Also check the chain hotel websites. Most offer discounts (
AAA, AARP, military, government employee- which if you work for a public university or even a school you are eligible for), and some have discounts for their frequent travel club members. Just sign up for the rewards club and then search online for "discounts for whatever chain" for codes. (Hilton Honors has great discounts). We stayed at the Wydham New Yorker in a metro queen (1 queen bed, HUGE floor space, fridge/coffee maker, big bathroom) for less than $200 a night, taxes included, in June 2015. It is a great location, right across from Penn Station so it made taking Amtrak very easy- just a walk across the street- and we had a great view of the Empire State Building from our window. This is maybe a 10-15 minute walk into Times Square, and felt very safe walking back after an evening show (using city street smarts, of course!). We've also stayed at the Hampton Inn Times Square on W. 41st street for $235 a night, taxes included, in NOv. 2015. This is a GREAT price for the location, and included breakfast. We didn't have a vehicle either time, but when we stayed at the DoubleTree Suites right IN Times Square, the parking was $40 a day and definitely worth it; there were 5 of us and driving/paying to park was the cheapest form of transportation!
One of our favorite things to do on our first night in NYC, if the weather is nice, is to take an open-air EVENING bus tour (Grey Lines, I think). You load in Times Square and drive around the city as night falls and the city lights up. This tour goes over the bridge into Brooklyn, so you get a great view of NYC after dark. This is usually a pretty informative tour; we try to take it on the first night in case there's anything we didn't know about that we decide to add to our schedule. Other than this, I would skip the hop-on-hop-off buses in NYC. You spend more of your time sitting in traffic than anywhere else, and in the summer if you sit on the top it's HOT and all you smell is traffic fumes.
I'd look at a map and group my touring accordingly. For example... from Times Square, walk up the west side of Central Park to the Museum of Natural History. You can wander through the park a bit on the way, see Strawberry Fields (memorial to John Lennon, by Yoko Ono) and see the Dakota (where he was killed, and I believe she still lives there). You can also walk through Lincoln Center if you are interested in seeing this along the way. We didn't care for the Musuem of Natural History, which was surprising as DH and I are both scientists. We did, however, LOVE the Metropolitan Museum of Art- MUCH more than just artwork! If you are on the west side of the island at the Natural History Museum, I'd take the cross-town bus across the park to the Met. I'd plan 3 or 4 hours at either museum, and that doesn't include transport time.
If you are interested in Rockefeller Center, make that a destination. You could go early and hang out with the Today Show crowd if you hope to get on TV (not our thing). Options in that area are the NBC Studio Tour, which we enjoyed, Radio City Music Hall tour (loved this, but DD's done training programs with the Rockettes for 2 summers so it's kind-of "our thing!"), Top of the Rock (want to do this... get your timed ticket early in the day, when you can choose your tour time... and I'd go during either during the day, for the view, or late at night, for the city lights). There isn't a lot to see at Rockefeller Plaza, but you are within walking distance of St. Patrick's Cathedral and 5th Avenue if you want to window-shop at or go into the high end stores. The Museum of Modern Art is also in this neighborhood, and is SO worth it! I'd plan 2 hours each for RCMH, TotR, and NBC, longer at MOMA, maybe 30 mins at the cathedral.
Head Downtown for Empire State Building, 9-11 Musuem/tribute, and the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island. You'll need tickets for all of these, and I believe both 9-11 and SoL are timed. If you are doing Top of the Rock, skip ESB- same city, same view, although for movie buffs ESB can be mecca! I haven't been to the 9-11 exhibits so don't have any advice. SoL/EI... you need to know that there is only ONE ferry service that can actually STOP at either of these Islands. I believe it's statuecruises.com Anything else that advertises SOL is just a float-by, not an opportunity to get off the boat and onto the islands. We love the SoL and EI. I don't go into the crown anymore, but DH and DD22 have done this. You should be advised that to get to the crown, you go up and down a very, very narrow, tight, spiral staircase; DH was unable to stand up straight, and you cannot put your foot fully down on the steps. I enjoy going into the pedestal- there's a museum there about the Statue's history, construction, etc. and there's an outdoor walkway at the top of the pedestal/base of the Statue itself. DH and DD both say they wouldn't go to the crown again- it's a strenuous hike and the view isn't all that great as the windows/viewing area are quite small. We all love Ellis Island, and can spend about 3 hours there, walking through the exhibits and doing the audio tour. Security will be high at Battery Park, where you get the ferry, and even higher over on the Island if you are going into the Statue herself.
Theater tickets- get the tickets for Wicked (and Hamilton, if you are interested) before you ever leave home. Except for that small, chancy lottery, you won't get a discounted Wicked ticket. Try to purchase directly from the theater, NOT one of the resale sites. You just don't know if you'll get real tickets or not- or if they are resold (i.e., grossly overpriced). We usually get our theater tickets either rush (be at the box office at 9am with cash and appropriate ID- check theater websites for their rush/lottery programs) or through TKTS in Times Square. Decent prices, decent seats. Check TKTS.com to see what's been available for shows and the approximate discount. We've also had good luck through broadwaybox.com
Food- We like Becco (between 8th and 9th Aves, I think). Becco has great prices for Manhattan, we think, even the wine and the food is terrific. We've had great pizza at JOhn's, I think, across from the DoubleTree Suites in Times Square, and there's a place next to it that lets you pick your protein, starch, sauce, and veggies and they stir fry it for you. There are LOTS of cafe-like places in the Times Square area (even if they are local chains, like Cafe Europa) and the Halal guys (food trucks) in the area are inspected by the city and have good food. I would definitely NOT go to places like Steak&Shake, Olive Garden, TGIFriday's, etc. Check trip advisor.com for food in the neighborhood where you are staying. If all else fails go to Whole Foods in Columbus Circle- the most amazing food bar/buffets anywhere!
