Opinion on how long I could wait before deciding on us attending unifieds in either location…, like how soon will that Palmer house get booked? Just can’t decide whether we’re going or not…
@theaterwork - I would go ahead and book a room as long as cancellations are allowed. That way you can have all your options comfortably available to you.
There are also lots of hotels within a five-block radius besides the Palmer house and January is very low season in Chicago.
And if some of your schools are not “official unifieds” schools (the majority of my D’s were not- places like NYU, Boston, Syracuse etc) you may find another location more convenient. We stayed in the “middle” of the 4 places she would need to go for auditions - nothing was more than 5 min away by cab. Would have been an easy walk in good weather- but D’s year (2014) was one with bitter cold and big snow. Final bonus was that our room was free b/c we were able to use husband’s hotel points 
Delete- duplicate post
So is the general consensus that going to Chicago can give you the most bang for your buck in terms of auditions if you factor in the 4th day and the fact that un-official schools often hold auditions on days before and after?
Has anyone had trouble with their kid’s school in terms of missing too many days? It seems like it could really add up
@Sammy8028 - It certainly seems that way to me, but I have not done a scientific study
If you speak to the powers that be you should have no problem missing school if your child does their work and has good grades.
We went to NYC and did several auditions on Thursday and Friday before Unifieds. LA does
The same.
Depending on your schools, most go to all three locations. There are exceptions though so double check with each school.
Chicago, while the longest, is also the most crowded Unifieds from what I have been told - meaning the largest number of kids audition there. Hard to imagine as NYC appeared plenty crowded to me
Ok so we’re leaning toward NYC for unifieds & not Chicago. It’s just more convenient to do NYC. Where is a good hotel to stay that’s way close to pearl studios , not a bank breaker & perhaps close to those other audition sites ??
When visiting D in NYC We have stayed at a both Hilton garden inn and a Hampton (next door to each other) that are adjacent to Herald Square (35th and 6th) which is about 2 blocks from Pearl Studios. (Between 35/36 on 8th if I am correct) They are both generally reasonable (for NYC anyway) BUT their rates vary widely, if you book, keep an eye on rates- we have seen them raise/lower by up to $100
Lots of auditioners stayed at the Double Tree Times Square south. It is off of 8th Ave on west 36th street which is pretty much across the street or around corner from Pearl studios (pearl has two locations on each side of 8th right across from One another; both near the intersection of 8th and 36th). Ripley greer (the south location) is also right there and many non unified schools held auditions there. Can walk to Times Square and also penn station to catch subway. Rooms are tiny but that is normal For NYC. We booked through Expedia and got a Bed and Breakfast rate lower than a regular room Rate. Around $110 or so a night including a good hot breakfast for two.
Another Hotel on 8th is the New Yorker. Lots of people stayed there too. Right across/next to pearl. Heard the rooms are a
Bit dated but has a nice big lobby and a 24 hour diner attached.
These two hotels are around the corner from one another. We found it to be a good location and easy to navigate. It is midtown/garmet district area.
We walked to pearl and ripley Greer studios and also took subway to a few different auditions either on campus or at another studio a couple miles north. It was very easy. Just google map your destination and it gives you the subway options Subway was fast and easy to use No traffic to worry about
What about someone said the New Yorker?
As toowonderful says, the prices of Manhattan hotels vary widely depending on the day and what’s going on. What is cheap one time can be literally hundreds more the next time and vice versa.
But you can always find a good deal if you use a decent search engine and/or call around. By “good deal” I mean $110-$130/night for 2-4 per room. This is excluding parking your car, if you have one.
Also while it’s nice to be within walking distance, you don’t need to be; being within walking distance of a subway is what’s really important. Since Pearl is a quick walk from 34th/Penn station, you can really get there from most places. Take a look at a subway map for help with this: http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf This will help you with other audition sites as well.
I mentioned the New Yorker above. It is near the Double Tree I also described above, and near both Pearl and Ripley Greer studios. Lots of people stayed there. The lobby is big and there is a 24 hour diner attached (also accessible from
The street if you aren’t staying there). I heard the rooms were dated by some people.
I got a better deal with breakfast included at the double tree. As they are right around the corner from each other I went with the cheaper option. If you book the double tree make sure it is the right one There are several. This is the one at Times Square South on 36th street just off 8th avenue
The lobby is small but there is a bar and a restaurant as well
I second the Hilton Garden Inn on W. 35th Street. which we stayed at during Unifieds. (We also stay there when we visit NYC every year). Just a few blocks away and had no problems getting back and forth even during the blizzard.