Though the PATH and NYC transit (MTA) systems are separate systems, you can use the MTA Metrocard on PATH trains but only the pay-per ride type of card. In other words, you can have the convenience of using a single card, but there is no combination pass you can buy.
http://www.mta.info/metrocard/where_accept.htm

By the way, thought MTA fares have just gone up as of today, one new feature is that you can load a MetroCard with both an umlimited pass(for one week $30 or for 30 days $112) and also pay per ride. Depending on how much you plan to use transit within NYC, it may still be worth getting a one week card (The fares are new so I haven't done the calculation of the break even point) The way it works is that if a ride (any NYC subway or regular bus)is eligible for the unlimited, it counts against the unlimted , but if not, it deducts money from the amount you have as pay per ride
http://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm

Note unlimited cards are per person, you can't share. You can share a pay per ride, but unless kids are traveling, I think it's better for each person to have his/her own card so they aren't always stuck traveling all together.

I've never even heard of the HBLR light rail so I have no info there.

Apparently this is the Hudson/Bergen Light Rail. Had never heard of it until I googled.

There is no combo pass with PATH or NYC subway system. And I have no clue as to what stations you're talking about or what the fares would be.

I would contact your hotel to find out:

How close they are to this rail
How you would get there - bus or cab or?
How much that would cost
What the schedules are for each

Many of these obscure services are designed for commuters and don;t run very late into the evening so I would get info on the schedules - or you may yourself having to pay for a very expensive cab to get back to your hotel after dinner or a show.

Much of your savings is going to be eaten up in the cost of commuting daily, and it will take a good deal of time, so just plan on that. Unfortunately, there are no daily passes for any of these systems, so you'll have to pay the individual fares. This is why we try to steer people way from staying in NJ particularly when they have to take multiple transit systems into the city.

Light rail: $2.10 per ride
PATH: $2.25 per ride
NYC Subway/Bus: $2.50 per ride

You can buy a Metrocard to use on both the PATH and NYC Subway/buses, but it doesn't work on the light rail, so you have to pay for that separately. So you're looking at about $7 per person each way into Manhattan daily, $14 round-trip.

By the way, there are also ferries from Hoboken, but they are much more expensive per ride than the trains.

But none of these options is "obscure". They are widely ridden, run 24 hours a day (or virtually so), but Light Rail doesn't run nearly as often as the other systems, so you'll have to plan your leaving and returning carefully. Still, people in Hoboken go to the theater all the time and manage to get home without driving, so I'm sure you can do that unless you plan to be out past midnight every night. The schedule is indeed skewed toward commuters, but you can check the schedule online at the NJ Transit web site. PATH also has a schedule but runs 24 hours (much less frequently late at night, as does the subway).

You may find that you want to take different PATH lines into the city each day. If you are going to downtown, for instance, it might be worth it to take light rail all the way to Exchange Place and then take the PATH directly to the World Trade Center. You can always go uptown from there if you don't spend the entire day down in the financial district.

So the OP will be paying $42 per day to get to and fro the city - plus whatever it might cost for them to get form their lodging TO the light rail station.

Sorry if I should not have called it obscure- but have never heard of it - but then I don;t live in Jersey. Just hope the OP is not too far from the station.

Thanks for all the info...

Our accommodation (Candlewood Suites on the Waterfront) is actually 8 minutes away from the Exchange Place mentioned above, so I'm not even sure we would need the Light Rail.

We plan commuting daily to mostly Lower Manhattan (our daughter was accepted to a school there), Tribecca, Greenwich Village, but will take the subway up north.

On our last day we plan visiting friends in Queens/Long Island (before our-late evening flight leaving LGA).

So all in all, I would like to use a pass for the above commutes: PATH, NYC subway, and taking the train to Queens/Long Island.

Also, our arrival from LGA is late evening, landing at 9pm. I was thinking we better reserve a car (limo service) to drive us to the Candlewood Suites, which (based on some online search) I estimate to be around $75, rather than rely on catching a cab, whose fare is less predictable, and might be almost the same.... But I'd appreciate your feedback about this also...

