Visting NYC
 

I will be visiting NYC in April. I am trying to decide best place to stay. I have been looking at AirBNB listings. I wont be there except to sleep and was considering Astoria. From what I see it is a quick commute to Manhattan but I also want to visit the 9-11 memorial and walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Is staying in Astoria a feasible idea? I will be there for 3.5 days.

Stay in a hotel handy to a subway station. Then you can get anywhere you need to go.

Astoria is fine; just make sure your rental is close to a train stop, as SeaF commented above. You might also look in Long Island City (Queens), which is next door to Astoria. Again, make sure you are close to subway that runs direct to Manhattan. Same goes for parts of southern Bronx, and northern Manhattan.

So I have just been informed that Airbnb is illegal... back to square one I guess.

It is not Air BnB that is illegal. It is that most apartments renting for less than a month are doing so illegally. You can still rent a room in someone's place from the site.

Ok. Thanks for the clarification!

It is best to get a hotel rather than take a chance that your AirBmB is legal.

As SeaF has mentioned get a hotel near a subway station. None of the sites you want to visit will be near each other so it is essential that you can get around easily.

If you can't find an affordable hotel in Manhattan look in Long Island City Queens(not Long island) and also near a subway station.

Oxford Property Group is for rentals/buying. Not for a hotel for 3.5 days.

You want a hotel for that length of time. Start with Booking.com and see if anything affordable (to you) comes up in Manhattan. If not, then try Long Island City or Astoria or Brooklyn but especially in the case of Brooklyn it could mean an extra half hour or more each time to want to go back to the hotel ( on the subway). There are a few in Long Island City (chain hotels) that are only 10-15 minutes from mid town Manhattan.

An air B&B is Ok only if it's a room in someone's apartment that they are currently living in. They have to be full time occupants, not sub-renting the apartment to you. If you are OK with that type arrangement and can find one, those are legal.

What else besides 911 memorial and Brooklyn Bridge are on your to do list?

There are MANY places to stay in all the boroughs. I would just suggest to avoid Times Square, which is overpriced and not representative of our city. There are some nice boutique hotels on the Upper West Side. I love to stay in hotels in residential areas when I travel. You really get to experience life in the city. I don't know your budget, but you can easily search by area on most hotel websites.