We'll Take Manhattan -- for Less Than $200 a Night

6 GERSHWIN HOTEL

7 E. 27th St. between Madison and Fifth avenues

Price we found: From $172 (Expedia, Hotels.com) to $179 (Quikbook)

Details: The 13-floor Gershwin offers true New York personality: Its immediate neighbor is the Museum of Sex. Luminescent, 3-D sculptures hang like teardrops on the dark red exterior, silent films are shown on diamond-shaped screens in the lobby, and supposedly models on their way up use this midtown hotel as home base. It's easy to get lost in the labyrinthine, wood-floored hallways; luckily there are pop art and vintage music posters to entertain (and sometimes shock) you. The 140 rooms run from the Auberge (think bunk beds) to Le Standard (a double bed, bathroom, wireless access, sometimes a window seat and not much else) to suites, each with a fridge and a unique decor. The hotel has an artist-in-residence program, so you just may meet the Andy Warhol of 2025 while checking in.

Info: 212-545-8000, http://www.gershwinhotel.com .

7 HOLIDAY INN MANHATTAN DOWNTOWN SOHO

138 Lafayette St. at Howard Street

Price we found: $197 (SideStep)

Details: The 227-room Holiday Inn is a lesson in multiculturalism: The 14-floor property shares an address with a tiny Chinese tea shop (the hotel is on the corner of Lafayette, a few doors down from the tea store at No. 138); its Sanremo Ristorante whips up Italian specialties like pesce del giorno (that's fish of the day); and some guests were recently downing Coronas in the lobby lounge. The rooms, however, are undeniably New York -- visitors must walk shoulder-to-shoulder to pass between the beds and the TV console. But the cruise-cabin-size space is cozy, with satin-striped coverlets on the beds, black-and-white photographs on the walls and a bathroom sink large enough to fit two sets of hands. Irons and coffeemakers round out the amenities, and fridges can be rented for $10 a day. With so much temptation outside your door -- fresh mozzarella from Little Italy, steamed dumplings from Chinatown, mini meatloaves from SoHo -- you'll want to spring for the fridge to hold your global leftovers.

Info: 212-966-8898, http://www.hidowntown-nyc.com.