Rob, Rambling - A lot of things interest me...

I’ve yet to really write anything too much about my holiday, courtesy of a busy first week back, but I want to start with a few Tumblr-related shoutouts.

• I met with Martha and her great (anonymous) boyfriend for a couple of drinks and dinner, which was simply fantastic. She’s a really great girl, so friendly and a lot of fun. The girlfriend and I had a really good time that evening, so thankyou again.

• Thanks also due to everyone that gave me recommendations for bars, restaurants, hotels, areas, events, sights, the subway and everything else in New York. I really enjoyed finding little locals’ bars and out of the way places that aren’t in the guide books; it felt like a more authentic experience of New York that way. In no particular order, thanks to Amanda, Peter, Sarah, Lauren, Kapi, topherchris and probably other people that I’ve forgotten.

• In DC, we had a mini-Tumblr meet-up, with the girlfriend the only one present without a Tumblr (more fool her). We met in a cool little beer bar in Chinatown with loads of different beers and a solid happy hour. Great choice by Vicky, who also deserves a big thanks for organising it too. It was fantastic to meet her and Kia at last, and also to meet Taylor for the first time. Cheers guys!

• Unfortunately, Jackie couldn’t make it that night, but I randomly bumped into her the next morning in a coffee shop. It was in New York that I thought I might come across another Tumblr whilst walking around, but it eventually happened in downtown DC, of all places. It was a short but sweet ‘hello’, but always cool to meet new people!

Thanks to everyone for helping to make it a great trip, and if anyone ever needs London-related recommendations or is in town, be sure to give me a shout.

It’s less than two weeks until I hop on a plane and go trans-Atlantic, landing in NYC en route to DC and then Virginia. I get into New York on Wednesday 16th, for five nights, and am then in DC for about 36 hours before staying with some friends near Richmond.

My hotel’s in Murray Hill, apparently, which I gather isn’t too far from the East Village. Kapi stayed there a few weeks ago and said it was walkable to pretty much everything central, but I’m a big fan of public transport [good God that sounds sad] and am looking forward to seeing how your subway compares to our Tube.

I’ve got plenty of touristy things which I want to see and do during the days, but I’m none the wiser when it comes to the evenings. Not having been to New York before, I have no clue where to eat, drink and be merry.

And that’s where the beauty of crowdsourcing comes in. New Yorkers, where are the good places, the kinds of bars and restaurants that you like to go to? I’m not fussed about the tourist traps, the overpriced rubbish that I steer well clear of here in London. I’d rather see how it is for the average New Yorker, get more of a realistic experience of being there.

Ideally, a solid sports bar for Sunday would be top of my list, although I’m not sure how the girlfriend would feel about that. Maybe shopping area tips would be good to keep her happy too! I’m such a considerate guy…

And if you want to show me in person, I’d be more than happy to be escorted by a guide to the places you hang out at. Drop me an email or gchat (rob.gooneruk).

Oh, and because I’m also far too much of a sports fan for my own good, I’ve noticed that the Mets are playing on both Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes. I’ve always wanted to go to a baseball game, so if anyone fancies it (in the cheapest of cheap seats, of course!), let me know. Yes, I know the Mets suck, but so be it!

Thanks for all the great answers to my New York hotels question yesterday. Crowd-sourcing truly is awesome, so many thanks for everyone that took the time to reply, email or tweet.

The consensus seems to be that downtown is better, especially if you can find a cheap one. Unfortunately, anything a bit nice is pretty much out of my price range, unless it’s out by an airport.

The shared bathrooms thing doesn’t bother me at all, and the girlfriend seems happy enough to go for it. I figure that the money we save can be used for much more entertaining things like food and booze. Probably more booze than food, knowing us.

With that in mind, I think I’m going to go for that Portland Square hotel, which is the more central one at the same price as the one in the Upper West Side (“Boring!”, according to mascarah…).

Anyways, as peterwknox points out, we’ll be leaving the hotel in the morning, and getting back late. It doesn’t really matter too much what it’s like, in the grand scheme of things. Sleep, shower, maybe go back in the evening to change, and that’s about it.

Next I’ll be asking for ideas of what to do/see!

Calling all New Yorkers!

I’m over in NYC for about a week in mid-September, and am looking to book a hotel for the girlfriend and I. I’ve been using hotels.com for recommendations, and then comparing prices across Expedia, LastMinute and LowCostNewYork.

The one we’ve half settled on is the Portland Square Hotel, at 132 W 47th Street, apparently just around the corner from Times Square and in the middle of Theatre District. It’s relatively cheap, with shared bathrooms (neither of us are fussed about this, as long as it’s clean), and seems to be in a great location.

Personally, I’m not that bothered about Times Square itself, but to be that central would be ideal. Is it a good area from which to see the rest of the city? I figure that it’s in the middle of everything, give or take, or at least as much as we’re going to fit in during 4-5 days.

The other option we’re considering is the Hotel Alexander, way up on the Upper West Side. To my mind, that seems a it further out, and is the same price as Portland. Is it worth staying up there, or is Theatre District a better bet?