I will be visiting NYC with a small group (5-7) of women and am looking for a little insight from more experienced NY travelers. I've been to the city twice with my husband before, but not in the last 3 years. We were paying $125/nite for a decent place in Midtown, is this really impossible now? We are open to getting a couple/few 2 bedroom suites... wondering if that would be cheaper than several 1 bed rooms. Also, since we want to see all the major tourist sights, is midtown the best bet or does anyone have other suggestions? We will be staying for 5 days, so not a huge amount of time to lose with transporting back and forth. And lastly, any input regarding which airport is best to fly in on? I've done Islip (the long way in), have done JFK (didn't seem much quicker)..... we're thinking of flying overnight from California so as not to waste a whole day traveling. Do any airlines fly nonstop from CA to NY? Thanks for any insight! Julie
Forgot to mention: we are wondering if leaving Calif. on the night of Thanksgiving for a redeye to NYC is a smarter, potentially cheaper option? Are hotels a little cheaper after the Thanksgiving rush and before the December influx of shoppers?

I Believe JetBlue has RedEyes to New York, but your going to have to leave out of burbank or long beach

You can fly nonstop into JFK or Newark on any number of carriers - American, United, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, etc. The airfare will be relatively cheap - there is a lot of competition on the transcons these days. The hotel will not be cheap - high demand and low supply of rooms in NYC has pushed up the prices.

Agreed - hotel occupancy in NYC is very high and prices reflect this. No way you will be able to get a $125 price. You might want to look into the new Holiday Inn Express in midtown - stayed there recently at an excellent rate and it's in a great location.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._New_York.html

You want to fly into JFK, not Newark.

I have found hotel prices to go up during the holiday season in NYC and they are hard to find. Get your reservations locked in asap.

Use Priceline.com and check 3 or 4 star hotels in any parts of Manhattan. You WILL get a nice hotel for that price (or less). I routinely get the Grand Hyatt for about $110.

Priceline might work, however, it is really hard to get a hotel reservation anywhere in NYC between Thanksgiving and Christmas, let alone at a decent price. Starting now would make the chances a lot better!

Thanks for the info on airlines and websites to check... & especially on the need to book now. Anyone else think JFK is a better bet than Newark? I thought Newark was closer and a quicker trip into midtown??? I'm off to check out availability of flights & rooms! Thanks again ~julie

Given the fact that you are travelling with a pack of women, and you will most probably pile into a taxi, JFK and Newark are going to be equivalent. I would choose based on the fare and airline and not whether they fly to/from JFK or Newark.