Prefer to stay in the financial district. There’s a decent Marriott there and the Conrad New York Downtown is a great hotel. They’re a bit further from the theater district and some tourist stuff than Midtown hotels, but Hotels in the financial district are much cheaper than hotels in Midtown and are closer to the 9/11 memorial, Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty. They’re also usually newer and nicer.
The rooms in the Conrad are spacious for Manhattan and really nice. Very good value if you want somewhere nice.
Don’t get a car until you’re out of NYC.