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My wife and I are planning to visit NYC for the first time, and we are trying to find a good hotel. We will have two boys with us (6 and 4). can anyone suggest a good area to stay?
We are planning to stay there for 3 nights and visit most famous places. but I have heard driving in NYC is tough, and parking is even worse. So is staying at Jersey city a good choise? (considering we have two young kids)
What is your budget? And when do you plan on coming?
Staying in JC may save you money, but you will lose valuable time in transit. I don't have a car, but I'm sure another poster can weigh in on the pros and cons of parking just outside of the city and taking the train in or leaving your car in a lot in Manhattan.
I also recommend you stay in the Long Island City, Queens neighborhood. It's very close to Manhattan via subway, in a safe neighborhood, and is much cheaper than staying in Manhattan. Some recommendations for quality and affordable hotels in the neighborhood are the Verve Hotel(TripAdvisor reviews) and the Holiday Inn Long Island City(TripAdvisor reviews).
I would advise that you up your expectations on how much a hotel costs. Even outside of Manhattan, $100/night is really cheap -- I would guess that "hotels" that fit that price are actually Motels in unsafe areas. Make sure you read TripAdvisor reviews before booking anything.
Since we were right by the PATH station, we took it into Manhattan every day. It stops near 33rd St, so you have to walk a few blocks to get to the good stuff or take the subway (we did once, just for fun) to get closer.
If you fly into Newark, NJ, you can even take public transit to the PATH station instead of taking a cab or renting a car. It was a little tedious (three transfers), but luckily everyone we encountered was more than willing to give us directions and instructions, so me made it with no problems.
For $100 a night, you may be able to find a deal via Priceline or Hotwire (read betterbidding.com if you don't know how to work those systems). The cheapest months for hotel rooms are July and August.
thank you guys for your suggestion. I have used Priceline before and more than likely will use it again for this trip.
Odd thing is, according to my research, winning bids for long island city hotels seems more expensive than Madison Square Garden area hotels. Is Madison Square Garden a good area to stay, in terms of conveniency to and from most famous site-seeing places?
Don't stay outside of the city. It's inconvenient and won't give you the right impression of NYC that you want for your first time. Definitely look into the Madison Square Garden area - that's right in the middle of it all.
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or take the subway (we did once, just for fun) to get closer.
