2023 US Tour

[TullyBascombe]

Remember they have to have $ 12 K up front for each concert.

Ticketsource seems to offer tickets for events in the UK. I goggled "ticketsource.us" but on the page I was directed to only UK events were featured.

[Surpinto]

The link I provided is from the US Libera website.

[TullyBascombe]

The link I provided is from the US Libera website.

Got it.

[TullyBascombe]

The Basilica in Washington and Riverside Church in New York are both conveniently close to subway stops. I'm considering driving up to Washington the day of the concert and getting a room outside the city in a motel near the Metro. It would be easy to take the subway to and from the concert, avoiding driving in DC itself. It would be possible to do the same in New York, i.e., take a commuter train from New Jersey to the Port Authority building, then catch a subway to the Columbia University stop. The Riverside Church is only 2 blocks from there.

[Surpinto]

The Basilica in Washington and Riverside Church in New York are both conveniently close to subway stops. I'm considering driving up to Washington the day of the concert and getting a room outside the city in a motel near the Metro. It would be easy to take the subway to and from the concert, avoiding driving in DC itself. It would be possible to do the same in New York, i.e., take a commuter train from New Jersey to the Port Authority building, then catch a subway to the Columbia University stop. The Riverside Church is only 2 blocks from there.

Correct! And I strongly encourage everyone not to drive to either venue unless you have figured out parking in advance, and are leaving immediately after the show (i.e. not staying over night).

By the way, you don't need to go to Port Authority (42nd street station) to get to the church. The #1 train goes through Penn Station. I'm assuming that the "commuter train" you refer to is NJ transit. That will take you to Penn Station and then you just need to navigate the Penn Station labyrinth and find, then follow, the signs for the A-B-C-1-2-3 subway lines. Make sure you are going to the platforms marked "uptown" towards "Van Cortlandt Park–242 S".

[Surpinto]

A few days back I posted a few tips regarding transit in New York City as well as Washington DC.

Since then I've been contacted by a few people privately to ask about hotel recommendations. I held off on providing those because both cities are huge, and hotels exist both inside and outside the city at a variety of prices. In addition, seasoned travelers will know that hotel prices are in constant flux, even if you were to look right now at a particular hotel you can get something like five different prices for the same room at the same hotel depending on what service you use to book (booking.com, hotels.com, directly from the hotel, priceline, etc); not to mention the prices can change from week to week and day-to-day regardless.

This increases the complication of finding a good accommodation.

So my suggestion to anyone traveling to either of these cities is to find a hotel that is accessible either directly, or through transfer, to the red line metro in DC. And in New York City you should be able to easily access either directly or via transfer the 1 line.

But more specifically, if you are staying near Union Station in DC or Metro Center Station in DC you are automatically close to the red line and to any tourist type attractions which most people would be interested in within that city. I’m personally staying at the Yotel (not a misspelling ) near Union Station.

In New York, the options are even more bewildering as the metro system is much larger than in Washington. However, for simplicity staying near Penn Station or Port Authority (42nd Street – Times Square) if you're already travelling in from out of town via rail will be the most straightforward thing to do.

However, hotels are insane in New York and there are very few affordable options anywhere in Manhattan (the central part of New York City). I'm not joking when I tell you that you should be prepared to pay roughly $300 per night in NYC after factoring in all of the fees and special hotel taxes that New York regularly likes to hit its visitors with. This of course presumes that you're staying in New York City itself rather than somewhere on the periphery, either for convenience reasons due to the concert or because you want to engage in some tourism while in New York. Also be aware that there are few affordable options even outside the city that are accessible via public transit I'm not saying that they don't exist or that some of you all may not find a great deal, instead what I'm trying to communicate is that it may take some serious time and effort.

For myself I'll be staying at the Four Points by Sheraton Midtown-Times Square. But I'm only staying the one night after the concert and I got a pretty good deal on it….but the prices keep fluctuating both up and down!

One further suggestion for NYC that I mentioned just above in a different post: you can stay somewhere in New Jersey near a NJ Transit station, take the NJ Transit train in to NYC (the only stop for NJ transit in New York is at Penn Station), and then take the 1 train uptown towards "Van Cortlandt Park–242 S" from Penn Station to the church (the stop you want is "116 Street Station - Columbia University").

I hope this helps those who are in search of hotels!

[TullyBascombe]

It's been decades since I did the NJ train to NYC then on to the subway. Actually I took the PATH train from the Newark Airport to the Port Authority after having driven up from Baltimore. My reasoning was that airports have copious parking.
In the past I've stayed at a Pod Hotel in central Manhattan when visiting The City. The price even during the summer is around $100 / night. They're bare bones but clean. Parking is an extra $ 50 / night. If you go that route be certain to specify whether you want a private bathroom.

[Luckdragon]

BEST COAST VENUES - San Francisco and Los Angeles (Bel Air)
Avoid the Least Coast

San Francisco
1. Get your best deal to SFO, OAK, or SJC
2. Get your best hotel and rental car deal
3. Drive as needed. Public transportation is very good - BART trains, buses, cable cars.
4. Park in the Grace Cathedral underground garage - $50 ($45 in advance) for 4 hours

Los Angeles (Bel Air)
1. Get your best deal to BUR, LAX, LGB, SNA, or ONT
2. Get your best hotel and rental car deal
3. Drive as needed. Public transportation is NOT good.
4. Park at Bel Air Church (usually free)

[Surpinto]

It's been decades since I did the NJ train to NYC then on to the subway. Actually I took the PATH train from the Newark Airport to the Port Authority after having driven up from Baltimore. My reasoning was that airports have copious parking.

