Manhattan, without a doubt.

"I hear you saying don't stay in Times Square. Sounds like the same type of good advice I've heard before ... "Don't stay at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco."

Hi lunabug. You'll have a great time no matter where you'll stay in Manhattan. But - I would not say that it is at all similar to the admonition against Fisherman's Wharf. First of all, the theater district is clustered around Times Square, and if you go to a show (and you should) it's nice to be very close to your hotel. Also, the area is filled with many of the most famous and interesting sights in Manhattan, including the Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the 5th Ave shopping district. Just north of Times Square you have Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Natural History. Not to mention Times Square itself - I certainly understand the "distaste" native New Yorkers have for the area, but to me Times Square at night is one of the most memorable sights I've ever seen. Most of the highest quality hotels in New York are located in the Midtown area, and it's not just because it's a prime business location. The same is true for restaurants - 9th Avenue west of Times Square has a huge concentration of restaurants of all types, and many of the most recognizable names in New York's restaurant business are in or around Times Square. Don't get me wrong - Chelsea, Murray Hill, Soho, and other downtown neighborhoods are great. But comparing Times Square to Fisherman's Wharf is, in my estimation, a great mis-match.

It is true that there are quite a few sights in midtown - but most are just as accesible to midtown east or Central Park South - which are much more pleasant areas that Times Square and the immediate area. The later is loud, tacky, mobbed with tour groups and often packs of teens. And the theater district is not all directly tied to Times Square.

In fact Times Square is exactly like Fisherman's Wharf - it's the other areas of midtown that aren;t.

I've stayed in Times Square (Hilton, Westin, Renaissance, Residence Inn) and I've stayed elsewhere (Courtyard Midtown East, W New York and others), not even counting when we stay with friends. Staying in Times Square is &quot;exciting&quot;, but it surely isn't a &quot;real&quot; New York experience (that is, from a New Yorker's perspective). The thing about smetz' list is that it includes all of mid-town, not just Times Square -- for example, Times Sq. is at 42nd St. and Broadway. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is at 5th Avenue and 82nd St., which is 2 miles north of Times Square. The Museum of Natural History's back door is at 77th St., and even the <i>start</i> of Central Park is at 59th Street. None of those can possibly be considered &quot;Times Square area&quot;. Saying most of the highest quality hotels are located in the mid-town area, and somehow equating this to Times Square will just give you the wrong impression. There are many Times Square Hotels, and there are many midtown hotels that are nowhere near Times Square in actual neighborhood or in &quot;vibe&quot;.

Well, I'm under withering fire here. The suggestions that others have given you are all fine, and I'm not disputing or disparaging them (apologies if that's what you thought). All I would suggest to you, lunabug, is don't summarily dismiss Midtown in favor of a downtown location. It's likely that many of the things you'll want to do and see are in Midtown, which also puts them close to Time Square, and being able to walk to all those places is a good way to go.

Smetz, my purpose wasn't to disparage you or anything you said, it was to correct some incorrect statements, since you seem to equate Midtown with Times Square. Times Square may be in midtown, but midtown is a lot bigger and diverse than Times Square.

I have stayed at the W Times Square and I thought my room was lovely and certainly not tiny.

There is nothing wrong with staying in the Times Square area as you are in walking distance of lots of attractions and good restaurants.

Thingorjus

First visit?
<b>Manhattan.</b> Period.

Four nights five days is simply not enough. You don't begin to scratch the surface. I would spend at least a week in Manhattan and not Brooklyn or NJ.

There are nice places in Brooklyn but not for first timer. The public transportation on the weekend to and from Manhattan is irregular. It is hard to manage even for New Yorker.

Time square area is not all bad. A couple of my friends live there (they are in their 30's)and they like it because it is very safe esp at late night. As long as you don't hear the street nose it is OK.

Sept/Oct is autume foliage season, it might be worthwhile to make a point to exerience it if you have not seen that already. You can track peak season on google.

Hope this doesn't confuse you more.

would recommend staying in Manhattan

I believe you've decided to stay in Manhattan, which I definitely agree with.

I just stayed at the Sheraton Four Points Chelsea this past weekend. It is definitely in more of a neighborhood setting and the hotel itself is perfectly fine. I didn't take the subway while there on this trip but I did notice that there is a stop either on that block or the next one. There is also a very nice Whole Foods grocery store a block away where you can pick up just about anything, including hot prepared foods if you didn't want to go out. There are no refrigerators in the hotel rooms, however.

The hotel is close to tons of galleries in Chelsea, which is the reason I was there. A friend had some artwork being shown in one of the galleries and the opening was this weekend. We made it into a girls weekend and had loads of fun.

If this were my first visit to NYC I might opt for mid-town just so you are closer to some of the sights. On the other hand, it can be nice to come &quot;home&quot; after a tiring day of sight-seeing and be a bit more low-key. It completely depends on the experience you want to have.

Gotta say Thanks again for all the advice.
I think I may be leaning towards the Midtown / Times Square area after all!

Manhattan, no question.

I've stayed within a block of Times Square the 5 times I've been there and won't think of anywhere else. It's the heartbeat of NYC.

Jeez . . when we go to San Francisco we like to stay in Fishermans' wharf area and when we go to NYC, at Times Square

Wherever and whenever we travel we try and avoid the tourist epicenter of the town. During the course of the visit we will pass through those areas and usually you get better hotel and reataurants value away from the epicenters. You also get a different sense of that town.

Hotel rooms and restaurants are an almost insignificant consideration when we travel. A hotel room that meets minimal requirements for a good nites sleep, and a place to eat that is comfortabl and satisfying is all we need.

The destination and the experience is what is important to us.