Thank you for your advice. I will be in NYC in April with my 15 year old daughter and would appreciate any advice about places to stay and interesting sights. I want to make this very special for her. Last year I stayed at the Michaleangelo. It was nice. She has not been to NYC since she was 8 years old. I noticed that Fodors eliminated its star next to The Palace.

Donna the Michelangelo is often raved about here. "Nice" doesn't sound like you were too impressed. Actually, people with teens always say the teens "love" staying in Times Square. The Michelangelo is one of those hotels that's in the area but not right in the "fray." The W in Union Square might be a fun location/place. Closer to downtown things like Soho, the village etc. but in a young vibrant area with shops, restaurants etc.

And yes, I agree the upper west side is a great option to TS for good, comfortable reasonable hotels -they include The Beacon, the Lucerne, the Excelsior, the Millburn, On the Avenue.

Since I'm planning a trip in April with a friend, I've been reading this post with interest. She's interested in jogging Central Park, I'm interested in Broadway shows. Have checked out all the hotels mentioned, specifically the ones mentioned by you, mclaurie, and the one that stands out (decor-wise) is On the Avenue and at a price we can afford. I've had trouble finding reviews for this hotel on the internet. Anyone have any thoughts about a stay there? Is it located well for both our interests? Thanks to all the New Yorkers and veteran visitors, Patrick, et al, for your input.

Donna & Maggie...I am planning a trip to NY with my 14 yo niece in Feb. We have reservations at the Comfort Inn Midtown...it's on 46th between 6th & 7th. I read about it here, then in several guidebooks. I got rooms for Presidents Day weekend for $109/night, then called about the AAA discount, so net will be around $100/night. Very convenient to the theaters and lots of other things. I'm excited about it..seems like everything else I looked at either wasn't as nice, as well-located, or as cheap! www.applecorehotel.com

Anne

These anti-Times Square posts are just as silly as the ones against Union Square in San Francisco. Times Square is the center of Manhattan, like it or not. Anyone wanting to be in the center of activity is right to want to stay there. It would be sad if they never left that area to explore the rest of Manhattan, but it is the ideal area to stay.

I did love the Michaelangelo. I just think my daughter would not appreciate it as much as I did. Thank you for the suggestions. The price for the Comfort Inn on Broadway plus the location is very inviting.

I actually love Times Square. Okay, I wouldn'y want to live there, but as a tourist to The City several times per year, I just like walking through Times Square, especially at night with all the lights. The area is quite clean, although very crowded. But crowds are what The City is all about. Times Square is also very convenient to many of the different sites in Manhattan which is another reason why people like to stay there.

Maggi, there appear to be about 40 mostly decent reviews of On the Avenue Hotel on tripadvisor.com

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Search-g6..._New_York.html

One review says it's a $6 cab ride to Times Square or 20 minute walk. I'd guess it's a 10 minute walk to Central Park.

The Mayflower Hotel is a better <i>location</i> for you both-right across from the park &amp; about 15 blocks closer to TS than On the Avenue. But last time I looked, the reviews weren't very good (I could be wrong).

On the Avenue is on Broadway which makes it 3 blocks - or about 3/4 minutes from Central Park and 5/6 minutes from the Museum of Natural History. About a 10 minute walk to Lincoln Center. It is also 2 blocks from the Subway station at 79th street. By subway to Times Square is about 6/7 minutes - another 3 minutes to Macy's at 34th St. If you prefer, the bus down Broadway will take a few miutes longer except at rush hour.

Thanks McLaurie. The Mayflower is a good suggestion, and I did check it out, but the decor of On the Avenue is hard for me to resist. Where I sleep really matters to me, it's part of my vacation experience, and while I don't want to spend a fortune on accomodations, I like to find those small special, yet affordable boutique hotels that appeal to the imagination. We don't have to make up our minds for awhile, so I will keep checking and keep these two in mind. NY Traveler, those travel times from OTA don't sound bad at all. Thanks for the input.

The first 15 or so responses on this thread may constitute the most erudite exchange of opinions on Fodors in years. I'm impressed!

Let me offer my own thoughts as a former New Yorker and still-frequent visitor:

1) If you've never been to New York, the allure of Times Square is overwhelming. It's what you see on New Year's Eve; it looks like the center of the world, and there definitely isn't anyplace like it back home, where ever &quot;home&quot; is. It's also a &quot;known&quot; destination and, as several posters point out, there are (now) lots of places to stay that are &quot;name brands.&quot;

2) I would think that anyone who stayed in Times Square would be disappointed. The traffic noise alone would rule it out as far as I'm concerned. But half a dozen posters say it is the only place in the city they would stay, which shows it takes all kinds.

3) I've stayed all over Manhattan while both on business and pleasure and, to me, location is relatively unimportant; I'm much more interested in getting a good room than what is immediately outside the hotel. The things to do and see in Manhattan are spread out over - what- eight or nine square miles, so the fact that a hotel is adjacent to one particular point of interest is really meaningless.

4) I think most visitors - until they get the hang of the city - can't grasp that most people walk from point 'a' to point 'b', and that it's OK to be on the streets of Manhattan at 9 p.m. Until they make that connection, they assume they need to stay within sight of where they expect to spend time, because that's the way it's done when you visit Atlanta, Denver, etc.

Anyway, that's my take on the subject.

Well-said, Neal! It's very true, what you say about location being unimportant. Manhattan is very easy to navigate...all you need are comfy shoes and a Metrocard or some cab fare and you can get just about anywhere.