bachslunch

The location for the best NYC pizza is normally a contentious topic. The best I've ever experienced was at Di Fara, with Grimaldi's and John's close behind. Note well that as wonderful as the pizza is at Di Fara, the total experience is a royal pain in the behind (for starters, don't trust the hours they list at their website, which differ both from the hours posted on their door and when in actual practice they happen to open that day, which can be over an hour past the listed time). See a report on my experience at Di Fara as part of this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...xperiences.cfm

Other reasonable contenders for best NYC pizza are Lombardi's, Nick's, and Totonno's, though I liked these less when I tried them.

Note well that of all the spots listed above, only Di Fara will sell pizza by the slice.

emd3

I suggest this travel guide, it is the best on NYC imo:

Moon Metro NYC (http://www.moon.com/books/moon-metro...fourth-edition)

And this laminated map. Get the map now, it will be helpful to have when you are looking at where different hotels are, etc. for planning:

Streetwise Manhattan (http://www.streetwisemaps.com/city-m...attan-map.html)

doug_stallings

Where in NJ is this "great hotel"? Just keep in mind that if you are depending on bus or ferry transportation, the dead of winter isn't the ideal time. Early October works fine. But NJ Transit just raised fares a lot, so it would help to know the location so we can say whether you can afford stay in Manhattan or (less convenient than Manhattan but much better than NJ) Queens or Brooklyn. Four days isn't a long stay in NYC, so I think it would be worthwhile to maximize your experience by staying in the most central place you can afford.

Obviously, the timing is very important here. I'd probably opt for March over November because of cost, and the weather will start improving by then, but will certainly not top 50 degrees on some days.

doug_stallings

I also meant to add ... for this short a stay I do not recommend the Statue of Liberty unless you don't ever plan to visit NYC again. That particularly activity takes a minimum of 8 hours and will eat up virtually one entire day (and since the days will be short, I just don't think it's the best use of your time), whether or not you plan to go to the top of the statue or not (you can, but you really need to reserve it far in advance). You can pass BY the statue of liberty for a good view but not get close for free on the Staten Island ferry, which takes a total of one hour.

nytraveler

If budget is a major consideration then March will be much cheaper than Oct - but will still be chilly and can be really cold (the blizzard of 88 - more than 2 feet of snow was in late March). Jan and Feb are even cheaper but a whole lot colder.

agree- where is this hotel in Jersey. Some that are near transit for commuter hours are not very well served after that - and you could find yourself after a Broadway show or dinner having an hour wait for a bus to where you want to go. Besides which - you are staying in New Jersey - so why go to NYC?

paula1470

I am not going to totally talk you out of New Jersey which is probably why you aren't getting back to us about the hotel. If you want to come in Oct/Nov/Dec and the hotels are very high priced, then it may be your only option. However those who live in NYC can let you know about the public transportation which as nytraveler mentioned can be tricky.

However if you decide to come in Jan or Feb and maybe part of March, you can get great deals through Priceline or Hotwire. Those deals may even turn out to be better financially when you take into consideration public transportation costs back and forth to New Jersey. Or you can look at rooms in Long Island City which is only a couple of subway stops from midtown. So let us know and we can offer advice.

bigbomoho

for an incredibly enjoyable tour of Manhattan use Marvelous Manhatan tours, and see if you can get Steve, the owner,as your guide heres a link http://www.marvelousmanhattantours.com/ . He gives you a very good taste of Manhattan,with several stops.Even as a native Nyer, i loved it

k9korps

I'll 2nd Doug's idea about nixing the Statue of Liberty visit. If you want to do that sort of thing, I found the visit to Ellis Island to be more interesting. Plus, you'll sail by the Statue, which to me is a great experience, or at least as great as actually setting foot on Liberty Island. Just MHO.