So as we've mentioned above, you're OK with using a MetroCard pay per ride version to cover both PATH and the subways. If you will use the subway many times per day, the 7 day unlimited might be worthwhile, but you still have to add additional money as pay-per-ride for the PATH trains

If you go to Queens by subway (which people also commonly refer to as the train) that's included. If you go to Long Island by LIRR (railroad) that's yet another system.("Long Island City" is a place in Queens, just to confuse things)
I have to say that I don't completely understand what the LIRR says about using Metrocards on its system
http://www.mta.info/lirr/about/TicketInfo/#metrocard

The best I can figure is that you can get a LIRR pass that has a Metrocard ("on the reverse side"?? ) but not the other way around. If any trip on the LIRR is just a one time thing, I wouldn't worry about having it all be one pass.

Can you change flight into EWR out of LGA?

How you will get to visit people in Queens (which is a county with a couple of million people) depends on exactly where they are - versus Manhattan and versus the airport. Subway and city bus might work - or you might need Long Island Railroad or taxi to visit the friends and then get to the airport.

Agree to take car service to NJ - you need to arrange in advance - I would try the web sites of Carmel and Dial 7. Be aware that the fare quoted is plus bridge or tunnel tolls and tip (20% of the fare) - so way well be more than $75.

And you may need a car service to get to LGA from the friends in Queens - depending on where they are. (By public transit might be several buses and/or trains.)

I was originally trying to get a flight into EWR, but the fares were higher, at least for that specific date.

One friend lives in Baldwin, Long Island, and the other is in Forest Hill, Queens.

ok -

Baldwin is Nassau County and has no connections to the NYC subway/bus systen - you would probably have to go there by LIRR train and have your friends pick you up or take a cab to their house.

Forest Hills is Queens and nowhere near Baldwin. You may be able to get near them by Long Island RR - but from the station may also requie a cab. If you are going to try to visit these people on the way frm Manhattan to LGA that will be a real bear and hard to do in one day. The easiest way to do it would be a car rental - esp if you are hauling luggage around with you.

I see Forest Hills on the LIRR line map, as well as Baldwin (though the two lines have different colors, so 2 different trains), but also according to the LIRR schedules, we can take the train from Penn station to Baldwin (a 40 min. ride), and then Baldwin - Forest Hills (Connect in Jamaica), a 25 min. ride. So it's doable. Our friends will pick us up, and probably take us to LGA later that night.

What you're saying is, we won't be able to use the MetroCard for that trip, right?

"What you're saying is, we won't be able to use the MetroCard for that trip, right?"
Correct

As to cab vs. "limo" -- I found a website (http://www.worldtaximeter.com) that can calculate taxi fares, and according to them, the comparison is $43.25 (calculating distance, wait in traffic, and 15% tip) vs $65 at Dial7 Limo service. Both do not include tip & tolls. So, comparing apples to apples, I think it would be "safer" to take the "limo" which will be waiting for us, and we would know the charge up front, rather than wait in line for a taxi, hoping the driver would be honest enough, dealing with the "unaware tourist"...

You don't need to worry abnout taxis taking advantage of you. There are dispatchers at the airports and the cabs know they can be identified.

But I see two big problems with your calculation
1)You're crossing state lines. NYC taxis do not have to take you to NJ (other than to Newark Airport) so you may not even get one right away, Also the part of the fare once you cross into NJ is double since you have to pay for the driver to get back into NYC where they can leglly pick up another fare. That $43 sounds way too low to me

2)Traffic. Big time money waster.You never know how much it will be and a jam can easily double your fare. A car service is peace of mind (not to mention generally a much better car) and maybe even a bargain.

by the way The prices you see on "limo" services usually do not include being there waiting for you., That costs extra, You can make a researvation in advance and then call when you arrive, They'll tell you the pickup point and are usually there within 10 minutes.

Thanks, nyer, yes, that's what I was planning, reserve ahead of time, and call the guy once we land, since we don't plan any checked-in baggage, we can estimate better when to be picked up.

Is there a "preferred" limo service that one could recommend here?.....

Dial7 and Carmel are well considered car services. These are NOT limos--just private town cars.

I alternate between Dial7 and Carmel, depending on who's available. Both can be reserved online (last time I checked) and they often have discount coupons or codes to save about $5

The cars have alwys been good, but are not necessarily town cars, They can be late model sedans (full size) and occasionally an SUV or minivan. I always reserve the lowest priced car available but sometimes they "upgrade" you to a different type of vehicle

Either Dial7 or Carmel should be fine. they ar both large services with hundreds of cars so usually have someone already at the ariport or about to drop someone off.

