New York City stay

“Reasonable” means different things to different people. If you can tell us your budget ($X per room per night), you’ll have a better chance of getting suggestions that might work for you.

good point ... I would think between $300-$400/night, which seems reasonable for New York City

There are several hotels in Brooklyn that tend to be less expensive than those in Manhattan and may fall in your price range. There are at least three right across the Brooklyn Bridge including a Marriott, a Loft and a Sheraton. These are all just a subway stop or two to get into Manhattan.

Also - there is no one “downtown” in Manhattan. The areas in Manhattan are generally referred to as downtown, mid-town and uptown. There are popular sights in each of these areas and they are all easy to reach by subway. You can use the MTA’s website to figure out how long it will take you from where you are staying to the sight you want to see. As an example, from Brooklyn it will take only a few minutes to places in “downtown”, but much longer to places in “uptown.”
https://new.mta.info/

I would suggest taking a look at the Warwick New York on West 54th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Friends from Pittsburgh have stayed there and liked it a lot. The rates might be a little higher than your target range, but you’re booking on fairly short notice and early October is a popular time.

Hi! NYC is my favorite topic. I recommend checking out The Lucerne or The Wallace on the Upper West Side (easy and quick subway ride to everywhere you'd want to go, all while being in a quieter residential area that is still more exciting than most other cities!) or The Walker in Greenwich Village.

I personally would not recommend staying in Midtown, where it's always chaotic, full of tourists (and office workers), and nothing is quaint.

October is going to have higher rates than some other months, and I'm also guessing rates may be higher with it being only a month out, but my guess is that you'd hit your price range for sure at The Lucerne and maybe at the other two.

Do report back!

We had a great stay at the Lucerne on the Upper West Side, close to Central Park and two subway lines. Midtown is a short subway ride or a long walk, if you want to spend time there. I'd rather visit Midtown for part of a day than stay there.

I stayed at the Ramada in Jersey City. Very close to the PATH station for an easy ride nto the city.

For such a short visit stay in midtown. Forget Brooklyn or Jersey City. You can’t go back to your hotel, rest and go out again. Too much time wasted on trains.

I also recommend the Warwick. I just stayed there in the spring and we loved it. Great location with a very reasonable little place around the corner where we went for breakfast each day

Hotel Beacon on the UWS. It has laundry facilities, small kitchenettes, great rooms, close to Central Park, close to some amazing restaurants, bars and coffee shops, excellent transportation with the 1,2,3 at the 72nd Street Station and there is a Fairway right across the street. Now with this being said, Hotel Beacon and the UWS, generally caters to families with younger kids and older adults, so if your daughter is a teen or twenty something, she might want to stay in a cooler/hipper area like Williamsburg or The Village. Hope this helps and enjoy your trip!

I’ve stayed at the Lucerne at least 8 times and it’s a good choice in a great location. Several friends have also recommended the Beacon.

What kind of things are you planning to do and see? Broadway shows? TV filming? Tall building views, restaurants? It would make a difference to me, as the time it takes to get around is more valuable than can be quantified in dollars.

We always stay in the touristy area around Times Square so as to see multiple Broadway shows, and while it expensive, chaotic and crowded, we take that as part of the experience. Completely understand why that is a turn-off to many.

BTW, we found the CityMapper app to be an excellent way to navigate. It provides detailed directions and real-time info on buses and subway trains.

Agree with @renee about Brooklyn close to Manhattan. We stayed at Marriott properties there when our daughter lived in Brooklyn. Close to her and close to Manhattan.

We've also had success finding reasonable rates, as compared to the rest of Manhattan, in the the Financial District.