well US cities generally are easier to pinpoint which area you want to stay in for Priceline. So unless you screw up bad, you won't get find yourself out in the boonies like bcrdukes
For example in SF you can choose between the Priceline districts:
Civic Center
Financial District - Embarcadero
Fisherman's Wharf
Marina - Lombard Street
SOMA - Moscone Center
San Francisco Airport (SFO)
San Mateo
South San Francisco
Union Square East
Union Square West - Nob Hill
The areas i've put in
Bold are generally the good areas to stay in. I wouldn't stay in Civic Center unless you enjoy the ambiance of the Downtown Eastside.
Check out the forums in
www.betterbidding.com
and
www.biddingfortravel.com
to see how much people have paid for a similar hotel by star rating, area and dates, and then adjust your bid accordingly.