My family of 4 is traveling to NYC/Manhattan mid Nov. I have the following hotels lined up to pick from. Would like opinions on which is best suited for 2A's 10yr old & 13 yr old. We will be doing the tourist things to be covered in a 3 day stay. Previously considered JC, NJ but after posting were strongly advised aganst it. Can anyone tell us why???
The hotel is adjacent to the path train which is a straight shot into Manhattan and then we just do the Subway thing throughout Manhattan... I thought??? Is this a misconception on my part??? Not set on NJ just wondering??? Although, we'll have a car, we plan to use public trans. i.e. subs., buses, unless advised differently.
Really, really excited about the stay... just really tired of trying to organize it. Too much to think about. This is an added on side trip (we're from CA on our way to VA taking the round-about-way) so we weren't exactly budgeted for this & I'm really trying to work it all in.. you know seize the opportunity while it's here....not-sure-when-we'll-get-back kind of thing....
We're looking for hotels with convenience to public transport. We don't want to use taxi's if we can help it & if anyone can advise in that area... (pub. trans not taxi's nothing against taxi's except the $$) it'd be very helpful that's one of our biggest mysteries the not knowing what to expect as far as trying to get from one place to another using transit. You know like does the sub. stop at every corner are there long stretches between stops... do you have to bus it or cab it from the sub. or is everything w/in walking dist.???
Hotels we are looking at are:
LGA Marriott
Holiday Inn Express-Brooklyn
Marriott Upper East Side (92nd)
Marriott Financial Dist.
We stay at Marriotts when we travel and rooms are always great. Could that be a different story in NY? I'm not familiar with Holiday Inn Express so if anyone can add a little about this one it might help.
Couldn't find anything on Marriott UES, I guess because it's new?????
Anyway, would rather spend our time & money on the ent., food & shopping etc. in this great city instead of sleeping & trying to get to and fro...we're not asking for much are we????? BTW I've never had to put this much effort into a trip before so.....
Once again thanks for all your opinions, help and responses they are truly welcomed and appreciated!

Forget the LGA option. That's not a good commute at all. My guess is people advised again the JC, NJ location because the area isn't so great. I'm not familiar with the Brooklyn hotel. I dont know the Marriot UES, but I do know people who live in the area and is perfectly fine, with easy access to the Lexington Av. subway line, and also near Central park. The downtown Marriott is a bit removed from most touristy things, it's not a bad location, just not as much going on down there in the evening (not as residential, more office buildings).

The UES Marriott (which is a courtyard), just opened and gets great reviews on Tripadvisor. It even has an indoor pool (which is rare for a NYC hotel). I would go with that if you can. It would be much better than the other options you mention.

As an FYI, taking a taxi isn't necessarily as expensive as you think, especially w/ 4 of you. In many cases, the extra cost will be minimal vs. a subway, and the convenience factor is substantial.

Second the notion of a taxi as not that much more than subway fare for a group of 4. Considering that subway is $2 pp, taxis are really pretty reasonable in comparison. You can get ANYwhere on the subway, but if you are not a regular user of public transportation it can be confusing, with lots of different levels, routes, local vs express, etc. The crowds and sheer size of New York will have an impact--can be incredibly tiring to cope with if you are not used to the scale.

The subway is usually the fasted way. During the day, taxis can take forever depending on where you are going, and the meter is based on time and distance, so during busy times, taxi's will be pricier.

I don't know how myuch your family likes to walk, but just about everything should be walking distance from a subway or bus. The UES Marriott is a few long blocks to the subway stop. It looks like there are some crosstown bus options to get you to the subway if you don't want to walk. In fact there's 1 bus on E. 86th street that loks like it loops around to 92nd and 1st av (where hotel is), so that may be a very convenient way to get to the subway station at 86th st (which has both local and express trains).

I suggest you get a street map now and subway & bus maps (you can get a subway and bus map for free from token booths, visitor kiosks, maybe even the hotel) when you arrive.

Regular city buses generally stop every 3 blocks unless it's a limited. If ever you are unsure, just ask the bus driver. Transfers between subways and buses are free.

I've already answered your question on your other thread here
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34896379
suggesting the 2 Manhattan options are best and chosing b/w them depends on what your activities in NYC will be and the difference in price b/w the 2.

