ABSOLUTELY !! I think NYC has capitolized on 9/11 long enough now. Lets face it prices tripled and quadrupled on a wave of sympathy immediately after 9/11 ... aka trying to help the city get to its feet again... and have CONTINUED to rise... All the sympathy one had goes flying out the window when you consider, the only ones profiting from these IMMENSLY HIGH PRICES are the hotels and restaurants... It's still not helping the average Joe.
So, no - I guess I WON'T be visiting NYC anytime in the near future. I'll chose other places - where they don't take such obvious advantage of the tourist.

Posted By Hanna Webster on March 3, 2008, 12:10 PM

Hotel prices have gotten way out of the realm of the middle class budget. If you can't stay there, you you can't go there!

Posted By Melissa Pilchard on March 3, 2008, 12:21 PM

The weak dollar has kept me from visiting Europe for the past few years and will until it improves (and we have a new President).

The high gas prices have kept me from driving up the Pacific Coast in my Camaro convertible (another favorite trip of mine) as it is always cheaper to fly to my northwestern destinations. Go figure!

Posted By Sherry Golba on March 3, 2008, 12:28 PM

In early October, my 2 girlfriends and I wanted to go to NYC for 1 night, a Friday night to see our boyfriends play at the Gramarcy Ballroom. We are all savvy NYC hotel searchers. No one could come up with a room for less than $300. Even my favorite, cheap-o hotel Hotel 17, was $275. We also noticed that many hotels were sold out.
We ended up staying at one of our favorites, The Wall Street Inn for $300 for the night. We have stayed there in the past and only paid $175. Something is going on. People seem to be ok with paying these prices...and it's not only the rich. It's not right.

Posted By DoubleK on March 3, 2008, 12:38 PM

I definitely think NYC has become too expensive. I understand they feel they can charge more because they have so many foreign visitors, but it definitely makes us not want to go.
We live in the south, but have been there three times in the last four years, and last year the cost of hotels was simply out of control!
We are definitely less likely to go back. In fact, we had talked about going back, but now that we are in planning mode, we see how much more we can do for the same or less money!!
NYC is unfortunately moving down the list quickly for us which is sad because we love going there!!

Posted By Chris Carey on March 3, 2008, 12:42 PM

I agree. I had planned to travel to NYC this spring, but cancelled due to high prices - what I thought was exceptionally high for the off-season travel I was planning. It's not the airfare or transportation - it's the hotels, food & broadway. Am travelling to other cities - & catching Broadway across america! So far, it's been great, and a lot less expensive!

Posted By L on March 3, 2008, 12:44 PM

Yes I think they need to lower the prices there. Just got back from a long fun weekend, but the prices are over the top. Most expensive place we have traveled including Hawaii..

Posted By Nancy on March 3, 2008, 12:52 PM

My husband and I wanted to go to NYC for our birthdays in March (13 & 14), but we can't find a package deal for the weekend for less than $1000. That's crazy. And, I really want to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. Please make it affordable to fly (even Southwest has pulled out)and stay for a reasonable amount.

Posted By Samantha on March 3, 2008, 12:56 PM

Hotel prices in NYC are as criminal as the people who can now afford them. I have been trying to locate places to stay for my brother & sister and their respective significant others for a Thanksgiving reunion. Both siblings are teachers and cannot nearly afford the outrageous prices of hotels now in NYC. Fortunately, I located a B&B for all of us.

Posted By John Swedenburg on March 3, 2008, 12:58 PM

The weak value of the dollar has caused me to travel in the U.S. instead of Europe. Last year i went to Alaska, Yellowstone, Tucson, and Chicago. I have no desire to go to New York City (been there, done that) but i have plans for a 2nd visit to Chicago in May (i was there last Oct). I can't believe how expensive the hotels are. This will be my last trip to Chicago for a long time. I will visit Washington D.C., Utah and possibly Santa Fe this year. Also, Asia is high on my list, maybe in 2009.

Posted By Yvonne on March 3, 2008, 1:04 PM

We have moved from the usual search engines and hotel "club" sites to hotel alternatives like metrohomeny and affordableny. For $12, anyone over 50 can join AARP and benefit from some specials that only the AARP Web Site offers. Our son just booked through Craigslist (ask for references). Many New Yorkers are leaving for the weekend and renting their apartments for 1/2 to 2/3 of the grossly high hotel prices. One other idea: Find a NY friend who'd like to leave the city for a few days, then pay for the trip; you'll get a decent place at a fair price and the apartment/condo owner/renter will get a break from the fast life. It's still expensive but there are ways to make it work. Private rental is the only way I have found to avoid the 20-25% room/hotel/tourist tax.

