2. FIND A PLACE TO STAY

Being a major tourist attraction, New York City has numerous hotels in variety of price ranges and in all parts of the city. Major chains such as Marriott, Sheraton, and Hilton all have at least one hotel in a convenient location. If money is no object, you might want to stay at The Plaza Hotel or the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Both are city landmarks for their architecture and famous guests; whenever you see a New York Hotel in a movie, it's probably one of those two. If your budget is tight though, you might want to check out some youth hostels.

If this is your first trip to the city and you are incredibly wealthy, we recommend that you choose a hotel in Midtown since that will be the most centrally located. Prices and availability for various hotels can be found on the hotel websites such as The Marriott and The Sheraton. The 1st New York web site also provides several lodging options, ranging from very fancy to very basic (and you can also make your reservations online). The World Executive site also lists many potential hotels, and it also reveals discounts you can receive.

If you happen to be a student or poor (the two usually go hand-in-hand), then you should definitely consider a hotel outside of midtown. The upper east side and the west side have plenty of more affordable (though still expensive) hotels. You just might be able to find something under the $200 mark.

The last bit of advice we can give you is this: be prepared to spend a lot - at least $150 for a decent room in midtown. Everything in New York is expensive (the food, the souvenirs, the gigolos/prostitutes…) so you might as well enjoy it and stay in a comfortable place.