I agree that you're making a mistake discounting taxis. They are not so expensive and for 4 people, may sometimes be cheaper than public transport. A typical subway or bus ride is $2/person. Unless one or both of the kids are under 44" tall (which means they ride free), a taxi may actually be cheaper for short trips.

As to the Jersey City option, it is certainly an option. Can't remember which hotel you picked there. Some are better/closer to the PATH train than others. But given your short visit, staying outside Manhattan is a dramatically different experience to staying in Manhattan. The Doubletree Club and the Hyatt are the 2 best hotels in Jersey City but they're becoming as expensive as staying in Manhattan.

Since you have a car, that's an added expense in Manhattan to consider (although I'm sure you have). There is ONE hotel in Manhattan with free parking, the Travel Inn. It's bare bones basic but clean and reasonably well located.

Actually, I've just looked back at your original post. It was not Jersey City, but Newark you were talking about (at least that was my understanding). Newark is not terribly convenient to get to/from NYC.

Newark Airport is a horrible area to stay in and unless you are either dealing crack or have a 6AM flight out, skip that area.

Do not stay outside Manhattan if that is where you are sight seeing.

In this order:
Marriott Financial District
Marriott UES
Holiday Inn Express

Remove the LaGuardia hotel from your list.

Agreed - about the car. Parking in Manhattan is VERY expensive...before I moved to NYC, when I came up to visit, it wasn't rare that I was spending $40/day on parking.

Jersey City is an ugly part of town and commuting into Manhattan would take you an hour. Who wants to do that on vacation?

I would also like to agree with everyone who said that taxi's are not that expensive. There are 4 of you - taking the subway between pt A and pt B is going to cost you a total of $8 - you can generally take a taxi from one pt of manhattan to the other for about that. Plus, they're doing tons of construction on the subway these days - over the weekend there are trains that aren't running, trains that are running on the tracks for other trains, making the whole thing very confusing. Unless you are VERY familiar with the subway, I would advise against this.

It's hard to answer your questions about public transportation w/out knowing for sure where you are staying and what types of activities you would like to do.

To give an example of taking a subway vs. a cab: I live in the E. Village, my BF lives in the SW corner of SOHO. I can take two trains (the L and the C/E) to get to his apartment, which can take anywhere from 25-45 minutes. This costs me ~$2 (monthly pass). The ten minute cab ride between our apartments costs $8.00 including tip. Four people can fit in a cab, so it works out to be roughly the same price.

I use the subway/busses as much as possible, but taxis aren't an unreasonable way to supplant your transportation. With a group of four, it can work out to be the same or cheaper. Obviously rush hour traffic and navigating through midtown are exceptions, but you get the point..

Our family of four recently stayed at the Embassy Suites, NYC, which is very near Ground Zero, the marina, Wall Street, Battery City Park, Lady Liberty, etc.. It was a great location for our three-night stay. A one bedroom suite will give you a king bed or two doubles, plus a sofa sleeper. Also two TVs, which helps with kids, a little mini-bar w/ sink and microwave.

Best feature is the full hot/cold breakfast buffet included, which even offers made-to-order omelettes. It's a huge spread, includes everything you'd want, and is open till a late morning time (10:30??) so it works for everyone. There's also a generous complimentary evening hour, which includes drinks and lots of hot/cold hors d'oeuvres. It's a great snack for kids, between 5- 7pm, I think.

I posted a trip report, which tells you where we went in the city from that location, and also names some restaurants. You can click on my screen name above to find it. Ellenem, another Fodorite, gave me a very detailed walking tour from that hotel. You can find it by looking for my other post asking questions about NYC. If you can't find these, just ask and I'll cut-and-paste here for you.

The first day, we walked all over from the hotel; the next day we took the subway up to the Upper East Side, to see the Park, etc. But, we also decided a taxi would be more convenient and almost as inexpensive as $2pp subway fare. So we took the cab back to the hotel each night.

Enjoy your trip.
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Of the hotels you mentioned the UES Marriott seems the best choice. Good neighborhood, lots of restaurants and reasonable access to public transit (a 10 minute walk to Lex Ave subway and lots of buses). Also - if you walk straight over to Central Park you'll find your self in the middle of Museum Mile (the Met, Guggen heim, City of New York and a bunch of others).

