Hi. I only wish to stay in the Financial district.

I have been using Hotels.com. I have a bit of leniency but will not go below 3*.

My budget is £1,200 for the hotels and that is ate up in NYC.

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But what time of year? Hotel rates in Manhattan can vary widely with the season.

Have you tried Hotwire's opaque rates? Priceline's Express Deals? Or Priceline's name-your-own-price bidding option, which lets you specify both zone and quality level?

Hi, just 3* and middle of August.

I just can't decide. I've been going in circles with this decision.

The dayflight to Dublin is swinging me at the moment. Going via Heathrow is not an option.

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A few suggestions:

1) Airlines are sometimes able to offer lower prices on airfare and/or hotel if you buy a "package" from the airline that includes both. Not sure if this is possible on an open-jaw ticket, if you were to book DUB-ORD//NYC-DUB.

2) I'm seeing one-way airfares in August on Delta ORD-LGA for $115 USD (add $25 USD to check one bag). That means that if you can find hotels in Chicago for $35 USD/night less than the cost of hotels in Manhattan, you should be able to do four nights in each city -- and pay for your flight between the two -- for the cost of eight nights in Manhattan. As mentioned upthread, I would also check fares on Southwest -- which offers free checked baggage -- for MDW-LGA.

3) Travelzoo.com is currently offering very good rates for January-March at the highly-rated, 4-star World Center Hotel in Manhattan's Financial District. Rates will undoubtedly be higher in August, but you still might be able to find a decent rate there, either through Travelzoo, or by bidding on a 4-star in the Financial District area on priceline.com.

Good luck!

If your trip is in August, I wouldn't think twice, it would be Chicago. During the summer, Chicago is full of outdoor concerts, cafes, movies, and sporting events. Not to mention the beautiful lakefront, lake front parks, and multiple beaches. To me, Chicago during the summer beats hot, sweltering NYC, which will be over run with tourists.

I'd suggest doing a little research in Chicago. There are some very famous museums, the Willis (Sears) Tower sky deck, the Hancock, famous architecture, and some excellent restaurants. Plus the people in Chicago are very friendly, especially in the restaurants and bars, but also at the Cubs game you'll want to attend in August. Although I have to admit, New Yorkers are much friendlier now than 10-15 years ago. More side trips from New York though. From Chicago, I would only recommend Milwaukee, which is very nice in the summer.

Having spent a lot of time in many large US cities, I would say these are probably the two greatest, and with a little homework you will have a great time in either one. I'd also recommend San Francisco and Washington DC.

Also
 

In August Chicago has the world's largest free air show:

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en...atershow.html/

Big crowds but if you enjoy a great airshow, it's terrific.

I have been to Washington and I loved it but I wouldn't go again anytime soon.

I have found a Hilton hotel which I can afford and it says "pay later" I don't know what that means. Does it mean pay at the hotel or wait to a few weeks before?

I stayed in that hotel last summer. For some reason they think that £1,600 is an acceptable price for 8 nights in a standard room.

For the hotel, I assume it means that you don't actually pay until you stay. That's actually the typical method, but I've been seeing this more from hotels in an attempt to differentiate themselves from hotels offering non-refundable, pay at booking for their cheapest rates.

I recently had to cancel a trip to Munich and Vienna with 2 hotel rooms for a week, only 24 hours before departure, and I was very glad I didn't purchase the non-refundable room rates.

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"I stayed in that hotel last summer. For some reason they think that £1,600 is an acceptable price for 8 nights in a standard room."

You might have been able to book that same room for less if you had booked it through a different booking channel. That is the reality of hotel booking these days. An "acceptable price" is what the market will bear, which can vary considerably from month to month (or even from day to day). What is the hotel's rate for August, 2016, via Travelzoo?

"I have found a Hilton hotel which I can afford and it says "pay later" I don't know what that means. Does it mean pay at the hotel or wait to a few weeks before?"

"Pay later" typically means that you pay at check-in. By contrast, "Pay now" is an advance-purchase rate which may be non-refundable, or have cancellation penalties.

I found a hotel in the Financial district which has a full kitchen bathroom and living room.

£1,100. Gonna try and book it tomorrow, just worried flight prices will increase.

Can't pay for those now until probably March.

I think it's really funny that this thread ended up and is still here. I'm surprised no one has come up with any more suggestions on what to do or where to stay in New York. :D