I am starting to get desperate here...can't find a hotel in NYC for less than my monthly mortgage payment...does anyone know of any places across the river in Jersey that aren't too far away...don't mind training into town but will probably have to cab back...

Hi Craig!
I live in Jersey and understand the high prices in NYC....Check with the Hilton Gateway in Newark, NJ which is right across the steet from Newark Penn Station.....You can hop the Path train to/From 33rd street (Madison Sq Garden) for $1.25 each way or take the NJ Transit train to/from NYC for a few buck......Newark, NJ you say?.........Well, Newark's come a long way..with The NJ Arts Performing Center, new resturants and cleaner and safer streets....you'll do alright.Also ckeck with the Mariott or Sheraton @ Newark Int'l Airport into 33rd St NYC.....they have transpotation to/from Newark penn Station for about $4 each way.......hope this helps!

CJ

Craig:
Where in the city do you have to go? Maybe a place in Queens or Brooklyn can serve your purpose?

You can also try Secaucus, NJ (the Meadowlands area). There are plenty of hotels in the area. The Mariott Courtyard, Sheraton, Homestead Village are some that come to mind.

You might want to try some northern New Jersey towns with bus service into the city (some may even have shuttles). In Fort Lee there's a Hilton, in Teaneck there's a Marriott, in Hasbrouck Heights there's a Hilton and in Englewood there's a Radisson, also in East Rutherford near the Meadowlands sports complex there are a bunch of them - Sheraton, Novotel, Hampton Inn.... I know some of these have bus stops right outside the hotel or nearby and then it's about a 30 min ride, sometimes less. A roundtrip bus trip is about $5.00 and buses run early am until about 12:30-1:00am so you can still enjoy a night out in the city.

Try any of the Newark Airport hotels

What's even closer than Newark or Secaucus is Pavonia-Newport, a nicer part of Jersey City. There are a couple of hotels, which are newly built, right by the PATH station (i.e. Club Hotel By Doubletree, and a Marriott Courtyard-I think).

Pavonia-Newport is a five minute ride to lower Manhattan, ten minutes to Midtown, and costs just $1.00. The neighborhood is safe and there are a couple of restaurants around. But with the money you're saving you can eat in the city all the time.

Good luck with your search.

Thanks everyone for the great leads....

Craig

Avoid Newark at all costs. I was there a month ago--what a dump.

Anyway, don't know what your budget is, but you may want to the try the Hotel Washington, just off Washington Square. Stayed there in May for $135 a night. Your basic tiny New York Hotel room, but it was clean and the location was great.

Hi Craig,
I have stayed at the Sheraton Meadowlands on business and they have their own shuttle that goes into the Sheraton in Manhatten several times a day and nite. I remember that the last one picks you up at the Sheraton in Manhatten at 10:30 PM. I think that the shuttle costs $5.00 each way, but I'm not 100% sure. Also, the hotels in the Seacaucus area have bus stops close by that pick you up for the city.
Hope this helps!

Newport -Pavonia (the waterfront area adjacent to Jersey City) is very convenient to the PATH train but the Marriott Courtyard isn't open yet. It's only a few yards from the PATH entrance - should probably be open a few weeks from now (target date was Oct 1). The Doubltree is very nice and only about a 2-3 block walk but is probably as pricey (or more so) as some of the moderately priced choices in NYC. My mother recently stayed at the Meadowlands Plaza hotel in Secaucus and was quite pleased -m paid about $80-85 for a doubel and describe it as being in the quality range of a Hampton Inn or that ilk. Bus service into NYC is quite regular from Secaucus and takes 10-20 minutes depending on time of day (worst case is up to 30 minutes during morning rush).