I tried to book my usual hotel for my trip this coming week to LI and they were booked solid. I went to travelocity, then hotel.com where I found a place right behind my usual place at a pretty good rate. Not as good as I usually get by using priceline but I wanted to be able to specifically choose a hotel next to where my regulars are used to, so not to inconvienience them further.

Good luck on the hotel and also on your trip. You seem like a pleasent person from our e-mail exchange and I'm certain you'll do great in NY. There are many many hotels in the area you mentioned, especially since it's by JFK.