I was pleased to have visitors from France.
Like all good things, it comes to an end today.
To stay closer to the action, they booked an hotel room in New York City.
To keep their travel budget under control, they chose the Hotel Beacon on the Upper West Side (75th and Broadway).
Why, the Beacon?
It is not far from Central Park and the Museum of Natural History, 2 blocks from the nearest subway station (1, 2, 3 lines) a few blocks from Lincoln Center if classical music and dance are on your menu.
First and foremost the room (suite) came equipped with a kitchenette.
It means you can have breakfast and dinner in your room, especially handy if you travel with small kids.
Having Fairway Market right across the street makes food shopping a breeze. Night owls, I noticed that they are opened from 6 AM to 1 AM…
Want to complement your meal with a nice to special bottle of wine, Beacon wines and spirits is down the block and has everything in stock from a $13 Rose wine to an $800 Bordeaux, great California selection (Von Strasser, Peter Michael, Bryant Family…) and honest picks from New Zealand not to forget Hudson Whiskey from Tuhilltown Spirits.
What about restaurants?
You could do worse than check Where Chefs Eat Cheap by Christine Whitney (NY MAG, July 11) with 4 chefs (Marcus Samuelsson on Harlem, Sarah Jenkins on Astoria, Julie Farias on Greenpoint and Francis Garcia on Staten Island) sharing their own neighborhood favorites.
Try them for Lunch!