nelsonian

I would definitely look at Long Island City. There are hotels there that are only one stop from Manhattan on the subway. Yes the area is a bit industrial but so close to the city, and the prices are reasonable.

azzure

A poster called jet29 recently wrote about a stay at the LaQuinta Meadowlands hotel in Secaucus; if that is where you are considering staying it doesn't sound too bad. About a 30 minute bus ride to midtown (Port Authority terminal).

Have you looked at the TripAdvisor listings? (Search hotels in NYC and organize by price.) There might be something there. Didn't realize your trip was in high season.

paula1470

Personally I would rather stay in Long Island City and take a short subway ride as opposed to a longer bus ride. Especially since you are going for theater, you would be able to go back, take a rest or change before the show. There are definitely hotels in Long Island City available for your dates and they are all under $200, some under $150 (without tax). I would check tripadvisor for the most recommended. Looks like The Verve has rooms for $179 a night and it's #1 in Long Island City.

Azzure is right about jet29's recent report. Secaucus worked out alright for them.

bardo1

..Looking for something around $100-200 a night...we're looking for Oct. 22-24

Here are 7 Manhattan hotels with rooms for your dates and within your budget:

Hotel Chelsea - 222 W. 23rd St.- $199/night

Hotel 17 - 225 East 17th Street - $186/night

Murray Hill Inn - 143 E. 30th Street - $169/night

Mayor Hotel - 9 Division Street (Lower East Side) - $165/night

Seton Hotel - 144 East 40th Street - $159/night

New York Inn - 765 8th Avenue - $159/night

Royal Park Hotel and Hostel - 258 West 97 Street - $118/night

ChicagoDallasGirl

Thanks for pointing us to LIC, y'all. Sounds like a much better option than a 30 minute bus ride to the PA, where I'm assuming we'd have to hop on another bus or take the subway.

Is LGA the best airport to fly into, if we were to stay in LIC? Is there a direct bus or subway from the airport to the Verve?

ChicagoDallasGirl

Ow, wow, Bardo. I missed your post earlier. Thanks for listing these. I'll look into 'em.

Have you stayed at any of these?

ChicagoDallasGirl

oh. one more ? where did you find these rates?

bardo1

CDG,

I got those rates on the booking engine at Eurocheapo.com/newyork

I have not stayed at these particular hotels but they are all in good areas. Try tripadvisor.com for reviews.

paula1470

Be sure to check out the tripadvisor reports. Almost all of these hotels get terrible reviews and are in the bottom of recommended hotels for NYC. Bardo did mention he hadn't stayed in any of them. Hotel 17 gets the best review and Chelsea Hotel might be a possibility.

ChicagoDallasGirl

Yes, Paula. I'm a TA-holic and noticed they are great for the pocket book, but a bit hard on the eyes. One option we recently located was a condo in Jersey for $120 a night. Very close to PATH. So far, seems the only issue with that is getting from LGA to the property. We may need to check on flights to Newark instead, but for some reason I recall that airport doesn't have as easy access to the city. Am I right?

paula1470

If you are talking about access to the city via public transportation, then LGA is the airport that is the most difficult. From Newark, the AirTrain connect to NJ Transit which takes you to Penn Station. Quick, easy and not expensive. I did it for the first time last December and had no problem and it was during rush hour. Can't imagine how long a taxi would have taken. You could look on the NJ Transit page and see about stops closer to your condo.

bmw732002

Chicago/d/g:

I feel your pain! That time of the year is most expensive for NYC Hotels.

Newark to NYC has a few options: Airport Bus to NYC is probably the quickest! But Newark to the condo in New Jersey would probably be better served by a car service out of Newark AP.

Keep trying to get into Manhattan Hotel, it is sooooooo much better than the outer burbs!

Give Priceline the shot! Keep it at 3* and higher, read Betterbidding.com BEFORE hitting 'enter'!!

Good Luck

-john

ChicagoDallasGirl

ok. ok, john. arm sufficiently twisted by the suggestions to go to pl. i'm biting, but why read betterbidding.com before hitting 'enter'??? to see what hotels folks are getting and what they're bidding? is that the strategy?

john_and_donna

I would NOT advise staying anywhere but mid-town for your theater experience! There are many options for hotels within walking distance of the theaters and the area is generally very safe for travelers. Someone suggested the Murray Hill Inn - I have stayed there and found the accommodations very nice and the location excellent! Many nice little restaurants and pubs to be found on 3rd Ave between 30th and 35th - I think you would like the area. A dinner spot with great Italian food and very reasonable prices is DaCiro's, I believe it's on Lexington between 33rd and 34th. Also, from that location you can easily walk to other sites such as Rockefeller Center, Saks, Central Park, etc. and there is excellent subway service downtown [I think it's the #6 line, but not certain]
Have fun!

ChicagoDallasGirl

Thanks everyone for all your help. I tried and tried for a hotel we'd be comfortable with in Manhattan, but just couldn't. Last night I was a bidding madwoman and nothing was accepted until I selected LCI. Previously, I'd fallen in love with the idea of booking the Holiday Inn Manhattan View but the rates were $277 minimum! eeek

Well, low and behold, that's the very hotel that came up when I bid $160. All in, we are at $398, just three subway stops from Central Park, and five stops from the theater.

Normally, I'd opt for something a bit diff than the trusty standard HI chain, but considering this is my friend's first visit to NYC, I wanted the condition and price of the hotel to not be an issue. She's excited and I'm pretty pleased, too.

Thank you all because without your feedback my journey to find lodging would have been mcuh more daunting.

Now, on to crafting our sightseeing itinerary. The only "must" for her is to have a good meal in Harlem. I know next to nothing about where to go there. So, if anyone has tips, I'm all ears... um I mean eyes.

paula1470

I think that hotel will work fine for you. It is convenient for the subway and getting into Manhattan. Since you said you are a TA-holic, I am sure you read about the area around the hotel. It's safe, convenient just not that attractive but how much time are you going to spend in your hotel? Glad you made a succesful bid.

bmw732002

A good meal in Harlem?? That's an interesting request.

The only place I ever wanted to eat in Harlem is Rao's!

But unless your name is DiNero, Pesci or even Marshall (as in Penny) you can forget it!!

-john

ChicagoDallasGirl

Thanks, Paula! Yeah, HI got great reviews on TA and was ranked 2 out of 17 or so. I did a street view walk around the neighborhood (from the hotel to the subway stop) via google and looks typical of an area that's "turning". Kinda rough/re-developing right now, but you're right. We won't be there much.

BMW, my friend said she has always wanted to visit the area and as long as she gets up there and enjoys a great lunch or dinner, then she's open to anything else. It's interesting what people 'must' see when they travel.

For me, in Paris for example, it was Versailles. Tons of people thought it was a waste of time because our stay was so brief, but it was one of the top highlights of our visit.

essenwein

The Mayfair hotel is right in the middle of the theater district and can be affordable. Rooms are tiny and basically just for sleeping, but they are all ensuite and the location is great.

efkiss

I stayed at the Day's Inn on W. 94th Street in fall 2008 when I took a group of students to NYC. it is close to Broadway subway line, and easy to get to theater district. I even walked up Broadway. I read recently that it had bed bugs, so I would check to see if there still is an infestation problem. I plan to stay at Marriott Marquis in Times Square, but it is more expensive.
Another thought is the Holiday Inn Express on 7th Avenue at 29th Street, where my students stayed in 2009 and are staying again. It is only one subway stop from NY Penn Station to Times Square, and I can walk the distance.