Just be aware that you need to pay the bridge or tunnel tolls and 20% tip (on far but not toll). You will notice in local cabs that when you charge the tip option starts at 20% - although you can go to other to put in a different amount if you want.

Just to clarify, there is no such thing as a "pass". You can load money onto a Metrocard and pay for each individual ride on the PATH and Subway. You cannot use your Metrocard to pay for an individual ride on the Long Island Railroad.

Your fare to NJ from LGA will be more than $100 once everything is included and will likely take more than an hour. You will have to pay at least $12 in tolls (it may be a bit more because there could be a toll on the NJ Turnpike). But it depends on the way the car takes; there are some routes (across Staten Island, for instance) that will cost more than $20 in tolls. If you want an accurate fare, you should plug in the details into Dial 7, which I like. If you take a regular taxi (assuming one would go), you pay DOUBLE the metered rate ... so about double $65 plus tax and tolls for about $150. You definitely need to take a car service.

The area around Exchange Place is safe enough, but I think this hotel is closer to Newport than Exchange Place and may be right between stops. There are areas around there where I would not walk 8 blocks at night, but I think this immediate area is safe enough. And that "8 minutes" may be by car or light rail, which could be more than 20 blocks, which is not within walking distance.

To get to Long Island and Queens, you're going to have to take the PATH to 33rd Street and transfer to the Long Island Railroad. However, on weekends, there is such a thing as a "City Ticket" that will get you to Forest Hills from Penn Station for $4. You can then go to Long Island for the regular fare (just realize that relatively few trains serve Forest Hills, particularly out of commuting hours). You can't do the $4 trip in reverse, so if you don't go to Forest Hills first, you have to pay the regular fare from Baldwin to Forest Hills, which is likely more than $4.

Doug, I did warn the OP about the higher fare on the NJ portion of a taxi originating in NYC. It used to be that it was double only from the point of exit of NYC to the destination but not double the entire fare. I stand corrected as it looks like now it is only a negotiated fare, NOT by meter (so we're both wrong)

"On trips beyond New York City, all necessary tolls to and from the destination shall be paid by the passenger.

Trips Beyond the City
For a trip beyond the limits of New York City, except Westchester or Nassau Counties, or Newark Airport, the fare shall be a flat rate (a flat rate is a definite amount fixed between the driver and the passenger at the start of the trip). This flat rate shall be negotiated prior to the trip and entered into the meter via the technology enhancements or TPEP system (when available) using Rate Code 5."
http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/taxicab_rate.shtml

You said that "You can load money onto a Metrocard and pay for each individual ride on the PATH and Subway"
Well you can now put unlimited and pay-per-ride fares on a single MetriCard so the OP could buy a 7 day unlimited for the subways and pay per ride for PATH and the card would sort it out. I'm not sure it's worth it for only 4 days but it is possible

It's not worth it for the OP to buy a one-week Metrocard. It will almost certainly be cheaper to pay for each ride for a 4-day trip if 1 of those days is being spent in Long Island.

Regarding the taxi fares, though, either way, I think the OP is going to spend $150 or so for this ride in an NYC taxi. It will almost certainly be cheaper to take a car service.

Agree that the OP does not want a "limo" service. In NY language a "limo" is a stretch car - usually a Caddy - but can also be a Mercedes or Hummer or whatever, with TV and bar in the back - and sometimes all sorts of other amenities. These are way more expensive that sedans from car services.

A car service is just a full size sedan - usually a Lincoln town car - unless you say you have a lot of people or a huge amount of luggage - then they wil negotiate with you for a vehicle and a price..

I have noticed that in many other parts of the countries these sedans - and sometimes even vans - are called "limos" - although obviously they are nothing like one.

Ok, so: No real limo, no, we're simple people, a Chevy Impala would be acceptable.

As to the Metrocard, I understand it's worth it not only because there is some savings (according to their site) but for the convenience of going thru those turnstile for every ride. Or am I wrong?

