you would be much better off staying where i use to live in brooklyn. its two train stops and your in downtown manhattan. look for a place in carroll gardens (where i lived) , boerum hill, cobble hill, brooklyn heights, prospect heights, williamsburg, park slope. you can also try queens but its a slightly longer commute from long island city, astoria.
i would try for manhattan but parking is ridiculous and rent is very expensive.
good luck!!!