Hampton Inn Manhattan-Seaport-Financial District

Just under the famous Brooklyn Bridge, about a 10-minute walk from City Hall and Ground Zero, the Hampton Inn is in a great part of Lower Manhattan for leisure travelers. Notably, the old boats and free summer concerts at the recently revitalized South Street Seaport are just two blocks away. But Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange are about a 15-minute walk away.- Three blocks from the 4, 5, 6 subway lines; four blocks from the 2, 3, subway lines; five blocks from the J, M, Z subway lines; six blocks from the A, C subway lines

• 30-minute subway ride to Central Park
• 30-minute subway ride to Times Square
• 30-minute subway ride to the Empire State Building
• 20-minute subway ride to the ferry terminal to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
• 30-minute subway ride to Rockefeller Center
• 40-minute subway ride or $18 taxi to the American Museum of Natural History (one transfer)
• 40-minute subway ride or $17 taxi to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the "Met") and 40-minute subway ride (one transfer) or $14 taxi to the Museum of Modern Art (the "MoMA")

• Deluxe King Standard and Double Queen guest rooms -- the most basic room types -- are a bit cramped, but the king-size bed is a step up from the typical queen-size bed in the standard room at most New York hotels.
• Walkout balcony or private outdoor patio in the Deluxe King Balcony and Deluxe King Patio guest rooms -- a unique treat from a hotel in this price range
• Coffeemaker
• Small, 26-inch flat-screen TV
• Smoking rooms available
• Free Wi-Fi

New York has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting to town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than getting there from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45 and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to midtown Manhattan costs about $40 and can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 (plus tolls) and can take more than 90 minutes. It's customary to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.Those looking to save some cash can use the privately run shuttle buses that are available at all three airports for about $14 per person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. Public transit is also available for as little as $7 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairways.For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.