Which Marriott in NYC?

[fireplace]

In a couple of weeks, a friend is going to be in NYC (She's going to be in Soho) for work and we are going to visit NYC and stay 1 night in the city.
For points reasons, it has to be a Marriott.

Our plans include the Natural History Museum and Dylan's candy bar if there's one in the area.
We will both have kids with us.

We need to leave our car at our hotel.  Are any of these Marriott's going to be in bad/dangerous locations?
Is Time Square a "bad" area or is it fine because of the tourists?
We are not city people and will have young kids.

If you rec a hotel, please tell me is there is anything else cool/interesting nearby.
Any help and rec's much appreciated.

[froggy76]

I stay in the Marriott East Side a lot for work. The hotel itself is meh. I have always wanted to stay in the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. I used to like to ride the elevators as a kid. That location is also more convenient to tourist attractions (Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Bryant Park, etc) for your kids.

Both of those two locations are in safe areas. I can't offer much more info than that.

[fireplace]

Thanks, froggy76 !

[TR]

I really know nothing about locations, but my BF and I recently stayed at The New York Edition on Madison Square Park and it was AMAZEBALLS. He got a good deal with points bc it's fairly new.

Oh and the original Shake Shack is right across the street so that was cool. And Eataly is a block away which was also awesome.

[shell403b]

Marriott Marquis is nice, centrally located, but Times Square can be nuts. If you don't care about that, then that might be the place to go. Might be pricey (meaning, lots of points). I've stayed there several times, by myself, w/ my mom, w/ H. There's a Junior's Cheesecake place right across the street.

Essex House is on the south edge of Central Park. We stayed there 2 summers ago w/ 3 kids (our son and our niece and nephew) and it was cool to be so close to the park, plus we walked down to TS each night. I'm pretty sure it's a Marriott property.

There's also a Marriott Courtyard on 40th, I think. My mom and I have stayed there several times and it's really nice too. Far enough away from the crazy of TS, but still close enough to walk. It's right by Bryant Park, Parsons is right around the corner. We went to Mood on one trip to buy fabric for some home decor stuff (Project Runway fan, right here).

[Gato]

Times Square is safe. I've walked there at all times that kids would be up with my little ones. It can get crazy crowded around the holidays and in the summer but I think right now would be fine.

If the Essex House is a Marriott property, I would totally choose that.

[LoveTrains]

I hate the Marriott Marquis. It is touristy and annoying.

I normally stay for work at the Marriott East Side on Lexington (if I'm doing Marriott). As others have said, it's nothing special but it has a a great, central location on a stretch of Lex with lots of other hotels (the W, etc).

Not sure what the other choices are...if you are doing any Marriott property there is always the Ritz Carlton at Central Park South which would be my vote.

[janegold]

Times Square is annoying and nuts but fun for kids. The Renaissance is quite nice and has a lounge/restaurant that has an amazing view of the Square.

[daisypaloma]

We stayed at Renaissance New York Hotel 57.  It was one of my 2 top choices for Marriott hotel in NYC.  It was one of my favorite Marriott hotels I've stayed at.  It's around the corner from the Bloomingdale's, and the train stops are only a few blocks away. 

Parking, apparently is $55\night. 

[tres3]

The marriott marquis is fine. Nothing to write home about. The lobby is always busy but our rooms are always decent sized for NYC and quiet.

[v]

No area of New York that you'll be anywhere near is dangerous, so don't worry about that. The things you want to do are kind of spread out -- Soho is downtown, the AMNH is in the West 80s, Dylan's Candy Bar is in the East 50s (well, there's a Union Square location now but I'd imagine you'd want to go to the flagship), so you aren't going to find a hotel that is near everything you want to do.

Parking is going to be very expensive no matter where you stay, but your car will be safe.

I'll preface this by saying that I have not stayed at any of these hotels.

I am not a fan of Times Square (and, in fact, avoid it at all costs) because it is busy, congested, and a really bad area for food, but it is very convenient to lots of subway lines.

Judging from location alone, I'd be looking at the Ritz Carlton, Essex House, or Edition. The first two are in midtown (convenient to touristy stuff) but right next to Central Park (great with kids). The Edition is in a less touristy area that I personally like a lot more. But Times Square would also be very convenient -- just very hectic.

I'd stay away from anything in the West 30s. Again, anywhere you stay will be safe ... but the West 30s are a really meh area.

[daisypaloma]

There's a Courtyard in SoHo that looks fairly decent. It's on Varick. We stayed at 4 Points around the corner, and that area is really nice and quiet.