NYC series no.9: Beacon Hotel

We stayed at the Beacon Hotel on Broadway between 74th and 75th. I heard a lot about it after making inquiries for family friendly accommodations. There were many families staying there while we were there, and I gathered that most of those families were from other countries. We heard many languages on the elevators, in the hallways, and in the lobby. Of course, we heard many languages throughout the city.

The hotel is in the Upper West Side, two blocks from Riverside Park and the Hudson River, three blocks to Central Park, about the same distance to the American Museum of Natural History, not far from Lincoln Center, a block from a subway station, across the street from a great market, and next door to a wine store, a cafe, and the Beacon Theatre. The staff was really good, very attentive. We got to know our doorman as we walked out the front door onto the sidewalk on our way to the subway, or the market, or Starbucks, or whereever. On the day it rained, he gave us umbrellas. When we left, he haled the cab and loaded our bags.

The first impression of our room was how cool it was inside after our first taste of the heat and humidity. Jackson pushed the button in the small elevator to the 23rd floor and Rylee unlocked the door with the card key. The room's palette was a pleasant green. There was a living room with a sofa bed. Cyndi unpacked the boys' clothes and stored them in a bureau in the room. Their toys went into separate drawers, and the bags were stored in a closet near the front door, which also had a little safe. There was also a kitchenette. We used the refrigerator, the sink and the microwave, but that was all. It was pretty well stocked for four people, and at the end I discovered you could ask for wine glasses and additional utensils. (You had to ask for a sharp knife to go with the cutting board that was already there.) The bathroom was very nice but very small. Thankfully, there was a wide sill along the bathroom window for things. There was another closet in the bedroom. The bedroom also had a wonderful tall window looking toward Central Park and Midtown, its own temperature zone, and a second flat screen. I think Cyndi docked her ipod in the room, too.

We often came home to the hotel late and tired. There were a few mornings we got an early start, but it never seemed hurried until I started haranguing everyone when it was time to go. On a few mornings, I'd get some muffins or scones and coffee. We bought some milk and juice, grapes, and other things to eat in the room in the morning or late at night. We even got two bottles of wine from next door. Some days were divided so that we could come back for rest. Cyndi would lie down for a bit, the boys would play with their new Legos with the Disney channel in the background, and I'd take out my little itinerary and figure out the next subway trip or see if we were still on budget.