I have finally (I think) found a hotel that will suit our family as far as size and budget. It is The Hotel Beacon in the Upper West Side. I switched reservations from the Belvedere as the Beacon has a 1 br suite that is right within our price range. I hope staying somewhere other than midtown will be OK. On Sunday morning (hopefully early around 9:00 am) we will arrive via I-80 in central PA. Should we park outside the city and ferry in? Or is that part of NYC easier to access even for a small town driver? What is the best route? We will then head to the Met museum. Is it best to take the subway or a crosstown bus? Thank you so much for taking the time to help me with everything!

I wanted to add that Owen_Oneill gave me great advice on driving when I posted back in Oct. or so when I thought we were staying at the Belvedere. Would that Lincoln tunnel route be better or the Holland tunnel being the hotel is farther north?

I'm not looking at a map KandK but some general info. The Holland tunnel is SOUTH of the Lincoln so since you'll be further north the Lincoln is still the way to go if you drive into the city. I would suggest looking at iconparking.com which is a website that offers discounted parking all over the city. You put in the address of your hotel & they show you the garages & prices near by. You could still park in NJ & ferry over, but check icon first & decide whether the savings are worth the hassle to you. (There's often free parking available on Sunday on the street but you'd have to move the car on Mon morning. Don't know you'd want to face the hassle of that.) Sunday morning is a quiet time so I don't think driving in the city at that hour will be very difficult.

I personally think you will love the upper west side. It's a real neighborhood with lots to offer-maybe not as glitzy as Times Square but a lot of fun. I would choose a crosstown bus (so you can see more-and it will get you closer to the museum) over the subway, but keep in mind a cab would only be about $5-6 so unless you're buying an unlimited ride metrocard and/or your children are all under 44 inches tall, the cab will cost the same as 3 or more people on the bus or subway. Have fun!

Thanks mclaurie for the help! I will look into the iconparking route. I have told my husband that I can handle the driving if he is too much of a wimp I plan on us getting the fun day metro pass for each of our 2 1/2 days there. In searching it looks like the other option is the unlimited pass, but we won't be there long enough to utilize it I think. There aren't any 3 day Metro passes are there? Thanks!

I don't think there are 3 day passes but I'm not an expert on this subject. The website for the mta says they sell the fun passes in your hotel! Just remember at $7, you have to make 4 trips a day to make this pay off. You could also buy a pay as you go card which you & your husband can both use. It basically gives you 6 rides for the price of 5 ($10) & can be used any time (ie not within the same day).