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kmspeaks
12-09-2015, 05:16 PM
Parents of kmspeaks scored tickets for me and my sister as a birthday present!! It will be my first trip to MSG and second Duke game. I'm looking for some advice on places/areas to stay and tips for getting around NYC. It would also be cool to say hey to my DBR friends since I've never met any of you in person. We'll likely be taking the bus up from DC Friday night, doing the game and some touristy things Saturday (hoping to see 9/11 memorial since my last visit to NY was 5 months before the attack) and heading back Sunday evening. I'm a teacher and my sister is still in college so even though I know I'll have to spend a little to stay in NY that close to Christmas we're still trying to be somewhat budget friendly. :o

ChillinDuke
12-09-2015, 06:58 PM
Parents of kmspeaks scored tickets for me and my sister as a birthday present!! It will be my first trip to MSG and second Duke game. I'm looking for some advice on places/areas to stay and tips for getting around NYC. It would also be cool to say hey to my DBR friends since I've never met any of you in person. We'll likely be taking the bus up from DC Friday night, doing the game and some touristy things Saturday (hoping to see 9/11 memorial since my last visit to NY was 5 months before the attack) and heading back Sunday evening. I'm a teacher and my sister is still in college so even though I know I'll have to spend a little to stay in NY that close to Christmas we're still trying to be somewhat budget friendly. :o

Score! That rocks.

Well, it really depends on what you value in terms of proximity to things/places of interest and what you want to see while you're here.

Since one thing you said you were thinking of is the 9/11 Memorial and another thing you said is being somewhat budget conscious, consider the Holiday Inn in the Financial District. It's on Rector St. It's about 2 blocks south of the World Trade Center, and the Financial District area as a whole (while still under construction in many parts) is turning into a very nice part of NYC. By nice, I mean a lot of new construction in a very old neighborhood. I'm quite partial to it, but YMMV. Also, it would allow you to take the subway almost anywhere, which will only help your wallet. For example, the 1 train is just one block from the Holiday Inn which can get you up to MSG.

If you're into nice walks/meandering, the west side of the Financial District offers a beautiful walkway up the Hudson River which leads you into Brookfield Place which is a very upscale (new) mall with decent eats, movie theater, shopping, etc. Except they did this to Santa: http://nypost.com/2015/12/09/posh-mall-banishes-santa-to-a-prison-like-chamber/

Similar to the meandering concept, the High Line is always a fun walk on an old elevated rail line that has been converted to a park (but the entrance is farther uptown). And it meanders (I said it again) through some cool sections of the Meatpacking District and Chelsea and ends around the still unfinished Hudson Yards complex, which will be a sprawling, highly modern "village" when all is said and done. Pretty cool concept if you haven't checked it out online.

The Observation Deck is also open at 1 World Trade. It's supposed to be very nice - but I haven't been yet. (The 9/11 Memorial, by the way, is a really nice touch IMHO. Some don't like it, but I think it's the right mix of memorial/functionality.)

The Seaport on the east side of the Financial District is also pretty cool for shopping and walking around. They have their own Christmas Tree there if you want to avoid the actual Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. It just depends on how much you enjoy dealing with mobs of people.

But then again, you'll be in NYC during the holiday season, so mobs of people is practically a given.

If FiDi isn't really your thing, it may be trickier finding a decent deal in other parts of the city - but they probably exist if you look hard enough. Obviously, you'll pay up for prime locales.

- Chillin

fidel
12-09-2015, 07:46 PM
Parents of kmspeaks scored tickets for me and my sister as a birthday present!! It will be my first trip to MSG and second Duke game. I'm looking for some advice on places/areas to stay and tips for getting around NYC. It would also be cool to say hey to my DBR friends since I've never met any of you in person. We'll likely be taking the bus up from DC Friday night, doing the game and some touristy things Saturday (hoping to see 9/11 memorial since my last visit to NY was 5 months before the attack) and heading back Sunday evening. I'm a teacher and my sister is still in college so even though I know I'll have to spend a little to stay in NY that close to Christmas we're still trying to be somewhat budget friendly. :o

The family did the train from DC to NYC...easy peasy, and you may be able to score some inexpensive seats by buying early.

