Inquiry
 

Please I need your advice.
We are a family of 4 adults, we will be traveling to Raleigh in August. We want to spend 4/5 nights in NY. I found accomodation is very expensive to stay close to Midtown and sightseeing attractions. Actually we are on a tight budget. I found cheaper accomodation in Brooklyn, Queens and NJ.
We are worried if we stay there we would be spending more money for transportation, also we don't know if public transportation shuts down at a certain time or 24/7?
So I need your advice to choose the most convenient area for the above reasons and also to spare time as we are just spending very little time there.

Thanks in advance

If you name your budget and dates of travel, some here may be able to offer suggestions within Manhattan. Also, do you need one room or two?

Most important for ease and cost of traveling to Manhattan is to choose a hotel close to a subway station, which eliminates New Jersey. Subways run 24/7 though often particular subway lines have construction closures and rerouting on the weekends. Check hotels in Long Island City, a area of Queens just one or two subway stops from midtown Manhattan.

I don't like to recommend New Jersey hotels because the most economical ones usually involve taking a bus to Manhattan, which means you are at the mercy of the possible horrible traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel. Also there are fewer buses later in the night.

You might opt to stay in Manhattan, but make your trip a day shorter to afford the options.

If you are coming to Raleigh in August, be prepared for it to be very hot and very humid. Temps are already in the mid to high 80s.

I stay at the Jane in NYC, but the bathrooms are down the hall and the rooms would be very tight for two.

It will be hot and humid in New York at that time, too and when those buildings and streets start radiating that heat back then Raleigh might not seem so bad.

To the OP: if you want help then we need to know

what that "tight budget" actually is

the "attractions" you are most interested in seeing

Thanks all for your prompt reply. We will be in NY round 6 or 7 August. We prefer to have 2 double rooms or 1 bedroom with a living area where the fourth person can sleep( my son in law!).
Our budget is round $ 600/700 for the 4 nights. Re the suggestion of Queens which is the closest area to subways to Manhatten? Last question which is more accessible to Manhatten Queens or Brooklyn?
Many thanks to each one of you for your advice.����

"Re the suggestion of Queens which is the closest area to subways to Manhattan? Last question which is more accessible to Manhattan -- Queens or Brooklyn?"

Both Brooklyn and Queens are accessible--it depends on where you want to go. As mentioned in my previous post, check hotels in Long Island City, a area of Queens just one or two subway stops from midtown Manhattan. This is very convenient for visiting midtown Manhattan sights and a few reasonable hotels have opened in this area in recent years. If you are more interested in downtown, Brooklyn might be a better option. What do you hope to do while you are in NYC?

Study this subway map:
mta.info | MTA Subway Map
There are a few hotels near Queensboro Plaza station that often get good reviews.

$600–$700 total for 4 nights? If yes, this extremely low for 4 adults to stay anywhere in New York City for four nights. (This comes to $175 per night for 4 people.) Also be sure the prices you are quoted include the special NYC hotel tax, which adds another 18%. If you are traveling together by car, also be ready to pay a daily parking fee.

As you have probably found, hotel choices in Secaucus, NJ will have lower rates that might fit your budget, but 4 adults will spend more money and time traveling back and forth each day. This is not an area where you would be able to stop back at the hotel between doing things. If you decide to explore NJ options, be sure to explore transit options.

Manhattan is out of the question. I just checked on booking.com and the cheapest hotel available for August 6-10 for 4 people is the Vanderbilt Y, and even that's $800 (probably plus tax) for bunk beds and a shared bathroom.

There are a couple of hotels showing in Long Island City for around $700 for one room with two double beds. If you can up your budget just a little (maybe $800-$900), there are a few hotels in Long Island City that actually get quite good reviews on booking.com. If you do book in Long Island City, check the distance of the hotel from the subway station.

Thanks a lot Ellenem, and sf7307, for your reply. It is now clear that no way to find acceptable accomodation in Manhatten suitable to our tight budget��. I will start looking in Long Island City and Brooklyn. Hopefully will find something accessible to public transportation .
sorry for my many questions�� But any idea about the districts there closest to Ny?( Times Square, Midtown etc)
Thanks again and Regards

As we've said, Long Island City near Queensboro Plaza is a good start.

Actually, NJ hotels ARE a good option. Recently we stayed at a new Hyatt House in Jersey City, just a short stroll across a plaza from the PATH station at Exchange Place. Five minutes later you're at World Trade Center. And there are several hotels near the Newport Path Station as well. Not sure about budget, however. Probably not.

NeoPatrick, Exchange Place is certainly very convenient to visit Manhattan. In my experience, rates for hotels at Exchange Place are lower than Manhattan, but still significantly higher than other hotels just outside Manhattan. I don't think they could find a room there for 4 adults for $175 per night, so did not offer that as a suggestion.

Thanks a lot ellenem and NeoPatrick for your suggestions, you are very helpful. I just reserved 2 private rooms but with shared bathroom I Vanderbilt it is a little bit more than our budget ( $980)
but we found it more suitable for its location and sparing time.
Hopefully it is going to be fine.
Thanks again and Regards from Egypt.
NB
Now new topic!
How can we get cheap Broadway Theater tickets at a reasonable price?

There is a same night booth called TKTS that has discounted tickets and a long line. There is Broadway Box, a website. There is Playbill.com
All show up with a quick Google of discount broadway tickets. Also consider off broadway.

ellenem. yes, I mentioned the budget would be a problem. My reason for pointing out Exchange Place and Jersey City was in reference to the comment "I don't like to recommend New Jersey hotels because the most economical ones usually involve taking a bus to Manhattan, which means you are at the mercy of the possible horrible traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel. Also there are fewer buses later in the night.' While places like that Hyatt House may not be the MOST economical ones, at $175 a night as we paid, it's not a bad suggestion when transportation is such a breeze. Transportation is a breeze compared to some of those hotels the other direction from Manhattan.

NeoPatrick, I totally understand why you mentioned Jersey City. For some it would be a good option, but not for this group. They mentioned a tight budget in the first post, and it got even tighter when they revealed the details.

Glad the OP was able to find something within their budget.