In New York we stayed at the West Side YMCA at 5 West 63rd St. - not flash but very cheap and half a block from Central Park - it was awesome! For a double room it is about $70 a night each from memory.
I have added the 3hr Circle Line Cruise and Letterman to our itinerary for New York which means we can have the extra day there before we fly out to San Diego. I'm iffy about the Empire State Building - only because of what I have heard of the lines and waiting to get up. A few people who I have spoken to say the top of the Rockefeller Centre is just as good for views and photos and with half the waiting time. I'm keen to hear any different though??!!
I did want to do the Natural History Museum but it's not high on our list of "to do's" so we'll see. Each day of activities will leave room for wandering around and discovering so I'm sure we'll find more to do while we are there. Shopping is low on my agenda - except for the Marc Jacobs store on Bleaker Street where I plan on buying another MJ bag. That will blow my whole shopping budget anyway!
The place we have found to stay in NY is called The Broadway Hotel & Hostel - newly refurbished with "Ikea" type furnishings - only AU$245 a night which is impressive!! We plan on going to Joe's Pub which is famous for acoustic guitar players and similar artists but any other recommendations for night life spots would be great.
I'm still stuck on where to stay in LA. I have found a decent place in downtown LA which is only AU$200 a night but I'd really like to stay near the Sunset Strip as most of the bars we want to visit at night are there (Whiskey a Go Go etc). But apparently West Hollywood is too far out of the way for anything else when it comes to daytime activities. Does anyone have any suggestions on which area to stay in LA??
ETA: I just found a fab place to stay in LA - The Orbit Hotel & Hostel. Some great reviews and only AU$140 a night for a private room with bathroom! It's walking distance from the Sunset Strip and is located on Melrose. It's close to The Beverly Centre, Farmers Markets, Comedy Clubs and Sunset Strip/Fairfax nightlife. I figure it will be fine to stay in West Hollywood at night where all our night time activities will be and we can explore downtown LA during the day by public transport.
Last edited by Aimz; January 5th, 2009 at 07:44 AM.
That Ny Hotel looks ok for the money, we found we were leaving our room around 8am and not returning until 11pm at the earliest each day anyway. I assume you're going for one of the private rooms for that $$$. For transport, food & activities I would allow US$250 per day to make sure you are comfortable. Transport is pretty cheap, from memory the bus is $2 per ride. Food - well that can vary depending on your style & taste & attractions can too. Some days you might spend more some days a bit less. I've heard the same about Rockefeller Centre but I really wanted to go to the top of the Empire State cause it's in so many movies etc. It took us about 45 mins to get from the front door to the top and I don't think it was a particularly busy time/day either. Yay for adding the Circle Line cruise.
Sounds like a good spot you've found in LA too, we used public transport and found it efficient and reasonably priced too.
AJC - yes it's one of the private rooms with it's own bathroom. I'm not too good in hostels - I hate having my space cramped!! I don't mind staying in them as long as they have a private bathroom and double bed. I figure the more we can save on accommodation the more money we can spend doing things!
I just did a quick tally of expenses (flights, accommodation, car hire (for one leg of our trip - San Fran to our friends Lake House), activities and food/shopping) - it's probably going to hit the $10K mark for the whole trip. I think that's pretty good for two people over 20 days and four cities...
It's so much more real now that I am planning it!!! I'm sooooo excited - DH and I deserve this holiday - I don't care what it costs!
About 9 days of our trip will be spent at friends houses in San Diego and just north of San Francisco which means we won't need accommodation for those legs - bonus!
What are some good things to see in San Diego? I have the obvious - Disneyland, Sea World, San Diego Zoo etc. Anything else worth a look?
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