Posted By eljay on March 3, 2008, 1:08 PM

I recently had a great week in NYC, so it's not the town that's a problem. I've been all kinds of places in North America and Europe, but I've never paid as much for a room on vacation or felt so victorious about finding a hotel that was simply tolerable. The hotel was cute and in a good location, but the radiator was out 2 of 6 nights, there was no table in the room, we had to squeeze past the armoire to get to the door, etc. There wasn't even coffee on the premises, which was brutal in freezing temps with no heat in the room....

Posted By Glenda on March 3, 2008, 1:13 PM

Just returned from NYC, and I was astounded to hear so much French and Itlaian spoken. Europeans are visiting in droves, supporting the prices with their strong Euro. The city has turned into a big shopping mall, anyway, so leave it to them!

Posted By Lisa on March 3, 2008, 1:13 PM

My 11 year old son wants to visit NYC. We live 4 hours north of the city. I can't see spending over $1000 for a weekend in NYC (especially when a 7 day vacation at Disney with meals only cost me $2100).
I have booked a weekend in Washington DC instead, a bit cheaper than NYC. That is too bad, I would love my son to see the city.

Posted By WENDY MORGAN on March 3, 2008, 1:31 PM

Of course NYC is too expensive! I expect to pay more in a big city for food and lodging than I would in my hometown area, but NYC hotel prices are ridiculous. My husband, teenage daughter, and I love NYC, live only 4 hrs. away, but don't go often b/c of the costs. Last Jan. we got discounted tickets for The Color Purple, lunch at S'MAC, Chinese for dinner, bakery for dessert, lunch at Grand Central terminal, all else free - Staten Island ferry, Ground Zero, Chinatown, Times Square, St. Patrick's, Rockefeller Plaza, window shopping - stayed overnight with nephew, wife, 2 kids in small 2 BR, 1 bath hot apartment, parked free on street b/c nephew moved his car to a space that morning -- and still spent quite a bit. Can go elsewhere for longer time and spend the same or less!

Posted By Sharon on March 3, 2008, 1:45 PM

You hear about how expensive certain cities like London and Paris have become, but NYC is far worse. At least in London and Paris you can find affordable accomodations. Under $100/night is not hard to find there--but in NYC, forgedaboutit! I'll be going elsewhere unfortunately.

Posted By Tom on March 3, 2008, 1:46 PM

With the price of gas, food, heating, there is no way that I can afford to travel and I sure wouldn't spent 300 dollars a night to go to NYC. The 300 dollars is just for hotel, that doesen't even cover eating and sightseeing. Hawaii isn't even that expensive!!!

Posted By Cate on March 3, 2008, 1:53 PM

In 2002 I stayed at the Hotel Wolcott for $100 pre-taxes, etc. They now advertise the same room for $200. This represents a compound interest rate increase of 12.2% per year for six years. A bit much as the Brits would say.

Posted By k. oppenneer on March 3, 2008, 2:02 PM

I know after parking in a poorly marked parking place and feeding $2 in a meter only to have my car towed, I agree. I parked less than 40 min. put 2 hrs of time on the meter. The tow was $185 with an additional $115 fine. Had it been "booted" it would have cost the same plus $185. No information was left on where our car had been moved. After a 12 block walk, my just medically treated wife needed two checks and signatures to retrieve her medications from the trunk during a 45 minute wait for "processing"

I'd even advise Newark or Boston for international flights rather than JFK.

Posted By Daniel McNaughton on March 3, 2008, 2:04 PM

New York is cheap by European standards. If you eat, drink, and have entertainment like a local you will save a lot of $$$. Also 2 star hotels abound for less than $200 a night.
See what Italy or France costs. See what you'll spend in LA or San Fran.
(I'm from Houston)

Posted By Larry on March 3, 2008, 2:06 PM

I am visiting my sister in Europe this month (my first trip there ... I bought the tickets months ago). I am flying in and out of JFK, and I return on a Friday night. The ONLY reason I am not spending the weekend in New York is the hotel prices. I live in the Southeast, and haven't been to the City since November of 2001. I miss going there, but I won't pay the hotel prices. A weekend there would cost me more than my plane ticket to Switzerland!

