This Marriot looks to be very, very close to the Barclay. Maybe a half block east, almost on the same road. Barclay is on 48th, between Park and Lexington. Marriot in on Lexington, right around 48th.

The reviews look great for this hotel well as the Barclay, but it's so hard to see which of the two places would be better.

So, on the note of finding differences when narrowing down, I've found a funny thing. Literally ALL hotels in Manhattan in this class range have the EXACT same government rate; $208 a night(I know we could do better on priceline, but I feel more comfortable knowing which hotel we'll be staying at).

So, what I have is a choice of hotels that have nothing to do with price, because they're all exactly the same. In this particular case I have the Marriot and Barclay which are apparantly yards away from each other, so location would mean nothing either when decision time comes.

To help narrow it down in other ways: If all the rates are the same for me, which of these three locations are better BEFORE I decide on a particualr hotel;

1)Central Park South
2)Midtown East-i.e., Barclay or Marriot
3)A tad off Times Square i.e., Michelangelo
4)Right on Times Square-i.e., Doubletree

??????

OK, kinda late into this narrowing down thing, but I just read another post on the Shelburne Murray Hill and the hotel looks pretty cool on the net(exact same gvnmt rate for the studio-208). Especially with the rooftop dining. Is the location too far south of the sights and action of Central Park, Times Square, ESB and stuff? How does the neighborhood compare to the others in Midtown East and Central Park South? Or, am I wasting my time with that area for such a short trip?

If it were me, I'd go with Midtown East for a couple of reasons: 1. it's easier to roll out of your hotel and find a decent (but not exorbitantly expensive) restaurant than on CPS. 2. You are further south and, therefore, closer to Times Square, ESB, etc, but still within walking distance to the park. 3. Both are lovely hotels.

If you take that location, be sure to have breakfast at Ess-A-Bagel (50th? on 3rd Ave) and at Fresco's to Go (51st b/t Madison & Park). I would recommend Fresco for dinner, although I'm not sure what they have for a 9 year old. It is a family run place, though, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind having your DD there.

Soled, I don't blame you for hesitating to use Priceline -- there are some real stinkers of hotels participating!

BUT I just did a lot of research on www.biddingfortravel.com, where people report which hotels they've gotten, prices, reviews, etc. The Courtyard by Marriott Midtown East is the only MTE hotel in the 2.5-star range that's been reported, and sure enough that's what I won. Just got back from 4 nights there are $75 per night, and couldn't have been more pleased. It's on Third, between 52 and 53, just the area you're looking for.

I encourage you to go to biddingfortravel and read up!

My favorite location is Central Park South and it is very close to Times Square. Out of the hotels you have listed, the Michelangelo. It is just south of Central Park South.

GoTravel, why is it your favorite location? Why better than Midtown East? I've never been to Manhattan, so specific reasons would help me so much more.

To help you folks understand this, I'm from Phoenix and have been here most of the last 45 years(me pretty much have only vacationed in Cali, Vegas and Mexico), so New York is so different from the way I live that it's really hard to picture the areas.

Thx.

Can I ask why people seem to be ruling out Midtown West?

One thing to remember when weighing fine distinctions like Central Park South vs Midtown East is that you're considering places that are in reality just a few blocks apart, a $3 cab ride or a couple of stops on a bus route! From the southern edge of Central Park to Times Square is only about a mile. Everybody has their favorite, and each area does have its own personality, but the bottom line is that they're all in the middle of Manhattan and none is really far from anything that you'll want to do. In fact, if you asked a few different people to outline these areas on a map, you'd probably find that there are no firm borders and that people's ideas of where one area ends and another begins would overlap a bit.

soled, a helpful resource for me has been tripadvisor.com, which has reviews of many hotels in the major cities.

Midtown East is fine as long as it's no further east than 3rd Av. The nearest subway line runs along Lexington Av, and those crosstown blocks can start to feel quite long.

That's what crosstown buses are for!

In fact, I prefer taking the bus -- even when I have to switch buses, it can be less hassle than trekking around underground at the subway stations. Bus stops are closer together, so they often entail less walking than to and from subway stations. I get to see what's going on. And they're nicely air conditioned! My bus map is my favorite must-have NYC travel accessory.

I like Central Park South because it is very close to Central Park, Times Square, nice walk to the museums, close to Columbus Circle, Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany, Prada, St. Patricks, tea at The Plaza, Rockefeller Center, many subway options, and tons of other shopping.

It is just a personal preference.

We (2 adults and 4 kids in the 10 to 14 age range) stayed on the upper west side at Hotel Beacon. Couldn't have been happier with the experience. You can do a search on the hotel name on this forum to find many other comments on it.