While it's true that taxis are not that much for 4 people that only works for relatively short distances - which you could walk fairly easily anyway. (Walk as much as you can in NYC - it;s the only way to really get the feel of the city.) For longer distances cabs can easily be twice the subway or more - esp when you include the tip. And - the subway is MUCH faster - esp around rush hours and holidays (walking can be faster than a cab crosstown).

If you have a car either bring it nto the city aned put it in a garage for the duration (check iconparking.com to see what that will cost near the Marriott - I would guess about $35 per day) or - if you have little luggage - leave it in Jersey (perhaps Newark airport long-term parking) and take the train in from there. (This isn;t so awful to do once - to do it twice a day would take a big chunck out of your sightseeing time.)

If you do bring a car and stay on the UES, street parking is plentiful, free and safe below 96th. Just pay attention to what the street signs about street cleaning. Typically you'll have to move your car twice for 90 minutes to accommodate invisible street cleaning.

Okay guys,
thanks for all the replies, tips etc. and great sites for info., however,
still at this late date time (we arrive the 16th) trying to decide where to stay. Other than staying in the city which I do have resies for,(however they are broken up a bit) we have gone back to considering the so-called crackhouse area??? Springhill Suites Marriott EWR.
I am able to get 3 nights + tax for less than $250. & Free parking (good because we have a rental that will just sit, yes, we have to keep it) & comp. breakfast ( good for fam. of 4)we were told it's easy to get to PATH.
drive 7 mins. to Parking for Penn(hilton gateway)$10 for 24hrs. then to PATH for an 18 min. ride in to the city @ 1.50pp.(does this sound realistic?) We do have a 4th night "last hurrah" stay in Times Square @ the Marriott Marquis for a disgustingly low rate of $89. WOOHOO. (pays to be employed w/ Marriott) which we'll keep no matter where we end up staying the prior 3 nights. We just want to be free wheeling $$-wise in city i.e sites, plays, food, museums etc. even though the Ewr Marriott gets great reviews for the value, however we don't want to be like squattersand/or be worried about getting shot over a "crack deal"?? is it really that bad and inconvenient??? is the getting from the hotel to the city going to take a long time and be that much of a hassel??? or are the replies based on bias for the "great city" which I a get and can appreciate ...understand is to get the true feel of the city, but what is a realistic visit for a fam of 4 on a moderate budget? The other options...
We are also contemplating a one-night stay EWR Mar.$45.& then 2 nts midtown-east Courtyard 219.per night & then the Marquis or 3 nts. UES @189. per night & then Marquis. don't really like schlepping but ???is it worth it wemcan rough it with the best.
Also, off the subject. My uncle said to do the roller coaster inside the ESB, I haven't read or see anything about a roller coaster????
Not trying to talk ourselve into anything because of the price, but it is sounds so economical; is it or is it just a too good to be true plan(as far as NJ)

NO NO NO NO!!

Do not consider staying in Newark. The commute can take up to an hour and isn't easy to get in and out of.

Let me add that not only is Newark airport an unsightly industrial area, Newark New Jersey has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country.

Skip Newark.

If you are staying over a weekend, check with the Marriott in the Financial District. They often run specials - call direct.

Personally, I don't think it would be fun to either stay outside the city and trek in and out everyday with a family of four, or to stay in a number of hotels for a 3-day stay. Just doesn't sound worth it to me, or much fun at all. If money is the issue, could you skimp on meals out, and put more money toward finding good lodging in a safe and convenient area?
>-

Had you mentioned you were a Marriott employee in your original post and wanting to use a Marriott hotel, perhaps we could have advised you appropriately. You've read the reviews on tripadvisor on the Springhill and decided to pay attention to the positives and ignore the negatives. You decide.

On Marriot.com you will find 20 Marriott hotels in and around the NYC area. Any of them except the other ones at Newark and the one at JFK would be preferable to this one.

Imo, it's a total waste of time to be changing hotels for 1 day of a 4 night stay. You will lose a good part of the day switching hotels. And ironically, the most inconvenient night to stay in the city would be the last night if you're headed to Va. You'd actually be better off in NJ for your drive to Va.
See if you can get the Courtyard in Secaucus for the same price as the Springhill.