That's one of their first hotels I dismissed. The online reviews are horrible and an article or blog that I read said that it's proximity to Penn Station made it a terrible choice.

the room is the right price, and really...really really...how much time are you gonna spend in the room when you visit NYC? On our trips we average maybe 8-9 hrs/day, almost all of it dead asleep from exhaustion. The access to the subway is a big plus to us.

My suggestion only...and I understand your priorities may vary from ours.

Seriously, this is the reason I asked. Hotel Pennsylvania is definitely one of the more affordable options, which would give us more money for NYC fun.

and can't imagine why proximity to Penn Station would be a BAD thing! Public transportation and proximity to lots of stuff (mid-Manhattan, after all) are GOOD things, imo.

P.S., may be a plus or minus for you, but many participants in Westminster dog show stay there; they make special accommodations for doggies and their handlers.

Have a great time, and let us know how things are coming, planning-wise.

If you are staying during the week, stay uptown but away from Times Square. If you are staying during the weekend, stay downtown in the Wall Street area.

You can save money by changing hotels on a friday night.

But we stay at the Millenium Hilton in the Wall Street district on the weekends. The nightly rate is $140 more during the week. I would never staty there Monday through Friday.

Also... Another pro tip. While shopping around online for rooms. Make sure to delete your cookies from time to time. The more you shop around for rate, the more the prices will go up, especially with airlines.

That's an awesome tip. Deleting cookies ASAP!

Morningside Heights).

It didn't have much in the way of cooking facilities but was really comfortable and I think can sleep 2 adults and 2 kids. It's 2 blocks from major subways.

I would look around VRBO or home away and see what you can find. The place we stayed is no longer listed, but there are others.

And for a family, it is really much more comfortable and a better value overall, imo.

I've read that they've recently made short-term rentals of condos and apartments in NYC illegal (they say for price controls, but others say because hotels are losing business.) I don't want to do anything to get in trouble. Do you or anyone else know anything about this?

If that is the case, I think the onus would be on the renter not you.

FWIW, I have used both sources for vacation rentals all over the country for many years. I have never once had a single problem with them.

that don't let you rent for less than 30 days. Napa is one. Think it has something to do with avoidance of hotel tax income to the municipality that makes the rules up.

We have stayed in some fantastic places and usually cheaper than a hotel room. Rented a townhouse in Capitol Hill for the inauguration and it was amazing. Funny part was that I reserved it a year in advance (I was that optimistic) - and the owner didn't put two and two together at that point. It cost us $200 night for three bedrooms, three blocks from the Capitol. When he figured out it was inauguration, he told me he could have gotten $6,000 for our 4 night stay.

I find they are always cheaper than a hotel room, particularly when you factor in food costs.

For a family, being able to make sandwiches and coffee and a little breakfast can save you a bundle.

Great story about your DC score.

They describe it as near Columbia and all of the reviews speak positively about the neighborhood, including how close this is to the subways.

Harlem has changed so much in the last 20 years. It is highly gentrified, but remains really interesting. We walked extensively around Harlem during our last trip and found it safe and comfortable.

Of course, it's not in the middle of things, but the subway can get you there in a hurry.

Looks like you found a great place!

Have you ever been there? Would the thirteen and seven year old sleep in the same bed?

Prices in NYC have really skyrocketed over the last couple years. Something really nice is now 400-600 night range. And, many hotel rooms are so tiny..I mean tiny like you can hardly even walk around the bed.

I like downtown if it's just my husband and I....but, for a family, I would definitely want to be uptown, near the theaters and Rock Center and Times Square. Especially if you have never been there before.

I just looked up the choices on Expedia.com for Thanksgiving week.....and found that the Waldorf Astoria has amazingly low prices, for such a cool old NYC landmark. I haven't stayed there in years, but it still has a good rating, and it is in a great location. Just pulled up their website and you can get a small room with two doubles for $209 prepaid (225-250 sf), $318 (300 sf). Small but not postage stamp small.

We're buying a package deal with the flight, going out of Austin. I found an inexpensive hotel on the Upper West Side, Hotel Newton, that has pretty good reviews. All in all, roundtrip flight for four and six nights hotel will cost about $2800 or $700 per person.

Sound like a pretty good deal?

yelp
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hotel-newton-new-york

A double with private bathroom.

Yeah, the only negative I've seen with most reviews is the room size.

As long as we have our own bathroom, it's all good.

you want to stay is great with the subway right there...plus you are close to
the Natural History and Children's Museum.

but that was the 90s so no clue how they are doing right now.

Would advise against using Expedia, but that's just me. When I used them I got stuck in the very back of the plane and small hotel room.

I usually fly Southwest and they're not affiliated with Expedia. (They also haven't posted their flights for November yet). Plus, we're now leaning toward a vacation rental from VRBO, too, instead of a hotel.

Thanks for telling me your experience with Expedia. It's kinda like a few experiences I've had with Priceline, in that we've been given rooms WAY, WAY in the back of the hotel or right next to the boiler room, etc. But I guess in the end, you usually get what you pay for.

We paid $537 total (including taxes) for two nights ( Sun & Mon night) for a 1BR suite with a pull out sofa in the living room. It was small but very convenient. The only problem is that the room rates are double or more on Friday and Saturdays.

Also, have you looked into the New York Pass? You pay a set price and get free admission to just about every major tourist site in NYC. It covers admission to the museums, top of the Empire State Building, top of Rockerfeller Center, Circle Line Cruises, the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, Madame Tussaud's wax museum ( my kids LOVED this), tour of NBC studios, and a lot more. I added a link to the website below. Check out the things you want to do and compare the cost. We saved a lot of money with the passes.

http://www.newyorkpass.com/

What a great deal! Thanks!

NYC hotels are subject to an 18.25% tax.

But for around $200 a night (What i paid)and free indoor parking i usually stay at the Travel Inn on 42nd and around 10th ave.
http://www.thetravelinnhotel.com/?mcid=gc42k20