Getting somewhere for a short stay in New York

Hi!

I have a few friends from Singapore who are going to New York this early October.

They probably are staying in Manhattan area, but have no idea where to stay.

Is there any hotels would some of you recommend?

Thanks!

'Cheap' in NY means about $100/night, without a private bath.

I like Hotel 17 near Union Square, about $100/night for a single. Those rooms are very small, but I've also stayed in a fairly large double (2 twin beds) for about $140. In both cases, bathrooms are shared, but are extremely clean and are very nice.

Just recently, I stayed at the Jane Hotel, where $100 gets you a tiny room like you'd have on a train, but very nicely laid out with wood panelling, brass fixtures, marble shelves, and a flat-screen TV with DVD player. Location ('meatpacking', but really a trendy area) was also great. But it was somewhat noisy, and the shared bathrooms had a bit of a dormitory feeling.

When looking at prices, keep in mind that there's about 20% tax added to what's quoted.

try couhsurfing.org
its free

and a tip, join salsa group of couhsurfing and send messages to members of that group.

couchsurfing.org is great...but the idea isnt really to get free accommodation, more to meet people you wouldnt otherwise, and explore new worlds.

you could offend your host if you just want to go salsa dancing alone, then crash at their place...i think olamalam's idea of messaging salsa group members is a good one.

there are a few creeps there too - you can check people's profiles out, and other members review them.

TrulyMadlyAmanda said:

you could offend your host if you just want to go salsa dancing alone, then crash at their place...i think olamalam's idea of messaging salsa group members is a good one.

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Agreed. I usually search for the keyword 'salsa' when I look for hosts when I go somewhere to just dance. I check their profiles if they are into salsa dancing and only contact them if they are. If they are busy or can't host me for some reason I just stay at a pension house/hostel/cheap hotel.

TrulyMadlyAmanda said:

couchsurfing.org is great...but the idea isnt really to get free accommodation, more to meet people you wouldnt otherwise, and explore new worlds.

you could offend your host if you just want to go salsa dancing alone, then crash at their place...i think olamalam's idea of messaging salsa group members is a good one.

there are a few creeps there too - you can check people's profiles out, and other members review them.

Click to expand...

At the moment I'm hosting a salsera from India. This is how it worked with me, she wrote me that she loves salsa dancing and wants to explore London parties. I took her to SOS yesterday. And tonight I will introduce her to Mario, they are from the same home town.

It's quite rude to stay in CS'ers flat and not spend time with him/her. So finding dancer and going to dance parties together it the best way to spend time together.

It's quite hard to find creepy people from CS. Most of the members are open minded and educated. For others, the idea of opening your house to a stranger is weird. These people prefer FB instead
I even don't hesitate giving my keys to them and when they host me, most of the time they gave me their separe keys to me.

I would agree that it's quite hard to find creepy people on CS. Even harder if women stay with women & men stay with men. Women staying with men or possibly vice versa... Gets more complicated. Unfortunately some people confuse it for a dating site- totally understandable given that it attracts like-minded people & so chemistry is often bound to happen (I know a very sweet couple that met via CS). Let's just say, having dinner with a guy, going out dancing with him & then going home with him- can be a bit confusing for some guys. Understandably. I've never met anyone bad on CS. Ever. I have met some folks with different interests- depending on how much you want to avoid possibly uncomfortable moments, you might want to screen more or less heavily for such things.