Fly to NYC this winter just $49 each way

By Clara Bosonetto Maerz

For ajc.com

Save big to the Big Apple this winter with exclusive offers of just $49 each way on AirTran.

Winter is an ideal time to plan a cultural getaway to visit some of New York's finest museums and to catch a theatrical production, or two, in the evening.

The $49 rate is relatively easy to land. It's valid on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday with other days priced at $69, even Sundays.

Give a 14-day advance notice of travel and finish trips on or before March 11. A few blackout dates apply: Feb. 12, 13, 15. Buy tickets through midnight, Jan. 21.

http://www.AirTran.com

When you're ready to begin a search for the perfect hotel in Manhattan, have a look at DealBase.com. A quick and painless initial search will turn up deals from thousands of sources, including hotel websites, private hotel offers, online travel agencies - as well as inventory from

the biggie online agencies such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and Hotels.com.

A fast search for winter dates to coordinate with the AirTran airfare offer turned up several solid three-star properties from $89 per night to $111. Another excellent offer of $139 a night at The Iroquois New York included a $25 dining credit.

http://www.DealBase.com

If you go, consider buying a New York CityPass, your ticket to visit six of the city's top attractions for $79. Without the pass you'd pay $140 for entrance tickets to the Empire State Building Observatory; The American Museum of Natural History & Rose Center; The Guggenheim Museum; The Museum of Modern Art; The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters; a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises - or - the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Each booklets provides attraction information, transportation directions, best times to visit, a map, and expert advice on where to find distinctive New York tastes, goods, and off-beat places from the experts at National Geographic Traveler magazine. A New York CityPass is valid for nine days from first use.

http://www.citypass.com