Where to stay in New York, New York

[carol louise]

Brian, what an interesting choice of hotel. It's off the beaten, Midtown tourist track, and rather unique. The building at one time was a maritime trades school, then it was deserted and run-down for several years (this is the state it was in when we moved to Chelsea over a decade ago), then it was rented by the Chinese government I think and used as a sort of cultural center. Now it's recently been renovated into a hotel while the nearby "Meatpacking" district has evolved into a trendy quirky area (fashionable shops, chic restaurants and clubs among still-active meatpacking businesses--I imagine the ladies of the night that once prowled the area have migrated elsewhere). You are only a few blocks from Hudson River Park, next to the river, though that will be chilly in February! Greenwich Village is a short walk away. If you wander down to the Village, check out another building that also was once a maritime trades school, located on 7th Avenue between 12th and 13th streets. It is white and shaped a little like a ship. It now houses doctors and radiologists' offices, connected to St. Vincent's Hospital. My first NYC apartment (1969) was on West 13th Street and I used to see the young ship cooks-in-training wearing their white aprons and toques, outside the building taking a smoke break.

OK, enough nostalgia. The truth is, NY is never "finished"; it's always evolving, and neighborhoods and buildings change identities.

Have a great stay here!

Carol Louise

P.S. My husband just reminded me that the Maritime Hotel building was also a branch of Covenant House (the shelter for runaway, homeless children) at one time, as well.

[General Max]

Carol Louise, that was an interesting narrative on the Maritime Hotel. Do you know any history of the Rihga Royal Hotel. I know that recently it was a J. W. Marriott property and that it was sold. Do you know why Marriott sold the property?

 

I think the current owners are a foreign corporation. Maybe Japanese.

 

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[papadave]

The Maritime Hotel is a destination by itself. It has a breathtaking Japanese restaurant that is a bit pricey, but far from the most expensive that NYC has to offer. If you don't plan to eat there, go for an overpriced beer just to take in the look of the place.

 

The hotel is across the street and a block north of the old Nabisco factory which is now known as Chelsea Market -- housing gourmet food stores, restaurants, a very good wine shop, bakeries, a florist, a restaurant supply store and the Teleivision Food Network. You may want to contact Television Food Network to see if you could arrange for a tour.

[carol louise]

General Max,

Sorry, no, I'm afraid I don't know the history of the Rihga Royal Hotel. I happen to know about the Maritime Hotel from watching it evolve in my neighborhood, and recognizing it when there were articles in the real estate section of the newspaper.

Papadave's post reminds me I must go back and take a look at the Chelsea Market. We wandered in several years ago when it was still unfinished and only had a few shops, but haven't been back.

CL

[General Max]

Thanks, anyway, Carol Louise. You have helped in other areas. Reverend Neal, Brian and I among others are active on the Nordam Inaugural Cruise roll call. I am trying to keep both threads active.

 

Cheers General Max

[bepsf]

Carol Louise & PapaDave--

 

Thanks much for the background info about the Maritime and the neighborhood!

I'm looking forward to my stay in Manhattan even moreso!

:)

I prefer to stay away from Mid-Town to get a better feel for the city. Last time I was there, I stayed at On The Avenue in the Upper West Side - nice chic hotel w/ small rooms and great bathrooms! (Yes, I have a bathroom fetish - marble tile gets me every time...)

 

I'd never heard of it before, but my pal Scotty who is coming on the cruise was there a while ago when it first opened and loved it! (He's a freelance architect/designer in Seattle, and I've always loved modern design - so this fits us to a 'T'!)

Funny that you mention Food Network - Scotty was in the MTV documentary "Gay Cruise" where he met his former BF. With his connections, maybe he can get us in to see Emeril... (BAM!) ;)

[General Max]

Brian, Emeril has a restaurant here in Orlando at Univerrsal Studios City Walk. We were there Friday.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[lizf]

We made our reservations after much searching and just couldn't get in to the Rihga for under $400 or so, so we reserved space at the Casablanca after it caught my attention during my searches.

