Originally Posted by
orlandodlplat
And, speaking as NYC native, the mass transit options for LGA are terrible. Not the first experience I'd recommend for a family of newly-arrived tourists.
This NYC native completely disagrees with this statement. It sounds to me like the OP has thought this out and in fact has done it before in DC. As others have noted, finding a metrocard vending machine and using public transportation to get from LGA to the hotel will be easy, and in my mind part of the adventure of visiting NYC.