Where Should We Stay?

 I'm asked often for tips about New York. I am sure it isn't my ridiculous over posting of my visits on social media that drives people to seek me out for this advice, but rather that my pure love of the city shines through with my every word and picture posted.

The answer is actually long and detailed and I end up sending these ridiculously long winded texts with great amounts of information and then follow up with more texts as I remember more incredibly important things you must know. 

Some people take the advice and some don't, but I am asked a lot. So I have decided to put it all in one place and just direct people to blog when they need it.

Where should we stay?

It really depends on your vibe. I've stayed in a lot of places throughout Manhattan and one amazing Air B and B in New Jersey. I have really only had one real miss where I literally changed hotels. I have had a couple that were just so so, but they were short stays and we were sight seeing a lot so I didn't care.

I book a lot on Booking.com. My advice would be to read the reviews. Obsessively read the reviews. There are things in the reviews that will plummet a hotel score and they are things I don't care about, so the hotel will turn out to be amazing for me. Know what is important to you and read the reviews. People are always really upset about the quality of the "free breakfast." This is not important to me in NYC. Your hotel stay should depend on your New York vibe.

FiDI

A great location to stay (off the beaten track) is the financial district (FiDi). It is close World Trade Center, Statue of Liberty, Battery Park, Brooklyn Bridge and more. I actually love it down there. It is busy during the week and quiet on the weekends when the traders are not in the city. Reagan lived there one year and I got to know the area well. 

I've stayed a Marriott above a Gap (this was useful as it was August and it was so hot I would sweat through all my clothes each day and end the day stopping in to buy a new shirt for the next day.) It was a Residence Inn and had a small kitchen and that was great. 

There is also the World Center Hotel. Lots of room size choices and caters to a lot of business men. This was helpful when we moved Paige in to college. I had everything Amazon'd there and it was all waiting for us or arrived during our stay. It's a fairly basic hotel, but has all the essentials. Occasionally they have a free happy hour with snacks. You can also get a room and living room space if you need more space for a fairly reasonable. It is not a luxury hotel, but it has lots of great features. 

Club Quarters Hotel...this is a chain that is associated with the World Center Hotel above. They are attached. Same rooms but somehow differently owned? They also have a location at Grand Central Station. I have stayed there and it has all the same comments as above. Again, it is a less expensive way to get a room with some more space and a kitchen.

When in FiDi ride the Staten Island Ferry (free) past the Statue of Liberty. Humm the song from Working Girl with Melanie Griffith while you look at Lady Liberty. Go to Eataly. Get their pizza to go, it's really good! Harry's is a great fancier restaurant. Walk by the water at Battery Park.

Boutique Hotels 

Hotel Sherman is located on restaurant row near Broadway. Darling street. Very small hotel with French design. There are small rooms, but also suites with one and two bedrooms and darling balconies. There is also a balcony/rooftop everyone can use. All rooms have a kitchen and there has often been a very good breakfast with above average pastries etc. The front desk person has always been lovely and usually has his dog at the desk with him. I love this hotel. We stayed there a lot during covid when I could get the very large suites for a good price. Since covid ending those are very expensive, but pre covid I stayed in there smaller rooms and loved them. Across the street are restaurants that feature piano playing and singers and once during covid an amazing outdoor drag queen show that I watched from my balcony. The Mexican restaurant on the first floor is good and there is a French restaurant next door with amazing escargot and a French Onion burger to die for. You can walk to Central Park.

Executive Hotel Le Soleil is located in Midtown, I  stayed here right as it reopened after being closed for covid. So I had a great experience with customer service etc. as they were trying to work the reopening kinks out. Great location for walking to Bryant Park, Macys and good subway access to get other places. Some rooms have an added living room. There are robes and slippers. It was fine, I haven't stayed again, but I liked it.

San Carlos Hotel was a great stay. Great location and has larger suites available. Our room was a little  dated, but was clean. Front desk staff was great. Lots of easy to walk to restaurants. It is right below the upper East side and a close walk to the water and nice residences. we watched the Fourth of July fireworks there one year. Great experience.

The Manhattan Club is one of my favorites. It is a couple of blocks from Central Park. Excellent location for the park, Broadway, Times Square, subway access. It is a hotel and a time share of some kind. It seems mostly people that live nearby, but not in the city have the timeshares. They use it to come in to the city for a night or two for meetings or a play. They have a really cool bar on their rooftop. It's quiet with great furniture and it is where the timeshare people hang out before dinner plans so it is fun to ease drop. My best friend and I call it the "Big Pour" hotel because the wine pour is big, especially for the city. Some rooms are dated. If you want a more modern room, book the ones called "City Lights" rooms. They are more newly renovated and have living rooms. They also have a great one bedroom with living room. Again, some are dated but they are spacious.

The Beekman Tower Trademark Collection is a new favorite that we stayed in this Thanksgiving. I almost didn't book it because the reviews were so inconsistent. But when I ended up loving it and asked the front desk about the reviews he said it was because some rooms are dated and also a lot of people complain about the beds. They are hard. My husband has a bad back and this was the best vacation sleep he has had in awhile. So, again, always read the reviews thoroughly. We had one with a kitchen, dining room, living room and bedroom. It was great for Thanksgiving day. It is located on the water by the United Nations building and it is in a nice neighborhood so their are a lot of great neighborhood stores, bakeries, pubs, flower shops and restaurants. Hugh Jackman stayed here at the start of The Music Man and if you are a fan of The Way We Were you will remember the line, "Why did you have to go back to Beekman Place?" This hotel is one street over from Beekman Place. Really nice apartment buildings that over look the Hudson River. They have a fancy bar up top with amazing views. It isn't owned by the hotel and if you try to go up on the weekend they will be snotty with you about reservations. But on a Wednesday I went up with no problems. 

The Regency, the best for last. When I can afford it, this is where I go. Upper East side and while maybe not the hotel it used to be, it holds all the history of the upper East side. We have been there the last two years in May for graduations. The bar is iconic with business people, local upper East siders and usually there is at least one celebrity sighting. I smiled at Candace Bergen as I sat down to breakfast at the bar one morning as she was leaving. A block form Central Park and Fifth Ave. Eat at Serafina next door. Great food. I stalk the American Express website for when they offer specials. It is just a classic New York experience. I usually book through Amax and get a room upgrade when we get there, so I have a few different rooms. There was kitchen once, balcony once, always amazing closet space and a TV in the bathroom mirror. 

I can go on for hours, but these are my basics. You can see where this becomes a ridiculously long text when people ask, "Where should we stay?"