From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45 and takes around an hour in average conditions. Getting into town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). ![]() As with almost any area in New York, it isn't wise to wander around poorly lit areas alone late at night, but the neighborhood isn't particularly violent or dangerous. Safety-wise, the area is packed during the day but thins out dramatically late at night, and isn't the best-lit neighborhood.Subway stop for the A, C, E trains right outside its doors, which goes north, to the Upper West Side and Central Park, or south to Chelsea and the Village. ![]() Also nearby: the enormous Manhattan Mall and Macy's East, which claims to be the biggest department store in the world.And of course, Madison Square Garden - home of the New York Knicks, Rangers, and many high-profile concerts - is only a slapshot away. What's important is that you're within quick walking distance of a number of popular sites, including Times Square, the Empire State Building, and Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. But the distinction isn't really important - the boundaries of Manhattan's neighborhoods are always a little fuzzy. Some New Yorkers would call it the Garment District others would simply designate it part of Midwest West. The neighborhood itself is a bit of a no-man's land. While the neighborhood is hardly quiet - it's a block from Penn Station, one of the busiest train stations in the country - the area is significantly less touristed than its neighbor to the north, especially at night. Those blocks make a big difference, though. The New Yorker is on 8th Avenue, between 34th and 35th Streets, which puts it about eight blocks from one of the busiest intersections in the world, at 42nd and Broadway in Times Square. If it's not, and you don't mind fighting the crowds in Times Square every time you step outside your hotel's front door, options abound 10 blocks north, like the Best Western President, the Marriott Marquis, and the Hilton Times Square. The only other place in the immediate vicinity, Hotel Pennsylvania, is far inferior to the New Yorker, so if being close to Madison Square Garden is a priority, the New Yorker is a solid bet. The similarly priced Holiday Inn NYC is also a better choice, but that's about 10 blocks away. Where does all that leave you? Probably on the fence, if rooms at the nearby Radisson Martinique are only $50 or so more (and if they're equal or less, jump at those instead). And the hotel certainly embraces its roots: The sign at the entrance and the gold logo on the marble floors show that Wyndham is happy to play a supporting role and let the hotel's venerable past take center stage. (At night it is a literal shine - the monstrous red New Yorker sign at the top of the building can be seen from all over the westside of Manhattan.) The grand lobby, with its enormous chandelier, evokes its rich old-New-York past. ![]() Housing 912 rooms on several dozen floors of an iconic Art Deco skyscraper - its architectural siblings are the Chrysler Building (built in 1930) and the Empire State Building (1931) - the hotel's New Yorker identity still shines brighter than its corporate connection. A lot has happened since then, however, and now it's officially the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel. But back in 1930, when the hotel first opened and competition wasn't as fierce, the New Yorker was a city institution hosting silver-screen starlets and foreign dignitaries (more on this in History, below). It takes some serious self-confidence to name your hotel the New Yorker.
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