NYC Travel & Hotels (close to the Source of Life Conference Center & a few others)

Updated Jun 08

Unless other wise indicated, the venue is Source of Life Conference Center, at 352 7^th Avenue, between 29-30^th Streets, on the 16^th floor. If the venue used is the Ramada New Yorker Hotel (sometimes used for Earthshifts), it is at 34 St & 8^th Ave. If the venue is the Hotel Pennsylvania, (also sometimes used for Earthshifts), it is at 34 St. & 7^th Ave. The same lodgings listed below can be used, for all these venues, as they are all fairly close to each other.

Getting Into New York (Manhattan)

There are 3 airports you can fly into: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark. Newark is in New Jersey but Manhattan is very accessible from there and often it is cheaper to fly into Newark than the New York airports. All of the airports have connections to 2 or 3 of these places in Manhattan: Port Authority Bus Terminal (42^nd St & 8^th Ave), Grand Central Terminal (120 E 41^st St) or Pennsylvania Station (also called Penn Station, at 34 St & 8^th Ave).

From any of the airports you can get to Manhattan by SuperShuttle for $12-$20. This is like a group taxi. The main disadvantage is that if you are dropped off last (or picked up first on the return to the airport, you will spend an extra 45 minutes driving around in the Shuttle. If you’re not in a hurry, it’s very convenient and inexpensive. Call 800-258-3826 or 212-315-3006.

A private taxi is more expensive. From Newark airport, with tolls, the cost is about $49 (includes tolls) + tip (if your hotel is west of 5^th Ave; add $6 if it is east of 5^th Ave.) From JFK it is $35 (flat rate) + tolls + tip. The ride is 40-60 minutes. From LaGuardia it is about $16- $26 + tolls + tip.

From Newark there is also a New York City bus that goes to Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York and to Grand Central Terminal. This runs about every half hour during regular daytime hours and is only $12. You can to one of these stops and then take a short taxi ride to your hotel from there. Olympia Airport Express does the same route, at about the same frequency for $12. Call them at: 212-964-6233 or 908-354-3330.

From Newark there are also trains that go to Pennsylvania Station. In the airport you take the Air Train to the North Airport Rail Station (which is within the airport) and then take the NE Corridor Line or North Jersey Coastline into New York for about $12—a ride that takes only 20 minutes, making one stop in New Jersey before heading into New York. This might be a good option for rush hour in particular, when roads going into New York can be quite slow, although the train would be crowded then, too, and I don’t know how that will be with luggage, because I haven’t gone that route myself.

From JFK there is now an AirTrain for $5 that connects you to a subway train that goes into Manhattan. During rush hour, though, the subway is not the best place to be with luggage. From JFK and LaGuardia there is also a New York Airport Service Express Bus for $13 from JFK and $10- $12 from LaGuardia (call 718-875-8200). It goes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal; another that goes to Grand Central Terminal; and another goes to Penn Station. There are ways to go to Manhattan from these airports by a combination of city bus and subway, but I’d suggest leaving that for the locals.

Accomodations in NYC

General Notes

First of all, the prices vary according to the time of year, and they seem to rise significantly each year in New York, so the prices listed below could be out of date. Most of them were checked in August, 2006. It pays to call several places and shop around. Note that if you need to take a subway that will add a few dollars a day to your cost of staying. Also, be aware that better prices can usually be had by booking as far in advance as you can. You can always cancel the reservation if something better comes along. Most hotels have discount rates for AAA, some have discounts on the Internet and some, like the Comfort Inn, have member programs that you can join over the phone and then get their discount.

Note that the hotels that are on the East side (for instance if the address is on E. 12 St), will require a getting to the west side, where 7^th Avenue is. The higher the address number (e.g. 322 E.12 is higher than 6 E. 12) the further the walk, and the further it is from 30^th St. (e.g 12^th St is further than 38^th St), the further the walk. In general, 20 streets is 1 mile, but the distance from 6^th Ave to 7^th Ave is about 3 or 4 streets. You can always go to www.mapquest.com and put in the address of the Source of Life and the address of the hotel to see exactly how far you would have to walk.

The accommodations are listed below in order of ascending price, hostel are listed first, then contact numbers for B&B’s, then inexpensive hotels, then moderate ones, etc.

