My sister and I would like to lease an apartment in Manhattan this summer for 2-3 weeks. Would love to find a darling Brownstone, just like you see in the movies!! We want to find a “home” vs. hotel where we can truly experience the city. I am not sure exactly which area we would prefer, but are open to any suggestions. (We will be taking our daughters, 15 and 17.) I don’t even know if it’s possible to rent weekly, nor do I know where to even begin this search. So, I’ll start with my favorite source….Fodor forums.
Any recommendations??

Most of the commercial short-term rental companies specialize in luxury highrises rather than darling brownstones.

You may want to try Craig's list for a short-term rental. Just realize that these buildings (mostly from 1890 to 1910) don;t have elevators - so you may have up to 5 flights of stairs to climb. And few have washers/dryers (no room and pipes in these old buildings often won;t take the necessary water pressure) - so laundty has to be done either in the shared basement machines - or taken to the by the pound cleaners.

Also - these apartments are rarely more than one bedroom - so you may be a little crowded - but doable is there's a sleep sofa in the living room.

i ran a start up in manhattan and we relocated 16 families from australia. we used 'furnished quarters' to house them until they could find their own apartments. http://staging.vpi.net/fq/index.php

it was a few years ago but i think everyone was satisfied with their service.

for brownstones, i'd look in the upper west side, the village, gramercy park and upper east side.

www.vrbo.com

Have used for Paris, San Diego, Tahoe, & Maui.

I can tell you now that the very limited selections on VRBO for Manhattan are pretty well all booked for all summer.

I've been working on this for about 5 months. Originally was going to rent for the full month of June, which would be easier (a full month), but now looking at weekly rentals. Most of what is on Craig's List is either share a room in an apartment, monthly or even longer only, or absolute dumps.
So far I've had no luck there at all. I did post an ad on Craigslist originally while looking for the month of June, and had a tentative offer from a couple who were traveling to Europe. We pretty well settled on a deal, but then they had to cancel as a relative is sick and they aren't leaving. It is free to put a "looking" ad on there. Just be ready for the offers you get. I was specifically asking for one month only furnished in June preferable midtown west -- even gave perimeter streets. My first offer was for a room share in an apartment at something like 183 rd for six months only. Huh?

But here are a couple of places to check:
www.nyhabitat.com
www.nationalextendedstay.com
www.subletinthecity.com

Another option is the wonderful
www.allenhousenyc.com
We rented there for a month a couple years ago. It's a brownstone apartment building (not the "darling" brownstone house conversion) on the upper east side in a great location -- 70th and 3rd Avenue. These are beautifully furnished places and they will rent for a week at a time.

Thank you so much for all the great info. I'm working on it now. I just wish I was more familiar with the city and the addresses.

Katie: If I may ask, what is your budget?

Just post addressses and people will tell you what the neighborhood is like - as someone mentined - try to stick to the upper east or west side (60 to 96th streets), the village, gramercy park etc. for a more neighborhood feel.

I will second nytraveler's warning about the "darling brownstone" downsides. Walking up lots of stairs can get pretty old pretty quickly AND the air conditioning in these places are often window units that can be very noisy (or not very good). It would be rare, I think, to find the kind of place I think you're thinking of (featured in Breakfast at Tiffany, Barefoot in the Park).

There are some b and bs that have apartment like accomodations in townhouses/brownstones.
1871house.com (midtown/upper east side near Bloomingdales) might work for you.

I also heartily endorse Patrick's suggestion of Allen House. I know people who stayed there and the apartments and the location are terrific. It has the charm I think you're looking for (at least inside) but with the convenience of an elevator etc.

BTW, I think you may have some difficulty finding an apartment with separate beds for everyone.

Well, since you haven't mentioned budget, if you can "go all out" there are some incredible brownstone/townhouse apartments for rent in the West Village. Many have a private garden and encompass the parlor floor and the lower level -- simply gorgeous! They usually have between 2 large or three small bedrooms. Most will want you to rent for at least one month though. Short-term rental prices for these apartments range anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000 per month.

Budget...uhm! Not that I can swing $12,000, but I'm curious to look at these brownstones in West Village.
What atmosphere is the West Village area? How far from Central Park? (I know where that is)
Our daughters want to see plays and museums (my daughter is particularly interested in the arts and considering an art degree) And, let's not forget shopping is on top of their list. It will be their first visit to the city.

The Village is nowhere near Central Park. Central Park is above (north) of midtown - the upper east and west sides are on either side of Cenral Park.

The village is considerably (several miles) below (south) of midtown.

The Village is nowhere near Central Park. Central Park is above (north) of midtown - the upper east and west sides are on either side of Cenral Park.

The village is considerably (several miles) below (south) of midtown.

Perhaps if you get a map of the City it would be helpful.

The west Village is downtown where there are a lot of the brownstones you see in the movies! But it's not near Central Park. It is very young. It's where NYU is located. You must have a map as you're doing this. Here's one that defines the neighborhoods from NY Magazine and also will give you links to descriptions and even some classified ads.

http://nymetro.com/realestate/articl...orhood_map.htm

I think for what you describe, the 1871 House would work well if it's available and has the accomodation you want. It would give you the feel of your own place, near the park and shopping but with the convenience of having people around to answer questions etc. It's on the border of midtown and the upper east side on a pretty block.