I'm travelling with two friends for my 30th birthday. I'm looking for somewhere to sleep in a safe area. We're willing to pay about $100 per night. Can you help????? Also does anybody know what Westend Studios are like?

West End Studios is on West End Avenue at 101st Street. The area is called the Upper West side. Broadway is one short block east. This is a relatively high rent residential area. The nearest subway station is at 103rd and Broadway - it is a 15 minute subway ride to Times Square once on a train. Plenty of reasonably priced restaurants on Broadway. I walked by the place some weeks back and from the outside it appeared to be well maintained.

thank you for the info rqf. Is there anywhere closer to central park you would recomend?

$100/night is quite low for Manhattan. You really don't have many choices until you hit at least $150/night. What do you plan on doing while in NYC? Chances are, 101st St will be far out of the way and you'll always have a long subway haul to see the sights, again depending on your itinerary.

What will make your search for the $100 room more difficult is that you'll pay 13.5% tax, plus an addition $2 per night room charge. So in reality, you're looking for an $85 room. And, that's tough in NY, especially where you're looking!

Howard's point is well taken and I can assure you - unless you get a fluke of a deal on Priceline or something like it, the only $85 rooms you can get in NYC will have a shared bath (e.g. the Habitat Hotel, the Murray Hill Inn or the Pickwick Arms). Any of them would be a good choice if you can deal with a shared bath (which I've done and it's really not so bad, especially when you spend so little time in the room - typically the case when in NYC).

Thank you to everybody that has replied to my note. I would aprieciate any advice you have to offer. As you may have gathered it will be my first visit to New York and I am totaly clueless.