+1 on the Morgan Library and it’s cafe.
Walking in NYC can be really nice. I would reccomend actually staying in a hotel outside of Times Square so that you can see more of the city. I highly reccomend the Viceroy, Westhouse, The Pearl, and Trump Soho. If staying in Times Square is a must, you can’t go wrong with The Premier Hotel at the Millennium. I’ve heard great things about the Knickerbocker hotel as well. It’s in Times Square and it was newly renovated and reopened.
A couple of weeks ago, we had drinks at Press rooftop lounge at the Ink 48 hotel. This is on 11th avenue and 48th street. The views of the Hudson at sunset were beautiful followed by the lit up skyline of NYC and you can get a peek of the Empire state building. The hotel itself is a Kimpton hotel. We only saw the lobby but the location is walkable to the Broadway show area and also near the Intrepid air and space museum, if that interest you. I believe if you have AAA, the hotel provides a discount. The Print restaurant in the lobby has some wonderful reviews as well.
We’ve stayed in Times Square; it’s OK, lots of more-or-less interchangeable hotels with small rooms in a bustling area. We really prefer to stay a little farther away, e.g., The Lucerne on the Upper West Side at 79th & Amsterdam, a block off Broadway. It’s quieter, rooms are more spacious, convenient to the subway, Central Park, American Museum of Natural History, and tons of shops, restaurants, and watering holes along Broadway, Amsterdam, and Columbus Aves., very safe area. From there it’s 5-10 minutes to Times Square by subway, maybe a little more by taxi, or about a 40 minute (2 mile) walk. The Lucerne also has several sister hotels. When traveling solo I’ve sometimes stayed at the Hotel Newton, conveniently located at 94th & Broadway right at the #1 subway that takes you straight to Times Square; rooms are smaller but it’s less pricey (frequently cited as one of NYC’s best values) & much favored by European travelers and a somewhat younger and hipper clientele.
As a separate subject, you can get the tkts app onto your smart phone to see what broadway tickets are available at the last minute for cheap prices. If you want a specific show that might not release their extra tickets on tkts, then buy the tickets in advance on the standard broadway ticket websites.
Will you need one room or two? If two, then VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner) may work better.
My kids like their POD hotel stay. . For summer guests, there was supposed to be a nice rooftop deck.
** The Pod Hotel 39 - 145 East 39th Street (between 3rd Ave & Lexington Ave)
thepodhotel.com … (POD 51 is at 30 East 51st Street, between 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave)
bunk room for 2 (doubles available too) - verrrrrry small, private bath
at Christmas time - $293 total for 2 people, 2 nights - 24 hr cancellation
If your primary interest is the theatre, check out the Doubletree Suites in Times Square. There is a doorman at the ground level who must check your key card (or reservation) before you are admitted to the building and then you take the elevator up a number of floors to the lobby ( the service floors, such as laundry are below, so that you are nowhere near the street noise). It’s an all-suite hotel, triple paned windows make sure that you don’t hear anything from the outside. The location is super convenient for the theatre district and grabbing a bus to go uptown to the museums and you can find good deals on line or via Broadwayworld.com.
I second Marriott Courtyard Chelsea. Some of our guests stayed there for my son’s wedding and they all loved it.It is close to Penn station if you need to go to airports, on a safe (police station across the street) and quiet street, only a block to Herald Square. It is a block to all lines of subways and Path.
Very walkable to Times Square. Some friends stayed in Times Square and the restaurants were busy and overpriced.
This is a Travelzoo deal that came to my email to day - $199 King room at newly renovated Gregory Hotel
Get tickets on-line to anything you want to see before you go if possible. This will save a lot of time waiting on line. Iff however, you want to try to get cheaper B’way tickets on the day you want to attend, obviously you will not have as much choice in show or seat.
Stay somewhere other than Times Square. It gets you away from the hustle and bustle and you can find cheaper breakfast! Haha! Transportation is no problem. There are subways, buses, taxis and walking.
Look for things that are free or donation or cheap. Examples are the Staten Island ferry ride, the Highline, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and, of course , Central Park.
Have fun!
Best app for tickets is TodayTix. TKTS has an app but it only shows what’s on the board and you can’t buy from it. TodayTix lets you check shows and prices by dates. And they mostly hand you your tickets in a specified meeting place right near the theatre.
There are several chain hotels between Herald Square and Bryant Park such as Couryard Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn. Novotel in the theatre district is very nice. I had had business lunches in the restaurant there. Always crazy busy but right in the theatre district is the Marriott Marquis.
I second the Doubletree Suites suggestion, as the set-up might be better for your situation. They are two-room suites, with a sleep sofa in the living room. It is right on Times Square, next to the TKTS booth. I was there two weeks ago and had a choice of at least 15 shows on a Tuesday night at great discounts.
After taking a taxi or two, I decided to purchase a transit card. I wasn’t daring enough to try the subways, but the bus system was wonderful. It’s only $2.75 each way.
I ate at two reasonable restaurants on W 56th St, Benare’s (Indian food) and Patsy’s (Italian). The food was excellent and they were only a few blocks from the theaters.