Hostels

In addition to what is listed below, you can also check www.hostelny.com or www.hostel.com/ys.ny.ny.html

(NOTE: Leo House, Big Apple Hostel and Gershwin Hotel below, are all within walking distance, all less than a mile. But all the others are easy enough to reach by foot and train.)

Leo House

212-929-1010 // on W. 23^rd St, between 8-9^th Ave

$65-75 / night for a single (cheaper is for shared bath)

$76-86 / night for a double (cheaper is for shared bath)

Maximum stay is 2 weeks. They start to book 2 ½ months beforehand but can fill up a

month to even 2 months ahead.

The Gershwin Hotel

212-545-8000 (Fax: 212-684-5546) 7 East 23^rd St. Email: reservations@gershwinhostel.com. Their website is www.gershwinhostel.com.

$33 + taxes gets you a bed in a large room with up to 10 people per room. Towels are not included. They have a computer in their café for checking email.

Hostelling International New York

212-932-2300/ 212-932-2574- Fax // 891 Amsterdam Ave, between 103-104 Streets. They have air conditioning in summer and have non smoking rooms, cafe, fax machine, garden, & laundry services. The subway is right there at 103 St.

$32-$38 for a bed in a dorm-type room. Some private rooms may be available for more. Reviews say it has l arge, clean rooms.

Note: Has 500 rooms and includes a coffee bar and there’s a garden in the back

American Dream Hostel

212-260-9779// 917-885-6191 // 168 E. 24^th St. (Lexington-3^rd Ave)

Room options: 2 Single beds for 1 or 2 people; 1 double bed & 1 single bed (for 2 or 3 people); 4

single beds for 3 or 4 people. Rates: 39.99 & & 44.99 per person.

There is a kitchen equipped with a microwave-oven refrigerator, and space for food storage. A

breakfast of coffee, milk, toasts, Marmalades, butter, peanut butter, hot/cold cereal is served every morning.

They also have 24-hour reception & check-in (so there is no curfew). They accept children, credit

cards, have luggage storage & security lockers, have a common room, have telephone/fax facilities. Non-smoking on premises.

Big Apple Hostel

212-302-2603 // 119 W. 45th St., between 6^th & 7th Ave.

$35-38 per person in dorm rooms of up to 4 people. (They have both single sex and mixed rooms). At Christmas these go up to $45-60. Sheets and blankets provided.

They also have private rooms with 1 queen bed, up to 2 people per room. These are $ 95-98 per night ($125-180 at Christmas). These have cable TV, a phone with free local calls, an in-room safe large enough for a laptop, sheets & blankets.

Maximum stay is 21 days. They have a coin laundry, safe deposit boxes and a luggage room for the day you check out.

Bowery’s Whitehouse Hostel

212-477-5623 // 340 Bowery St. // www.whitehousehotelofny.com // starting at $27.25/ night. You get

your own very small private room with a lock, but the ceilings are open to other rooms, so sound is more like in a single very large room. They say this construction enables you to have some privacy at a very cheap price.

Internet Access; wireless access for laptops; cable TV in private rooms available; lounge with microwave and refrigerator; 24 hr desk; no curfew; laundry facilities; private safety box; free luggage storage after checkout.

International Student Center

212-878-7706 // 38 W 88th St. // http://www.nystudentcenter.org/

$30 dormitory accommodations only

One week maximum stay in summer; 2 weeks maximum other times. No luggage storage after checkout.

Central Park Hostel

Tel: 212-678-0491; fax: (212) 678-0453 // 19 West 103rd Street near Central Park West.

http://www.centralparkhostel.com/ email: info@centralparkhostel.com

It’s in a newly renovated brownstone, a 5-story walk-up. It says it features colorful, sunny dorm style rooms with 4, 6, 8 or 10 beds per room (plus air conditioning), ranging from $26- 35/night. They also have a double studio apt starting at $109 that can sleep 2, a private room for $85 that can sleep 2, and a twin double-bed studio that can sleep 4 people for $139. Bathrooms are shared. Linens and blankets are included, plus lockers are supplied—bring you own padlock. Tours and airport transfers can be booked at front desk. 24 hour security. A rec room (pool table and table tennis), TV/music lounge and food service is planned and may already be available.

