For the uninitiated and/or directionally challenged (like me, who operates not on: "Go North for about two blocks, then head East" but on "walk in the direction of traffic flow until you hit the corner with that dog grooming place crammed with cute puppies, then turn right") the idea of finding your way around New York can be a little daunting. But it's a lot smaller than it might at first appear, and there are many ways to get around. Nevertheless, we recommend that you pick a hotel no farther away than Midtown. Getting from the upper reaches of the island (the Upper East and West side) to Brooklyn is a little bit of a trek. Translated that means: Avoid hotels above 60th St.
Our wedding venue is located right by a few well-known Brooklyn landmarks: Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Library, the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. The exact address is 25 8th Avenue, Brooklyn. There are two subway stops nearby: The 2 and 3 trains stop at "Grand Army Plaza" and the D and Q trains stop at "7th Avenue." Both stops are within two blocks of the Montauk Club and will take you from there to Manhattan, if need be. These two web sites are great resources to help you navigate the subway system:
1) HopStop.com
2) Trips123.com
And here's a link to the the official MTA subway map:
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm
Both HopStop and Trips 123 give detailed traveling directions, and HopStop includes walking directions to and from your stop. It also tells you how long your trip will take and gives you an idea how much a cab ride for the same route might cost. Because, of course, yellow cabs and car services (ones that are called by phone instead of hailed on the street) are another good--though more expensive--way to get from A to B. To give you an idea, a cabride from Times Square, Midtown, to the Montauk Club will set you back about $20-$25 and can take about the same amount of time as the subway ride, depending on traffic.
Below is a first crack at a list of hotels that might work for you out-of-towners. We've noticed that rates have gone down this year, so for the first time it's possible to get a good deal on a NY hotel room. So you might want to supplement the list below with some research of your own.
Tomorrow, we're planning on blocking off 15 rooms at the Nu Hotel in Brooklyn. So don't call them quite yet. We'll let you know once we've sealed the deal.
The Nu Hotel is a new (Ha! No, seriously) hotel on Atlantic and Smith, in the neighborhood we live in. There are lots of great eating, drinking and shopping establishments there, in all price ranges. From there you could take the 3 train to our wedding venue. Due to the close proximity, however, taking a car would actually be faster in this case. The five-minute ride will cost about eight dollars.
http://www.nuhotelbrooklyn.com/home.cfm
Here is a list of other possible lodging options, both in Brooklyn and in Manhattan (the options in Brooklyn are near our wedding venue):
MANHATTAN
Stay Hotel
http://www.stayhotelny.com/
($219 for a medium room with a queen bed)
Here is a link to an article about the place that ran in the New York Times earlier this month: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/travel/01check.html?scp=1&sq=stay%20hotel&st=cse
Warwick Hotel
http://www.warwickhotelny.com/
(Rooms with a view, King or Queen, hover around $200)
Classic, elegant old New York hotel, located across the street from Moma.
Union Square Inn
http://www.unionsquareinn.com/
$169-$209 per night
Clean little boutique hotel. Not many amenities (no kitchen, for example) but nicely designed and conveniently located.
Carlton Arms
http://www.carltonarms.com/
$110-$180 for a room with a private bath. For the more adventurous as each room was designed by a different artist. Rooms without shared baths are much cheaper, so it's worth looking into if you're on a budget.
Hosteling International, New York City
http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostels-HI---New-York-City-060003.en.htm
This hostel offers dorm-room beds for $35 a night, if you're on a very tight budget. It gets mixed reviews, but most hostels do, in my experience. Here is a site that lists a few others:
http://www.hostels.com/us.ny.ny.html
BROOKLYN:
Hotel le Bleu (Park Slope)
http://www.hotellebleu.com/index.htm
(If you pay in full at time of booking and don't change dates you can get a room with King-sized bed for $175)
This hotel is pretty new, and I don't know anyone who's stayed there, but it's gotten some good reviews on sites like Tripadvisor.com. It's in a transitional part of Park Slope--so a little industrial--but close to the wedding venue.
Nu Hotel (Brooklyn Heights)
http://nuhotel.com
(Queen for $170, Kind $180)
Where we hope to block off rooms
Holiday Inn Express
https://www.orbitz.com/Secure/ViewHotelFinalReview?null&WT.mc_id=o_ta_merch_dated&DCSext.mc_kw=205292&WT.mc_ev=click&retrieveParams=true&z=b9c8&r=b
This hotel is located on Union St, on a pretty ugly block, but it's within minutes of the venue and the much nicer parts of Park Slope. It's a little expensive, I think, but wanted to include it anyway.
Regina's New York Bed & Breakfast (Fort Greene)
http://home.earthlink.net/~remanski/#rates
(Prices range from $120 to $200 per day)
Owned by a German lady, if that influences your decision at all. I'm not sure if this is the case here, but because many Bed & Breakfast places are converted one-family brownstones, shared bathrooms are frequent. Not bad if you book the entire floor among a group of friends/family, potentially awkward if you're sharing with strangers. So always worth asking if the room comes with a private bath.
Sofia Inn
http://www.thesofiainn.com/
Rates are ok, but some rooms share bathrooms.
The House on 3rd St
http://www.houseon3st.com/
This seems like a great deal for a small family. Rather than a hotel/b&b setup, this would be more like living in your own apartment.
Hi ya'll outtatowners. We blocked off 15 rooms for you at the Nu Hotel in our Brooklyn neighborhood (also close to the venue). The rate for a non-smoking room with a Queen-sized bed is $169 per night plus tax. It's a two-night block, the arrival date being Saturday, September 5th. Guests who would like to arrive a night earlier (Friday) can still get the reduced rate for that extra night.
