How close is your hotel to New Jersey Transit? http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainTo
Is the discount at the hotel more than the cost of transport?
For a single person the HI Hostel at 891 Amsterdam @ 103rd St. is cost effective using the subway.

The time to travel will depend dramatically on the time of day you make the trip. Backups getting thru the tunnel are epic. It will take 40-60 mins each way. You can use maps.google.com. Just type the trip at the top (Courtyard Secaucus NJ to Times Square NYC and select the train icon which will show the bus options.)

Late Jan. is a great time to find hotel deals. There are better options in Long Island City and Brooklyn that would be easy to travel by subway.

THE COMMUTE SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN AN HOUR, BUT IT DEPENDS ON WHAT CLOSEST TO YOUR HOTEL. A BUS IS SUBJECT TO TRAFFIC DELAYS. THE TRAIN IS PRETTY EXPENSIVE. IF YOU CAN GET A DEAL THROUGH A RELATIVE WHO WORKS FOR MARRIOTT, COULD YOU GET A DEAL IN MANHATTAN OR AT A HOTEL THAT'S CLOSER TO THE CITY? EXPECT YOUR COMMUTE TO COST NO LESS THAN $10 PER DAY, BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO GO ON THE NJ TRANSIT WEB SITE TO FIGURE OUT THE ACTUAL COST ONCE YOU KNOW THE MODE OF TRANSPORT.

REGARDING WHAT MIGHT BE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE, I'D GUESS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BUT PERHAPS A COUPLE OF OTHER HOTELS. IT'S ACTUALLY A HORRIBLE AREA TO BE STUCK IN FOR 2 WEEKS IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CAR.

Sorry for the all-caps post.

As McLaurie points out, you can probably get a hotel for 2 weeks in Long Island City for 2 weeks for less than $100 per night in January. Just negotiate a longer-term rate with one of the hotels. A lot of Indian-managed chain hotels in Manhattan, either on Lexington Avenue in the 30s or near Herald Square, will also negotiate a rate for you. Get a hotel for a few nights and then negotiate for the rest of the time, and you'll likely get a favorable rate an be able to take the subway, but you could end up at the Ramanda in Long Island City, which is a long walk from the subway but better and more convenient than a hotel in Secaucus.

A friend who works here for 2 or 3 weeks at a time does this all the time and has never paid more than $120 per night, even in the high season, but he's usually in a different hotel every week.

People do this kind of commute every day but it will feel like a commute, not like a vacation. The expense may not be bad for someone who's going into work to make money (and the likely have a monthly pass anyway, which is cheaper)

It's tempting to get a good deal on a hotel (how much is it, by the way?) but only you can decide if it's worth the savings. If you were planning on going into the city just a couple of tines, it may be ok, For 2 weeks straight, I'd imagine it becomes less and less appealing. Don't forget that late January is probably the coldest and wettest weather of the year here.

The hotel in Secaucus ( no extra "A", and there's no "Sea" anywhere nearby) is in a complex near a couple other hotels and modest shopping (Kohl's, Marshall, maybe a Wal-Mart) There aren't a lot of sidewalks in the area but maybe the hotel has a local shuttle to the shopping center (not really a mall) or chain restaurants in the area (used to be a Red Robin or similar nearby, not sure what's there now). Without a car, it will get tired pretty quickly, I think

January happens to be relatively inexpensive in NYC so have you compared prices with modest hotels in the city?

Thanks for the info....I'm thinking its not going to be worth the hassle even though with the discount, the hotel rate is less than $20 a night...which is not available at properties closer or within the city understandably. I am a female & will be traveling alone, so safety is #1 concern...not sure what time of day travel in/out will be...was looking at one of the Pod hotels...39 or 51. The least pricey is around $75. I don't feel comfortable staying in an apartment type situation with someone else...i.e. air b&b type options. Not sure about a hostel....

Cannot recommend strongly enough that you staying Manhattan instead of Secaucus. In the latter there it essentially nothing within walking distance - you need to rent a car to get around. And traveling in and out of the city is neither easy nor convenient - especially if you get sleet or snow - fairly likely in January - which could make the commute extremely onerous.

Hotels IN Manhattan are rock bottom in Jan - simply look at any of the discount services - or even check the web sites of hotels near where you need to be.

Either of the Pod Hotels is fine, and if they fall within your budget, I think you'll be happy in either one.

But there's not a real issue with safety when staying in Secaucus, just inconvenience. The commuter buses and trains are perfectly safe.

The Pod on 50th is mostly shared bathrooms which may or may not bother you. The one on 39th st. is mostly private bathrooms but both have incredibly small rooms. I gather you don't want to share why you're here, but if it's for medical treatment or studying for an exam (or taking an exam) I think the small rooms at the Pods are not very conducive to spending much time there.

On quikbook.com Radio City Apartments is showing up for $100/night plus tax for a queen bed studio. These are like apartments with full kitchen which might save you some money right there. But in your shoes, what I'd do is phone the St. Giles Court hotel and see if they'd take $75/night plus tax for your dates. It's showing as a secret sale hotel on quikbook for $106/night plus tax (4* deluxe midtown/murray hill) for the last 2 weeks of Jan. I think they might say yes. It's not a real 4* hotel, but the location is nice, the hotel is quiet and very convenient. (There are a few Long island City hotels like the Quality Inn that show up for $75/night, but if you can stay in Manhattan, why not.)