Seattle

I had a BLAST in Seattle. Saw a lot of the city. Check out my photos on Flickr for more. Also check out my Google Map of places I visited.


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Jeff Koons on the Roof, NYC

Jeff Koons on the Roof
April 22, 2008–October 26, 2008 (weather permitting)
The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden

From the Metropolitan Museum's website:

"On view is an installation of sculptures by American artist Jeff Koons (b. 1955), featuring three of the artist’s meticulously crafted works that have never before been on public display. The works are set in the most dramatic outdoor space for sculpture in New York City: The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, which offers a spectacular view of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. Beverage and sandwich service is available from 10:00 a.m. until closing, including Friday and Saturday evenings."

Café hours - 10:00–8:15 (Friday, Saturday), 10:00–4:30 (Sunday, Tuesday–Thursday). Martini Bar open 5:30–8:30 (Friday, Saturday).



Image:
Jeff Koons (American, b. 1955), Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum website, New York, NY
Balloon Dog (Yellow), 1994–2000
High chromium stainless steel with transparent color coating; 121 x 143 x 45 in. (307.3 x 363.2 x 114.3 cm)
The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Collection

Traveling to Paris?

(Image from the Specialapartments.com website)
If you're traveling to Paris and you're thinking of alternative means of accommodations, consider this: renting an apartment! From the website: "Special apartments is a French company, based in Paris, specialised in the short term rental of furnished Parisian apartments, flats and homes. We have been managing furnished luxury and budget apartments in Paris since January 2005. Our team has over ten years of experience in the hotel, residence and furnished flat rentals business in central Paris. The director, Regis Maurin was the director of several hotels and residences in Central Paris before setting up Special apartments and his principal associate, John Armstrong is an Anglo-American, who has lived and worked in Paris for over twenty years, and understands very well the needs of a foreigner in Paris."

Special Apartments offers a "selection of Parisian rental apartments from studios to 2/3 bedroom apartments, with accommodation for up to six people. All of their short-term Parisian rental apartments are centrally located in the best areas of Paris."








Check out the Special Apartments website!

LaFayette House, NYC

(photo courtesy of NY Times online; source: nytimes.com and lafayette house website; source http://www.lafayettenyc.com/)
The LaFayette House has been deemed as a "cool hotel located outside of the tourist fray". With its working fireplaces in all of the rooms, handpicked antiques, 500 thread count lines, free wireless web access, iPod docking stations and DVD players, the LaFayette House proves to be one of New York's fabulous new hotels, situated in NoHo, next to B Bar.

(from the website) The property is housed in a five-story building, with only a couple units per floor. First floor rooms, while smaller, have the benefit of soaring ceilings. Room 4 has a small balcony, and a few other rooms open onto a small courtyard. At the back of the hotel, rooms can be a bit dark. Business types looking to work in the room should book facing 4th Street.

Rates for a standard room start at $375 a night.Check out the virtual tour from Youtube.

(Read the article from the New York Times)

Lafayette House
38 E 4th St.
New York, NY, United States 10003
212 505 8100
http://www.lafayettenyc.com/

Stay the Night, NYC

(photo courtesy of staythenight.com website)
The Barnes, Madeline, Cecilia, can accommodate 3 people, and the Apartment can accommodate 2 couples.

From the website:
Our flagship property is our 93rd Street Townhouse, between 5th and Madison Ave. Fully renovated and very secure, the house is on a tree-lined block between Fifth and Madison Avenues just two minutes from the reservoir and running track in Central Park. We have three large Victorian suites with en suite bathrooms, one with a Jacuzzi, a one-bedroom apartment with full kitchen and bathroom with Jacuzzi. Two of our suites, the Madeline and the Cecilia, can have 2 twin beds.
Check out their website for more information and reservations!


Hosts: Nick Hankin
Address: 18 East 93rd Street
New York, NY 10128
Phone: (212) 722-8300
Toll Free: Fax: (212) 427-6123
E-Mail: nick@staythenight.com
www.staythenight.com

Chelsea Star Hotel, NYC

Want to live like a star in NYC but on the cheap? Check out this hotel:

From Lonelyplanet.com's website:

"Fun guesthouse with hostel vibe."

REVIEW Gold stars are Chelsea stars! This three-storey European-style hotel - with blue halls and gold stars lining the halls - has a very fun, hostel vibe - and three dorm rooms. Nineteen thematic private rooms painted to reflect themes such as Star Trek, Absolutely Fabulous, Coney Island and other wacky things.
(Apparently, Madonna lived here once before)

Check out the rates here!!!

You can see some images of the hotel also on Flickr.

300 West 30th Street at 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
toll free:(877) 827-NYNY [827-6969]
voice:(212) 244-STAR [244-7827]
fax:(212) 279-9018
Email: reservations@starhotelny.com
(Images courtesy of Lonelyplanet.com, Travelnow.com, and Flickr.com)

Colonial House Inn, NYC

(From the Colonial House Inn website) Colonial House Inn is located in beautiful Chelsea, close to the Theatre District and within walking distance of Greenwich Village. The Inn is situated in a lovely brownstone along a tree-lined street on a quiet block. Visitors from around the world know where to come when they want that home away from home! Click here for gay bars, restaurants and clubs in Chelsea and throughout NYC!

