I stayed at the Staybridge, and it's about a 10 minute walk from Times Square, across the street from the back of the Port Authority Building. It does have a full kitchen, but that takes a lot of the space. The room I stayed in would be extremely tight for more than two people. It's clean but pretty basic, certainly nothing special.

The Empire is right across from Lincoln Center. We often grab taxis there and it appears that it's a young peoples' place. (We're old geezers -:) ) If the weather if good (and you prefer) it would be a pleasant 14 block walk up Central Park West (one block to the east of the Empire) to the museum. Also, there are several buses that go downtown right at the door... plus the subway right there, too. Enjoy your visit!