Posted By J on March 3, 2008, 2:11 PM

We are definitely traveling less by car and taking more local vacations. Actually, there are lots of destinations not far from our home which we are discovering. We will spend less time on the road this year, though, due to high gas prices, combined with obscene oil corporation profits. We are not happy with America at the moment in many ways and will work surreptitiously to bring down those who are making quality of life worse in our nation.

Posted By Jeff Marks on March 3, 2008, 2:26 PM

As a New Yorker (transplanted from the South), I have to stick up for my City here. Prices at Hotels, etc are not "jacked up" just to take advantage of tourists. Operating costs for EVERYONE, residents, landlords and tourists are very high. However, particularly in the summer, NYC offers numerous free or lost cost options for entertainment. Yes, you may pay a lot for your hotel. But if you think outside of the box, you can find charming, inexpensive meals, free or nearly free theater, dance and music in City Parks and non-profit venues, and even discounted, day-of-show Broadway tickets. Many of our world-famous museums are suggested donation- you do not have to pay full price if you don't wish to. Also, don't forget the Subway- with gas prices so high- you can't beat the price of a Metrocard.

Posted By Nichole on March 3, 2008, 2:28 PM

Well first of all as a native New Yorker who moved away 12 years ago - the summer is a horrible time to visit the city always spring or fall are the best and most beautiful times of year to visit - blue skies sunshine make the city look so fresh and clean something you would want to explore - as far as prices for hotel rooms try craigslist.com many people rent out there apartments at more reasonable rates

Posted By Laura C Hopper-Fish on March 3, 2008, 2:46 PM

I LOVE NYC!!! Unfortunately, as prices have risen for hotel rooms, the affordability of visiting has become a huge deterrent. I scoured the web to find a room under $100 and, as everyone I know howled with laughter, thought I was blessed to find a European style hotel in a decent and safe location. Well the laughter was not unfounded. When we arrived the weather was warm and the room we booked through Expedia said they had no available rooms even though we had a printed confirmation. Also they had no air conditioning or fans. They were kind enough to send us to their sister location where we were given a refunctioned janitor's closet with a wobbly bunk bed, maybe two feet of walking space and an inch opening where the door was supposed to close.
When did all of the hotel rooms escalate 200% out of the reach of a normal person?

Posted By NG on March 3, 2008, 2:57 PM

On our last trip to NYC we got on a "for rent by owner" website and found a nice little efficiency on 87th St between 1st. Ave & York for under $200/nite. 5 blocks from subway and Central Park and all kinds of restaurants and delis in the area. We loved it!

Posted By Michael Whitley on March 3, 2008, 3:10 PM

Well,New York has always been expensive,lived there 17 years.As for the dollar drop it does not bother me as I do not travel to Europe being a former European myself.We should "discover" all our states in order to appreciate the vastness of our country and all it has to offer.In ref. to gas prices be thankful you do not live in Europe,our prices are far from theirs so think about that.

Posted By Barbro Nygren on March 3, 2008, 3:48 PM

Of course, New York is expensive! That is because it is one of the most extraordinary cities on the planet -- certainly ranking with Paris, London, or Rome. The only reason hotel prices are so high, is the same reason that Manhattanites pay such colossal amounts to rent apts -- Everyone wants to be there! Each year the city has only gotten safer, cleaner, and more accommodating.
Certainly accommodations are expensive due to a limited supply, and an enormous demand, but when one looks at the price for the incredible range of excellent food, and entertainment, they will find a value for their dollar much higher than back home.
Americans could be more creative in finding affordable accommodations -traveling in the winter season, when very reasonable hotel rooms are quite easy to find. Or consider doing as many savvy Europeans, and renting a small apt. or pied a terre. Or join the millions of New Yorkers who take the subway everyday into Manhattan from New Jersey, the Boroughs, or Long Island. It is your loss if you miss visiting one of the world's greatest cities because you are too lazy to take public transportation or do the research necessary to rent an apt in the city.

Posted By martin rieder on March 3, 2008, 4:38 PM

We were in NYC last year for the first time since we moved from that area 25 years ago. What a dissapointment. NYC has become so generic (there is even a Home Depot right off of Central Park, the Plaza is now a condo development and the restaurants and hotels are way over priced. The theater can be seen in any big city and the parking and transportation have made NYC more of a hassle than it ever was.

