My second time in New York City. Again at Christmas time. During my first visit, I chose the Upper West Side, which to this date, is still one of my favourite neighbourhoods and one of the top locations to stay in when visiting NYC. Speaking of which, one can never skip the area where most tourists actually book their stay while in New York City. Yes, I’m talking about Times Square. It’s that obvious. How couldn’t it be when it’s the “centre of the universe”. Figuratively and literally speaking.
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And that’s the location I actually wanted to stay in; the “centre of the universe”. I went on to search for a hotel and after a long while (as there are many hotels in Times Square), I picked a few that were of interest. My search filters were quite reasonable and easily fulfilled or, at least that’s what I thought: located in the very heart of the city, a hotel (no hostels or shared bathrooms), at least 3 stars and a twin bed. Well, the last filter was the hardest to fulfil as most hotels in the city only have two double beds in one room, which can accommodate up to 4 guests and is more costly.
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During my search, one of my favourites that I stumbled upon was the Gallivant hotel. It ticked all the boxes; there was no compromise in terms of location or the room. The hotel was situated just a short walk from Times Square. And when I say short walk, I mean a really short walk; like less than three minutes. Actually, it was just around the corner. Literally. Just a few meters away from Times Square that’s nestled on a quieter street; that’s still away from all the crowds and noise. The hotel itself is situated just across the Walter Kerr theatre. So if you want to see a show, you’re at the right spot. I even saw Bruce Springsteen just in front of my hotel when he finished his last concert. A pretty cool moment. Made me even more sad that I haven’t bought the tickets on time. (You can check out the video of the starstruck encounter on my Instagram).
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The hotel itself has more than 300 rooms; although, when you enter the lobby, it looks like a smaller hotel. The lobby has a nice big couch for you to rest, drink some iced tea that is served by the reception area or just use one of the complimentary hotel computers. There’s even an ATM, so that came in handy multiple times.
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The room I was given was Room #1318. As I previously stated, I booked a twin room. My first impression was that it’s so small. Possibly even one of the smallest rooms I’ve stayed in. But as I’ve been told many times: that’s New York. Somehow, I accepted that as a fact, and was actually pleasantly surprised to discover that there’s a big balcony. Having a balcony all to yourself in a NYC hotel is a rare thing and was definitely the highlight of my room. The view was cool; particularly at night.
The room consisted of two single beds, a big TV, coffee maker, one drawer, one small wardrobe, and that was about it. The beds were comfy but to be completely honest, the room definitely was ready for some upgrade. Also, what was missing was the minibar and/or a fridge; which would have come in handy. The bathroom itself was okay, too. Was really, really small but okay for what I needed.
Apart from the very small room and some necessary upgrades, the room was okay. I kind of expected it to be better but then again it got what I needed and the location of the hotel was unbeatable. And truth be told, I did spend minimal time in my room, so eventually I was fine with it.
What I was worried about was the possible noise at night due to the location of the hotel and my room overlooking the street; but I had a great sleep every night and haven’t really heard anything.
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This hotel doesn’t serve breakfast; however, in a bakery just across the hotel, you will find a selection of various pastries, sandwiches and coffees (*side note: if you show them your hotel key card, you receive a 5% discount. I definitely recommend going there).
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As for restaurants, you’re basically in the centre of literally everything; there are tons of restaurants to choose from. An Italian or Mexican restaurant is just across the street. I tried the Italian one and the food is very good. Went there multiple times, actually. The deli is also across the street. Many fast food chains are also nearby. Everything is within walking distance and you don’t even need to walk far. So, yeah, the location is really the best it could be.
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After check-out, the reception can organise your car back to the airport for a price or can store your luggage, so if you have some time until your flight, you can go explore a bit more. Which I did. I mean, you can never get enough of New York City, can you?!
Till next time NYC. See u soon!
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Btw thank you Aziz for all your help with my stay; I really appreciate it, and hello to Jelena from Croatia who I met the first day when checking-in. It was so nice meeting you both. Thanks once again.
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