Mc

I'm taking my son on a quick trip to NYC next weekend as a reward for good grades. I was hoping to get a room in the theatre district for about $130-$150, but I'm striking out everywhere. Any recommendations for a place that's clean, nice, and inexpensive?

Linda

I'm a New Yorker and I was just on Travelocity.com and found a $ 150 room at the Hotel Wellington. It's a good location, near the theatres. Of course, there's always the Milford Plaza, or the Hotel Pennsylvania...

susan

Quickbook had the Warwick for $149.00

xxx

What if he hadn't got good grades? Don't struggling kids deserve treats too? No, I'm not criticizing you, Mc, and I think it's lovely to take your son to NYC, and I hope you have a great time. But good grades make the whole family feel great even without other rewards - it's the kids who worked hard and still got poor grades (and no trip) who I feel sorry for.

Re hotels: Have you tried Radio City Suites or the Doubletree?

xxx

Try quickbook.com as suggested above, and also try Best Western President, and if you have experience with Priceline, you should be able to find suitable accommodations around $100 in Midtown. Avoid Milford & Pennsylvania - they are dumps.

I don't know what you have planned for activities, but the wax museum on 42nd Street is interesting and a lot of fun.

HigherEd

Try placing a bid for a midtown west hotel through priceline.com. Before you place a bid, go to biddingfortravel.com for bidding tips. They also list recent bids and hotel reviews. I won a bid for a 4-star hotel for $75 back in March. I've stayed at the Wellington Hotel too. The location is great but the rooms are ready for a facelift. The common areas, however, were well maintained. It gets a bit crazy around check-in time as there is a small staff.