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New York City: Part 1
After staying at the W in Times Square and on Lexington Avenue on previous business trips, I approached the W Union Square with some trepidation. The last thing I needed was to be on a sidewalk teeming with tourists or a lobby full of poseurs.
I was pleasantly surprised. I was met by a very friendly doorman, who insisted “Welcome back! Nice to have you back again!” Checkin was quick, and the room they gave me on the 15th floor gave a view of Union Square (unfortunately, Union Square is mostly concrete on the north side, but I did get a view of the buildings towering over the square). It was a good way to judge the temperature: you just look at what passersby were wearing and whether they were clutching stuff to prevent them from being blown away.
The lobby bar was off to one side of the lobby, so you actually could avoid the scene there if you were so inclined – that’s a more difficult task at the Lexington W and the W Times Square. And the guests were less annoying, even to a sleep-deprived person like me. Less touristy than the crowds at the W TS, and less corporate than those at the Lex W.
The room itself was nicely sized, with the usual modern W furnishings. I personally think they should dump Bliss as their toiletries partner; the scents and the textures aren’t to my liking. But hey, comfortable room, in a hotel with a nice feel, in one of my favorite neighborhoods in New York.
I really like the Flatiron District / Park Avenue South / Gramercy Square area. Of the neighborhoods in the city, this swath is the one that I feel succeeds best in blending downtown with uptown. (I realize the two categories are a bit monolithic – “totalizing”, my college friends would’ve said – but I think they do nicely for this occasion.
) My spirits were beginning to be lifted from fatigue, as I could feel I was within walking distance of some very good but affordable restaurants and stores.
The stores would have to wait until the next day, because I arrived late in the afternoon. I was hungry, having skipped the sandwiches during afternoon tea during my flight. I called my best friend, and we decided to go for a nouvelle Indian restaurant Tamarind. Actually, there were a couple of other options that are more renowned among foodies, but they could only offer an indeterminate period of waiting, whereas Tamarind took our reservations for an early dinner. New Yorkers’ impatience and dislike of a line prevailed this time.
The restaurant has a small under-signed front, so it was a bit overshadowed by the more garish signs and decorations of a neighboring Italian restaurant. As you enter, a bar area is to the left of a pathway, and chairs and tables on the right. Walls are painted a warm yellow, and past the tables and chairs on the right is more seating space. My friend wasn’t there yet, so I cozied up to the bar and asked the bartender for a cocktail recommendation. That’s one of my tests for a bar – whether the bartender can recommend a number of options and whether he asks you questions to find the proper fit. This one did.
He ended up recommending a Tanqueray rangpur G&T, made with a gin that Tanqueray had recently introduced. It was easily the smoothest G&T I’ve tasted. 
(Sadly, I haven’t been able to find this gin in the UK! 
)
I was enjoying a chat with some patrons who arrived after I did (who says people in New York aren’t friendly?), when my friend arrived. The hostess led us towards the back, which is where people with reservations sit. Food was cooked in a kitchen with glass walls, so you could see the chefs at work: a good spectacle.
Despite the number of people there, the noise never interfered with conversation. This has always been one of the key criteria my friend and I judged restaurants by. (Weird that restaurants in New York, as a rule, seem to pay for noise absorbing walls, whereas those in London seem not to. A friend of mine is an acoustical engineer – I didn’t even know such a specialty existed until I met him – and he does very good business designing the interiors of the walls in restaurants and apartments in NYC.)
The food – we chose a range of vegetarian selections – was excellent. And reasonably priced ($40 per person, including tax and tips). No drinks in that figure, as my friend doesn’t drink, and I had work to do when I got back to the hotel.
After the ups of dinner, the downs of work. Thank goodness we had a short and early dinner, because I had to send a document before my client left for the airport. Victory was achieved at 3 am, and I could finally sink into sleep.
After staying at the W in Times Square and on Lexington Avenue on previous business trips, I approached the W Union Square with some trepidation. The last thing I needed was to be on a sidewalk teeming with tourists or a lobby full of poseurs.
