What area of NYC would be best to stay in to be close to the major art museums?

The Hotel Wales is on the upper east side and is located about fur blocks from the Guggenheim. About eight blocks from the Met. MOMA can be reached by a short ride. You Can go to Lexington Ave at 86th street to take the #6 train down to 51st street. It is a shorter walk on both ends if you take the bus. Go to Fifth Ave and get the #1,2 ,3 or 4 to 53rd street. Turn right on 53rd and you will find the museum on that block.

The hotel is not cheap, but I don't think that you can find anything in that area that really is.

Besides the three museums that you mentioned, there are more museums in the area as well. The Museum of the City of New York is on Fifth Ave and 103rd street. Between there and the Guggenheim are the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, part of the Smithsonian and the Jewish Museum. A bus trip from 86th Street across the park will put you within a few blocks of the NY Historical Society, the Museum of Natural History and the Planetarium. Near MOMA is the Museum of American Folk Art. About a mikle south of the hotel is the Whitney Museum of American Art. Again best reached by a bus ride down Fifth, or just a stroll down the Avenue. The second link below is a list of NYC museums

You don't want to be "totally ignorant" regarding how to get around the city if you're going to visit NYC. There are plenty of guidebooks, either printed or on line, that will help you get oriented - and it's very simple, especially if you're going to be mostly in the Midtown area.

If you go to the websites of these museums, you will find info on how to get there via public transportation, which you should also be familiar with. The transit system maps are in the guidebooks or at the transit authority website.

Those museum are generally in the same area of the city, but you'll need to know how to get from one to the other. Of course, you can always just grab a cab if you don't want to bother with logistics.

there are quite a few sites that you can search that will likely show you great hotels at the best prices available. check out the website BookMe and you will be able to compare prices on all the reputable travel sites in just a couple minutes. it's very convenient and will save you a bunch of time and money. Also, make sure you buy them online... otherwise they charge much higher fees for phone orders. good luck.

You'll want to find a hotel near the south edge of Central Park, preferraly over toward Madison Avenue, since most the museums you'll want to hit will be a relatively short walk from there. (And so's the fantastic shopping along Madison and Fifth Avenues.)

http://www.hotels-rates.com/hotels/locations/New_Y...

Well, if you don't mind pay a few extra bucks and staying at the hotels along 59th Street. May I recommend a few.

- The Plaza

- The Essex House

- Park Mariden

among others

You can still walk or take the subway to the museums.

Good luck