"As to the Metrocard, I understand it's worth it not only because there is some savings (according to their site) but for the convenience of going thru those turnstile for every ride. "
A MetroCard is the ONLY way to get into the subway system. Yo cannot pay cash to get through the turnstiles. You have to put money on a card, mostly through machines that take cash or credit card, or by cash purchase at an attended booth (which are less common than they used to be).
You just have to decide if you want unlimited rides-- the shortest time period you can buy is 7 days at $30-- or pay for each ride which probably makes the most sense. There is a small bonus amount (5%) on purchases of over $5 on the pay per ride.

We're saying that because you'll only be here 3-4 days and the unlimited part is only good for the NYC subway and bus system (not PATH or LIRR) it would probably cost less to buy "pay per ride" If you really think you'll be using the subway or buses 4 or 5 or more times per day, you may prefer the convenience of the unlimited . But it's still probably cheaper to get "pay per ride"
(Complicated? There are free transfers within the subway system and from bus-subway or subway-bus within a certain period of time. So even if you take a subway and then a crosstown bus, as long as they are within 2 hours of each other that'sactually only one fare...)

Convenience of a single card for PATH and Metrocard--yes.

OK, the pay per ride Metrocard is the answer, especially since we can share one card between the 3 of us, unlike the unlimited one (if I understand it right).

I guess I can load the card based on a minimum cost of $10 per person per day (PATH + subway = $5 p/p each way).

mamamia2, what would be the benefit to all of you sharing one card?

"especially since we can share one card between the 3 of us, unlike the unlimited one (if I understand it right)."
Yes, you understand.
But,
"what would be the benefit to all of you sharing one card?"
I think it's better to have separate cards in case anyone wants to travel separately. The only benefit is that since there's now (as of 2 days ago) a charge for the actual card ($1) you'd save $2.
If you find a card that has been used,empty of $$ but not past the expiration date, you can reuse it to save the card cost. People have caught on to this and while you used to find cards near the vending machines in many stations, I haven't seen any since Sunday.)

You're not going to get a Chevy anything. they are almost all Lincoln Towncars and almost always black. It's supposed to look professional - not housewife going to the mall.

And needs to be a full size car to hold up to 4 passengers plus luggage.

The 3 days in NYC we're planning to stay together, and it's just easier to maintain one card, and load more $$ to it if needed, rather than maintain 3 cards.

"You're not going to get a Chevy anything. they are almost all Lincoln Towncars and almost always black"

Not in my experience using these 2 services multiple times per year for more than 10 years.No they're not beat up cars, but definitely not all Lincoln Towncars.

And if you want a "full size car to hold up to 4 passengers plus luggage." you have to specify that in advance and possibly go up one category . I don't travel with that many people and suitcases so I've never ordered anything but the lowest category of car they offer. They've all been fine, but not all town cars.

"It's supposed to look professional - not housewife going to the mall."
These are not all high end "black car" companies and they do advertise using the cars to go shopping! Most of their business is airport runs, not executive transport

I'm good. Got my info, and appreciate it.

It reminds me, years ago we landed in London and this guy with a small red, beat up Nissan showed up to pick us up. I couldn't believe he would fit us 4 with 4 large suitcases in that car, but he must have known his job, because he fit us all with our stuff and off we drove to the city.

Well I have used them innumerble times and the only times I didn't get a Lincoln Town Care was when the vehicle closest was an SUV.

but it does depend on which service you use.

We have a local service we use for shorter trips and they have all types of vehicles.

Hi there, I've lived in Jersey City for 4 years (and commuted to work in NYC) and just want to chime in here.

You do NOT need the light rail. It's a walk of 10 minutes at the most to the Exchange Place PATH station. It's a very safe area. Taking the light rail for what would amount to a 30-second ride would be a waste of your money.

I would humbly say that the amount of time you will be in the PATH station is probably 20 minutes or less. For people here to say that a lot of your time will be eaten up commuting is disingenuous. For instance, if you stayed in NYC in a hotel on the Upper West Side and wanted to get there from Times Square, it's the same 20 minutes on public transportation.

The PATH goes into the wee hours of the morning. It is not only for commuters. However, during the morning and evening rush hour the trains run every 5-8 minutes; during non-rush it can be 15 minutes between trains -- maybe that's what the other poster was referring to. But it's not an hour between trains. Many times my DH and I came back from the theater or an evening out, past midnight. The stations are lit, and clean (enough) and there's always people waiting to go home.

