Don't discount Metro North completely!
[QUOTE=BillyCunn;7489637]My schedule only allows me to go weekdays and mornings.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=BillyCunn;7489641]Let's just say it takes me an hour to get to Manhattan and I need to be able to leave at any moment so mass transit isn't convenient.[/QUOTE]I'm sympathetic, but please don't rule out Metro-North entirely (assuming you are coming into the city from Westchester County or CT) for weekday visits.
While I regularly drive into Manhattan from CT on weekends and on weekday evenings, I find that driving in on a weekday during the day is a real pain - besides high garage fees and congestion pricing, there's always midtown Manhattan traffic to consider, especially on days designated as "gridlock days" such as in December, during the annual UN General Assembly session in late September / early October, and whenever any US President comes to town. I've been stuck in my car on a late Friday afternoon and spent hours trying to get out of the city.
There are a lot of decent AMPs walking distance from Grand Central. I'm a slow walker, but I've been able to walk from GCT to Pleasure Palace, MetroGirls, NYAF, and Rainbow from the 42nd Street entrance in under 12 minutes.
Even closer, Miss Kyoto is a 5 to 6-minute walk from GCT's back exit at 45th and Vanderbilt.
143 Club, Rising Sun, and NYCSE are all a short subway ride from GCT.
Up to you!