First timer

I am going to New York for the first time in May and would be grateful for any recommendations for a nice hotel (not too expensive) and any place to visit that should not be missed,

First timer

What%26#39;s your nightly budget for a hotel? And is it just you coming, or are you part of a larger family or group?

My personal Things-Every-Visitor-Must-Do list is the following:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Empire State Building or Top of the Rock

The American Museum of Natural History

Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island (or even just seeing the statue from the Staten Island Ferry)

Museum of Modern Art

Times Square

Broadway show

Walk across Brooklyn Bridge

Central Park

Grand Central Terminal

Explore Greenwich Village, SoHo, and Chinatown

Shopping--Fifth Avenue, SoHo, Macy%26#39;s, Bloomingdale%26#39;s

The United Nations

Eating at any of the hundreds of great mid-range restaurants in the city, and at least one blow-out top-notch dinner

Poster QueensBoulevard has a terrific guide for first-time visitors. If you search for ';spiel for first timers'; in the box above, you%26#39;ll find it.

First timer

Thank you so much for your help, Crans, and so quickly too; just a few minutes after my post.

There will be two of us going, myself and girlfriend, and I haven%26#39;t thought much about hotel budget but probably up to $200 per night for the room, less if possible.

The marriot courtyard looks ok on here and is in your price range.Enjoy your trip to New York.

Although is might be hard finding accommodations this late in the game, however, keep in mind that if a hotel shows no availability on their site - then it is always best to call as they always keep rooms off their reservation system to book over the phone - this way they can better handle overbookings.

Try the Larmont Hotel located 27 West 11th St in the Village - address is

(Shared baths though - but very adequate) rate is rate is between $119 - 135 - www.larchmonthotel.com.

http://www.heraldsquarehotel.com/ - Herald Square Hotel

http://www.chelseasavoynyc.com/ - Chelsea Savoy (rates start at $99)

http://www.wshotel.com/ - Washington Square Hotel They only have a handful of days left in May (again always best to call)

As for any places that should not be missed when visiting New York. Basically, as you already know, they are lots to see and do (and one visit probably will not do)

But, check out Times Square (at night), Check out a broadway show, some Museums, Central Park China town, Harlem, or better yet take a bus tour and cover as much of the sights as possible. The weather in May is usually great, so sitting on top of a sightseeing bus is probably the way to go..

Just got back and you should do Top of the rock instead of ESB. It is fantastic!!!!!!

I agree with Janders01. We have also just got back and I thoroughly recommend observation deck at Top Of The Rock. View from there is fanatasic. Go just before dusk as we did and watched the sun set over the city WOW!!!!! Didn,t bother going to Empire Estate Building. Also check out Grand Central Terminal, it is lovely building also. Hope you have great time . We came home couple days ago and were exhausted even though we said we would,t shop much, we ended up shopping til we dropped Also visit Times Square at night to get a real buzz.

$200 has become the entry level for a decent hotel these days and May is a popular month. Best I can suggest is look on kayak.com and quikbook.com and see if there%26#39;s anything in your budget with decent reviews here. If you don%26#39;t need a traditional hotel, perhaps one of the b %26amp; b%26#39;s would work for you. Chelsealodgesuites.com might be a nice option.