NY: Hostels, Internet cafes and beer.

[AncientPC]

I stayed here while in NYC:
http://www.panamhotel.com/hotel.html

It's 2-star, about $100'ish a night in Queens. It's a relatively safe neighborhood, I came home around 2-6am plastered pretty much the entire time I was in NYC.

10min walk from nearest sub station, 30-45min ride to Manhattan.

[drewjustdrew]

Which 3 months? I think that would determine the areas I would visit. I assume June, July, August, so I would rule out Sedona based on heat/expense. Grand Canyon is still a must see. I live in Chicago, and it is one of the better cities to visit in the summer. Big city with everything to offer and great summer weather - museums, ballgames, beaches, restaurants, nightlife. In my experience they do check ID quite a bit though. Despite the post to the contrary, it does have public transportation.

Can you cross the border to Canada once you are here? Don't know the international rules. The drinking age is only 19 there. Detroit is a good crossing point to Windsor. They have a casino and bars. I guess Niagara is the same way though. Niagara is also not too far from Toronto, which I hear is nice in the Summer. It would be a better option since there is nothing to do in Detroit.

[Gildwulf]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
pethie,

Also check out www.priceline.com, www.hotwire.com, and www.betterbidding.com for tips on how to get good deals and reviews of the hotels.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you. Do you guys know whether I need anything but a passport and a credit card to buy a cheap old car in california?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hotwire is awesome. I just flew from Chicago to MTL last minute for $350 when all other flights were around $650. If you plan in advance I'm sure you can get a much better deal.

The only problem with these sites is you may not get to pick when you leave and how many stops you make before you make the purchase. I got lucky with Hotwire: my flight left at noon and it was non-stop but they can book you anywhere from 8am to 10pm and your flight may have 2 or more stops depending on how far it is.

[El Diablo]

gild,

I have never used those sites for plane tix and don't plan on it. However, Priceline is great for hotels. www.site59.com is apparently very good for last-minute travel deals, btw (hotel+plane).

[pethie]

[ QUOTE ]
Which 3 months? I think that would determine the areas I would visit. I assume June, July, August, so I would rule out Sedona based on heat/expense. Grand Canyon is still a must see. I live in Chicago, and it is one of the better cities to visit in the summer. Big city with everything to offer and great summer weather - museums, ballgames, beaches, restaurants, nightlife. In my experience they do check ID quite a bit though. Despite the post to the contrary, it does have public transportation.

Can you cross the border to Canada once you are here? Don't know the international rules. The drinking age is only 19 there. Detroit is a good crossing point to Windsor. They have a casino and bars. I guess Niagara is the same way though. Niagara is also not too far from Toronto, which I hear is nice in the Summer. It would be a better option since there is nothing to do in Detroit.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's March 14th - June 10th. Canada would be nice, I'm pretty sure we could go there without any passport problems.

[Evan]

[ QUOTE ]

regarding drinking, you should ask "Evan" on 2+2 how he looks like he's 8 years old and still manages to drink at every bar. he probably has some reality distortion field gun he can sell you.

[/ QUOTE ]
[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[2Fast]

[ QUOTE ]
I know WTF? I lived in one of the worse areas of Harlem for 2 years (I saw a body being disposed of late one night) and you guys are exaggerating. In fact Im moving back there I liked it so much.

There are plenty of places to stay in Harlem which would be totally safe for visitors.


[/ QUOTE ]

Main issue with Harlem is that it's way, way uptown and a real pain to go out at night where you want to. And frankly if you look European you might look like an easy, unsuspecting target in certain areas after dark IMO.

In terms of communting the Upper West Side or Upper East Side say above 96th is sort of a pain (of course the hostel I'm recommending is on 105th!). Most of the sites and museums and bars, clubs & lounges are around/below Mid-town and it's a pain lugging yourself down there from way Upper Westside every day esp. at 3am. By all means explore Harlem (and go to Jimmy's Uptown for a drink) but IMO most of the sites you're going to want to see are below the 90
s on the East and West Sides.

As for being 20 I think if you look reasonably old you might get into the clubs too - every time I'm out at Marquee, Cain or whereveer I'm constantly running into obviously underage girls (which is nice [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img])))

[2Fast]

[ QUOTE ]
Canada would be nice, I'm pretty sure we could go there without any passport problems.


[/ QUOTE ]

Definitely go to Montreal and if u have time Quebec City - you just need a passport and no visa if an EU citizen. Montreal is like a 7-hour drive or hour flight if you can get a cheap one (real possibility as there are a lot of flights up there). It will be like 20% cheaper in Canada too which is nice so I'd seriously consider it. I've spent a lot of time in Montreal and the women there are unbelievable IMO (assuming u r a guy) and the old town and St. Laurent street are great.

Also, a day trip to Philly would be good as it's only like an hour and a half train ride from Penn Station and you can do most of the stuff in a day. DC and Boston are close to as other posters have pointed out.

Man, if you go to Montreal I would seriously consider flying to Cuba too as they have cheap flights but you're probably on a budget and might not have enough time...just a thought.