Try the Wyndham New Yorker. We stayed in a metro double room in June 2015 that was decently-sized and around $225 with taxes. I usually check prices via Kayak but then go to the hotel website, where I can check off any discounts for which I am eligible-
AAA, govt. employee, AARP, etc. We also stayed at the Hampton Inn Manhattan Times Square in Nov. 2015 for $210 plus tax a night. Once again an OK-sized hotel room, 2 queen (I think) beds, breakfast included. Hmmm... back in 2012 we stayed at the Manhattan Inn Times Square North (it's across the street from the theater where Wicked plays) for $208 a night, but that was awhile ago!
I try to stay in Manhattan so that my hotel room is convenient. Touring is tiring, and if you are staying outside of the city, you are "stuck" there until it's time to go back to the hotel. I find we are less tired if we go out and do something in the morning, have lunch, go back to the room for a little break, then go out again for supper and the evening. You can't do this if your room is across the river in New Jersey.
Our favorite thing to do on our first night in the city is to take the Grey Line's twilight/evening bus tour. It leaves at dusk, and you can ride outside on the top deck of the bus, up "in" the lights of NYC. Take plenty of warm clothes, though! The bus goes through the city, past many iconic buildings, and over to Brooklyn. You get an amazing view of the city at night from across the river! It's a fun evening, and we saw places we wanted to visit that we hadn't planned on, just from the bus tour. (I don't recommend the hop-on, hop-off buses during the daytime. You spend most of your time sitting in traffic!!)
Don't just "float by" the Statue of Liberty. Get the ferry tickets and go see the Lady. IMO the hike up to the crown isn't worth it- the view is small/limited and the spiral staircase gets very small; DH, at 5'10", couldn't stand up straight in the stairwell. HOWEVER... you can go into the pedestal and go outside to walk along the balcony just below the statue's feet. Inside the pedestal there's a pretty interesting museum, too. Then go over to Ellis Island, get the headphones, and do the self-guided tour. We find Ellis Island to be fascinating- I'm totally awed by what immigrants would go through to get to our great country!
If you get a New York Pass, we really enjoyed the "Food on Foot" tour. Not sure they still include it, but it was fun! We also like having dinner at Becco. GREAT pasta at an affordable price (by NYC standards); their daily "sinfonia" has a bread and app plate, and then AYCE of the 3 or 4 pastas they prepare daily, for under $25 (last time we were there). They also have a great wine list with over 100 bottles at under $25. These are great prices for Manhattan!!