I know people on this forum don't believe it, but staying in Jersey City, IMHO, is a wonderful option for people who wish to visit NYC but just can't afford the city's hotel prices. I don't feel that a 15- or 20-minute train ride is so onerous. The waterfront area is very nice in Jersey City -- plus you get the added bonus of seeing the city all lit up from across the river. It's beautiful at dusk.

Hikrchick, thanks for your encouraging information.... But... Last night my daughter came up with an alternative accommodation that looked so appealing inside that we made a reservation, though haven't yet cancelled the original one. It's The Box House Hotel, which is also like an Extended Stay style place. It's location is right next to the Pulaski Bridge, officially in Brooklyn, but much closer to Long Island City... It's new and absolutely charming with very spacious rooms, being modern and very European-style (we like Crate & Barrel and Ikea...). I was first turned off by it's location (what looks like an industrial area), but the reviews were SO good, and the price just slightly higher than the original place we reserved... They also offer free car service for close-by destinations (subway station or some nearby stores).

The place is also MUCH closer to LGA, so it should be easier on our arriving night... But my daughter also mentioned an airport shuttle available... So now I'm wondering:

Do we still prefer a car service over a taxi?

Do we want to use that airport shuttle?

mamamia2, best if you post this as a new question.

Just so you know, this is one of the most isolated, transit-poor areas of the entire city. So if they don't come through with the service, you are stuck with absolutely no options for transit and nothing whatsoever late at night. This is not really something I'd chance. It's not the industrial nature of the area, it's the isolation, at least 45 minutes by any transit to Manhattan. Even if you are taken to the nearest subway, it does NOT go into Manhattan. It just connects with other subway lines in Queens and Brooklyn and is often offline on the weekends. So you've been warned, and I'll step out of that part of the conversation now.

As for airport transportation, take a regular taxi. No reason to get a car service TO the hotel, but you will absolutely have to get one FROM the hotel since there will be no yellow taxis anywhere in the area.

Good luck. Not the choice I'd have made or would ever recommend, but it does look like a nice place.

So I see that the hotel's web site says it's a 10-minute walk across the Pulaski Bridge to the Vernon-Jackson stop on the 7. That's definitely close to Manhattan, but its not a walk I'd make at night. So please do report back and give us a report on the location and transit options.

I have looked at the Box and can;t seem to find the subway station they are talking about - Vernon/Jackson - which is apparently in Queens - not just a couple of blocks but a long trek. I would double check the location - since Queens or Brooklyn that is NOT right on top of a subway station is fatal. And I would never want a hotel near the Pulaski Skyway.

That's the reason we didn't consider that place when we first looked up hotels East of Manhattan. The place looked isolated. But then we read reviews, and they were all VERY positive, some from guests with kids... After all, those guests are tourists, and tourists travel daily to Manhattan.... TripAdvisor, whom I trust, places The Box House as number 1 out of 47 hotels in Brooklyn. So one must trust that place to be good...

Mamamia, forgive me but you have an error in your logic. Trip Advisor has people rate individual properties. Most of those tourists only stay at one hotel in Brooklyn. They cannot say it is better or worse than any other in Brooklyn, per se. Just that it was very nice or only so-so compared to their own past life experiences and preferences.

Then, a computer "aggregates" or compiles those to get a ranking. But the devil is in the details. Let's say you really care most about good location but other people don't. They care about the amenities or the charm, so they give it a top score Here's some comments from two of the most recent reviews which both gave very high numbers:

" We loved the location and preferred this rather than being more central."

"My only complaint...I wish the car service ran later to the subway station, or when the car service is not running, perhaps hand the guests a card with the number of a few cab services. We tried to call Java Car Service when we got to the train station late one night and got NO service at all!! Luckily we found a cab. The hotel is not far from the Greenpoint Station on the G train; definitely within walking distance; however, at night, 3 girls alone, it's a little scary to walk down Box St. in the dark."

Agree - you can;t look at the rankig numbers - you need to look at this specific factor. It sounds like the statin with good service is NOT enarby - you have to wwait for a shuttle - which runs who knows how often? And the walk from the nearer station seems to be unpleasant.'

