<p>My friend and I will arrive in NYC on Aug.24, the day before pre-orientation (COOP), but we don't yet know where to spend the night. I checked some budget hotels on the Upper West, but $120 for just one night seemed too much for me. Hostels wouldn't be too good a choice either, since we carry a lot of baggages and quite a bit of cash.
(I'm a girl and my friend is a guy, and we need separate rooms...)</p>
<p>I wonder if anyone can recommend a cheap, clean and safe hotel, if that's the only way. Or are there be frat houses that open before school starts and would spare us two extra beds?
Thanks!</p>
<p>connie - first things first, perhaps try to talk to columbia, mention you are an international (is your friend a columbian too?) and beseech some mercy and see if you can’t move into your room early. if you PM me, there are some folks i can put you in contact that might know more about the feasibility of this. regardless, i’ve learned that you never gain anything without asking - and columbia is the king of this; the folks that just assume it will be a no never get to take true advantage of the uni and city.</p>
<p>2) i would consider posting on the columbia facebook group seeing if there are any new yorkers that would take you in? start a correspondence and see if that is possible. you’d be surprised by the generosity folks may show.</p>
<p>3) depending how adventurous you are, consider doing [CouchSurfing</a> - Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch At A Time](<a href=“http://www.couchsurfing.org/]CouchSurfing”>http://www.couchsurfing.org/) - a friend of mine hosts near the columbia area, so entirely possible you might get him if you’re surfing (he’s also chinese, so wouldn’t be a bad person to introduce you to already). and he’s only had positive experiences with surfers and when he has used it.</p>
<p>4) beyond that you could consider: <a href=“https://www.utsnyc.edu/Page.aspx?pid=520[/url]”>https://www.utsnyc.edu/Page.aspx?pid=520</a>, but it is above your pay desire. and you might be skeptical about the hostel - but it is the best deal you may find. with not just the dorm style barracks, but tons of families who visit the city stay there in their own rooms, only a block from the subway station. minimize the money you take, always stay with your friend - do all that kind of stuff.</p>