We liked the hotel because of its very spacious suites (including kitchen) for a very reasonable price. We liked the location because, while it was within walking distance of Central Park, museums, etc., it wasn't super-crowded or intimidating for the kids - a more relaxed area to recoup in after a hectic day. (Four of us are from San Francisco and the other two from DC, so we are not completely unused to cities, but it was still nice to be able to get away from the crowds. Of course if you're going to the city to be PART of the crowd, then something else may appeal to you. )

curiousgeo, I have been reading tripadvisor.com, but I like the questions, answers and follow up questions I can get in this format, also. In fact, you guys have been great, but...

...no one responded with anything about the Melburne Murray Hill area as an alternative. I've read here that the place and area are nice but is that getting too far from things? And is it comparable to the others?

Do you mean the Shelburne Murray Hill? It is a great boutique hotel, large rooms with kitchens, quiet location, cool rooftop terrace. >)

We love the Doubletree Suites at 47th and 7th because when we go to NY (where I grew up), it's for a theater weekend--four shows in two or three days and a trip to the jewelry street for a souvenir. We like to saty where most of what we want to do is a very short walk away, we can see the TKTS line from our window, and can easily get back to the hotel for a rest between a matinee and an evening performance. The subway is handy if we want to go to Chinatown or the Lower east Side for Sunday brunch.

October is a very busy month and rooms fill quickly, so it's recommended that you make a reservation or two and then keep researching, collecting opinions, and shopping.

For me, where to stay is always determined by my plans while there. If we're planning to see one or more Broadway Shows, we like to be within a reasonable walk of the theater. We just don't care to bother with subways and buses when we're all dressed up. And, it's often difficult, if not impossible, to find a taxi when it's raining, at showtime, at dinnertime...

Walking all about is one of the best ways to "feel" like you're in Manhattan and enjoy all the sights.

I cannot imagine visiting NYC without taking your daughter to the new Toys 'R Us in Times Square for a ride on the ferris wheel and a visit to Barbie's enormous condo. For sure, the lines are often long, but we've gone by lots of times where there are no lines at all. If you're staying nearby, you can always wander past now and again.

lol, yeah GoTravel, I meant Shelburne. I was eating M&Ms at the time, so you know where my focus was.

On that hotel, I did read the positives you mentioned in your post, but I was really wondering about the location situation and it's convience. Of course, being an unsophisticated fireman from Arizona, I'm not too sure what 'boutique' means in the hotel world, lol.

djkbooks, I already booked the Barclay just in case. I still have some time so I just want to make sure and decide in the next 2-3 days.

And thanks for the advice on Toys R Us, I had already planned on surprising her with that visit and FAO Schwartz. She's a good kid and deserves the fun she'll have.

On some of the friendly suggestions for hotels that are essentially anonymous chains, I know they're usually pretty nice hotels but being from the southwest, I think we'd like something that has a real NY feel. That's why the Barclay, Marriot East Side and M(Sh)elburne stood out to me. After all, it's a vacation and the whole idea is to enjoy the atmosphere you pay for. So, something like the Marriot East side or Doubletree maybe really nice places, but I don't think the atmosphere is what we're quite looking for.

Soled, it seems to me you've gotten a lot of useful information but it also seems to me all you wanted was someone to give you a thumbs up (or definitive thumbs down) on the Barclay. Since you haven't gotten any info that has talked you out of the Barclay, why not just book and stay there?

To other posters, you have gone to a lot of trouble here to help Soled out, and fortunately for all of us, it will remain available to others via the "search" function. In the meantime, to pick up on someone's question, why do most of you feel the east side is preferable to the west side?

As to the Barclay, I can heartily recommend it. I have stayed there twice in the past year, both through Priceline at $100 each time. It is really lovely. A beautiful lobby and the staff is friendly. On my last visit we also had a night at the Waldorf-Astoria across the street and my friend commented that she preferred the Barclay.

Often when I travel to NY it is with my daughter (now 11).We have stayed in on both East and West sides. The first couple of times I specifically chose the west side because my friend lives there. I had lived in NY on the eastside for 3 years and never really hung out on the west side so it was interesting to explore. The past few visits we have stayed on the east side and I think I prefer it. The streets are a bit less crowded and because i never really consider myself a tourist, I feel more at home.

By the way, we are going again on Mondayand with this Priceline bid I got the Courtyard Marriott for $75 (it is going for around $200 on their website). It has nothing but positive reviews on the biddingfortravel website so I am very happy. The cheaper the rooms, the more times we can go!

Soled--enjoy your trip. NY is a great place to have fun with kids. People have posted some great ideas on this board, including one about creating a scavenger hunt type activity--looking for NY thongs (pretzel carts, yellow cabs etc.). I'll try to top the thread for you.