Again - you are giving up something very important - getting away from the Pulaski skyway and into Manhattan.

Seems a really bad choice unless you have a car.

Just to clarify, this hotel is in Greenpoint, which is NOT near the Pulaski Skyway in northern New Jersey. It's near the much shorter and more pedestrian-friendly Pulaski Bridge, which goes over Newtown Creek.

As I wrote before, I think the hotel exaggerates the distance to the Vernon-Jackson stop on the 7 (which is on 50th Avenue), and I'd estimate it's more like a 20 or 25 minute walk, but I could be wrong. I also find that area confusing and forbidding, particularly at night. Nevertheless, there are several new residential buildings immediately across Newtown Creek by the entrance to the Queens Midtown Tunnel.

I do think that the Greenpoint station on the G train is probably more walkable (10 or 12 blocks). But finding a cab or car service at night is near impossible, and I probably wouldn't walk there at night, though I'm sure it's safe enough. But this is a very deserted area, and as I said before, transit-poor.

If other tourists like this area and the OP is willing to take the chance, then fine. It just wouldn't be my choice.

I fear the OP is beleiving the information provided by the hotel and has not asked the hard questions:

How many shuttles are there?
How often do they run to the subway?
What hours do they run to the subway?
Do you need to reserve them in advance?

We all know aout the games hotels play in describing their locations. The ones I love are the Jersey hotels that say 3 miles from Times Square - only they mean as the bird flies and most of the 3 miles is the Hudson River. Unless one can walk across water - a major factor.

I know less than zero about this location, but I did just google the walking distance, and google does say it's a 10-min. walk from the hotel to the Vernon-Jackson subway station.

There's no shuttle per se, we're suppose to call the hotel and they'll send a car (they say they're working with a local company) to pick us up, as long as it's a radius of a mile or two from the hotel.

Listen, this place is not perfect. When money is a bit tight (I couldn't afford paying more than $200 a night), one needs to accept SOME compromises... If there were only 5 people reviewing that place, and all would have rated it as 5/5 — I wouldn't have relied on that to chose ANY hotel. But when 128 people review it (TripAdvisor), of which 121 describe it as excellent to very good, and Booking.com has 165 reviews, with an average of 8.8/10 === Hey, guys, SOMETHING must be good, or even very good about that place... Still, I know we're taking a gamble here... Again, when money is tight....

...But I promise to come back here with my own honest review!

And I do appreciate all the feedback here, you guys have been extremely helpful !

I think the big question which has not been asked is when are you visiting?

Hotel Stanford, where we have stayed and I have recommended here before, is showing rates of less than $200 a night in July and August for a double double with 3 adults sharing

https://www.reservations-page.com/c00146/h00027/be.ashx?vl=0918c43e-af7b-4a45-817e-f63b1ee7ef02&preserve=1

If you give dates you might get some advice on hotels in Manhattan that are within your budget.

We don't even need to know the OP's dates to be able to say that there are many other cheaper options significantly closer to the subway than the hotel in Greenpoint. There are several hotels near Queen's Plaza that would fit the bill nicely. These are not stylish by any means, but they offer reliable, reasonably priced lodging (Country Inn & Suites Long Island City, Comfort Inn, and a few others). All these hotels are typically under $150 a night, are within short walking distance to a subway station offering a 1- to 3-stop ride into Manhattan, and would be much better choices in terms of convenience for a short stay.

But the OP has her mind made up I think, and that's fine. I do want to hear how the stay goes.

We're visiting NYC the week of March 25, which has MANY hotels sold out (incl. the Stanford suggested above), or offering higher rates....

No, Doug, I'm actually open to new ideas. I have until Monday to cancel my current reservation... We did spend time online, we found a number of alternatives but: Some had only double-rooms, not fit for 3 adults, or were located right next to a busy, noisy highway, or in some crummy neighborhoods, or old and worn-out hotels. I also prefer breakfast included (continental is OK), or the option to prepare one in our room (like the current place reserved).

I would be happy and appreciative to get other, good ideas. I still have a couple days, I'm not sold on anything.

Did you try Country Inn & Suites and Comfort Inn in Long Island City?

Yes, both fully booked and/or not fit for 3 adults....

Well, we hope you will post a review of your hotel after your trip. Have a great time!