If Carol Louise or PapaDave or other NYers know anything about it or the area, I would be most appreciative. It is at 147 West 43rd St. and we thought we would also like to go to the Soup Kitchen, but mostly I really want to visit a NY deli. Any real NY deli that offers Rueben Sandwiches and where I can just see what a NY deli is. This will probably be our only trip to NYC and we will only have 2 days before our 28 day Amazon Cruise in late April. We may also see a play if I find one that would have a Sat. matinee and appeal to two old folks. We don't know anything about Monty Python. I thought John O'Hurley in Chicago would be perfect, but they don't have April covered. Then The Odd Couple with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, but alas, also not in April. So that will be open to new things appearing maybe in Jan. or Feb.

We're getting ready for a T/A crossing in mid-November so I put this file away until we get back, but the hotel I want to be sure will be okay for us and I will have to get it set early due to ever increasing rates. Thanks again for keeping this going and offering such wonderful information to all of us.

[carol louise]

Liz,

My husband the life-long New Yorker tells me that the Second Avenue Deli (2nd Ave near 12th Street) is the quintessential N.Y. deli. However, in keeping Kosher, they don’t serve a Reuben with Swiss cheese (can’t mix meat and dairy) but substitute tofu or something similar for the cheese. You should be able to get a Reuben with cheese at the Carnegie Deli (7th Avenue at 53rd Street) or Sarge’s (3rd Avenue at 36th Street)—they are less strict.

I can’t tell you anything yet about the Casablanca Hotel, but if the weather is nice, maybe I'll have an opportunity to take a stroll over during my lunch hour some day this week and take a look. Or maybe Papadave or another member has some information...

Carol Louise

[lizzielady]

My family and I have reservations at the Casablanca for 4th of July week. It has very good ratings on tripadvisor.com. Hope it lives up to our expectations!

[lizf]

Carol Louise- My oh my, thanks for the NY deli reviews. I had no idea about them and would love to visit a few, so now I can. Thanks. We eat tofu cheese all the time at home and probably wouldn't know the difference. Love it. Thanks for the offer to walk by the hotel.

LizzieLady- Yes, I too liked the reviews of the Casablanca. Some say they would stay there just for the complimentary breakfast buffet and the wine and cheese each evening at Rick's Cafe. Sounded good to me too.

Did you beat my rate of $289 per night? I thought that was pretty good compared to over $300 to $400 for most.

[lizzielady]

Half and half--one room $239 plus tax and some kind of charge of $3 or $ 4 and a suite for $329 plus, plus. Did you book on their web site? The $239 room was 229 and suite was 329. Since I was booking two rooms for 5 people I didn't want to do it online--can only book one room at a time.

 

We're excited about going there for the 4th. The last 2 years they have offered their guests a special 4th of July celebration on a large yacht at around $100 pp: dinner and celebration, cruising on the river, and watching the NYC fireworks from the boat. Sounds great to me! You might want to go back for that special event.

[lizf]

Lizzielady- Yes I booked on their website and got a king room, the next one up from standard. Your 4th of July stay sounds wonderful, but we're from the West and I'm sure we won't be going back unless for a cruise. Our cruise actually also leaves from Fort Lauderdale, but HAL decided to finish all bookings from NYC since that is where the ship will start. No choice or we would have booked from Ft. Lauderdale. I'm happy for the chance to see NYC and get to go to a deli, but I don't think I need to do it again. :)

[Betsy's Mom]

We stay at the Casablanca when in NYC to see our children. Please do not give it any more PR!! It is a true gem. I book about a year ahead when possible. It is very quiet for the area and central to everything.

The rooms are very nice and large for NYC. The lounge on the second floor is wonderful and very inviting all day for snacks and rest. Will be there in July of 06 for our QM2 trip.:)

B.

[lizf]

Thanks B. I didn't know it was that great. That's the first I've heard of it. I'll not mention it again. Shhhhhhhhhhh.

[lizzielady]

I won't say a thing. (It is good to know, however.)

[Jane110]

Carol Louise- My oh my, thanks for the NY deli reviews. I had no idea about them and would love to visit a few, so now I can. Thanks. .

 

Liz,

 

Sarge's is not a very good deli. If you're only coming here once, get to a good one.

 

Stick w/ the 2nd Ave Deli, the Carnegie or Katz's Deli for the best.