For parking reasons what you say makes sense. I would also add for those who are coming from the New England area (or internationally) that a few hotels near Jamaica Station and JFK airport, are priced lower from those in Manhattan - though sadly they aren't in huge abundance.

And I did forget to mention PATH as well as LIRR, both services I'm not familiar with personally, but they are both essentially commuter rails. This is another way to access NYC from the periphery of the city! Be aware however, that some services run only on weekdays.

In the past I've stayed at a Pod Hotel in central Manhattan when visiting The City. The price even during the summer is around $100 / night. They're bare bones but clean. Parking is an extra $ 50 / night. If you go that route be certain to specify whether you want a private bathroom.

This may be very outdated information unfortunately as I did not see prices like that - and I did run across several of these establishments.

For a private room at any of the Pod Hotels in New York for the dates in question the rate appears to be well over $200 per night (some are close to $300) when factoring in taxes and fees. What's more even the shared bunkbed rooms aren't a whole lot less. So I would definitely suggest that hotel if money is super tight and a difference of say $40 per night compared to other hotels is a dealbreaker for you. Particularly for those travelling as a pair, or those otherwise willing to share a room to reduce costs this is a good option. Thanks for sharing this!

Anyway, I wasn't exaggerating when I said that around $300 per night (give or take, and inclusive of taxes/fees) is a reasonable expectation in Manhattan if you want a proper hotel room .

[Yorkie]

Anyway, I wasn't exaggerating when I said that around $300 per night (give or take, and inclusive of taxes/fees) is a reasonable expectation in Manhattan if you want a proper hotel room .

And I thought London was expensive, what is going on in the US, I'm sure prices used to be cheaper than over here.

[Surpinto]

Anyway, I wasn't exaggerating when I said that around $300 per night (give or take, and inclusive of taxes/fees) is a reasonable expectation in Manhattan if you want a proper hotel room .

And I thought London was expensive, what is going on in the US, I'm sure prices used to be cheaper than over here.

New York has always been one of the more expensive cities in the world, but according to some recent data it has now risen to the head of the pack and is tied with Singapore as the most expensive. London doesn't even make top ten.

BEST COAST VENUES - San Francisco and Los Angeles (Bel Air)
Avoid the Least Coast

HEEEYYY!!! East is beast, bro!

[TullyBascombe]

In the past I've stayed at a Pod Hotel in central Manhattan when visiting The City. The price even during the summer is around $100 / night. They're bare bones but clean. Parking is an extra $ 50 / night. If you go that route be certain to specify whether you want a private bathroom.

This may be very outdated information unfortunately as I did not see prices like that - and I did run across several of these establishments.

For a private room at any of the Pod Hotels in New York for the dates in question the rate appears to be well over $200 per night (some are close to $300) when factoring in taxes and fees. What's more even the shared bunkbed rooms aren't a whole lot less. So I would definitely suggest that hotel if money is super tight and a difference of say $40 per night compared to other hotels is a dealbreaker for you. Particularly for those travelling as a pair, or those otherwise willing to share a room to reduce costs this is a good option. Thanks for sharing this!

Anyway, I wasn't exaggerating when I said that around $300 per night (give or take, and inclusive of taxes/fees) is a reasonable expectation in Manhattan if you want a proper hotel room .

Jeez, I last stayed there in 2021. I paid $115 / night.

[chDoug]

Hi there! I'm new here and just getting aquainted with things - so please forgive if I mess anything up.
In any case, I noticed a discussion of lodging and thought I'd share my "find". I'm planning on staying overnight at the West SIde YMCA, private single room, shared bath, $138 for the night. Plus, the add on a mandatory $10 membership fee that will allow me to use the swimming pool, gym, locker room and fitness facilities - if I choose. Not sure about tax as I didn't see it come up on the reservation - unless it was included in the price? Or, they will hit me with it when I get there?
Anyway, price was only $1 different between Booking.com and reserving the room directly through the Y's website.
So, I thought I'd support the 'Y' directly (otherwise they would have to pay a 15% commission to Booking.com).
The Y is three blocks from the subway and 150 ft from the southwest corner of Central Park.
At last check (about 5 minutes ago) they still had a handful of rooms available on the 28th for about $170 and less.
Not quite sure what to expect as I've never stayed at the 'Y' before but it all looks reasonable.
Just thought I'd mention it.

[Surpinto]

Hi there! I'm new here and just getting aquainted with things - so please forgive if I mess anything up.

Thank you for these tips, I'm sure that others will find them helpful!

Welcome to Libera Dreams!

[Cainmac]

I was planning from a different perspective. I had Southwest points that have been pigeon-holed just for this purpose…for 4 years now. Granted, there have been multiple trips planned and canceled since then, but Southwest is good about changing and refunding, so the miles will be used as intended. I typically take a taxi into the city, so my I looked at all the options. Surpinto is right on target about Manhattan prices. I found better options across the GW bridge in NJ. I found a Wingate in the Bronx that looks to be one of the closest options. It is a bit more expensive than the NJ option, but transportation from La Guardia and to the concert more than make up the difference. And, bonus, there’s a subway station near the hotel that I can use to visit Manhattan the next day. Looking forward to seeing you all there. Wish I could get time off to go to DC, too. But, I am delighted to see Libera again after 4 years.