Does anyone have any info about suggested hotels and costs of accomodation during the up coming MS Conference in New York next March? I'm trying to formalize a proposal at work to be sent to the conference, but without hotel costs, I'm not able to get a complete costing.

Anyone know where to get this info? And if you have any ideas about hotels, please let me know as I have no idea where I should stay. Thanks.

Jim

Jim,

The conference will be at John Jay College which is located near Columbus Circle. It is very convenient to the subways so hotels can be in the immediate area or out lying areas depending on your budget and willingness to travel by subway. In the immediate area is the Westside YMCA which is very affordable with hostel (shared bath) facilities. I have stayed there myself and is was a great affordable option. Quickbook.com has some good values.

Hope this helps as pricing can change pretty quickly in NYC.

I found this searching Google for you.

http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=hotels+near+columbus+circle+nyc&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&view=text&ei=GN0iSpnBB6HytAO1sLSVBA&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=more-results&cd=1&resnum=1

Not mentioned are the Plaza at the south end of Central Park on Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave) and the Waldorf-Astoria, on the southeast corner of Central Park too. Trump Plaza is likely to be mighty pricey too. The Broadway subway line runs right through the area, so you could stay in Connecticut or even Rye, NY, and ride the train down to Grand Central, then take the 42nd Street Shuttle from Grand Central Station over to the Times Square Station and transfer to the Broadway line. The Avenue of the Americas line also runs out of the Times Square Station too. As I recall, the Long Island Railroad also shares a station with the Avenue of the Americas line so you could stay out on Long Island too. And there are plenty of other passenger rail and subway options too numerous to mention here.

Be sure to bring plenty of dough with you too, because NYC is one of the most expensive cities in America. Try Priceline.com or Expedia.com too.

Here is a little preview: http://www.trumpintl.com/

Mark

Thanks Ken and Mark for the suggestions thus far.

I've done a bit of snooping, and I can't believe the prices I am seeing! The Y looks like the best bet yet, but at $150++ a night, WOW!And the Trump Tower.... the day I spend that kind of money on a hotel room, well it better come with a butler as well!

I had no idea that NYC was so expensive. After I convert to Canadian funds, I think I'll be wearing out the zero key on my keyboard!

Thanks again guys.

Jim

Here is a mid-price hotel in Stamford, CT located so that you could walk to the train station. They run just $90/night plus tax.

http://www.stamfordamsterdam.com/

Here is a Super 8 motel near the train station in Stamford, CT. They run $71/night plus tax using an AARP/over age 50 rate.

http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03165

Here is a Sunday commuter rail schedule from Stamford to Grand Central on the Metro North Commuter railroad.

http://as0.mta.info/mnr/schedules/sched_results.cfm

The fare from Stamford is $18.50 roundtrip off-peak or $24.50 roundtrip peak. The railroad offers a local train that makes a number of stops at 66 minutes and an express train that only makes a few stops at 47 minutes. They run about every half-hour from Stamford, CT on Sunday. Parking in NYC is absurdly expensive so why don't you stay in Stamford, CT and park your car there??? I don't know what a NYC subway token is these days but I am guessing $3.00 each way with free transfers at the Times Square Station from/to the Grand Central Shuttle to/from the Broadway line. As I said before, there are plenty of other options available outside the city in nearly every direction too. Stamford is right by the ocean, not that it will make much difference in March. Were you planning to drive or fly??? Stamford isn't too far from La Guardia Airport, though depending on your time of arrival there it could take you an hour or 4 hours to drive to Stamford from there. Watch-out for rush-hour NYC-style, which goes from 5:30 AM to 9:30 AM in the morning and from 2:30 PM to 7:00 PM in the evening. For a little premium you can get into a Holiday Inn, Hilton, or Marriott in Stamford too.

The Stamford Marriott Hotel looks really high-end and it is $109/night on their 3-night rate between March 18th and 21st.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/stfct-stamford-marriott-hotel-and-spa/

Did you know that there are only 2 subway systems in the US that employ big heavy guys to push people onto the trains so that they can close the doors???

I wonder what that job pays in NYC???

Mark

Oops!!! That train schedule is a Sunday schedule. Weekdays the trains run every few minutes from Stamford to Grand Central Station.

Delete--not applicable.

American Airlines would like to fly you from YYZ to LGA roundtrip for $281, leaving 7:30 PM on March 18th, 2010, and returning on the 21st in time to work Monday.

