Staying in NYC...

[brewerpaul]

We have a wedding to attend in New York in the Fall and were hoping to use this as an excuse to make a weekend of it . It's being held at some ritzy place near or at South Street Seaport and the problem is that all hotel/motels that we can find anywhere near there are outrageously expensive eg $300 per night at a freakin' Best Western!
Does anyone know of any more realistic options? We'd need to be sort of close to there so we don't have to ride the subways in our formal clothes,although we don't mind public transit for other things we plan on doing such as museums.

[gonzo914]

This is not to be considered a definitive answer because I only work there and do not live there and hence may not know all the important details.

That said, hotels are way cheaper over in New Jersey, and you can find under $200 (sometimes under $150) around Newark airport. And these are name chains -- Marriott, Hilton, etc., and not Edna's Best Western Hotel with Tire Service, Hair Salon and Bowling Alley attached. All of these have shuttles to the airport, where you can get a train into Penn Station. I have co-workers who have told me it's not at all an unpleasant trip. However, it is about 20 bucks round trip for the train, so depending on how many there are in your party and how many trips into the city you'll be making, that $300 may not be all that much out of line when you add in transportation costs to stay elsewhere.

[Bloomfield]

We have a wedding to attend in New York in the Fall and were hoping to use this as an excuse to make a weekend of it . It's being held at some ritzy place near or at South Street Seaport and the problem is that all hotel/motels that we can find anywhere near there are outrageously expensive eg $300 per night at a freakin' Best Western!
Does anyone know of any more realistic options? We'd need to be sort of close to there so we don't have to ride the subways in our formal clothes,although we don't mind public transit for other things we plan on doing such as museums.

Good luck. Try looking for B&Bs. There are a few lovely ones in Greenwich village, and there is a Howard Johnson on Houston that might be worth checking out. A reasonable place I know is called Off Soho Suites, which is at Rivington & Christie, iirc. offsoho.com

A taxi is the way to go to the wedding. Subway for two is $4 now, and a 30-block cab ride is $6 or $7.

[Flogging Jason]

You could always look for a nice cardboard box and a quiet alleyway!

But seriously...you could search and post on Craigslist for a room or something like that. You might be able to stay a weekend for the price of a single night at a hotel.

[Cork]

You could always look for a nice cardboard box and a quiet alleyway!...

Great idea, but beware of legendary NYC rats, some of whom could even appear to be human!

;-)