Posted By Grimo on March 3, 2008, 4:44 PM

Hey, let the New York merchants do their bit toward balancing trade & releiving all those world travelers of a bit of their "burden"! They will simply do it without me-that's all. There are still too many fine cities in the N.A.continent that I have not visited, to worry about Gotham. Been there a few times that's enough for me! Let 'em grab those Euros!!

Posted By IndyMo on March 3, 2008, 4:53 PM

Hello everyone,

I have a suggestion or two that may help. If you visit NYC between January 2 and late February, you can take advantage of lower rates, deals and discounts thru the NYC & Co. site, http://www.nycvisit.com/calendar/index.cfm?pagePkey=16&eventTypeFkey=2, and their "Paint The Town" offers. I have also had good luck staying in Jersey City and North Bergen, as well as in Queens, and taking the bus, subway or PATH train in. Not perfect, this but could be an option for bargain hunters. Rob

Posted By Rob Stern on March 3, 2008, 5:52 PM

I have lived in Ct all my life within 1 hr to 1.5 hours from NYC and have been there more times than I could count. I used to like staying there and not having to use public transportation to NJ or where ever late at night when you just want to go to the hotel and crash. Now I go to the city only 1 or 2 times per year when I go to a trade show and the company pays. In the past several years I have seen the hotels go way up. We just stayed at the Holiday Inn on 59th, and it was $279 plus 13.5% tax. outrageous and it was a crappy hotel...the Crown Plaza now charges $45 a day to park my car. Broadway shows are over $300 for 2. The only bargain is some great restaurants I know that are not too costly. So I do not go on my own and stay over in the city anymore. And in a few years when I retire I will NEVER go there again... most other major cities are so much nicer and cheaper than The City. The only plus for visitors is they do not have to leave the country to get the feel they are in another country for NO ONE speaks english any more in The City. You can keep it !!!!

Posted By Bob Lee on March 3, 2008, 7:32 PM

In terms of price, New York City would be 25th--at least, on my list of U.S. travel destinations. Of course, price is not everything. But in the current economic situation of our country, it becomes more important every day. I think there's real potential for people to open up reasonably priced B&Bs, and small hotels in Manhattan. Maybe when tourists stop coming, the Big Apple will get the message and adjust. BTW, in a previous post the writer brags about getting a "rent from owner" room for under $200 a night. Lemme tell you, for folks from Ohio, that is NOT a budget rate.

Posted By Carla on March 3, 2008, 7:44 PM

We're spending cool, pleasant vacations in Door County, St. Croix Falls area, Milwaukee and in our own state of Wisconsin and in our hometown, Racine.

Posted By Jeanne Arnold on March 3, 2008, 7:46 PM

If we did not have family to stay with, we would not go to New York City. The cost of hotels is out of our middle class budget. Even many of the tourist sites have raised prices making them less desirable. You can still eat cheap if you stay away from the avenues and discover delis and small restaurants on the side streets.

Posted By Steve on March 3, 2008, 8:30 PM

I love Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx: the noise and smell of the Subway, the hustle and bustle on the street and the great variety of foods. However, I don't seem able to locate a "cheap flop", even if it's a shared "john-down-the-hall" establishment. Manhattan would seem to have priced itself out of existence although I am a former resident and devotee.

Jim

Posted By Jim Lehman on March 3, 2008, 8:33 PM

New York is a place where no one can any longer afford to live unless they have their apartment paid for by their company - and only the highest paid executives get that! I was outraged and astonished to hear about the prices of hotels in New York and even Brooklyn prices are in the same 275+ per night. Luckily I still have one friend in Brooklyn I could stay with should I choose to go to New York but really, everything has become so overpriced there than I am not even considering that anymore. I prefer to go visit friends In Europe! I hope this message is read by some of the people who have somehow raised the prices through the roof. With the recession we are in and the possible depression, it will see how far these prices will topple! Sad but inevitable.

Posted By Edwin McCready on March 3, 2008, 8:43 PM

I live near Washington, DC...it's more affordable to go to Vegas than NYC!For the cost of round trip Amtrak fare and 2 nights in a crummy hotel in NYC I can spend 4 days in Vegas at a nice resort...with air included!!! I love NY but the hotels are ridiculously overpriced and not worth the money they charge...and the hotel tax only makes it worse.

Posted By Sharon on March 3, 2008, 9:24 PM

The best-value US vacation? New York City. Why? There are hundreds of exciting free events here every day (see Time Out New York's website), thousands of amazing, cheap ethnic restaurants, world-class everything all in one place and non-stop fun for free, even if it's just people watching. Also, you don't have to rent a car or spend $ on gas, just a few dollars a day for a transit pass. Sure the hotels are expensive, but entertainment and food are the best in the world for very little (if you avoid over-hyped tourist traps).

