I don't know what happened but I had sent you a long message about free options to sleep to save money in between the times you use a hotel. Try freecampsites.net and ioverlander.com for free camp spots ; there won't be water or electric but free place to sleep and have a fire and make some cook out food. Truckstops like Love's and Pilot or Flying J allows free overnight parking as long as there isn't a sign that states otherwise. Showers and laundry are on the premises but showers will cost around 12 to 15 bucks so if you go this route, ask for a team shower and you and your buddies can share / take turns, kinda like in the gym. Just a few thoughts to help you budget your money. And if you are still in NYC, try to stay at hostels instead of hotels. You can either share a huge dorm room with other travelers or book a private dorm room for you and your friends. Much cheaper than full out hotels.

If you want to camp at paid for sites, state parks might be full at this time of year. Hipcamp app and website has options for all kinds of camping , all kinds of prices etc. Locations throughout the USA and some are real nice spots with great hosts. Sorta like AIRBNB but for camping. Good luck.