From Wikitravel

The Theater District is a popular area of Manhattan in New York City, situated on the western side of Midtown. There is more to this area than just theater, with revivified neighborhoods to the west and north of the core entertainment zone.

The Theater District is occasionally referred to as Midtown West (to distinguish it from "Midtown East").

[edit] Understand

This district stretches from 34th St, through the heavily commercial West 30s up to 59th St (beyond which is Central Park), and lies west of 6th Ave. The West Side is home not only to the famed "Great White Way" (Broadway), but to the emerging business district centered on the now thoroughly Disneyfied Times Square. The Theater District centers on the outlandishly commercial "New" 42nd Street and heads up Broadway and 7th Avenues, melding to the west with the resurgent neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen and its commercial strip on 9th Avenue, and to the north with the newly-built Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. The area becomes increasingly residential as you go north or west, and more commercial to the east and south. Many of Manhattan's largest hotels (including the Hilton and the Sheraton) are located on 6th or 7th Avenue in this area.

[edit] Get in

[edit][add listing] See

• Broadway
• Times Square, centered on 42nd St and Broadway - a place filled with video screens and LED signs. A world wonder or a tourist nightmare depending on your perspective, the "New" Times Square is a family-friendly theme park of themed restaurants, theaters and hotels, as well as a developing business district. Those looking for the seedy Times Square of old will find it around the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and around Broadway several blocks to the south.
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86, 12th Ave & 46th St, (212) 245-0072, [1]. Apr-Sep M-F 10am-5pm, Sa-Su 10am-6pm; Oct-Mar Tu-Su 10am-5pm. The aircraft carrier Intrepid is docked here and loaded with spacecraft and aircraft including the very cool Blackbird spy plane. On the other side of the dock is a guided-missile submarine and a Concorde, both of which you can tour also, and some tanks. $16.50 adult. Closed for restoration & refurbishment until Fall '08.
• AOL Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle (Subway: A, C, 1, B, D trains to Columbus Circle). Has the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for dining, drinks, and Chihuly chandeliers. It also has a small, ultra-high-end mall with a big Borders Bookstore and Botero sculptures. In the basement is a large Whole Foods Market, and there is seating for eating their prepared food and salad bar items (cheaper than eating in a restaurant).

[edit][add listing] Do

• Carnegie Hall, 154 West 57th St, [2].

• AMC Empire 25 Theatre, 234 W 42nd Street (A,C,E,N,Q,R,W,S,1,2,3,7 subway to 42nd St), ☎ (212) 398-3939, [3]. First showings begin around noon, last showings begin at around 11pm. This large multiplex cinema shows first-run, mainstream films on 25 screens. It also contains an IMAX cinema showing mainstream feature films. $6-$14.  edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Budget

• Cranberry Gormet II, 115 W 45th St., 1 block from times square. Always open. A huge variety of sandwiches, pizza, sushi, and udon. Hot and cold salad bars. Sandwiches are $4-$6. Very popular with local workers, so it gets very busy at breakfast and lunch time. There is ample seating upstairs.
• Poseidon Bakery, 629 9th Av. (between 44th and 45th Sts.), (212) 757-6173, serves wonderful Greek pastries, savory and sweet alike. There is no place to sit, but the staff are very friendly and helpful, and you can have a delicious, cheap meal for takeout.
• Yoshinoya, 255 W. 42nd St, Times Square, [4]. Every day 10am-3am. Cheap Japanese fast food (very fast). Beef or chicken teriyaki bowls for about $4.

[edit] Mid-Range

• Carnegie Deli, 854 Seventh Ave (at 55th St), 212-757-2245, [5]. 6:30AM-4AM. This famous deli serves delicious, enormous sandwiches -- each of which could easily feed two hungry people. $10-$25 ($3 charge for sharing). Some people love this restaurant and some people hate it.
• Vice Versa, 325 West 51st St (between Eighth and Ninth), 212-399-9291, [6]. Simple, but tasty Italian fare. $10-$25.
• Ariana Afghan Kebab House, 787 9th Avenue (between 52nd and 53rd St.), ☎ +1 212 262 2323, +1 212 262 0065, [7]. 11:30 am - 10:30 pm 7 days.. Very good food, which of course includes kebabs, but also peppery Aush (a type of beany noodle soup), Badinjan Burani (a fried eggplant appetizer garlic and yogurt, served with bread.) etc. Salads, which come with main dishes, have a dressing which includes mayonnaise. Ask for no dressing and put the green hot sauce on them yourself. About $20-30/person for a large 3-course meal with a non-alcoholic beverage..  edit
• Ocha 350 West 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. (212) 581 3198. Japanese restaurant with good sushi.
• Hudson Cafeteria, 356 West 58th Street, [8]. Ivy League dining hall type of atmosphere in the Hudson hotel, Manhattan.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42 St, Times Square, [9]. Consists of two areas: the Showcase Room which features bigger name performers and the smaller Lucille's Grill which offers free music.
• Birdland, 44 St. between 8th and 9th. This historic club (though not at the original location of W. 52 St.) features a great lineup of justly famous performers and has good acoustics. Expect to pay a fair price for that quality. Pricey drinks, good desserts. Dinner is also available and might be worth a try.
• The Perfect Pint, 123 W 45th Street (at Broadway), ☎ +1-212-354-1099. Two-story pub off of Times Square with good Irish beers on tap and pricey entrées. Definitely not typical pub-grub, but the price matches. $15-25 (per entrée).  edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Casablanca Hotel, 147 West 43rd Street, just east of Broadway, (212) 869-1212, [10]. Boutique hotel just off Times Square. High-speed Wi-fi and complimentary refreshments in Rick's Cafe 24 hours a day including breakfast in the mornings and wine and cheese receptions in the evenings except for Sunday nights.
• Big Apple Hostel near Times Square
• Portland Square Hotel 132 west 47th Street, [11], Affordable and economical Times Square hotel minutes from Broadway Theaters, Fifth Avenue, the Diamond District, and "restaurant row."
• Hotel Carter 250 West 43rd Street, [12], Value hotel in the heart of the Theater District near Times Square. Walkable to Rockefeller Center, shopping on Fifth Avenue, and the Museum of Modern Art.