Posted By HomeExchanger on March 3, 2008, 9:29 PM

Free, spacious Manhattan accommodations are easy to get. Just join a Home Exchange club and be prepared to offer the use of your home to a family from NYC while you vacation in the New York family's apartment. Of course you exchange calls, emails and/or references before committing to a swap.
I am a native Manhattanite who has completed 37 wonderful free home exchanges all around the world. See my non-commercial blog for tips from an enthusiast. I make no $ from it and don't even accept ads: HomeExchanger.blogspot.com

Posted By HomeExchanger on March 3, 2008, 9:35 PM

My husband and I would drive in from the Hamptons several times a year and see two and three shows and act like tourists. Now it is impossible to get a room in a decent hotel for less then $300.00 a night. Even the dumps are $200, ones that were on the worst hotels in NY list!! I guess the hotels don't care as they said 2007 was a great year for them. Well sure, not our dollar is so week, and all the Germans and Irish feel like these high prices are a bargain compared to their countries prices. By the time you say a few days take in a few show and pay for you meals you could have taken a 5-8 day cruise and had just as much fun. Let's see if 2008 will be a banner year for all these high priced hotels!!!

Posted By Laurel on March 3, 2008, 10:30 PM

We just did a conference in NYC and the costs were out of sight. About $100 for a hotel chicken lunch! $50 per person for continental breakfast! It's crazy. Still, we find that attendees want to go there since we negotiated a fairly reasonable rate ($239/night - good for NYC). On other nights, the hotel was over $400 a night. We love NYC but it's crazy expensive.

Posted By Donna Esposito on March 4, 2008, 9:29 AM

Yeah, I am passing on a big vacation to NYC. Maybe a weekend or something. I'm saving for something more exotic like Spain. If I'm going to spend money, it should be at a place that I've never been.

Posted By S on March 4, 2008, 10:19 AM

My wife and I visited New York City last summer. After many hours of shopping the best rate I could find on a nice hotel in Manhattin was $249 a night. I hated to pay that much but there just weren't any alternatives. It was a nice hotel. We thought we'd go back this summer. The same hotel if I booked a room in Dec. 2007 for this summer 2008 was $429 a night. I didn't book it. In February it had gone up to $639 a night. Needless to say we won't be staying at that hotel and we probably will not go to New York period. The prices are absolutely rediculous. My wife and I spent in 4 days last summer in New York twice as much as we spent for a whole week at the beach in Florida taking are 3 children with us.

Posted By Greg Goode on March 4, 2008, 7:02 PM

I have never understood why anyone would want to visit New York City.
I spent a month there one day years ago and have never been back.
Leave it to the socialists, including the Europeans.

Posted By Down in Mexico on March 4, 2008, 7:46 PM

I think that one reason why hotels in N.Y.C. have become so expensive is that they know that Europeans love N.Y.C. and that for them N.Y.C. is very CHEAP. Also, Europe has become so expensive for Americans, they know that enough Americans will still go to N.Y.C. There is no reason to pay $300 a night for a hotel room. If you search, decent hotels in nice areas are available for half that.

Posted By jerry mendel on March 5, 2008, 7:17 AM

My husband and I vacationed in New York in Oct. We had such a fantastic time, we almost didn't mind paying $320 a night for a two star hotel room. We didn't have any trouble finding great bargins for food, entertainment and transportation costs, that helped us stay within our budget. We absolutely love the city. We wish hotel prices weren't so high so we could stay an extra night, but we understand the laws of supply and demand. Also, hotel prices seem to going sky high nation wide. We are having a hard time finding a decent hotel room in Seattle, Washington for under $200 a night.

Posted By Sally R on March 9, 2008, 9:01 PM

When visiting NYC consider staying in North Jersey.There are a bunch of moderately priced hotels about 6 miles from the Lincoln Tunnel in the Meadowlands area.Some of them offer shuttle service to Hoboken where you can take a $2 PATH train to midtown Manhatten.

Posted By robert on March 10, 2008, 1:18 PM

Not all -- but most travel plans are on the back burner for my wife and I because of high prices.
I guess we will stay and enjoy our home in Palm Springs where people come for our reasonable prices.
Morry

Posted By Morry Korman on March 11, 2008, 2:31 AM