Just so you are clear, none of the towns you mention above are either in Monmouth County or anywhere near a beach. If your plan is to spend time at the beach, none of the above would be good.

Of them all, the Jersey City Ramada is probably best, although to be perfectly frank, I don't think you will like the location of the hotel or that part of Jersey City very much. On the plus side, there is the Liberty Science Park which kids love, and there is Liberty Park along the river which is a nice green area and you can actually rent kayaks or sailboats and go out on the Hudson. Parts of Jersey City are not very nice or safe, but the general area of the Ramada is OK although I don't think I would walk around much at night.

I guess the North Bergen hotels would work, but again, it is not a charming or interesting place. (It's in a place which gives New Jersey such a bad name?the middle of the Meadowlands swamps?think of the introduction to "The Sopranos" with all the smokestacks, and Jimmy Hoffa buried out there somewhere. . . .)

I would not stay in the Howard Johnson Newark Airport hotel, as you will be in the middle of nowhere on a highway strip on the access road the airport. No restaurants near by, no convenience store to walk to, etc. Newark has some very unsafe parts, the area around the airport is OK but is nothing but highways.

If you can schedule your trip into NYC for a weekend, you might find bargains on hotels, esp. those in the downtown Wall Street Area, as these hotels are pretty empty on the weekends. The Embassy Suites in that area gets very good reviews on this site for location, facilities and price, and all their rooms are 2 bedroom suites . This area is very quiet at night, and it is very easy to take the subway up to mid-town from this area; and you will also be within walking distance of South Street Seaport, China Town, Wall Street, Ground Zero and the Battery (ferries depart for the Ellis Island, etc from the Battery Park area.) There is also a nice esplanade along the water near Battery Park. I think they have rooms for just under $200. You may spend a bit ore than the above hotels, but will save in commuting costs and time.

Embassy Suites Hotel New York
102 North End Avenue
New York, New York 10282
1-212-945-0100
https://secure.hilton.com/en/es/res/index.jhtml

Budget hotels in Manhattan which get good reviews on this site are:

Red Roof Inn, 6 West 32nd St www.redroof.com

Super 8 New York Times Sq, 59 West 46th St www.super8.com

Radio City Apartments, 142 West 49th St www.radiocityapartments.com (there is also one in the Times Square area that has kitchenettes)


If you run a new search entitled something like "Need Manhattan Hotel for 2 Kids and 2 Adults for $150 or less" I think you will get lots of other advice.

Independancebaby...do yourself a big favor and forget about the hotels you listed in North Bergen and Jersey City. I would, however look into the new Hyatt in Jersey City, and maybe even the Sheraton in Weehawken. Checkout Trip Advisor for hotels that have been listed here.

Advice noted! The only "must-dos" for us if we go to NYC are visit The American Girl Place and see the Statue of Liberty. Anything else while to and fro is, hopefully, a pleasant surprise.

Don't really want to fly, but with a 15 mo. old have to plan on breaking up the road trip in kid-friendly stops and stays. That doesn't leave us any time for concern over what's around any hotel we may stay in, other than, the safety and convenience of the area, of course.

Will check the Doubletree in Times Square and The Library boutique hotel across from the NY Public Library as well. Heck, we may as well just hunker down and drive into NYC after rush hour and pay to park at the hotel, hopefully one that is as near to the entrance of NYC as possible so that we don't have to drive through mid-town Manhattan. We can use cabs for the rest.

Hotels near the entrance to mid-town Manhattan might not meet your criteria for safety or convenience. These are pretty seedy areas.

New York City traffic is horrid, but it moves so slowly you can survive if you don't mind rude gestures. It's easy to find your way around mid-town Manhattan. The streets are numbered North to South; the Avenues -- with a couple of exceptions -- are numbered East to West. Since you plan to come from New Jersey; you'll be entering from the West at about 12th Avenue.
If you've ruled out staying at the Jersey shore and commuting by boat; I'd recommend staying in one of the hotels in Bergen County, taking your car to the Park and Ride lot on the New Jersey Turnpike, and letting the bus take you into Manhattan. A second possibility would be to take your car to the New York Waterways lot and taking the ferry across to Manhattan. Your ferry ticket entitles you to free shuttle buses that run across town. You could take one to Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street to see the New York Public Library, then walk six blocks North on Fifth to the American Girl experience. Walk a couple of blocks further north on Fifth Avenue and you'll run right into St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center. Less than 20 blocks north of that, also on Fifth, is the Central Park Zoo. Keep going on Fifth and you'll get to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
You are going to have a wonderful time.