Bed and Breakfasts

Below are some agencies to try for these:

- Bed and Breakfast Hosts and Guests, Inc. (212) 874-4308

- Bed and Breakfast, USA (914) 271-6228 or 1-800-255-7213

- Bed and Breakfast of New York City (212) 645-8134

Least Expensive Hotels

In addition to what is listed below, you can check these websites: www.travelweb.com or

www.ny.com/hotels/budget.html or  www.hotels.com . And there are others. Be aware most of these inexpensive hotels are walk-ups, which means they have no elevator. I have noted which do and don’t, and how many floors the walk-ups have.

Chelsea Lodge

Tel: 800-373-1116 // Fax: 212-243-7852 // 318 W 20th St // chelsealodge@mindspring.com

Single: $99; double: $114 + taxes

All rooms include 1 double bed, free wireless connection, shower, sink, TV w/basic cable; a/c or heat,

ceiling fan, & maid service. Most toilets are shared with other rooms. This place has gotten rave reviews in the New York Times and Frommer’s—and they said: “Impeccable renovations have restored original woodwork to mint condition and created a homey, country-in-the-city vibe with beautiful wallpapers…” And that “Everything is like new and impeccably kept, and the staff is friendly.” A note was that the high ceilings on the first floor make those rooms feel bigger. NOTE: There is no elevator here. There are 3 floors.

Seafarers & International House

Phone: 212-677-4800 // 123 E. 15^th St .email: info@sihnyc.org . Website: http://www.sihnyc.org/lodging.asp

This is a guesthouse operated by a church agency.

Single: $80; twin bed and a rollaway bed $100; two twin bed $129. All rooms are shared facilities.

They are about a 20 minute walk to Source of Life and 25 minutes to Hotel Pennsylvania.

Some features are: air-conditioned and smoke free accommodations, color TV and full cable service, Private telephones with voice mail, linen service, private and shared baths, free Internet access, locker storage, kitchen for light food prep, and more. They offer clean rooms.

Americana Inn

212-840-6700 // 69 W. 38^th St. (ask for Dan, for some reason, I’m told, he gives cheaper rates. At the time of this writing, he works the night shift and is off on Tuesdays.) This inexpensive hotel does have an elevator.

Rates can go lower for a group. Rooms very small but very clean.

Amsterdam Inn

212-579-7500 // 340 Amsterdam Ave (at W. 76^th St) http://www.amsterdaminn.com (May be

cheaper by phone.)

Single: 119-139; double: 139 for one or two people. Dial out phones; private bath. NOTE: There is no elevator here. There are 4 floors.

Murray Hill Inn

212-545-0879 // 212-683-6900 // 143 East 30th Street (nr.Lexington).

Singles: $149; doubles: $169 // Dial out phones; private baths.

The rooms and bathrooms have been tastefully refurbished—lots of pretty wood. Beds are very firm, which is great if you like firm beds, not great if you like soft ones. .NOTE: There is no elevator here. There are 5 floors.

http://www.murrayhillinn.com/res_n.html (May be cheaper by phone.)

Union Square Inn

212-614-0500 // 209 East 14th Street //

http://www.unionsquareinn.com/location.html (May be cheaper by phone.)

Single: 129; double 149. Dial out phones. Private bath. NOTE: There is no elevator here. There are 5 floors.

Grand Union Hotel

Tel: 212-683-5890; fax: 212-689-7397 // 34th E. 32nd Street, between Madison and Park Avenue.

http://grandunionhotelnewyork.com/

Single Rooms and Double Rooms from $145 plus tax online.

For using the in-room phone, a $50 deposit is required. Local calls are .85 for the first minute and .05 for each additional. 800 calls are 50 cents. There is wi-fi in the lobby only, which costs $5 for 3 hrs or $10 for 24 hrs. This inexpensive hotel does have an elevator.

More Expensive Hotels (but still ‘reasonable’ for NYC)

(Note: All the hotels below except for the Amsterdam Hotel are a 10-15 minute walk from

Source of Life. Also, many NYC hotels charge 75 cents to $1.00 for local calls. I’ve made notes about some of the hotels below. Inquire when making a reservation as policies change.) The prices are no longer listed here because they change around too much. But the less expensive ones are listed first, in general.

