Overnighting in New York City on a Budget

Economy Hotels in Brooklyn

Two years ago, the hotels near Times Square website had a list of fifteen 'economy hotels' in midtown Manhattan that charged less than $200 per night. Currently, the list has been reduced to only seven and these are listed at between $200 and $275 per night (plus taxes and fees, of course). Okay, we know prices for almost everything are escalating. But I forgot about Brooklyn. Hotels-near-Times-Square.com now lists a few Brooklyn hotels in addition to their regular midtown Manhattan listings. Okay, they're not 'near' Times Square but for the price wouldn't you rather spend a few minutes on the subway?

We travel using our fifth wheel RV for trips. We usually have four people and just the lodging costs alone easily tilt the decision in favor of the RV. We stay in the RV park in Jersey City, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, and take the ferry -- a very enjoyable and scenic trip. Hotel prices in midtown Manhattan have always been out of reach but this information about some nice but economical hotels in Brooklyn, just a brief subway ride from midtown Manhattan, could change things for a lot of people.

Brooklyn just Minutes from Midtown Manhattan

New York City has the best subway system on the planet. It may not be the cleanest or the quietest but it has what you really want it for; get there in a hurry with the least amount of effort. I have learned about four hotels in Brooklyn that are just a few minutes, by subway, from Times Square. Two of them charge $150 or less and the third charges $180 while the fourth charges $220. These are small, comfortable hotels, each with its unique decor, and each just a very short walk from a subway station. Plus, if you are driving, each of them is near an I-278 exit (to get to I-278 see directions below).

Parking a Major Consideration

There are many other hotels across the East River from Manhattan (Astoria, Brooklyn, East Elmhurst, Flushing, Jamaica, Queens & Whitestone) but minimum room rates (except for 2 or 3 of them) are over $250; most are well over $300. You can get much more convenient rooms in midtown Manhattan for about the same price. The main advantage of the hotels across the East River from Manhattan, other than price for a few, is parking. Frequently, parking is free; those that aren't free charge only $10 to $15 per night. While I still prefer taking an RV and parking in Jersey City (for about $60 per night), you can still save some money taking your car.

Restaurants and Tourist Attractions in Brooklyn

Brooklyn has many other advantages over midtown Manhattan. Restaurants cost significantly less and the food is at least as good. Brooklyn is world famous for its Jewish delicatessens and there are many of them from which to pick. Also, many of the attractions you would wish to visit are in Brooklyn.

Arriving by Train or Bus

If you are traveling by train (usually Amtrak or the Long Island Railroad) you will be deposited at a subway station. The same is true if you are arriving by bus at the Port Authority. All have easy, quick access to Times Square and midtown Manhattan. To reach one of the 'economy' hotels in Brooklyn, you will find routing directions at Hotels-near-Times-Square.com on the Brooklyn Economy Hotels page. And, from your hotel you can get on the Internet and pull up the interactive routing map at http://www.brail.org/transit/nyc.html. They have made it very simple; you enter your departure location, then your destination location and they will present the routing. They even will show routing by express trains where possible! Note: The official MTA subway map gives much more complete information but is not interactive. It is in.pdf format so you can enlarge it to your comfort zone. I prefer this map to the one at brail.org because it allows me to make my own routing decisions (e.g., I frequently want to stop at a series of locations and, with small children, I need to minimize the walking).

Arriving by Car

If you are driving your car to New York City, you will need to get on I-278 to get to Brooklyn. I-95 (New Jersey Turnpike) intersects with I-278 at exit 13 which is almost the beginning of I-278. You head east to cross Staten Island and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn. For those coming from the north, all your southbound controlled access highways cross I-95 as it wends its way from the George Washington Bridge to the Long Island Sound (where it, also, heads north into New England). If you encounter I-95 at an exit number higher than 6, go south to I-278 (which is exit 6-B -- a left lane exit). The Bronx River Parkway directly intersects with I-278. The other southbound freeways intersect with I-95 in which case you head north on 95 to exit 4-A and I-895 which is a shortcut to I-278. (They have a map and more detailed directions on http://Hotels-near-Times-Square.com ) These routes avoid much of the traffic you might otherwise encounter although morning rush hour is bad, bad, bad!

In NYC, Public Transportation beats Driving

You can get almost anywhere in New York City by subway and connecting busses. Believe me, you do NOT want to drive your car around the city. Leave it safely parked at your hotel so you can enjoy your trip home.