First trip for my husband and me (early 60's) and feel we'd like to stay in the Times Square area.... hopefully under $300 a night. Will see a show, visit Ellis Island, Central Park, the Met, as much as we can fit into 3 days. Suggestions will be appreciated..Thanks!

I forgot to mention we'll be there end of May, 2006.

Myomy, I must tell you that the Times Square area is a very hectic place to stay. Manhattan isn't that large and it's so easy to get around, either on foot, by subway or cab, I wouldn't let that influence my choice of hotel. You might want to take a look at the Lucerne. It was just perfect for us (and they have a great French bistro on site.) It should be just within your price range.
http://www.thelucernehotel.com/index.shtml

Ditto the suggestion to stay on the Upper West Side. Easy access to Times Square, a walk across the park to museums, residential in character. The Lucerne gets great reviews; I stayed at the Excelsior in December and was very pleased.

A third opinion to avoid Times Square- unless you want to do lots of theater. It is loud, garish, mobbed at all hours and expensive for everything.

The upper west side is a mid/upscale residential area with tons of good inexpensive restaurants, nice areas for cafe sitting, browsing etc, close to several of the major museums and with good subway/bus access. (You can take the subway to Times Square in 10 minutes or less.)

Gives a much better view of the real New York, more for your dollar and is altogether more pleasnat, There are several other pleasant moderate hotels - On the Avenue etc - if the Lucerne is not available.

You might also check out Priceline to see what discounts people are getting (I don't know how they rank stars in that area.)

we recently stayed at the Michelangelo, which was not noisy or frenetic, but within easy walking distance of theater district, times sq, etc.

their site is www.michelangohotel.com - we ended up with great internet special of 250 a night from them direct (vs. expedia, etc - not that you shouldn't check those out too for comparison) for a large and lovely room, on the 'inside' which may be why it wasn't noisy at night. I wouldn't stay in Times Sq - 3 couples stayed there (50-58) and a fourth stayed at the renaissance (times sq) and said all night the bright lights of some blinking billboard thing kept them awake off and on all night. Plus, while I find Times Sq interesting to visit, the streets are crowded and crazy and it's nice to be a little of the path.

Michelangeo had, that weekend anyway, nice pianist near 1st floor bar/ eating area - where we enjoyed late afternoon drinks, after theater drinks, and once a light late lunch/snack. It has recently had many renovations and was lovely.

sorry, no spell check : the site is

www.michelangelohotel.com

I'm an ex-New Yorker and my husband and I love staying near Times Square (I won't say what hotel as it will elict some differing opinion posts . We are in your age category and if you love the hustle and bustle of the city as much as we do, go for it. You can walk or take a bus to every part. We do a different area each day, come back to our hotel to rest for awhile in the afternoon and then go to a jazz club for dinner and a show at night. We like the public buses better than the subways (you can easily get a bus schedule while you're there). If you have a Medicare card, show it to the driver and your fare will be cut in 1/2 - don't forget to ask for a transfer for cross-town buses. You'll see so much more of the city from a bus and the won't have to put up with the stairs, heat, and chaos of subways and expense of cabs. HINT - where ever you stay, ask for a corner room (much bigger) and high up so you won't hear the street noise as much - Have a wonderful time!

I agree with all you the advice you got. If you want to stay in the TS area, at least stay in a hotel that's on a quieter street rather than smack dab on Broadway. The Michelangelo is a great option. Looking on Quikbook.com, I see the Michelangelo will fit your budget. The Blakely is another great option and that also fits within your budget (on quikbook). Many of their rooms are suites with kitchenettes.

Although I am obviously in the minority, I also would recommend the Times Square area, especially for a first visit. Yes, it is hectic and noisy. But that's why I am going to NYC. I love the excitement, the people, the vibes! People also say Times Square is very "touristy". Well---I am a tourist. We go to NYC once a year, and normally stay either at the Wellington or the Belvedere-both within your price range. Have a wonderful trip.

The Belvedere may no longer be within your price range. They've jacked their prices enormously. I think the options I provided are close enough to TS without getting into the craziness of the Marriott Marquis type location.