ThirtyThirty Hotel

212-689-1900 // 30 E. 30^th St // www.thirtythirty-nyc.com

Their least expensive rooms have shared baths. Local calls are 1.00 per call; 800 calls are free.

Manhattan Inn

212-629-4064 // 303 W. 30^th St. No outgoing calls from the room, just receive calls.

Herald Square Hotel

212-279-4017 // 19 W. 31^st St. (5^th Ave- Broadway) Singles very small. 1.00 local calls; 800 calls free

Hotel Pennsylvania

212-736-5000 // 401 Seventh Ave at 33^rd St. www.hotelpenn.com

This is the closest hotel, just a few short blocks away. The rooms are a good enough size and the rooms with 2 beds are quite large with a very large closet. But the carpet in unrenovated bedrooms is old and a bit grungy. Rates can be $10 cheaper per night at their website.

Hotel Stanford

212-563-1500 or 1-800-365-1114 // 43 W. 32^nd St. //www.hotelstanford.com

The TV is small, but there is a small refrigerator in each room. The rooms are older, but clean.

Local calls are .60 for the first minute; then .10/min; 800 calls are free.

Amsterdam Hotel

212-579-7500 // 340 Amsterdam Ave (near W. 76 St.), is a little over 2 miles from Source of

Life. Subways and buses (and taxis) available. Local calls are .35 for the first minute & then .05

per minute; 800 calls are .50 per call.

NOTE: The chain hotels listed below sometimes have specials, and often better deals for them can be found at their sites or general hotel booking sites on the Internet. All of them have TV’s and direct dial phones. They are all about a 10 minute walk from Source of Life, except for the Wyndham Hotel, which is about 35 minutes.

La Quinta

212-736-1600 // 17 W. 32^nd St (5^th Ave- Broadway). Singles are a good size, clean & modern,

with a large TV. Free local & 800 calls. This hotel may have good rates if you call ahead. BUT the beds are rather hard, so you need to be okay with that.

Red Roof Inn

212-643-7100 // 6 W. 32^nd St. (5^th Ave- Broadway) Free local & 800 calls.

Comfort Inn

42 W. 35^th St at 212-947-0200 . Or, 129 W. 46^th St. at 212-221-2600. Or, 442 W. 36^th St at 212-714-6699. Or, You can also, by calling 800-521-2121, become a member of Choice Hotels, which includes Comfort Inns, Quality Inns, Econo Lodge and Clarion Hotels. Then you can use this number for reservations at any of them and the membership gets you a discount. Some of these other hotels, besides the Comfort Inn have hotels a little further, but still within walking distance. At some hotels, such as some Comfort Inns that charge for local calls, membership gets you free local calls.

Radisson Hotel

212-736-3800 // 49 W. 32^nd Street. Ask for a room away from Broadway. They charge 1.00

for the first 5 min of local calls; 800 calls are free. (This used to be a Holiday Inn.)

Ramada New Yorker Hotel

1-866-800-3088 // 481 8^th Ave (at 34^th Street). .

75 per call for local calls and for 800 calls.

Wyndham Hotel

Tel: 212-753-3500; Fax: 212-754 5638 // 42 W 58th Street Between 5th and 6th Avenue

Portland Square Hotel

212-382-0600 // 132 West 47th Street

Apartments

With the high rates/night for NYC hotels, it may be both more economical and more luxurious to look into renting an apartment, if you’ll be in New York for at least a week. Below is one possibility. In addition, you can check these two agencies:

http://www.extendedstayhomes.com/ (973-202-1111)

http://furnishedquarters.com/ (Main: 800-871-3446; sales: 800-255-8117;

info@furnishedquarters.com)

Chelsmore Apartments

212-924-7991 // 205 W. 15 St. // www.chelsmore.com email: reservations@chelsmore.com. Excellent rates. About a 10-15 minute walk from Source of Life. But many of the apartments face 7^th Ave and they can’t guarantee one in the back when you reserve. All the 1 BR apts though are in the back. There is usually a 6 night minimum, but that may be waived in slow times of the year.