Going Sat.w/young granddaughters & hubby for 1st visit to NYC. Embassy Suites seem great for kids. Doubletree Suites Times Sq or Courtyard East is close by. So which one?? Thanks for your advice.

Times Square is a mass of people and Downtown as fun as midtown. I've always stayed at The Park Central. It's 10 blocks up from Times Square so you'll get the fun, but not the masses of people. It's a good hotel and I love the location. Have fun!

Defintely anyplace in midtown as long as it's not right in Times Square. Plus side of downtown (financial district) is that it's quiet at night and on hot, humid summer days there's a nnice breeze fromt he water. The down side, especially wiht young kids in tow, is that it's a schlepp on the subway from many areas of interest. I'd go with the Courtyard East. The throngs of people in Times Square are fun to witness and be a part of but I wouldn't want to have to wade through it every time I came and went from my hotel.

Are you talking about the Embassy Suites Battery Park? A friend of mine stayed there and said it was a great value (especially if you are fine with taking the subway to attractions). However, he stayed there before Sept 11, 2001. The hotel is quite near to the Ground Zero site, and I'm not really sure whether some rooms might actually have views into the site (personally, I would NOT want that). If you are fine with travelling on the subway (or taxi), midtown in only 15 mins away. Just thought you might want the warning about the location. (Again, I'm assuming you are talking about the Battery Park Embassy Suites)

All of your responses are great! Yes, Battery Park Embassy Suites. With 5 of us, I am trying not to get 2 rooms so suites seem practical. Thanks again.

One advantage to Embassy Suites - it is very near Hudson River Park , which might be fun for grandkids. Beautiful landscaping, awesome views of Statue of Liberty, good playgrounds.

Tommy, we are staying at the Embassy. Park will be refreshing after sightseeing. Exactly where is it? I found every park but that one. Thanks so much.

I think the hotel is near Vesey St on the west side of the West Side Highway.
The former WTC was right across on the east side of the highway. It is close to the battery park esplanade which is very nice to walk, skate or bike ride on while viewing the Jersey City skyliine. There are many attractions you can walk but you'll have to take transportation to midtown attractions.
There is a movie theatre and a number of restaurants in the same building as the hotel.

I used to work downtown now I work near Times Square and I far preferred the downtown area. It is much quieter and more open. The waterfront is very nice.
You can walk to Chinatown, Little Italy Battery park, Staten island ferry, the Jewish museum, the museum of the American Indian, Wall Street, Trinity Church, St Pauls Church (which I read has been refurbished after serving as sanctuary for the ground zero workers). If you are a little energetic it is not hard to walk to Greenwich Village and Soho passing Canal Street and Tribeca on the way. You can take the ferry to New Jersey and see Hoboken, and Jersey City (there's a restaurant there in the newly built Hyatt Hotel which has a fabulous view of the Manhattan Skyline and the Hudson River.) At the Embassy Hotel you'll be right across from the beautiful newly reopened Winter Garden glass enclosed atrium which is part of the World Financial Center. Have fun.

I was referring to the entire riverfront park that stretches from Chambers St. to the Battery in Battery Park City. There is a good playground near the Murray St. entrance, where during the day they bring out table games and there are handball courts ets. Also in the park are the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Irish Hunger Memorial. The Memorial to fallen police officers is in front of the Winter Garden. Right now it is decorated with different patches from all of the different emergency services from around the country that served at the WTC site. Also, the flag that is in the famous photo of the fire fighters raising it at Ground Zero was pulled from a yacht in the marina there.

Here is a website that shows a map and posts events in the park
http://www.bpcparks.org

It really is a very civilized and relaxing place in an otherwise crazy city.

I'd stay at the DoubleTree in Times sq. with kids. It's great to be in the middle of everything. We are going to NY Oct. 17-20th and I tried to get that hotel for ourselves and it was totally booked. They are having a convention then.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites and loved it. It was the nicest Embassy Suites that we have ever stayed at. Breakfast is also included and that is a real perk in NYC. We booked through Hotwire and got a weekend rate of $123.It is very easy to get the subway from there too.

We stayed at the Casablanca at Times Square and loved it. I loved being in the thick of it. I love the theatre though and the craziness of the bright flashing lights, stalls, and swarms of people. The hotel itself was actually very quiet.