Because I am staying in New York City for ten days, I chose to book a rental apartment, rather than a hotel, so that I will have a kitchen (to help save money on food), a washer and a dryer, and a little more privacy. I used www.airbnb.com to book an apartment. People list their own homes and apartments on this website. I was surprised to see that a nice size apartment in Manhattan was just as cheap as a hotel on the island. I highly recommend using this site!!