of the way - best to be in midtown, 42nd and above.

If you stay in this area you will be within the fur district, with many showrooms and storefronts on 28th-31st Streets between 7 and 8th Aves. This is a great time of year to shop for fur or shearling jackets %26amp; coats, bargains galore.