Broadway Help

My family and I are trying to plan a trip to NYC in September, Labor Day weekend. We will be going to see a play on Broadway as well as sightseeing. I think we want to stay close to the Theatre. So, I have several questions.

Do we want to stay close to Broadway?

I have seen listing say Theatre district? What is this area called other than that?

Is it going to be possible to rent a condo/apt that can accomodate 10 to 15 people? If so what is the best place to look? What is the best airport to fly into? And will we need a rental car?

Any other suggestions are appreciated.

Broadway Help

Quick and dirty answers:

1. Get a good map and start figuring out where everything is. See the maps here on this webpage, or get maps by AAA, Hagstrom, DK Eyewitness or Not For Tourists.

2. Personally I%26#39;d stay away from Broadway and Times Square. It is too touristy. Instead, investigate real living, breathing neighborhoods such as Murray Hill, Gramercy Park, Lower Manhattan or the Upper West Side.

3. The Theatre Dist is also called Broadway, Midtown, or Midtown West.

4. For apartments, try www.newyork.Craigslist.org or Radio City Apartments. I%26#39;m sure others will chime in with additional referrals.

5. Either JFK or LGA are fine airports. I%26#39;d avoid Newark, unless you get a dirt-cheap airfare.

6. You do not need to rent a car. Take the subway everywhere. It is a great bargain, completely safe, goes to about 90% of where you want to go, and runs 24-7-365. See these websites:

www.mta.info/metrocard/tourism/index.html

http://www.mta.info/nyct/subway/howto_sub.htm

Broadway Help

Most Broadway theaters are not on Broadway. A theater is considered a ';Broadway'; as opposed to an ';off-Broadway'; theater primarily becasues of the number of seats it has (500+= Broadway, 100-499=Off-Broadway.) Today, Broadway theaters are found anywhere from 41st Street to 65th Street, where the Vivian Beaumont at Lincon Center is located. They also tend to be on the side streets, between Sixth and Ninth Avenues.

The street named Broadway begins at Bowling Green, runs the full twelve-mile length of Manhattan Island, continues through the Bronx to Yonkers, and keeps on northward beyond that.

The moral of the story is that you should NOT think that being on or near ';Broadway'; is the same thing as being near your theater.

@ queensboulevard

Wonderful information thank you so much. I will pass it on to the rest of my group.

~m

@GreenWhiteBlue

Now I am really confused, not really? Didn%26#39;t realize there were so many theatres there. You have educated me today. Ok, the actually Theatre says Broadway Threatre, 1681 Broadway @ 53rd.

You%26#39;re quite welcome! Start searching this forum for trip reports, and you will have all your questions answered!

I%26#39;m sure you will have a fabulous time!

Like I said, maps are essential for planning your itinerary. Personally, my fave is the Not for Tourist guide. Very thorough, and all maps are printable from the website, once you register for free:

www.notfortourists.com/newyork.aspx

To sightsee, group things by location/neighborhood. The majority of attractions are in Manhattan and easily accessible by subway.

For example, in lower Manhattan you can do these within a 1 mile radius: Staten Island Ferry, Battery Park, Wall Street, Trinity Church, Subtreasurey Building, Museum of Finance, Ground Zero, Century 21, St. Paul%26#39;s Chapel, Fulton Street, South Street Seaport.

See these previous posts for ';must see'; items:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k324430-鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k305465-鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k304679-鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k276373-鈥?/a>

For basics about NYC tourism, check:

www.newyorkled.com

www.theinsider.com/newyork

www.nycvisit.com

www.nyc.gov (click on ';visitors'; in the blue band)

www.mustseenewyork.com

The subway runs 24-7-365 and is very safe. Of course, one should use common sense and always keep a good handle on personal belongings, money, cameras, etc. Don%26#39;t keep your wallet in your back pants pocket, etc.

For nightlife, comedy shows, live music, etc.:

www.newyork.citysearch.com

www.thelmagazine.com (free magazine, too.)

www.timeoutnewyork.com (hard copy magazine is better. Buy an issue when you arrive.)

For restaurants:

www.menupages.com (may be a little behind inflation.)

www.newyork.citysearch.com

For things on the cheap:

www.cheapotravel.com/newyork

www.nymetro.com/cheap

Here%26#39;s a website for the weather:

www.wunderground.com

Finally, everyone MUST wear comfortable shoes. This is a walking city. You%26#39;ll end up with great legs!

Ah yes the Broadway Theater -- one of the few that actually IS on Broadway itself. If I remember correctly, I saw Fiddler on the Roof there some 30 years ago... The Broadway Theater is a little north of most of the rest of the theater district, which tends to be in the 40%26#39;s. That is just fine for you -- there are lots of nice hotels in the west 50%26#39;s, all of which are an easy walk to the theater.

Do expect to walk quite a bit. While Labor Day is still summer for New Yorkers, Houstonians will find the weather a nice relief from the heat you are used to then, and unlike in Houston everyone in New York walks everywhere. When not walking the next best option is --no, NOT taxicabs! -- public transportation, with the subway being the option of choice over buses. The subway is fast, safe, cheap, and unlike the Metro in Houston it is below ground, so you don%26#39;t have endless accidents with people making illegal left turns as happens on Main Street in Houston all the time...

Under no circumstances should you rent a car -- you will have no use for it in this city at all.

I really cannot understand this badmouthing of Newark Airport. Someone clue me in on why this is?

When I lived in Chicago, I%26#39;d fly into Newark plenty of times. Got in; took the Olympia Trails bus to Port Authority. Never had a problem. Did this at least a 6 or more times over a span of 5 years. This was in the days before Airtrain.

If you listen to the news reports, when there are delays at Newark due to weather, there are always the same delays at LaGuardia. JFK seems to be better at this.

With Newark, you have options of taking a cab, the bus, or the train. Very simple. Just like with JFK and LaGuardia.

Perhaps New Yorkers are intimidated by Newark for some reason or bad-mouthing for no reasons?

When staying in Manhattan, Newark airport is OK and no more difficult transportation than JFK. LGA is the closest to Manhattan and therefore has the quickest and least expensive transportation. With that said, look for the least expensive airfare and a direct flight.

Actually, if you%26#39;re staying on the west side of Manhattan, Newark is a great option.

Are you looking for one apt. to accommodate your large group? I don%26#39;t know if that%26#39;s possible. But would you really want that many people to share a bathroom?!?!?

My favorite area is the Upper West Side, it%26#39;s a quick 10 minutes to Times Square, yet away from the hordes of tourists. And there are lots of fun shops and restaurants, it%26#39;s near Central Park and Lincoln Center -- both locations have lots of free outdoor activities.

You will NEVER find a place to house that many people together unless you rent out an entire ';inn'; which I suppose is possible since you%26#39;re planning this far in advance. You could then split up into smaller groups within the 1 building. You could try:

Abbingdon Guest House

West 11th st. Townhouse

Jack %26amp; Judy%26#39;s

Inn on 23 st.

None of these are in the theater area though. I personally like the location of any of these better. The theater district is tourist central.

What is your budget for housing and how many of the 10-15 are adults vs. children?

A while ago, I saw an entire townhouse on the upper west side listed for vacation rental on vrbo.com (vacation rental by owner) but it didn%26#39;t look very nice to me.