I am wanting to come to NYC in Aug (somewhere between 8/8 and 8/13). We have a family of 5 so it appears we have to have two rooms. Is this correct? I have yet to find anything that works. Any advice is appreciated.

Try Newport area of Jersey City, NJ. It is right on the waterfront and only a very short train ride into NY. I think the street name is Washington Boulevard.

Can anyone tell me anything about Vincci Avalon on 32nd st?

depending on age of kids,ie can you use a crib, the Courtyard Marriott have rooms with 2 queens and a couch,dont know if its a pullout or not---fairly large room

The kids are all teenagers so a crib definitely wont work.

Try The Ace Hotel, you can get an add on room with bunk beds. The hotel is new and very nicely done and still reasonably priced. www.acehotel.com

Also try the Travel Inn on W 42nd St. My cousin stayed there with her family and the hotel brought in a cot. The nice part is that there is a POOL on the roof. The hotel is just off Times Square 2 long block or take the bus. Also close to the subways.

Also try the Radio City Apartments, Doubletree Suites (downtown the weekend prices are better), the Affinia Hotels (are all suites) and the Beacon Hotel (on the upper west side)

Prices are UP this year on hotels, so be prepared for a bit of sticker shock.

Just thought of another GOOD option the Hotel Grand Union, well priced, good location (E32nd St and Madison Ave).

Hope this helps.

Another idea--try the Milburn Hotel. It's on the Upper West Side (Broadway and 76th). The rooms are set up as little apartments, with the bedroom separate from the living area. The living area has a very small kitchenette with sink, refrigerator, and microwave. I believe all the sofas make out into beds and you can get rooms with 2 beds in the bedroom. We've stayed there twice and really liked it. Comfortable rooms, comfortable beds, great location, close to 2 subway stops, lots of great places to eat, and several grocery stores around as well.

Any of the suite hotels will accomodate a family of 5 in one suite. If the 5th is a small child, even more hotels will take you. There are even some hotels that have 2 bedroom 2 bathroom suites. The Avalon is very basic. Look at reviews on tripadvisor. I agree the Milburnhotel.com is a great option for a family. The area has a lot to offer near Central Park & the Museum of Natural History.

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It is a pullout. The rooms are really large by NYC standards but of course it's still just a big room, not a suite with separate "areas" or "rooms".

You cannot put 5 people in a NYC hotel room - it;s against the fire laws and the hotel won;t let you.

for 5 people either get 2 rooms or get a suite.

There are several hotels that have suites with 2 bed sin the BR and a sleep sofa in the LR. Have a look at the affinia group of hotels, the Beacon or Milburn oon the upper west side, and several other suite hotels (San Carlos?) in midtown.

Milburn doesn't have anything available for when I am coming. Avalon does. Could anyone tell me how close to a bus stop they are? Also, where would the closing parking be since we are driving.

Check with the hotel for the closest parking - and expect it to be about $40 per overnight - as long as you don;t have an oversize vehicle. Oversize is typically $10 more per night - but if it's REALLY oversize they may not be able to take it at all since the garage roofs are typically very low - double check.

As for transit - subway is much better/faster than bus, which due to traffic often doesn't move much faster than walking. You should download a subway map and become familiar with it. Also look at hopstop.com - you can put in your hotel address and that of your location and it will give you the best routes, times and cost - by foot, bus or subway and cab.

for family of 5, your best transit solution up and downtown during the day or cross-town at night (such as to see a show) is a minivan/suv yellow cab if you can get one.

going cross-town during the day, the best bet is subway because cross-town traffic's a killer and the buses sit in it too.

Oh and you may want to as nytraveler said get map and try to think ahead of time how many times you may use bus or subway based on your itinerary because you really have to use those unlimited cards a lot before they're worth it (thanks to NYCTA). Otherwise, it's costing you $11.25 each way any time you use bus or subway.

Thanks. My concern is my friend cannot do stairs so we cannot use the subway and walking can be difficult if it is a long walk.

You should definitely use cabs where possible then. There are shamefully few subway stations with elevators. Here's the link:

http://www.achildgrows.com/travel/su...ith-elevators/

the buses would probably be a better bet for you once you leave hotel. try to avoid them cross town during the work/rush hours and you'll be fine.

If your teenagers like Green Day, splurge and take them to Broadway to see "American Idiot." What a spectacular show!!!

there's also Phantom of the Opera, which is also discounted. if you use broadwaybox.com you can get discounts on either.

I think the hotel is on 32nd close to 5th if so there are bus stops on 5th headed downtown and bus stops on Madison headed uptown. Each time you use a metrocard, you get a free transfer to another bus (or the subway)

There are bus stops fairly near the Avalon, but buses don't necessarily go near all the places you are going to be visiting. So it's very difficult to depend on them entirely (quite possible, but very slow). You'll probably want to do a combination of subway, buses, and taxis. You are going to pay a small fortune for parking, but I guess that's unavoidable if you are driving. The only way to avoid that is to stay in New Jersey. But you will not be able to drive in Manhattan. It's much cheaper to take cabs than pay for hourly parking in Manhattan.