Some useful links for your stay in NYC:
Accommodation:
General: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g60763-c3-New_York_City_New_York-Hotels.html
Most convenient: http://www.washingtonsquarehotel.com/
Convenient AND cheap: http://www.jazzhostels.com/jazzonthetown.php
Getting around:
NYU directions: http://www.nyu.edu/about/travel.html
General Directions: http://www.hopstop.com/?city=newyork
Subway Map: http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm
To and from JFK airport:
Taxis: Costs c. $45-50, time dependent on traffic (usually 30 mins, but varies widely)
Subway: Take the airtrain to the A/C subway line, which takes you directly to West 4th Street (cost $7, time +/- 1.5-2 hours)
Long Island Railroad: Take the airtrain to Jamaica, then the LIRR to Penn Station, from where you can catch the subway pretty much anywhere (time: +/-1 hr, cost $20)
NYU:
Campus Map: http://www.nyu.edu/about/campus.map.pdf
Draper Seminar Room: 24 East 8th Street
Dining:
http://www.yelp.com/manhattan
