An imminent stay in the Great Apple? Find the best place to stay in New York to put your suitcases!
Also known as the "city that never sleeps", New York is the most populous city in the United States with 8.5 million inhabitants spread over 1215 km2, it is 11.7 times greater than Paris! Multicultural and cosmopolitan city whose economic, historical and cultural faces are all familiar with as much as it has been sung, filmed, played, painted and photographed, New York attracts more than 50 million visitors per year.
Times Square , Broadway, Central Park, Manhattan, Wall Street... New York has names of internationally renowned monuments or mythical neighborhoods. You're wondering where to stay in New York? It is normal, this megalopolis is gigantic. Distributed to five districts – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island – the neighborhoods are numerous, more than a hundred in total. Just that! Here is a presentation to help you find where to sleep in New York during your stay.
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Manhattan
It is probably the best known and most frequented district in New York. Famous to house the Wall Street business district and Central Park , it is the smallest borough in New York but also the densest. Everyone goes there and the neighborhood has airs of an open air. So don’t expect to find a calm and relaxed atmosphere on this peninsula, it will be all the opposite. The city’s trendy, lively and bobo-like neighbourhoods include Soho, Nolita and Tribeca, as well as East Village, Lower East Side, Herald Square, Upper East Side and Upper West Side.
Soho
Staying in New York in a trendy neighborhood undoubtedly involves citing Soho . With a name echoing all over the world, the famous trendy Manhattan neighborhood is a must-see for your trip. Hipster Pantheon, QG of trendy evenings and precursor of vogue concepts, Soho enjoys very good shopping addresses with places that it alone contains.
After a few unique pieces in the shops, opt for a coffee/pâtisserie break in one of the many coffee shops that the neighborhood houses: it is here that the very famous McNally Jackson bookshop/café is located. Finally, if you want to taste the nightlife of the neighborhood, enjoy the bars and restaurants that sow Soho. If the nightclubs are not legion in the area, the bars with original concepts and other rooftop promise you to spend a nice evening.
TriBeCa
With his funny spelling, TriBeCa (acronym for "Triangle Below Canal Street") is located between Broadway, Hudson River, Canal Street and Vesey Street. Popular and trendy, it is one of the safest neighborhoods where to stay in New York, which contrasts with its beginnings where TriBeCa was instead considered an industrial and degraded neighborhood. Until a group of artists elects home there, thus signing the rebirth of the place.
For a few years now, TriBeCa has been part of the popular Manhattan: frequented by artists, it therefore houses luxurious boutiques and high-end lofts as well as various restaurants. For a relaxing parenthesis, a few green spaces and sporting grounds are available to the public: this is where you will find, in addition to the facilities, decks to dine quietly the pill.
In terms of accommodation, if you want to sleep in New York by spending one or more nights in TriBeCa, you should know that there is a certain budget. However, if you take it in advance and optimise your research time, you can find affordable hotels around 100 euros per night.
Lower East Side
If it’s a little more discreet, Lower East Side is still a great place to stay in New York. A few steps from Brooklyn and not far from Lower Manhattan, Lower East Side portrays a neighbourhood in the midst of rebirth, carried by an artistic and avant-garde culture. Here you walk by bike along the East River and you take the time to discover the modern buildings that strangely cleave other more underground facades: a contrast that ultimately, in fact all beauty. During your walk and after taking a look in the local frying areas and other alternative shops, discover also the good culinary addresses of the area, like the local market where the stands will put water to your mouth.
You will understand that, Lower East Side integrates Manhattan’s trendy addresses. Unlike Soho, it enjoys a more residential atmosphere, quieter because less impacted by mass tourism. With family, with friends, alone or with a couple, Lower East Side is thus a great compromise where to stay in New York if you opt for a quiet and modern neighbourhood.
East Village
East Village is less tourist, and therefore, more authentic. Eclectic district par excellence, East Village enjoys a rich and diverse culture, making it a place of character very popular with local youth but also with some celebrities: Lou Reed and Iggy Pop enjoyed a few evenings! Because it is home to a large amount of bars and trendy restaurants, East Village is the place to meet you not to miss during your stay, you have to see it once in your life. In addition, the prices of accommodation in New York are lower than elsewhere in Manhattan!
Midtown and Lower Manhattan
Would you like to see the skyscrapers of Big Apple and sleep in New York in one of its emblematic financial districts? Midtown and Lower Manhattan offer a striking contrast between perpetual agitation, mass tourism and life speed New York. Yet they are very quiet at night.
This is where many tourist attractions such as Wall Street, the memorial and museum of September 11 , One World Tower, cruises to see Statue of Liberty but also the Rockfeller Center.
Business district and dense population require a substantial budget to house in these neighborhoods, the prices of hotels that can be very expensive!
The other quarters of Manhattan
In Manhattan you will find many well-known neighborhoods where to stay in New York, which are essential for your stay: – Times Square and its permanent animation – Herald Square- with the Empire State Building , 5th Avenue, Madison Square Garden - and Central Park , sandwiched between Upper East Side and Upper West Side. – Upper East Side and Upper West Side: these two are much quieter and you will be perfectly happy if you are travelling with your family. Cultural, vast, lively and at the same time quieter than those neighborhoods in the south of Manhattan, this is a good neighborhood to sleep in New York.
