No Bed-bugs Please: Budget Travel To Manhattan?

I made enough in my Etsy shop to buy my plane ticket to New York City.  That was not easy but I did it (with the help of all the awesome people who bought things from my shop) and I was just about to start saving for transportation and sustenance (food and beer) for the trip when I found out that my super kind friend who was going to put me up is no longer able to do so.

This leaves me in a bit of a pickle.  How will I be able to afford to stay in NYC? 

For the adventurous intrepid traveler there are lots of options, but for a 40 year old anxious and poor person who snores, the options are a lot fewer.  I stayed with a friend the first time I went to New York, and while it was great seeing her, it meant I was really there on her terms.  The second time I stayed in New York I stayed with my sister, which was generous of her, but sleeping on the couch and navigating around her room mate was not the most comfortable situation.*

This will be my third time going to New York.  I was willing to stay with my friend because she doesn't sleep enough to mind my snoring and anyway, I wanted to spend time with her, and there really didn't seem like any other way I could afford to take this trip.

Now that the situation is changed, I cannot imagine staying with anyone because I am extremely uncomfortable staying in homes/apartments with people I don't know really well.  Aside from that, I'm creaky, I like to stay up as late as I like (watching television, which I don't have at home) when I'm on vacation, I don't want to be on anyone else's agenda, and I don't like tripping over toddlers, room mates, or boyfriends in bathrooms.


Here's the situation:

• The conference is in Mid-town Manhattan, at the Hilton

• I will be in New York from August 5th through August 10th

• I would like to stay somewhere within walking distance (10 blocks) of the Hilton, if possible.

• If not possible I would like it to be within an easy quick taxi ride.

I would most prefer to stay in a hotel for complete autonomy and enjoyment.  Here is what I'm hoping for in a hotel:

• Must not cost more than $100 per night.

• No pay-per-hour prostitution on premises.

• Room with own bathroom. 

• Television with cable.

• Clean sheets a must.

• NO BEDBUGS.

• Close enough to the Hilton to not require a subway ride.

(Things I don't mind: tiny room, tiny bathroom, no air-conditioning- though I may die from the August heat, absence of luxury, no elevator, no concierge.  In fact, I am made horribly nervous by the concierge in big hotels and refuse, for no rational reason, to let them handle my luggage.)


Have any of you stayed in or know of a hotel that matches that description?  If so- please tell me at once so I can look them up!!  Impossible? 

OK. 

Here's the other possible scenario:  cat sitting for someone who will be out of town on those dates.  Why would someone who doesn't know me allow me to stay in their apartment while they are gone?

• I am clean, personable, and not a serial killer.

• I LOVE cats and am a veteran at caring for them. 

• Not too good to change the litter box.

• I am willing to do this for FREE.

• I am not noisy, except for loud snoring, which has yet to become loud enough to cause neighbor complaints.

• I don't smoke.

• I don't do drugs.

• I haven't stolen a single thing since the one time in my life I stole something when I was almost 16 and I felt dreadful and the guilt didn't lift until some time last year.

If you know of anyone who could use a house sitter of my description, please send them a link to this post.  But only if they meet a few requirements of my own:

• Must not be a serial killer.

• Must not be a prostitute with angry John's frequently knocking at the door.

• Must not be a drug dealer.

Please rack your brains for possible solution.  Thank you.



*Not to mention that I had my 3 1/2 year old with me and he was just getting over the flu and I got a mild case of it while there.  I got up close and personal with my sister's New York toilet and all I can say is thank god she kept hers cleaner than mine is now.