This inn is very close to the subway stations in the heart of Chelsea on West 22nd St between 8th and 9th Avenue, and just a short cab ride or walk from Penn Station on 8th Avenue (Penn Station is on 8th Avenue between 31st and 32nd St.).
There are maps located on their website:

Chelsea and Greenwich Village
Manhattan


Details from their website are as follows:

318 W 22nd St
New York, NY 10011
(view a map of this location)

-Advance reservations are suggested
-Special weekly rates are available
-2-week cancellation policy
-Visa and Mastercard are accepted

Economy $95
(shared bath)
(full bed)

Standard $115
(shared bath)
(queen bed)

Deluxe $145
(private bath)
(queen bed)
Rates

(banner image courtesy of the Colonial House Inn's website; photo courtesy of Tripadvisor.fr

Gershwin Hotel, NYC

(photo courtesy of the Gershwin website)
Gershwin Hotel, NYC
Modern, art deco hotel in heart of Flatiron district, just off Fifth Avenue - Housed in building dating from 1903.

The Gershwin Hotel/Hostel offers a very appealing deal for travelers on a tight budget. The hotel is located in the trendy Flatiron district of Manhattan, just around the corner from King Kong's famous Empire State Building, the Gershwin is the preferred location for the creative international traveler.

The hotel is trendy, with a lobby that is truly a work of art! With its red and black chequered linoleum, the space is livened up by large ‘pop art’ pieces, sculptures, and smaller works by Lichtenstein and Warhol (from Yahoo! Travel).

7 E 27th St
New York, NY 10016
(212) 545-8000

The London Hotel, NYC

The London NYC: Livable glamour in the heart of Manhattan

With 54 floors of spacious accommodations rising above midtown Manhattan and Central Park, the former RIHGA Royal New York made an ideal site for LXR Luxury Resorts to create the ultimate urban luxury experience. The London NYC provides a destination for discerning travelers that combines sophisticated, modern style and intuitive, "all-access" service.

Hotel Thirty Thirty, NYC

Hotel Thirty-Thirty NYC - Located in the neighborhoods of Gramercy Park, Murray Hill and Union Square, the area around Hotel Thirty Thirty offers the sights and sounds of the Empire State Building, Macy's, Madison Square Garden, School of Visual Arts, Fashion Institute of Technology, NYU Medical Center, the Garment Fashion, and the Toy District.

For a great location, terrific business and leisure rates, and extraordinarily comfortable accommodations, make Hotel Thirty Thirty the hotel of choice for your next visit to the Big Apple. Just remember the address 30 East 30th Street between Park and Madison Avenue.

Hotel Thirty Thirty
30 East 30th Street
New York, NY 10016 | Call toll-free in the US and Canada: (800) 804-4480 | Local phone: (212) 689-1900

New York's Pod Hotel

Double rooms with private baths start at $109 a night -- cheap by New York standards.
Pod Hotel
OVERNIGHT SUCCESS
NYC's Pod Hotel: Little Rooms, Big City
(view Washington Post article online here)
Sunday, March 18, 2007; Page P07

As quoted from the Washington Post article:

It took all of five minutes at the Pod Hotel to see that its designer knows how to use space. The shower, desk and wash basin tucked neatly in corners. A pull-out drawer underneath the bed. Tiny hooks for jackets arranged along a wall.

At this new Midtown Manhattan property, efficiency is the mantra. The 347 diminutive guest rooms come in several smartly executed configurations. A compact rectangle with a twin bed would be fine for a solo traveler. Bunk beds (each with its own tiny television) are cool for pals on a road trip. Townhouse suites with fridges, queen-size beds and futons would be a nice fit for a small family. Guests can choose a room type and book it on the hotel's Web site or through the reservation desk.

Baths are compact at the Pod Hotel, where the average room has 100 square feet. (Pod Hotel Photos)


New York hotel rooms tend to run smaller than in other American cities, and Pod rooms are on the snuggest end of the spectrum: They average 100 square feet, compared with an average U.S. hotel room size of 325 square feet (according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, a global services company).

But it's the rates -- among the most affordable in New York for lodging of this quality -- that give the Pod book-it-now appeal. Double rooms with a private bath start at $109 a night, plus taxes, and a single with a shared bath goes for $89. Prices may fluctuate according to season and demand, front desk manager Lee Schlesinger said, but he added that the Pod aims to remain cheaper than the competition. The average cost of a night's hotel room in New York was $240 in 2006, by PricewaterhouseCoopers' account.

Rooms are all equipped with iPod docking stations, LCD televisions and free WiFi. The bright lobby is dominated by an illuminated seafoam reception desk. The guest-room decor is an inviting mix of mod and 1950s retro styles -- dotted bedspreads, chrome bathroom fixtures and rain-style showerheads. More edgy features are planned, including self-service check-in kiosks in the lobby, a rooftop bar and an in-house blog where guests can swap travel tips.

The hotel lacks a bar, restaurant and comfy couches in the lobby, but is ideal for travelers seeking a launchpad for exploring than a place to lounge around.

The surrounding streets also have appeal. Near the corner of 51st Street and Second Avenue, the hotel is far enough from the Times Square hoopla to be quiet but still only a 20-minute walk to Broadway theaters. The Museum of Modern Art is a few blocks away. Several cheap eats, including Pax Wholesome Foods, a chain property featuring healthy selections at affordable prices, are within a few blocks. Montparnasse, a French bistro-style restaurant next door, offers a three-course pre-theater dinner for $22.95. Venturing around the city? The Lexington Avenue subway is a couple of blocks away.

Among the downsides: Almost half the rooms have shared baths, and the walls are thin enough that you hear doors shutting down the hall. Recently transformed from the outdated Pickwick Arms, the hotel is still in a state of transition. And you can't have much of a party in the lobby.

But that's small stuff. The Pod helps make a weekend in New York a little more affordable for travelers watching their budget.

-- Gary Lee

Pod Hotel,
230 E. 51st St. between Second and Third avenues
212-355-0300
http://www.pickwickarms.com.
(images courtesy of Pod Hotel.com)

New York: Manhattan's small fees for small rooms