I was pleasantly surprised. I was met by a very friendly doorman, who insisted “Welcome back! Nice to have you back again!” Checkin was quick, and the room they gave me on the 15th floor gave a view of Union Square (unfortunately, Union Square is mostly concrete on the north side, but I did get a view of the buildings towering over the square). It was a good way to judge the temperature: you just look at what passersby were wearing and whether they were clutching stuff to prevent them from being blown away.
The lobby bar was off to one side of the lobby, so you actually could avoid the scene there if you were so inclined – that’s a more difficult task at the Lexington W and the W Times Square. And the guests were less annoying, even to a sleep-deprived person like me. Less touristy than the crowds at the W TS, and less corporate than those at the Lex W.
The room itself was nicely sized, with the usual modern W furnishings. I personally think they should dump Bliss as their toiletries partner; the scents and the textures aren’t to my liking. But hey, comfortable room, in a hotel with a nice feel, in one of my favorite neighborhoods in New York.
I really like the Flatiron District / Park Avenue South / Gramercy Square area. Of the neighborhoods in the city, this swath is the one that I feel succeeds best in blending downtown with uptown. (I realize the two categories are a bit monolithic – “totalizing”, my college friends would’ve said – but I think they do nicely for this occasion.
) My spirits were beginning to be lifted from fatigue, as I could feel I was within walking distance of some very good but affordable restaurants and stores. The stores would have to wait until the next day, because I arrived late in the afternoon. I was hungry, having skipped the sandwiches during afternoon tea during my flight. I called my best friend, and we decided to go for a nouvelle Indian restaurant Tamarind. Actually, there were a couple of other options that are more renowned among foodies, but they could only offer an indeterminate period of waiting, whereas Tamarind took our reservations for an early dinner. New Yorkers’ impatience and dislike of a line prevailed this time.
The restaurant has a small under-signed front, so it was a bit overshadowed by the more garish signs and decorations of a neighboring Italian restaurant. As you enter, a bar area is to the left of a pathway, and chairs and tables on the right. Walls are painted a warm yellow, and past the tables and chairs on the right is more seating space. My friend wasn’t there yet, so I cozied up to the bar and asked the bartender for a cocktail recommendation. That’s one of my tests for a bar – whether the bartender can recommend a number of options and whether he asks you questions to find the proper fit. This one did.
He ended up recommending a Tanqueray rangpur G&T, made with a gin that Tanqueray had recently introduced. It was easily the smoothest G&T I’ve tasted. (Sadly, I haven’t been able to find this gin in the UK! )I was enjoying a chat with some patrons who arrived after I did (who says people in New York aren’t friendly?), when my friend arrived. The hostess led us towards the back, which is where people with reservations sit. Food was cooked in a kitchen with glass walls, so you could see the chefs at work: a good spectacle.
Despite the number of people there, the noise never interfered with conversation. This has always been one of the key criteria my friend and I judged restaurants by. (Weird that restaurants in New York, as a rule, seem to pay for noise absorbing walls, whereas those in London seem not to. A friend of mine is an acoustical engineer – I didn’t even know such a specialty existed until I met him – and he does very good business designing the interiors of the walls in restaurants and apartments in NYC.)
The food – we chose a range of vegetarian selections – was excellent. And reasonably priced ($40 per person, including tax and tips). No drinks in that figure, as my friend doesn’t drink, and I had work to do when I got back to the hotel.
After the ups of dinner, the downs of work. Thank goodness we had a short and early dinner, because I had to send a document before my client left for the airport. Victory was achieved at 3 am, and I could finally sink into sleep.
) and close to midtown where I could launch into my errands. Second, it has killer breakfast energy smoothies -- one of the best ways to start a breakfast. I think I had one with yogurt, bananas, soy milk and berries. Last, and definitely not the least, it was one of the restaurants we regularly met up in when I lived there. You can never underestimate the nostalgia factor.
before sleep ovecame me.
again?
) deal with Bliss products if I had to
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