What would you pay?

I am searching for a hotel room for a visit to NYC in November. I did not know until a few days ago that the NYC Marathon will happen on that same weekend. Now, when I lived in New York way back when, I loved watching the runners pass thru Greenpoint, Brooklyn into Queens. How cool! When I called to check the price of a hotel room, my happy memory turned black. $650.00 per night! Can you imagine the cost for a 3-day weekend? I could try calling a few friends but that would mean an outer borough commute. Whew! I don't know what I'll do.