I'm going to New York this weekend!

[riderinthestorm]

(and no! I'm not eating at Olive Garden)....

I need help planning this trip from anyone who can give me some advice. Here's my itinerary...

On Friday, I'm driving from Illinois to New Jersey to drop off a horse in Randolph. The owner will put us up at a nearby hotel since we'll be getting arriving on Friday night. We can leave the rig at the barn so we're planning on hopping a train and going sightseeing on Saturday and Sunday.

My tentative plan is to see some things in NY City on Saturday and stay... where? Any suggestions? Especially in light of Sunday which I'm definitely spending at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty (we're all history and genealogy buffs). I think (according to what I've discovered so far), we can take the ferry from the NY side to Ellis Island, and then take another ferry to the NJ side. Is this really feasible? And is there a train we can get back to Randolph on Sunday night since we're pulling out on Monday am?

I'd appreciate any ideas for what to see on Saturday. I'm thinking Times Square and Central Park? Or Broadway (my 14 year old is a huge theatre fan)? We're farmers so the cold, snow and weather doesn't bother us at all. We're prepared to walk, outside if necessary all day.

Here's the kicker:

The owner of this horse got just hired by Goldman Sachs so they are paying the moving bill. While this means we can stay at a kick ass hotel with the money they're paying to move the pony, we're just not "fancy" honestly. I'd rather take that money and go EAT somewhere kick ass, or see something cool rather than plunk it down to stay somewhere fancy. So convenience and cleanliness are the most important rather than a "name" - including hostels if that's the best option to maximize our time and travelling.

I'm open to all suggestions!

Thanks in advance!