Where We Stayed In Manhattan
At the beginning of June my husband and I spent our first anniversary in New York City and Montauk. We had a blast, and were so glad the trip went so smoothly. This is a quick explanation of where we stayed in New York City and why we chose those spots.
Following our city hall marriage Derek and I chose a staycation here in St. Louis. We realized that nothing was more relaxing than our lives at that moment. It was pretty great. I loved being able to kick back and take time off together and enjoy the life and home we’d built. No big vacation could’ve been more perfect. That said, Derek and I really wanted to do something special for our first anniversary. Something that was both meaningful and new for us.
My first home at East 65th St and 2nd Ave. We lived on the 33rd and 34th floor!
I was born and adopted in New York City, where we lived until I was 4. We moved to Montauk, a small fishing town at the end of Long Island for a year before moving to Saint Louis when I was 5. My family spent every summer at the Montauk house until 2010. It was bittersweet when my family sold the property in 2012. But in all the summers I’d spent there so little had changed. My gut told me that it would all still be there for me later.
Early during planning I had read an article about new modular where every room the same size and sort of this prefabricated minimalist pod idea. It seemed cool (and cheap!), so I looked into the options in New York City. Even though I wasn’t really familiar with the Bowery I knew that the being there with easy access to the West and East village and Chinatown would be fun. Also the only thing Derek said he really wanted to see was The Comedy Cellar, which we ended up being just a couple blocks away from.
The view from CloudM, on the 21st floor of the CitizenM Bowery hotel.
CitizenM in the Bowery was awesome. The room is perfect for a couple that’s not planning on spending a ton of time in the room. The view from the room was great at night . There was an awesome espresso/wine bar in the HUGE lobby/lounge. There was also a little 24 hour mini mart where you could get “trendy snacks”- Derek’s description. I loved that they had so many flavors of spindrift. The building was super tall and from the rooftop bar and patio there was an amazing view of the city. Vibe-wise the bar was chill with a nice mix of cool kids, traveling professionals, and tourists. I 100% would stay there again.
The view of the Bowery from our room at CitizenM.
We also stayed at the Freehand NYC when we came back to the city after the weekend in Montauk. As soon as we walked in we both were so excited. Unlike the first hotel, this newer, very hipster hotel was built in a classic old NYC hotel. The updates went a long way to make every thing feel fresh. The dark subway tiles in the bathroom come across edgy but the wooden updates and appliances have a rustic home-y charm. Totally into it. All the public spaces were styled with incredible taste. Perfect location for IG snaps. The restaurant off the lobby and the bar upstairs were both great. BONUS! Each guest is gifted a casino chip token for a free drink at the bar. Of course, the amazing location on Lexington leaves you central to all that Midtown has to offer!
