New York/Manhattan advice
 

Me and my Wife will be traveling to this area in July. We may stay through the 4th to see fireworks. We are driving so have a car. We have never been to this area but want to see Manhattan and the area around 911 for sure. Once we get to this area we will use transportation. Is there any places close to NY or Manattan we could stay that has service in out of the city where we could stay that are nice or should we stay in the city area. The price of staying in the city in July is very costly.

In a word--no. Your best bet is to find a room in Manhattan and a place to park your car while you walk and use public transportation. For parking, you might start at a site such as this: http://www.parkfast.com/downloads/do...ng-coupons.jsp

HTTY

Another perfectly acceptable alternative and very affordable: The hotels in Long Island City near the subway.

LIC is a very short subway ride into the City (about 12 minutes). I think the best places in LIC are the Country Inn & Suites, the Comfort Inn LIC, Holiday Inn Manhattan View and the Verve, right near subway lines and just a few minutes to Manhattan.

LIC is an option if you can't afford the cty. But it is on the far side of the city - you will have to cross through Manhattan. And much of the area is mixed use - budget motels mixed with warehouses, auto body shops etc. Just a place to sleep and then get away from as fast as possible.


Another option is NJ - esp Jersey City - but to be convenient you need to be positive you are right on top of the PATH train to NYC - and those hotels aren;t much cheaper than Manhattan. Most other hotels in Jersey are a trek (in time and money both) via train or bus to get to and fro the city.

But July is relatively cheap in Manhattan - you should be able to find some good deals if you shop the discount sites.

nytraveler: The rates were sky high when we were in the city last July. I was surprised but there weren't any real discounts. We paid over $300.00 for a Courtyard in Soho and that was a 'deal' compared to other hotel rates.

btw: The hotels I suggested are in uninteresting but in no more 'mixed use' areas than any hotel in Manhattan or Brooklyn. I should have booked in LIC last summer; I would have saved a bundle and the subway ride is less than 12 minutes.

Who does anything but just sleep in their hotel when visiting NYC, anyway??! Isn't everyone out and about and spending their money on food, drink, shows, and shopping instead of on an expensive hotel room? ;)

It's not decided yet where the fireworks on the 4th will be. I hear Macy's has requested multiple locations on both the east and west side of Manhattan (on the Hudson and the East River). If they're on the Hudson, many of the hotels in NJ may offer views (Sheraon Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken or many of the Jersey City hotels like the Westin and the Hyatt).

The Travel Inn is the only hotel in Manhattan with free parking. Right now you can book it for $225/night plus tax. They also happen to have a somewhat rare outdoor swimming pool. The Skyline hotel is near it and has $10/night parking and an indoor pool and their rate is $207 plus tax on booking.com

Or, park the car in Weehawken, NJ at the Nywaterway.com ferry terminal for $10/night and stay in Manhattan.

The hotels in Long Island City near a subway station are good value for money but none guarantee free parking since they don't have enough spaces for all their guests. You could stay there and pay for parking though.

Thanks for the feedback. Still very undecided because have never been to this area. We will have 1 week and traveling from Illinois. Not sure if we will stay the entire week in this area or a few days and travel to another area near this.