Mother (40) daughter (13) going to New York City for 4 days. Investigating hotels and found I have no idea of the different areas--Midtown East or West,Cenral Park South, lower Manhattan etc. I did check City search for map, which at least told me landmarks, Did Search on this site, lots of info but not what I needed.
I am wondering what areas would be best for us to stay to see the most sights.
We have no trouble usng public transit and walking.
"Rant and Rave" section was useful in ruling out several hotels...

In general, Central Park South is a good location for a first time traveller to the city, but it very much depends on what you are looking for and your budget. Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center are located here, and the museums and shopping are a short distance away just east of Central Park. Broadway is to the West and a little south, within walking distance. If you are there over a weekend, Central Park is a must see, although it's very humid this time of year.

Having said that, Midtown is fine too, it's very easy to get around the city. It's noiser there however, and there is more of a commercial/business environment. The biggest issue is that you can't walk to Central Park.

Lower Manhattan has the best night life, in fact Central Park South/Midtown can clear out during the evenings. Given your daughter's age, my guess is that's not the draw for the trip. However, you might want to visit the South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan. You can take a boat ride during the day that will take you out around the lower part of the island. It's touristy, but fun. There is also a lot of good, inexpensive ethnic food in lower Manhattan. If you like Chinese food, go to Wo-Hops in Chinatown.

If you're into botanical gardens, the Bronx Botanical Gardens are stunning, but you have to brave the train ride and a short walk through the Bronx. Any place that you can pick up a subway (i.e., everywhere) is fine for this outing.

Have fun, it's an incredible city.

While there is no definitive boundry midtown can be considered the area 34th St. to 59th St (Central Park South). Midtown west is the area west of 5th Ave; midtown east is the area east of 5th Ave. Most hotels are located in midtown. Midtown west is where TImes Square and the theater district are located (42nd to 47th). Central Park South is the northern end of midtown and the southern end of Central Park. It is easy to judge walking distances in NYC. Going north/south there are 20 blocks to the mile (street to street) - Central Park South (59th ST) to 42nd ST. is just over 3/4's of a mile. When walking east/west (avenue to avenue) one block is the approximately the same as walking 3 north/south blocks. Downtown lower Manhattan can be considered anyplace south of 14th ST. This area includes GReenwich Village, East Village. SOHO. Little Italy, Chinatown, lower east side, Tribeca and the financial district (where Ground Zero is located). Be assured that if you stay in Manhattan, you can visit whatever is on your list of things to see by using public transportation, bus or subway or by walking.

Hmmm, the area that Bob is caling Central Park South seems to be part of what others might call Midtown West (which IMHO is the area west of Fifth Ave and between 34th Street and 59th street. 59th Street is the southern boundary of Central Park). Here's an official discussion of the various neighborhoods:

http://www.ny.com/sights/neighborhoods/

Last year we stayed in the Upper West Side (Beacon Hotel) and will do it again in Aug. We'll never stay in Midtown again.

UWS has a real "neighborhood" feel with sidewalk cafes, theaters (movie), markets, etc. With the subway, we were literally 10 minutes (or less on the express) from Times Square and all the tourist "stuff", and all the rest of NYC.

Take enough time BEFORE YOU GET THERE to get familiar with the basics of the subway system. Hot, noisy, and ugly (sometimes) but brutally efficient!

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/subway/index.html

Looking forward to doing it again in a few weeks.

As a native NY'er, and an avid traveler, I want to correct some of the info stated on this thread.
I don't know ANY travel guide or any NY'er that uses the neighborhood, area, or section description of 'Central Park South'; instead, this is an actual street in Manhattan. 'Central Park South' is the name for the section of 59th St that fronts Central Park, which is the section from Fifth Ave to Central Park West( which is the Section of 8th Ave that fronts Central Park). The area the some are referring to as 'Central Park South' is known as 'Midtown' up to 34th St., and 'Midtown South' is from 34th St to 14th St.
When travel guides refer to staying in or on 'Central Park South', there are actually many of Manhattan's finest hotels along this street, and that's why you will see it mentioned in travel publications, NOT because it is considered a neighborhood in Manhattan.

FYI, My husband and I are visiting NY and are staying at the Essex House ON Central Park South...got a great rate of under $200 a night for September for a king park-view room.

For a first-timer to the city, I would suggest staying in Midtown West. You're close enough to many of the touristy sites w/out being smack dab in the middle of it (i.e. Times Square) which can be overwhelming and tiresome. If you want to stay somewhere w/a neighborhood feel, try the Lucerne hotel on the Upper West Side.

Midtown east is more expensive than midtown west, and lower Manhattan can be empty at night (also consider if you want to stay near the site of the WTC zone - not for everyone.) One last factor to consider is that by staying in midtown you have the shortest commute by subway to either uptown or downtown attractions.

I'd suggest staying in Midtown EAST -- it's a nicer area with less noise, fewer people, and better "crowds." My guests who have stayed west of Fifth generally aren't as happy as guests who stay east of Fifth. Garbage and homelessness increase dramatically in Midtown West due, in my opinion, to the relative proximity of Times Square, the Port Authority, Penn Station, etc. (all are west of Fifth Ave).

If Midtown East is a bit more expensive, I'm not surprised. You get what you pay for and people "in the know" would and should be willing to pay a slight premium for the east side of Midtown.

Enjoy!