Your Itinerary ?


Date & Time
AMERICAN AIRLINES
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE

Flight #4853

YYZ Toronto

Mar 18, 2010
07:35 PM

LGA New York

Mar 18, 2010
09:15 PM

ER3
AMERICAN AIRLINES
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE

Flight #4861

LGA New York

Mar 21, 2010
06:10 PM

YYZ Toronto

Mar 21, 2010
08:00 PM

ERD
Fare Summary ?
Average Fare per Person - 213.92 USD
Passenger Type Used in Pricing

Fare per Person

Additional Taxes and Fees per Person *

Total Price
1 Adult

Fare: 213.92 USD

Taxes: 67.63 USD

281.55 USD
Total Price

281.55 USD
Plans Flexible? Check lower fare availability.

* Fares are not guaranteed until tickets are purchased
* For U.S. residents, the ticket price per person shown above includes applicable surcharges.
* Flights not on American Airlines, American Eagle, or AmericanConnection® are on a request basis only. Fares and
availability are subject to change
* In order to comply with federal security regulations, we may provide government agencies access to data
you disclose to us

* Foreign taxes based on itinerary or non-U.S. billing address may apply. Additional Fees, such as checked bag charges, may apply.

Trip Insurance ?
Recommended: Protect Your Trip
Your travel plans are an investment worth protecting. Look for the opportunity to purchase trip insurance on the payment page before finalizing your ticket purchase.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Other times both earlier and later are also available. So far this is the cheapest fare that I could find. If you stay at the Stamford Amsterdam Hotel they will pick you up and drop you off free to/from LGA. 3 nights at the Marriott on their 3-day rate is $327 plus tax, or 3 nights at the Amsterdam in a queen room are $277 plus tax, and 3 roundtrips on MTA-North between Stanford, CT and Grand Central off-peak are $55 ($73 peak times) total plus $18 for the subway. You would not need a car but you could likely get a weekend rate from Enterprise for $150 +/- for a Jeep Liberty if you wanted to drive around. Choosing other Stamford hotels could reduce this cost further though the free shuttle from LGA is worth something certainly.

Total cost is $621 for air & train travel and staying at the Amsterdam hotel in Stamford, CT for 3 nights, which sure beats staying at the "Y". Add a weekend car rental for $150, which will cost less if rented in Stamford (no airport taxes). A taxi from midtown to LGA Sunday afternoon would run about $40.

Imagine that: The entire trip for less than one night at the Trump Tower, and staying at a Marriott to boot???

Have fun,

Mark

Dear Trucker???Mark...

You should start a new moniker with Mark-Travel Agent Extraordinaire! Thank you very much for the hard work!

Now to get the boss to pay for it all!

Cheers and thanks again Mark-TAE!


Jim

I used to live near Stamford in kindergarten and 1st grade and again in 9th grade, and I have taken that particular train down to Grand Central Station too. When I lived there the railroad was the New York, New Haven, and Hartford. Now it is a part of MTA. The first roller-coaster that I ever rode on was the old Wild Mouse over at Playland Amusement Park in Rye, NY 10 miles west of Stamford too. I've flown in and out of La Guardia several times and we stayed once at The Plaza Hotel. Rockefeller Center is near John Jay College too. And in my trucking career I have driven through that area and all over NYC and Long Island too. Notice that I didn't recommend staying in Jersey City, NJ. I've stayed there too.

Another hint: Try to get onto your selected outbound train from Grand Central a little early if you want to find a seat. Grand Central is a huge train station with 200 platforms on 2 levels, plus different subway platforms on other levels. You might want to have dinner in the city Friday night to avoid the outbound crush at rush hour. Don't forget to make a reservation if you do want dinner in the city. Non-peak travel times start after 8:00 PM Friday nights outbound. Invest in a subway map, if for no other reason than to show it to your boss. Try to walk with the flow, not against it. Everywhere that you go there it will be a lot like going to a football game in Toronto. If you get lost, the locals are generally not too helpful either.

Better take your laptop so that you can ask Logan or me.

Just kidding,

Mark

I am looking to go to the MS Conference next year. I live in the Northeast corner of CT. What would be a decent inexpensive
place to stay at where I could easily travel to the Conference?

Also, I was wondering the the Conference itself would be breaking the bank? I have a little money, but I can't use it all up and have nothing when it is over.

J.R.