 

Jane

[lizf]

Thank you Jane. Appreciate any and all comments. Two days isn't long in such a big city, so all help is greatly appreciated. Liz

[WISCruiser]

Liz,

 

Sarge's is not a very good deli. If you're only coming here once, get to a good one.

 

Stick w/ the 2nd Ave Deli, the Carnegie or Katz's Deli for the best.

 

Jane

 

I totally agree on "Katz's Delicatessen" as one of the BEST Deli's in NYC!

 

Here's a short synopsis on the Deli that might help:

 

Katz's is a New York institution, made even more famous by the scene by Meg Ryan in the movie "When Harry Met Sally." This is a huge hall with ordering counters all along one side and plain tables and chairs on the other side. You go through a turnstile to enter and pick up a ticket. Hold on to it until you pay after your meal.

 

Once in, you have two choices. Either go straight to the counters and order from the menu up on the wall. Pastrami, corned beef and salami are highlights here. The meat is still carved by hand, no machinary here. There are also sandwiches like chopped liver and sliced beef tongue if you want to be more adventurous. Once you have your food on a tray, walk over to the tables and grab a seat. There are areas designated for table service so be sure you don't sit there.

 

For table service, you don't get much more other than someone taking your order and bringing your food. Often, the service is abrupt but you get the occasional nice waitress or waiter. When you are ready to pay, just take the ticket and go up to the counter booth at the entrance. Up above on the wall, you get a choice of Katz's memorabilia such as t-shirts and caps.

Credit cards are accepted. Opened till late at night, so this is good for a late night snack if you are in the area.

 

Happy eating all you lucky (pre-cruise) CC'ers.

[lizf]

WISCruiser- Thanks for your comments. I found their website and to anyone who wants to see the ultimate hot pastrami, about 6 inches thick, go to their website and click on "a picture is worth 1,000 words". You will be shocked! Can anyone imagine eating all of that? Well, we are going to try come next April and with the Good Lord willing and the crick not rising, we'll also be eating some great bisque soup from the soup kitchen the next day. Thanks to all you wonderful NYorkers and HAL cruisers. Many, many thanks. Liz

[carol louise]

We second the recommendation for Katz's, as well -- just forgot to mention it the other night when I posted. Hope you have a great time in NYC, Liz.

Carol Louise

[lizf]

Carol Louise- Do you have any idea how far Katz' Deli is from our hotel? Since it isn't on a numbered street, I'm having a hard time estimating. I imagine it will be a cab ride. Thanks to you all, I know our visit is tremendously enhanced from what we would have found on our own.

[carol louise]

Katz's is at 205 East Houston Street near Allen Street--the Lower East Side. Yes it would be a taxi ride. Houston is a block south of 1st Street at that location, and Allen Street is sort of like an extension of 1st Avenue. Your hotel is on 43rd St. near 7th Avenue. Avenue blocks are about 3 times the length of street blocks, and 20 Street blocks make a mile. So it's roughly 4 miles away. Traffic of course is always a great variable in Manhattan, and time of day. I'd suggest you allow about 25-30 minutes.

 

By the way, something else about the 2nd Avenue deli in case you decide to go there instead: embedded in the sidewalk in front are stars commemorating actors from the Yiddish theater days.

 

If you're pressed for time, Carnegie Deli is the closest to your hotel. You can walk it.

 

P.S. Houston Street is pronounced "HOUSE ton," not like the city in Texas.

[bepsf]

Katz's is at 205 East Houston Street near Allen Street--the Lower East Side. Yes it would be a taxi ride. Houston is a block south of 1st Street at that location, and Allen Street is sort of like an extension of 1st Avenue. Your hotel is on 43rd St. near 7th Avenue. Avenue blocks are about 3 times the length of street blocks, and 20 Street blocks make a mile. So it's roughly 4 miles away. Traffic of course is always a great variable in Manhattan, and time of day. I'd suggest you allow about 25-30 minutes.

 

P.S. Houston Street is pronounced "HOUSE ton," not like the city in Texas.

 

There's a subway stop nearby on 48th street & 8th, as I recall... The train runs downtown to Houston Street - I'd be adventuresome and walk it...

[carol louise]

Correction: the Carnegie Deli is on 7th Avenue near 55th Street--not 53rd, as I wrote earlier.