WHERE TO STAY in NYC – Best Areas & Neighborhoods

NYC › Best Places to Stay
Updated: May 3, 2023
By Santorini Dave

My Favorite Hotels in Manhattan

• Best New Hotel: Pendry
• 5-star Hotel: Mandarin Oriental
• 4-star: AKA Times Square
• 3-star: citizenM
• For Families: Lowell
• For Couples: Library
• Near Times Square: Chatwal
• Central Park: Pierre
• Penn Station: Renaissance
• Grand Central: Library
• Empire State Bldg: Langham
• Lower Manhattan: Crosby St.
• Financial District: Four Seasons Downtown

Map of the best places to stay in New York City.
1. Mandarin Oriental • 2. Pierre • 3. Lowell • 4. citizenM • 5. AKA Times Square • 6. Chatwal • 7. Pendry • 8. Renaissance • 9. Langham • 10. Library • 11. Crosby Street • 12. Four Seasons Downtown

Upscale hotel near Times Square.
Hotel with city view in Manhattan.

  • Best NYC Neighborhood for Families: Upper West Side
    Bordered with parks and playgrounds and boasting both a children’s museum and the famed dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History, this is an excellent neighborhood for families. Several hotels offer family accommodations and the area is served by two subway lines and several buses, making it easy to get around.
  • Trendiest NYC Neighborhood: The Bowery
    The fast-evolving Bowery, near the East Village between Houston Street and Cooper Square, is home to the avant-garde New Museum, new headquarters for the International Center of Photographry, sleek art galleries, and an expanding list of trendy new hotels and dining. There are still rough edges here but there’s no better place to experience the vibes of change in New York.
  • Safest Areas of NYC: Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Lincoln Center
    Safety generally is not an issue in New York, one of the country’s safest big cities. But for those who are concerned, consider staying in the Lincoln Center area or the quiet residential Upper East and Upper West sides. Among these, the Upper West Side has more reasonable prices.

The 9 Best Neighborhoods in NYC for Tourists

Best hotel for couples in Midtown Manhattan.
Good hotel in SoHo, New York City.
Best hotel in Lower Manhattan.

9. Lower East Side, Chinatown, & Little Italy

The old ethnic neighborhoods of the city are changing. Crowded and ever-fascinating, Chinatown has mushroomed, taken over all but one street of what was Little Italy and rapidly absorbing much of the Jewish Lower East Side. However, on Orchard Street and blocks closer to Houston border the East Village, the area has been rediscovered by a new generation, and cool shops, clubs and restaurants are blooming. The Tenement Museum is the best evidence of what used to be and some Jewish culinary landmarks remain on Houston Street.

  • Best Hotel: Sixty LES
  • Best Cheap/Midrange Hotels: Hotel 50 Bowery • Holiday Inn Lower East Side

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