Hi All

I've been looking at coming over for a first visit to NYC. managed to fin a direct flight from Glasgow to Newark for £439 with Continental travelling on Sept 11th to 15th.

My budget is quite tight and I'd rather spend it on entertainment than hotels but I'm still looking for something central. I've been looking at this hotel, http://www.thepodhotel.com, and wondered if any fodorites are familiar with either the hotel or the area.

Any tips on good spots for breakfast and suggestions for decent bars would be appreciated. I'm a single 41 year old male travelling solo and am more interested in local character than high end glitz. Thanks in advance

Good heavens, you can do better than the Pod hotel, which is showing a rate of $289 per night for your dates. For instance, the Apple Core group of hotels are showing rates of $249 to $269, most of them are nicer and offer breakfast, as well as being closer to most things you'd want to do. Have you checked this board for the many threads about NYC hotels?

Expedia are showing $165 per night plus taxes for the dates mentioned. Tripadvisor reviews are positive for the place recognising that the rooms are a small.

Anonymous, thanks for the mention of Apple Core, looks reasonable.

With Pod - which does get good reviews and is in a central location - you need to be sure what type of room you're getting.

They're all small and basic - but some have bunk beds and shared baths.

Have a look at Travelzoo to see what comes up.

Also - as long as there are no more than 2 of you consider bidding on Priceline - but not less than 4* - since their * rating is sometimes generous - and some 3* aren't especially pleasant.

Thanks NY Traveler, haven't used Priceline before but may be time to give it a whirl this trip.

Betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com are designed to help you understand and construct a bidding strategy for Priceline. Please don't start bidding until you understand what hotels you're likely to get and know what a free re-bid is.

In the meantime, kayak.com and quikbook.com are 2 of my favorite sites for shopping NYC hotels. Travelzoo.com is a website that posts special sales a few months before (it's too early now for Sept).

Since 2001, many hotels have had special reduced rates for Sept. 11 b/c many people are worried about flying/traveling on that day but I don't see any sign of that right now. Prices are quite high for your dates and I think the Pod rate you see is for a room with a single bed and a shared bathroom. That's crazy, imo. If you're willing to do a shared bathroom, you can find a cheaper price than that and probably a bigger room. This place is nicer, imo and cheaper
http://www.park79.com/

I would not prepay for any hotel at this point unless it's the bargain of the century b/c you're likely to see deals closer to your stay. I also think you could well score a 3 or 4* hotel on Priceline if you want.

Thanks for the suggestions McLaurie. Priceline looks like a good option. Plenty of time to get more information on an effective bidding strategy as I'm still in the relatively early stages of planning.

As for it being September 11th. I hadn't really thought that would have any impact. Just happens to be my birthday which is the main reason for travelling.