Campbells Int'l NYC - hotel arrangements?

[angelofmine]

Just wondering what those of you who are attending the 10/03 Campbells event in NYC are doing for hotel arrangements, and if anyone is interested in possibly sharing a room with me.

Also, I've never been to NYC before, so if anyone can give recommendations for a good hotel near Madison Square Garden (or should I get a hotel elsewhere?), please post here! Thanks. :)

[kwanette]

A few of us are staying at the Pennyslyvania Hotel which is right across the street from the Garden. We got our rooms on Hotels.com.It is an older hotel, but fine, I have stayed there twice before, clean secure, and very convenient. If you are coming by train, Penn Station is right there and Port Authority is walkable or a cheap cab ride.

[Terri]

I'm scared to ask but what are the hotel prices like in NYC? A couple of hundred for the roach infested ones I imagine.

:b

[GardenKitty]

Terri, check the hotel and travel websites and you can get pretty good deals. One advantage is that NY has a lot of rooms so there is a great deal of variety in price range. Plus Madison Square Garden isn't too far from the theatre district and there are a lot of new hotels in that area. Most of the rooms are pretty small, but they're largely clean and satisfactory, even in the older hotels. Often the best deals will be at smaller, independent hotels. If you find a place and you're not sure about it, post a thread asking about it and likely someone here will have or can find some info.

[kwanette]

Terri, I am e-mailing you.

[angelofmine]

Thanks for the hotel suggestions, kwanette and Garden Kitty. I was looking at hotels as part of a package deal with airplane tix on expedia.com. They had TONS of hotel listings and I had no idea which ones were good and which weren't. Anyone know anything about the Hudson? It looked nice and was a fair amount cheaper than many of the other hotels.

[GardenKitty]

I'm not familiar with it, so I looked it up online. If it is the Hudson on West 58th, they say it is an Ian Schrager hotel. He's known for trendy smaller hotels, so I'm sure it's extremely nice. It's located on West 58th street which is about 24 blocks north of Madison Square Garden (slightly more than a mile) and it's in a nice region just south of Central Park. Here is a link to the Ian Schrager hotel website that has more info, but it sounds very nice and hip if this is the hotel you're thinking about. The rates are pretty high so if you can get it as part of a package at a good price it sounds like a great opportunity.

www.ianschragerhotels.com/home.html?all (http://www.ianschragerhotels.com/home.html?all)

[angelofmine]

Thanks Garden Kitty. :) Yes it is an Ian Schrager hotel. I didn't realize it was so far away. :eek Do you think I should try to get a closer hotel? Where are you staying?

Sorry for all the questions but I've never been to NYC before.

[GardenKitty]

I live in the suburbs of NY so I'll be taking the train home from Grand Central Station after the event.

The hotel isn't that far, it's definitely walking distance during the daytime, but I'd recommend taking a cab back (it's a very quick cab ride) after the event. The walk is actually pretty fun because you can walk through Times Square and the theatre district and there's lots to see (and I'd be perfectly comfortable doing it during the day), but I wouldn't recommend doing it by yourself late at night (probably nothing would happen, but I tend to be cautious about things like this, especially if you are not familar with the city).

Whether or not you want to stay at the Hudson depends on what you want. You could probably find a closer hotel that is reasonably priced and perfectly fine, but the Hudson is flikely to be a very nice hotel with more of a sense of style and personality. So if you mainly want acceptable accomodations close by, you may not want to pick the Hudson (the Pennsylvania that Kwanette mentioned is probably the best choice in terms of location). Something right by MSG is convenient if you are coming in just for the show and leaving the next morning (especially if you are travelling by train into Penn Station). However if you want something different and a little fun, I'd go with the Hudson. Plus the rack rate for the rooms is pretty expensive, so if you can get a good deal as part of a package, it may be a chance to stay somewhere you wouldn't otherwise pick.
Frankly, I think either of these choices would be fine.

[scheherazade]

angelofmine that hotel looks so cool! I agree with GardenKitty -- if you're only staying for one night, go for the Pennsylvania, but if you'll be in town for longer, go for the Hudson. Not only is it walking distance, but since it's on the west side there should be a subway stop very nearby -- and it's in a very VERY nice neighborhood.

[angelofmine]

Thanks guys. :) I keep hearing good things about the Ian Schrager hotels, so I'm definitely considering staying at the Hudson. It is part of a package that costs about $1,000, including taxes and surcharges, to fly roundtrip from Seattle to NYC with one connecting flight (both ways), or about $1,260 to fly nonstop (both ways). Those prices include 5 nights at the hotel in a standard double room (assuming I room by myself). It would ordinarily cost about $1,400 to stay at the Hudson for 5 nights! :eek So it is definitely a good deal, and if I room with someone it will be even cheaper.

scheherazade, you and Gooey will have to come visit me if I stay there. :)