Mamamia--There are better rooms out there as I type this.

Used Kayak.com, entered March 25-29, 3 adults.

$181/night, two double beds, Days Inn New York Broadway (ie IN MANHATTAN)

$227/night, two queen beds, Hotel Newton. Three rooms left. Great area for this hotel in Manhattan. I clicked Kayak and then Orbitz to get the Newton's price.

I would take either of those in a heartbeat over your choice. You do need to act fast though.

Should have mentioned before, that I am not from New York but spent hours and hours putting together our trip there last summer. We had 5 people in our family which made it much harder to find lodgings and I looked at many and checked here a lot. I know the Newton gets suggested as a good moderate-income hotel in Manhattan, by some of the New Yorkers posting on Fodors. I do know less about the Days Inn because they had no rooms for our family, so I didn't pursue it.

If neither of these suit, check into Hotwire. It seems to let me put 3 adults in but I would post a new thread or go over to betterbidding.com for advice on this point. If it works for 3 people, Kayak was showing a Hotwire price of $214/night in Financial district downtown 3.5 Star Hotel for March 25-29.

Days in is blaaa.... Newton looks REALLY attractive, but can't give us the 4 days we need (I also called them).

As far as bidding? No, I wouldn't blindly bid on accommodations, I would do that on car rental, even flights, but not a hotel.

Sorry I didn't see your reply sooner. I don't think bidding a 3.5 hotel in one of the wealthiest areas in the world is a terrible idea. In the end, though, if you don't feel good about a bidding site or a property, then you won't enjoy your vacation. Please post back after your trip to let us know how it went. People do read these reports (like me last year).

I have to agree with 5alive...I'm not sure what you think could go wrong with a 3.5* hotel in the Financial District of New York City, but everyone has their own comfort level. I would rather chance an unknown hotel than haul myself in from New Jersey or wherever, but that's me. And, using Hotwire is not bidding--you already know the price, you just don't know the hotel. Regardless, we DO hope you will come back and tell us about your trip--you never know what might be helpful to someone someday.

As I mentioned, some services I don't mind bidding the unknown, like car rental (who cares if it's from Avis or Hertz?), or a flight (AA? United? Delta? not much significance).... But hotels have just too many variants, like street noise, how old and how well-kept the establishment is, double- or queen-beds? Different people have different priorities. I HATE staying in a room that shows signs of hundreds of other guests have been using it before me, and would not sleep in an establishment next to a noisy construction site...

Yes, I'll be back, early April, I promise.

>>No, I wouldn't blindly bid on accommodations, I would do that on car rental, even flights, but not a hotel.<<

I'm the opposite, I seldom bid for cars and would never EVER bid for a flight. But I bid on hotels all the time.

Well, as I said before, different people have different priorities. I always say I'd rather sleep in a brand new Motel 6, rather than an old, worn-out Sheraton. This is not in theory, btw, this is based on real experience, I slept in both...

You're right about different needs for different people. If I were really limited by budget I would want someplace clean - but then location is by far the most important factor (perhaps because I'm from a very big city and know how awful commuting can be). Decoration of rooms and having new furniture is totally unimportant - since I'm just staying a few days - not buying it.

(In my early traveling days we stayed in some VERY modest hotels in the center of Paris and Rome - some looked like the furniture had been thrown out by my grandmother - but we could walk out the door and just BE there.)

As you say, when one is limited by budget.... It's always about compromise, if I can combine a clean, new or lately-renovated, quiet (!!!) accommodation, with central location, or a short commute -- I'm happy.

....Back from NYC. The Box House was a good choice, indeed. It's very modern, clean, at a good location (3 Subway stops from Times Square), with young and cheerful staff. They have several style rooms, some larger than others, some duplex, some more susceptible to outside noise, others totally quiet, but all in all -- we were happy. There's a nice exercise room and even a Sauna... The hotel own couple old "Checker Cab" vehicles that are used to shuttle guests to and from the subway stations (though half the time we walked), or to the nearby grocery stores, all for free.

Thanks for all the help we got here, folks!

Nice of you to return and report your experience!

Thanks for sharing. Glad your trip went well and that your lodgings worked out. When you get a chance, consider posting a trip report with the things you enjoyed doing or places you went out to eat.