Thanks everyone - some great info!!
we are currently tossing between the Chelsea apt (W18th and 9th)as its also close to Chelsea Markets, hopefully close to restaurants and the village - how far to walk to Times square from this area? is it do-able or is the subway a better way to do it?

Times Square is at 42nd St to 47th St--therefore 24-29 blocks away from 18th St. 20 blocks is about a mile.

okay will need to see how to convert that haha in Australia we use kilometres...thanks Ellenem

both apts have good reviews on homeaway - i didnt realise some of these sublets were illegal...interseting!
does anyone then know where i can find some serviced hotel apts in NY for 2weeks? i just assumed this subletting was common practise.
my sister and her family stayed at Affinia 50 last October on 52nd and 7th and she said it was really dead at night...nothing nearby to do!

The average New Yorker walks a mile in 20 minutes. Most visitors walk more slowly. So a New Yorker could walk from 18th St to Times Square (straight uptown) in about 25 minutes. I expect a visitor would take 35 minutes or more to accomplish this walk.

haha i love that ellenem!! haha yes a faster pace...

we found another apt on 49th between 8th and 9th
does anyone think this is an Ok area to be in?

Neopatrick can tell you about that particular area. If you search for his name and the thread on his month in NYC, you'll see that he spent time in an apartment in that vicinity and quite enjoyed it. It's where he always stays for extended visits. It's a very convenient location, though if given the choice, I'd choose the 9th Avenue apartment myself.

Most of the Affinia hotels offer apartment-style suites with kitchens or kitchenettes and will sometimes give you a better rate for a longer stay. You should call and ask. It's not the kind of thing you can do online easily. Radio City Apartments is a very familiar and popular place; not fancy, but very reasonably priced and in the heart of Times Square (for all the good and bad that entails). But it might be difficult to find a room there; it's really that popular and reasonably priced. There are some other hotels that have suites with kitchenettes, though it's usually cheaper to rent an apartment than a hotel suite.

As Doug mentioned, most vacation rentals in apts. in NYC are illegal either because the building doesn't allow it or because the building isn't zoned for it. More importantly there are loads of apt. scams online (everything from you pay upfront deposit and the person disappears to you pay all the money and the apt. doesn't exist to...) Homeaway has some sort of insurance policy to protect you from an out and out scam (the apt. doesn't exist) BUT it doesn't protect you from false advertising (ie it looks good online but the reality is something different). In order to be eligible for this insurance, you have to register or do something BEFORE you book. Keep in mind that a decent apt. will require a security deposit and may require substantial upfront payment which isn't cancelable. Imo, for a month's rental, it's worth the legwork to find an apt. For 2 weeks, I'd find something verifiable.

In addition to the suite hotels like the Affinias that provide the benefits of an apt. (space, kitchen) with the amenities of a hotel (daily maid service, concierge, reviews you can read, usually no prepayments, no security deposit). There are also some b & b's which are really brownstones or townhouses that rent out what amounts to an apartment. These can also be verified, reviews read on tripadvisor etc. One such example is west-eleventh.com in the village.

As for the Affinia and nightlife, the Affinia 50 is on 50th st. & 3rd ave. I don't know what kind of "nightlife" you're looking for, but most areas including that will have restaurants and bars. On 52 & 7th is the Sheraton hotel (the London is not far and has suites) but if she couldn't find nightlife in that area, she just wasn't looking. If you're looking for entertainment like comedy clubs, cabarets etc., you might be best in the theater district/Hell's Kitchen area or in the village.

I also think the quality of the apt. is far more important than the location. I also think not every block in an area is the same. One block in Murray Hill might be really quiet while another may be a nightmare with traffic in and out of the midtown tunnel. You should also note many apts. that get rented for short term vacations may be in small buildings with no elevator. Have you checked this out as you look? I'd rather stay in the nicest apt. for your budget in any decent neighborhood. I'd be curious to know what prices you're looking at and for what size apts?

oh thanks Doug_Stallings...i think we're back to the Murray Hill apt...its the best price, has good reviews and from what we hear the area looks okay for what we need the apt, to rest and sleep - looks like we can get to different areas easily?!

thanks for the detailed post Mclaurie...the apt in Murray Hill is approx $150 per night. Appears to be a small building (4 storeys), the owner/manager has another 2 properties as well.
Okay im going to take some of your points onboard and keep looking...Affinia apts are way over our budget and my sister and her family found it very basic.

guess another option is to find a hotel via priceline.com but we really thought an apt might be nicer and more spacious!

A friend used to live in the same building Neo stayed in. I love that area. It's closer to the hustle and bustle you like.

Is the $150/night for a studio or a 1 bedroom? Does the building have an elevator? When exactly are you coming? The first week of Sept. will be very cheap but prices go up after that.

i will check out Neo's (thats my youngest son's name) post...thanks Starrs

McLaurie - the $150 is for a studio - we are here mid to late September, i realised that fall is more expensive and the studio was for more than that but he gave us a discount as we needed it for 2wks.

I just hope the "he" is someone reliable. You do realize you're not dealing with a broker but an individual who just posts on homeaway?

Yes, I know what you mean. It is a bit of a concern now, we might have to look at 'other' options but guess with our tight accommodation budget it might be difficult in an expensive city like NY
He does has positive feedback on all his properties and there is another property in Chelsea which also has positive feedback, i know that one should be OK as a friend in Sydney stayed there recently.
i actually know of a few people that have found apts through homeaway.com and have been really happy with the experience - we are only looking at apts that require a deposit and the balance paid when we arrive.

Have you seen this site? A friend of my sister's uses it so I know it is legit..


http://vacation.new-york-apartment.com/en/contact/

thanks ekscrunchy - will check it out!

Starrs - How do i find Neo's old posts??

anyone know?