Thurber Whyte
12-09-2015, 10:50 PM
The family did the train from DC to NYC...easy peasy, and you may be able to score some inexpensive seats by buying early.

Both are convenient to MSG. The Port Authority Bus Terminal is 8 (short) blocks from MSG. Penn Station is directly underneath MSG. If possible, I would do the latter. It is easy peasy indeed.

westwall
12-10-2015, 12:01 AM
Penn Station is directly underneath MSG. If possible, I would do the latter. It is easy peasy indeed.

Wait, I did this for the two games at MSG in November. Trains are nice-- i love them -- but check the current train fares for two adults for your likely dates and times, Dec 18-21, and you will find RT coach fares in the range of $640-692. Express bus RT fares from DC, on the other hand -- even for the business class "Gold" bus -- should max out at $240- 260, and they drop you off on 7th Avenue within 2 very short blocks from MSG, so no cab fares from Port Authority either. And the difference in transportation costs would leave you with enough $$$ for a good hotel in the MSG area so that you do not need to sleep IN Penn Station between your train trips. Check it out yourself.

Henderson
12-11-2015, 09:14 AM
Can't one the DBR regulars in the NYC area spare a guest room or a little floor space for kmspeaks and his sister?

gus
12-11-2015, 09:38 AM
(hoping to see 9/11 memorial since my last visit to NY was 5 months before the attack)

I think the memorial is really beautiful. If you have time for the museum too, it is really well done. I don't know that they offer discounts to teachers, but they do have a lot of programs designed for teachers and teaching about the event. If you intended to see the museum (and maybe want to make part of the trip tax deductible ;) ), it might be something to look into.

https://www.911memorial.org/education-programs

The weather has been surprisingly warm (it's supposed to be in the 60s this weekend!). I'll second the high line: If the weather holds up, the high line is something you should definitely check out.

blazindw
12-11-2015, 09:44 AM
Wait, I did this for the two games at MSG in November. Trains are nice-- i love them -- but check the current train fares for two adults for your likely dates and times, Dec 18-21, and you will find RT coach fares in the range of $640-692. Express bus RT fares from DC, on the other hand -- even for the business class "Gold" bus -- should max out at $240- 260, and they drop you off on 7th Avenue within 2 very short blocks from MSG, so no cab fares from Port Authority either. And the difference in transportation costs would leave you with enough $$$ for a good hotel in the MSG area so that you do not need to sleep IN Penn Station between your train trips. Check it out yourself.

If you're paying $240 for 2 RT bus tickets from DC to NYC, you're overspending by about $120. There are dozens of bus companies that leave from either Dupont Circle, Chinatown or Union Station heading to NYC. Most of them charge no more than $30 for a one way ticket and many of them charge less than that. Some drop off on 11th Avenue out by the Javits Center, and the rest drop off somewhere on 7th or 8th Avenue right by MSG.

aimo
12-11-2015, 11:05 AM
The Hotel Pennsylvania is right across the street from MSG and seems to have some great offers right now, BUT I gotta be honest with you. I stayed there about ten years ago, and it was a dump, with a capital D-U-M-P. Maybe it has improved, and maybe you are willing to sacrifice, but I recommend you check Trip advisor for review before you stay anywhere. My biggest gripe was that my room was old and run-down, and even though it was supposedly on a non-smoking floor, every inch reeked of smoke, which I am allergic to. If you are willing to splurge, the Roosevelt is really nice, but costs three times as much.

ChillinDuke
12-11-2015, 02:42 PM
... NYC ... space ...

I see what you did there. Pretty funny joke.

- Chillin

ETA: I don't have enough floor space for a third pair of shoes.

JPtheGame
12-11-2015, 05:06 PM
Kmspeaks....where are your seats? I'll be there with the nephew. Maybe we can join forces to fight off any fans of the "other" coach k.