Where to stay in NYC
The best NYC neighborhoods to stay in by trip type — and where locals would actually skip
There's no single "best" neighborhood in New York — there's a best neighborhood for your trip. The right base for a first-time sightseeing blitz is the wrong one for a quiet anniversary or a late-night-out weekend. Here's how to match the area to the trip, plus the spots locals would tell you to skip.
Manhattan vs Brooklyn: which side of the river should base your NYC trip
Once you've decided to visit New York, the next real question for a lot of travelers is which side of the East River to stay on: classic Manhattan or cooler, more residential Brooklyn. Both work, but they make for genuinely different trips. Here's how they compare.
Where to stay in NYC: a neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide for first-time visitors
Choosing where to stay in New York matters more than choosing a specific hotel — the neighborhood sets the tone of your whole trip, your commute to the sights, and how much you'll spend. For a first visit, the safe instinct is to stay central in Manhattan; the smarter move is to match the neighborhood to what you actually want to do. Here's the lay of the land.