Fairfield Inn by Marriott New York Manhattan/Financial District

Sixteen floors above Front Street in Manhattan's Financial District, this Fairfield Inn sits inside the old South Street Seaport, three blocks from the cobblestone pier and East River waterfront rather than the Midtown high-rise cluster most chain hotels claim.

Rooms run compact, standard three-star Marriott fit, with the seaport's converted warehouses and fish-market-era brick visible from the higher floors. Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial are both under a ten-minute walk.

The Fulton Street subway hub, reachable in under five minutes, puts JFK and most of downtown within easy reach without a taxi.