300 West 22nd Street, New York
Neighbourhood: Chelsea
Vibe: Boutique, not budget
My Room/Bed/Bath: Double room/queen bed with private bath
WiFi: Free
Price: I booked my room 3 days before my stay the first week of January 2012 for $129 ($153, including tax).
The GEM Chelsea feels way more boutique than budget. On relatively quiet W 22nd Street near 8th Avenue in Chelsea, the place really is a gem (the odd mannequin greeting you in the lobby notwithstanding.)
From the hotel brochure, “The GEM Hotel honors individuality and offers an authentic approach to guest serves. We aim to offer a one-of-a-kind experience for the urban adventurer looking to connect with something elusive: the real New York.” They live up to their claim. I highly recommend The GEM Chelsea.
Vibe: Definitely a boutique hotel – with an unexpected attention to detail... from funky-packaged shampoo and body lotion in the bathroom to a hip-flask style of spring water to the great-thing-of-all-great-things, an in-room coffee maker! Remember, I’m staying in budget hotels once a week not because I have to, but because I want to... The GEM’s amenities rival some hotels I’ve slept in at three times the price. But this is still a budget option – so expect your room to be tiny (as you should with any New York budget-minded hotel) – but the room was large enough to comfortably hold a queen size bed, plus a small wardrobe (with an iron and ironing board inside! Hooray!)
Quiet: I had asked for a quiet room at check in and was granted a room on the 14th floor, away from the elevator. Of course, even with those precautions, you can’t avoid noisy tourists coming in after a night on the town... some corridor noise cannot be avoided (this is a great city that must be enjoyed! I can’t fault those that do, even if I do have to be up early for work in the morning.) The in-room air conditioning unit was moderately noisy, but it wasn’t really a necessity during my stay in early January.
Neighbourhood: The GEM is in a nice part of Chelsea neighbourhood, which I find interesting but less less hip (in a good way) than Greenwich Village. The GEM feels like its truly a part of the community, too... with local recommendations on the chalkboard in the lobby, complimentary iPods preloaded with walking tours, and text messages about neighbourhood happenings....I didn’t take them up on any of these things, but it was nice to know they’re there. I also didn’t take the frontdeskmen’s suggested dinner option when I asked for a restaurant with healthy-ish food. More on that below.
My favourite shopping haunts in the area are my beloved The Container Store at 629 Sixth Avenue at 19th Street; Muji at 16 West 19th Street; Fish’s Eddy at 889 Broadway at 19th Street and Paper Presentations at 23 West 18th Street (there’s also an entrance on 19th Street)
Restaurant: The nice man at the front desk recommended Muscle Maker Grill at 92 8th Ave for dinner. By the name, I could tell it wasn’t for me....remember, I’m staying in budget hotels, but I splurge on my dining experience. After walking past what might have been a few suitable options nearby on 8th Avenue, I opted instead for a place I know well, and knew I’d be comfortable dining alone. Sala One Nine, 35 West 19th Street. I’d been there before with friend Caroline... its a great Tapas restaurant, and a little quieter (and more comfortable for the solo diner) than the also excellent Boqueria, (which I can also recommend) at 53 West 19th Street.
By the way, Sala delivers! If you’re interested in room service (or semi-room service) they might be worth a shot. Phone them directly @ 212.229.2300 to place your order or use one of NYC’s delivery aggregators to order online: seamlessweb.com, delivery.com, allmenus.com.
Access to the Subway: The A/C/E and 1/2 are just a 2 – 3 minute’s walk
No comments:
Post a Comment