New York suburbs sparkle with new hotels
The cool bar at Aloft Hotel in Brooklyn is one more reason you don't need a night in Manhattan to have fun in New York City.
STARWOOD HOTELS PHOTOIt’s easy to envision boutique hotels in trendy Manhattan neighbourhoods. But many people assume that finding unique lodging in the boroughs the boroughs is as rare as finding a Broadway show in Flatbush.
I recently took a closer look in Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey, and pleased to report that they sport boutique spots that can keep pace with some of Manhattan’s coolest digs, while typically offering rates, (thinik $159 U.S. and up), that fall well below the city’s standard.
Located in the leafy Park Slope neighbourhood of Brooklyn, hotel le bleu sits squarely among the independent cafés and boutiques that make Park Slope one of the most desirable places to live in North America. Guests need not take the “A-Train” to Lincoln Center; the Brooklyn Academy of Music sits a few blocks away and features cultural entertainment ranging from blockbuster films and avant-garde festivals to concerts (Feist performed Nov. 2) to repertory theatre to opera.
Great New York institutions, including the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Prospect Park are also a few minutes away from the contemporary 48-room hotel, which combines an Adres Escobar design of polished steel and spare lines with hues of blue.
Hotel le Jolie presents a more traditional dark wood and earth-tone décor. The 54-room hotel, located in the ever-hip Williamsburg neighbourhood, offers easy access to Manhattan’s burgeoning Lower Eastside neighbourhood. But the hungry should remain local, as diverse offerings like Kellogg’s Diner and Dumont await around the corner. Or grab a baguette and charcuterie at the Bedford Cheese Shop and head to the Sternberg Park green.
If parading over the Brooklyn Bridge is high on your tourist checklist, consider the Nu Hotel. Located just minutes from the iconic East River span, Nu offers easy access to downtown Brooklyn as well as Manhattan. Tourists appreciate the quick subway trip to South Street Seaport, while visiting businesspeople can get to Wall Street via the subway in eight minutes.
Brooklyn’s Aloft New York hotel is located in cool Cobble Hill just three subway stops from Manhattan. The w xyz bar features live, local acoustic music most nights, ideal for continuing the relaxing beat from a trip down the block to Brooklyn Academy of Music, unless the late night DJ has kicked up the mood a notch. Few locations offer better access to this walker’s borough, Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Bridge await just two miles away, the adjacent, picturesque Park Slope, Prospect and Brooklyn Heights neighbourhoods also invite a stroll.
Lately, Queens has been identified as the new Brooklyn as artists and other creative types continue to establish bohemian enclaves in affordable (i.e. once neglected) neighbourhoods. And where aesthetic hubs go, boutique hotels are sure to follow.
Once the gritty, if not downright grimy, very poor cousin on the east side of the East River, the Queens neighbourhood of Long Island City is today plenty sweet thanks to anchors such as Lady M. Confections Co. and the Tom Cat Bakery. The Chocolate Factory is one of several mixed-use artistic centres featuring live theatre, dance, music and an art gallery. Other arts institutions include MOMA PS1, an extension of the Museum of Modern Art, Fisher Landau Center for Art and the Museum of the Moving Image.
Z New York Hotel captures the swift pacing of this neighbourhood perfectly, casting rooms with sleek lighting and silkscreened walls of jazz-age and jet-set themes. You’ll find three types of rooms here, from a deluxe king to an efficient twin room, featuring “roommate friendly” twin beds. Most of the 100 rooms offer unbeatable views of Manhattan.
Long Island City is also home to the 63-room Ravel Hotel, a contemporary design of brilliant white and steel juxtaposed with clubby lounges of deep, plush earth-tone banquettes and understated lighting. The views from the rooftop restaurant and lounge, Penthouse 808, match any vista found on either side of the East River. You’ll also get into midtown Manhattan faster in 10 minutes by subway and five minutes by car.
New Jersey has also seen a rapid increase in stylish bedrooms recently, led by Hoboken’s W Hotel. An anchor in the new waterfront redevelopment project, this 225-room hotel reveals stunning views of west-side Manhattan and resides just a few paces from the ferry.
Having the right zip code has always carried cachet in New York, but broaden your outlook a little bit and you’ll discover some of this city’s most emblematic neighbourhoods at a pittance.
Crai Bower is a freelance writer based in Seattle.
JUST THE FACTS
Hotel le bleu 370 4th Ave., Brooklyn NY, 718-625-1500. Rooms from $206 US.www.hotellebleu.com
Hotel Le Jolie 235 Meeker Ave., Brooklyn NY 718-625-210. Rooms $169/up.www.hotellejolie.com
Nu Hotel 85 Smith St. Brooklyn NY 800-677-9329.
US $170/up. www.nuhotelbrooklyn.com
Aloft Hotel 216 Duffield St., Brooklyn NY 718-256-3833. $229/up. www.starwoodhotels.com
Z NYC Hotel 11-01 43rd Ave., Long Island City, NY 212-319-7000. $205/up.www.zhotelny.com
Ravel 8-08 Queens Plaza South, Long Island City NY 718-289-6101. US $174/up.www.ravelhotel.com
W Hotel 225 River St. Hoboken NJ 201-253-2400. $199/up. www.starwoodhotels.com
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