[edit] Mid-Range

• Hilton Garden Inn, 790 Eighth Avenue (between 47th and 48th Sts.), 1-212-581-7000, [13]. Completely remodeled in 2005 with flat-screen TVs, comfy bedding. Free wireless, business center and in-room fridge. $200-400.
• Hotel Mela, 120 West 44th Street, (44th Street & Broadway) 877 452 MELA, [14]. Luxury boutique hotel in Times Square.
• Wingate Inn Manhattan Midtown, 235 West 35th Street, (212) 967-7500, [15]. Upscale hotel with spacious rooms. Includes a meeting space and Business Center for corporate travelers.
• Regency Inn & Suites 215 W 34th St., [16], A midtown Manhattan hotel close to Macy's and other department stores, Koreatown, and tourist attractions including Times Square, Broadway Theaters, and Madison Square Garden. Complimentary morning newspaper and continental breakfast.
• Hotel 41 206 West 41st Street, [17]. Times Square boutique hotel next door to the Nederlander Theatre, home of the musical "Rent", and steps from Broadway theaters, entertainment and restaurants, Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.

[edit] Splurge

• Hilton Times Square [18], 234 West 42nd Street, tel +1-212-840-8222, fax +1-212-840-5516
• Hilton New York, 1335 6th Av., ☎ 1-212-586-7000 (fax: 1-212-315-1374), [19]. checkin: 3PM; checkout: noon.  edit
• Hudson Hotel [20], 356 West 58th Street (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues), tel 212-554-6000, fax 212-554-6001, reservations 1-800-606-6090, standard double room from $295-$375 - ****, a fashionably trendy upmarket boutique hotel, conceptualized by hotel designer Ian Schrager in partnership with Philippe Starcke, great for celeb spotting. Characterized by one New York resident as "small rooms in the dark." Rooms comparatively tiny, little storage space... so think again if you travel with a big wardrobe. Otherwise, the subdued lighting, designer fittings, and relatively lower prices tend to attract a younger vibey crowd, especially to the über-trendy bar at the foyer level.
• The Manhattan Club 200 West 56th Street, [21]. Luxury suites and first class services and amenities. Each suite features appliances, plush fabrics and elegant furnishings with marble baths. Timeshares available.
• The Park Central Hotel, 870 Seventh Avenue at 56th Street, [22]. Recently spent $65 million on renovations. Right next to Carnegie Hall and close to the Theater District. While its renovations have significantly improved this hotel it is at best a four-star hotel and clearly not one of New York's luxury hotels.
• The Jumeirah Essex House, 160 Central Park South, [23]. Built in 1931, The Jumeirah Essex House is a well known and recognized feature of Manhattan.
• New York Marriott Marquis Times Square, 1535 Broadway, (212) 398-1900, [24]. Located in the heart of Times Square and the Broadway theater district, the Marriott Marquis sparkles with updated hotel rooms, high-speed elevators and six hotel restaurants and lounges. It is known for its revolving bar and the view from its clear-sided elevators.
• Helmsley Park Lane, 36 Central Park South, (212) 371-4000, [25]. $250+ Views of Central Park. The staff is extremely efficient and treat you like royalty. The rooms are decorated in a very expensive fashion that verges on gaudiness.
• Trump International Hotel Towers, 1 Central Park West, [26].
• Crowne Plaza Times Square - Manhattan, 800-593-5434, 212-977-4000, [27]. Upscale New York hotel with 770 guest rooms, Manhattan's largest indoor lap pool, Samplings Restaurant, meeting facilities.
• Belvedere Hotel 319 West 48th Street, [28], A New York Art Deco hotel with exceptional service and warm hospitality to all guests. Restored in 2000.
• Wellington Hotel 871 Seventh Ave at 55th Street, [29], Walking distance to Broadway theaters and restaurants. Close to Central Park, Fifth Avenue shopping, MoMA, Rockefeller Center, Top of the Rock, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center and Times Square.
• Hotel Edison 228 West 47th Street (btw. 8th & Broadway), [30], Art deco hotel built in 1931 steps from Times Square, walking distance to theaters, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, shopping, and dining.
• Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square 714 7th Avenue., [31], This NY Times Square Hotel offers guests a perfect location in the center of the world's best entertainment and shopping, just steps away from midtown businesses and corporate headquarters.