- Find a hotel in Times Square
- Find a hotel in Herald Square
- Find a hotel in Upper East Side
- Find a hotel in Upper West Side
Long Island
It is an area that is popular for its green spaces on the waterfront and its artistic scene. Not far from Manhattan and the Queend district, Long Island City is a good alternative to stay in New York without paying the high price of its neighbouring area and while enjoying a good geographical location. In addition to being practical and economical, Long Island will delight art lovers who can discover many hidden treasures. As amazing as it may seem and despite an architecture that could leave everything to the contrary, Long Island is full of galleries and exhibition rooms. Among them, the most famous, the MoMA PS1 , a real artistic scene that takes you to discover several contemporary talents.
On the housing side, Long Island does not necessarily have a typical character with its buildings under construction and its rather modern neighbourhood life. However, the hotels that are installed will offer you a more affordable rate, just a few ten minutes away from Manhattan. By taking you there a few times before your arrival, you will also find good addresses to original and trendy concepts such as Paper Factory , this old paper factory converted into a hotel. Another advantage of choosing Long Island to sleep in New York: most hotels have stunning views!
Brooklyn
Photo credit: Flickr – Mariano Mantel
Brooklyn appears as a cornice adjacent to Manhattan, on its southeast side. It is the most populous borough in New York, and many ethnic groups – like everywhere in this megalopolis – are there.
Who hasn’t dreamed of taking the famous Brooklyn Bridge photo? Well, you're there... Brooklyn, this is the borough where the old disaffected factories have found life thanks to the artists and trendy shops. The neighbourhood knows the phenomenon of gentrification, for the pleasure of the visitor because a contrast between several social worlds takes hold of him. Sleeping in Brooklyn will cost you less than Manhattan.
It is therefore a good neighborhood to stay in New York if you are alone or with family, to rent an apartment in the BoCoCa: an acronym to signify the neighborhoods of Boerum Hill Cobble Hills and Caroll Garden . These neighborhoods are very popular because of their proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge, their green spaces, their small houses, and local shops.
Brooklyn is also home to unmissable places to visit: the New York Aquarium, many parks, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the artistic district of Bushwick , the neighborhood hipster de Williamsburg , many small markets, alternative bars and finally the Brooklyn brewery if you like beer.
In short, staying in New York by choosing Brooklyn offers a good compromise between ages: ideal for young people who like to party, the place will also seduce couples and families looking for a quiet and relaxing atmosphere.
Harlem
Photo credit: Flickr – beccacantpark
Although a bad reputation, the neighbourhood Harlem North Manhattan offers a central position – only 15 minutes by Metro from Times Square and 7 minutes by Central Park – and a good compromise to stay in New York. The accommodation is much more affordable and the images of gang-stricken streets are no longer current. Cheap and well located, Harlem's accommodation allows you to visit and sleep in New York without ruining too much and this is just a short walk from New York attractions.
Harlem is the place of cosmopolitan residence, very anchored culture and full of surprises. Here's what you can do in Harlem, despite the clichés of night violence on the neighborhood:
- Attend a Gospel concert
- Coming to see a jazz concert at the Apollo Theater, very famous theater where many American black music icons played
- Visit Malcolm Shabazz Market
Bronx
Photo credit: Flickr – Sun Brockie
We all have a rather pejorative image of this neighborhood, dyed with violence, murder or mafia. To such a point that the borough even gave rise to an expression meaning the disorganization: “it’s the bronx here!”. If the neighbourhood was the scene of violence until the 1980s, peace has come back today. Some quarters of the city Bronx remain without interest and are to be avoided, but it is “The place to be” if you love popular music, especially hip-hop. You can visit:
- The Yankee Stadium, where the Yankees baseball team from New York
- The Bronx Zoo (open to the public in 1899)
- Hall of Fame for Great Americans (a monument dedicated to American celebrities),
- The botanical garden of New York (created in 1891), its 48 gardens and its library of more than 50,000 books
Did you know that Woody Allen, Jennifer Lopez, Tony Curtis or Stanley Kubrick all lived in the Bronx? Stay there for a few nights and walk through the streets on the footsteps of major actors. In terms of prices, it will surely be cheaper than elsewhere in New York because being north, we are a bit far from downtown and the Manhattan tumult.
Photo credit: Flickr – Shinya Suzuki
Our advice to stay in New York
If you're visiting New York for the first time, you're advised to stay in Manhattan itself. However, this implies a larger housing budget. It is therefore necessary to book your accommodation in advance by taking advantage of site reductions as Booking.com For example. Why are you staying in Manhattan? Because there is so much to see and do in New York that it is important to stay close to tourist attractions and metro stations. It also avoids being exhausted by coming back late in the evening or rising early in the morning. Rent an apartment on Airbnb? Careful, we warn our readers. It is certainly tempting to rent an apartment in New York with Airbnb (or another short-term rental service), but this is illegal. In fact, a law that came into force in 2016 prohibits renting its accommodation for a period of less than 30 days, unless it resides in it at the same time as its hosts. This means that if you want to rent accommodation on Airbnb in New York, you will have to target them apartments with "Shared Room". You will always get to rent a whole apartment for 5, 6, 7 days or more, but if the owner receives a fine, you may find yourself homeless once on site. What alternative to Airbnb? It has been said, so you have a huge choice of hotels and hostels in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the two neighbourhoods that you need to stay in New York. Sometimes a 4-star hotel in the middle of Manhattan is cheaper than an apartment due to discounts offered by hotels. Conclusion : To conclude, you should follow this intangible rule for New York: the more accommodation is far from the centre and the less it has stars (for a hotel), the more interesting it is. Thus, with equal benefits, accommodation in Brooklyn, Harlem, Queens or New Jersey will always be cheaper than accommodation in Manhattan.
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