We're celebrating my sister's 21st birthday in new york city. A total of four girl. What would be a good hotel to stay at in a central location for plays, shopping, and clubs. $350 a night and under.

You need to tell us a little more.

Location: plays are midtwon, clubs are mostly downtown and shopping is everywhere - depending on if you want department stores, designers, discounters etc,

Do you want busy - a lot of people like Times Square - I find it ghastly - but I'm not a tourist.

Or do you want downtown/trendy?

Or quiet/sophisticated?

Are you looking for a suite (many NYC hotel rooms will not hold 4 people) or 2 separate rooms?

NYC things are so spread out you'll need to learn how to use the subway anyway - so exact location may not be as important as ambience.

Any other specific plans?

You can get two rooms in a Time Square 4 star hotel for about $120 a night through Priceline. Check www.biddingfortravel.com before bidding on Priceline.

We do a girls' trip to NYC quite often and it is TOTALLY fun! We always rent 2 rooms - sharing a bathroom with 4 just isn't good, nor is sleeping on a pull out sofa. There are tons of places to get info on hotels. Get some prices from expedia or travelocity and then research those that sound interesting to you. Look up hotel reviews either here or on tripadvisor. The hotels I personally HATE are the Helmsley, the Pennsylvania (don't get me started), the Edison. I prefer SMALL hotels, but not everyone can live without valet parking and a lobby bar.

Plays are midtown, shopping all over (but for younger shopping downtown), clubs mostly downtown. Soooooo, you could stay midtown or downtown. Some midtown hotels near theaters and shopping...Sofitel, Le Parker Meridien, W Times Square.

Coolest place for a 21 year old, W Union Square. Best all around location IMO.