Hotels in NYC

I am now in Tennessee for a month after a quick over-night in NYC. My time here, and the sewing I will be doing, will be the subject of many other posts (I have already had some hilarious fitting sessions) but before I start that I want to answer a question that has been asked.

Where do you stay in NYC?

Well, since my son is living with two roommates in an apartment in East Village, not with him, although the roommates are lovely. Not quite a place where a middle-aged mom on the sofa, sewing at the only table, or scrubbing down the baseboards would work.

When I first looked at NYC hotels I sort of freaked. $450 a night in the areas I wanted to stay in would have a serious impact on my fabric buying budget.

I was worried.

However, after a few stops and a few good hotels and the realization that NYC is just one very, very, large small town (and I get those) unlike London or even Toronto, which seem to me to be more less human scale, I'm good.

So here are my recommendations, to be taken only as the recommendations of me, no sophisticate, but someone who likes to be comfortable when I am not at home.

In my mind there are two kinds of establishments, dog-friendly and woman-without-her-dog friendly. Also I would only stay somewhere within walking district of fabric.

1. Dog-friendly and dog-friendly in the Garment District:

Candlewood Suites Time Square:  West 39th

Although this is advertised Times Square it isn't really. It's a short walk away on a smaller quiet street, one of those tall narrow (6 rooms a floor) hotels you get in NYC.

The attributes are:

• Dog-friendly. Although you have to take them up and down in an elevator I note some very nice potted trees outside the entrance...
• Quiet, few rooms a floor.
• Fully equipped kitchen including dishwasher. This is handy if you are married to someone who walks you 7 miles to a Whole Foods for soft-shell crab and wants to go back and eat them with beet salad and feta.
• A sort of corner store thing on the main floor. This is useful if you are putting your feet up and realize what you really need is a little ice-cream. You can send the person who cooked the crab down in the elevator to get it, and maybe take the dog out to those tree things while he's at it.
• On the same street, only down a few blocks, from the notion store where I saw Kenneth King and other landmarks of interest.
• Not all that expensive, can use up points of various kinds if you have them, suitable for those traveling with an entourage in particular.

2. Hotel for the girls, or girl, on the edge of the Garment District:

Hotel Metro  West 35th

The attributes are:

• This is a "boutique" hotel which means it is old but they have fixed it up and have extras. Marble staircases and bathrooms, umbrellas in the closet, excellent service.
• I loved it here, nice pretty, big rooms.
• A restaurant and bar on-site for times when you lug back huge, heavy bags of fabric and don't want to face going out to eat.
• I only could stay a bit and spend most of my one day there with my son and his girlfriend, but this is just around the corner from MJ Trimmings, which is my equivalent of a museum.
• Quiet. The clientele had sewing ladies written all over them.
• More expensive but I got a deal on Priceline which I remembered because of the William Shatner commercials.

Speaking of William Shatner traveling has made me think of national identity. Let's just say some countries have given the world Lincoln and MLK, and some countries, like mine, have given the world William Shatner and John Candy.

I think you get my drift. More later, got to resew some bust darts.