My son and I along with another family visited New York City for a long weekend in November 2015. My son and his friend are pre teen boys so selecting a hotel with great location to the tourist favorites was a must. We knew we would be walking a lot and wanted to stay in a hotel that easily accessible to the numerous attractions and in a safe and clean area. Not to mention we were on a budget and did not want to compromise on any activities and sightseeing for expensive accommodations.
After doing my research, I knew we wanted a hotel in the Midtown region of Manhattan to be close to all the attractions we wanted to see. In the end, we booked our accommodations at the Courtyard by Marriott in Midtown; located at the corner of 40th and 5th Avenue and we were delighted with our choice.
We flew into LaGuardia and took a taxi into the city for about $50 for the thirty-five minute ride to the hotel. Once we arrived, Courtyard was in the midst of a front entrance renovation; which was of little inconvenience. The lobby was noticeable small but it was clean with modern updates and the staff was very friendly and accommodating.
I quickly learned that space is a premium in New York City and this hotel was no exception. However, we were not in the room often so it didn’t cramp our vacation.
We had two queen beds, a bathroom and a view of the high-rise building across the street. There was free wi-fi which did come in handle with the boys when we arrived back in the room every evening. There was a small closet to hang our coats and put our shoes, but it was not big enough to clear our clutter.
Despite the small room size, we loved this hotel. Location, location, location is everything even when in NYC.
Being our first trip to the city, we were able to get our bearings fairly quickly. We loved the fact our hotel was across the street from Bryant Park with lots of fun stores, coffee shops and boutiques. As we ventured further out, we headed to Times Square in about a seven minute walk. Along the way, we passed by several Subway stations taking note for when we would be visiting the Financial District and the 911 Memorial and Museum. We then continued on to the Rockefeller Center which was another seven-minute walk. We actually could have arrived to Rockefeller Center sooner, but we were walking a leisurely stroll.
Throughout our long weekend stay, we visited many fun touristy spots with minimal walking distance. It was about a five-minute walk to the Empire State Building and an additional three minutes to Macy’s. From our hotel it was about a six-minute walk to Grand Central Terminal and about a fifteen to twenty-minute walk to Central Park. This walk could probably be faster, but since this was our fist visit to the city our walk was at a leisurely pace. We stopped by the Apple Store, did some window shopping, browsed the books at Barnes & Noble checked out the vendors along the walkway and stopped at St. Patrick’s Cathedral to light a candle for a loved one.
We also visited the 911 Memorial in the Financial District located in lower Manhattan. From our hotel, our commute to the Memorial and Museum was by subway, which was about a four-minute walk to the subway station and then another twenty-minute subway ride.
The fact we had unseasonably warmer weather during our visit made our sightseeing and walking ventures that much more enjoyable. Overall, I can honestly say our visit to the Big Apple was most enjoyable was because of our hotel. I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone thinking about experiencing Manhattan. You won’t be disappointed.
