Those of us who have set-up LLC's in NY State know well of the antiquated 'publication requirement' the State still imposes on so many of its entrepreneurs. (In 2007 alone, 50,000 LLC's were formed in NY State!).
A cheap hack in the meantime could be to form in a borough with lower publication fees (in Brooklyn, the two papers cost ~$350, versus Manhattan's ~$2K), submit your Certificate of Publication, and then 'move' to Manhattan, and submit your Certificate of Change.<p>Would that work?
This is law in many states. I set up an LLC in Maricopa county in AZ and it was required to publish an ad in at least two local newspapers. I asked repeatedly about doing an online ad, but they said it was a law so too bad.