In NYC staying near the airport is a really bad idea. Granted there are some cheap motels there -but you will spend 2 to 3 hours per day trekking in and out of the city to actually see anything.

If you tell us your budget - specific amount in $ - people can make recos on the best way to find inexpensive lodging. If "we" is 2 people that can share one double bed (typical in NYC hotel rooms) your best bet may be to bid Priceline since at that time of year there should be a reasonable stock of rooms available. You should try to stay in Manhattan if at all possible. If that is too expensive, your next best bet is Long Island City which has some hotels quite near the subway - and you can be in Manhattan in only about 10 minutes.

Also - there are some very basic choice sin the city - so if you are comfortable with a B&B type place with bath down the hall, let us know.

I don't think of Dallas for Nature at all. I think of it as shopping and dining, with some entertainment. I don't think of it as a vacation destination.

NY has zillions of museums of every type. Here's a list to get you started. If you state your preferences, we can make suggestions.

http://www.ny.com/museums/all.museums.html


Check booking.com for a listing of hotels, and you can get a good idea of accommodations, prices, etc.

P.S. For nature, we have Central Park and the Brooklyn and NY Botanical Gardens.

Are you saying you will not be renting a car? A car would serve you well in Dallas, but you do not need one in New York.

Thanks for your replies.

I may not have to rent a car in Dallas as I may be taken birding by one of the locals. I've also been sent this site for Fort Worth http://www.fwas.org/index.php?s=c7007c584ce63148fabc02e805777f91&pageid=birdingdfw


Near the subway sounds like a great idea for NYC. It looks like on Manhattan the Time Hotel is just under $700 for three nights and a number of other three and four star places about $800. This is the sort of budget that we could manage and think that perhaps it is worth the extra cost to be in the city.

Question: What is a full bed? I would prefer it empty but made when I arrive. I assume it has something to do with size.

FYI - you'll be flying into Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW) which is located almost exactly mid-way between the two cities. If you stay at a hotel near the airport you'll be about 15 miles from each of those cities. Public transportation between the airport and either Dallas or Fort worth is not very good so you'll need transportation (rental car or friend's car) to get around, especially if you want to visit the museums and birding sights. Taxis are an option but they will cost much more than the rental car.

Fort Worth has some excellent Museums. Among them are:
Fort Worth Modern Art Museum*
Kimbell Art Museum*
Amon Carter Museum*
Sid Richardson Museum
Fort Worth Science & History Museum*
National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame*
Vintage Flying Museum

Those marked with * are within a few blocks of each other.

Other than those you'll need transportation to get around the Dallas/Fort Worth area as things are pretty spread out, especially if you want to visit the nature" sites described in the website you mentioned.

Generally speaking a "full bed" means a "full size" double bed (sleeps two) which is bigger than a "single" but smaller than a "queen size" or "king size".

Thanks RoamsAround.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_size#Table_of_common_sizes

I can sleep in a full-size bed by myself, but not with my husband. Queen or bigger for us.

Oh, and we're both small people.

A full bed is a standard double bed. Smaller then a queen and much smaller than a king. In NYC many less expensive hotels have only regular double (full) beds rather than queen sizes - due to room size.

Thanks everyone. We used to be able to sleep well together on a single bed but that was a few years ago.

No - a single bed is what a child sleeps in - that is about 1/2 half the size of a double (full if you're talking sheets) bed. the kind you get in college dorms. Don't know how 2 adults could sleep in one unless on top of each other - side by side someone would fall out.

My husband and I shared a single bed (yes the kind you get in college dorms) for some time. Now I won't even consider sharing a double/full (with him or anyone else). I need my space

I would recommend you head to FW for your short time here. April is a great time of year to visit. To get a real feel for historic FW, you can go to the Stockyards and see a rodeo on Fri or Sat night.

http://www.cowtowncoliseum.com

FW has a very walkable downtown area, but you will be best served by renting a car. Driving on the "other side" is no real issue until you come to an intersection and need to turn; or coming out of a parking lot. I drove in OZ with no real problems except those mentioned. If you choose to not rent, cab fare to FW will run you close to $50 from DFW Airport. If you stay in the downtown FW area, there is a trolley that will take you around the downtown area (and I think Stockyards) for free, but you again would need a cab to get to the museums.

FW also has a beautiful Botanic Gardens and Trinity Park. Our Zoo is great; and if you feel like a kid, you can ride the little train that takes you through Trinity Park.

I recommend Etta's Place for downtown FW B&B.

http://www.ettas-place.com

Also, on the weekends there is an improv comedy -- Four Day WEekend -- that is fantastic.

http://www.fourdayweekend.com

Good luck and have fun planning.

Maria is still slim and I used to be. I assure you that we have SLEPT a number of times in a single bed and in 1996 we shared what is sometimes called a king-single for the best part of a year.

As to driving on the wrong side of the road, I can handle that and my co-driver is good at keeping me in the right lane at intersections. In traffic it is no problem. On lonely country lanes when surprised by another vehicle it is sometimes hard to act swiftly in the correct direction.

A full (aka double) bed is NOT twice the size of a single (aka twin).

Here's a listing of the standard bed sizes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_size

A US king mattress is twice the width of a single/twin.

IMO a full is too small for two people to get a good night's sleep, especially if one moves around.

Alan, I was wondering when your upcoming trip was and found this. There is a really good documentary on birding in Central Park called The Central Park Effect that you might look for. We saw it originally aired on HBO (and have it saved) but our friends got it on DVD. You might find it interesting before your upcoming trip. There is an extremely active birding community in Central Park.. It's a fun film.

Don't forget to let us know when you will be speaking at the (I think Fort Worth) Audobon meeting as I want to let our birding friends in that area know. They might want to come see you, although, at that time of year it will be possible they will be where we will be, which is the upper gulf coast of Texas.

PS did you decide on your museums in NY? And if not, are you interested in Art museums? History Museums? ?

I speak to the Fort Worth Audubon on the 11th of April. " A birding ID session begins at 6:50 p.m., with the general meeting commencing at 7:30. Meetings are now held in the Research and Education (RES) Bldg., Everett Hall, Room 100, at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (formerly Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine), which is on 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard (at Montgomery Street)."

I would love to meet your friends.


Toucan2, I have not decided on NY museums but will probably spend more time at the Natural History Museum than an art museum as while I like art I am a troglodyte and really need an interpreter with me to get full value from the experience. Rather like I can do for others in the Australian bush.

Thanks Alan, I will spread the word about your preso. That's the day before we drive down to Texas, but we take a route a bit East of there or it would be very tempting to adjust it by a day!

If no one has suggested it, the Tenement Museum gets rave reviews and gives a unique picture of the history of NYC. www.tenement.org

The Highline is also a really interesting way to get a different view of NY. A former elevated train track converted into a park. It is a great repurposing of what was once abandoned and an eyesore. www.thehighline.org

I haven't actually been to the Natural History Museum, although I should go.

Many Thanks Toucan2. Will add them to the list of things to check out.

If you have time for a few sites in Dallas I would recommend the Dallas Arboretum, the 6th Floor Museum (covering JFK's life and housed in the building his assassin killed him from), as well as the new Perot Science Museum. While in Texas try the bar-b-que and/or Tex-Mex food, both local favorites.

Thanks Barblab, That is just the sort of suggestion I am after. However we will probably spend all our time in and around Fort Worth.

I second Barblab's suggestions if you have time.