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New York: New York City – 9/11 Memorial & Museum
🗽 Returning to Ground Zero — From Two Holes in the Ground to One World Trade Center
Like most people of our generation, Karen and I had vivid memories of exactly where we were on 11 September 2001, when we watched those terrible events unfold on television. I was at work, huddled around a screen with colleagues, barely able to take in what we were seeing. Karen was at home with the family. It was one of those days — like the moon landing, or the death of Diana — where time stamps itself permanently into your memory. Nobody who saw it forgot a single detail.
Then, less than 18 months later, almost before the dust had properly settled, we found ourselves in New York. My employer had offered me a new role just north of the city, and we had taken the plunge. While we were settling in, we made the trip down into lower Manhattan to see the World Trade Centre site for ourselves. Most of the rubble had been cleared by then — and there had been an astonishing amount of it. The twin towers had each stood 110 storeys tall, completed between 1970 and 1972, and together they had contained roughly 200,000 tonnes of steel. Getting rid of all that had taken hundreds of workers over eight months of round-the-clock effort. By the time we arrived, what remained were essentially two vast, unfilled voids in the ground — enormous rectangular pits where those towers had stood for nearly thirty years.
The area was still cordoned off behind chain-link fencing, and that fencing had become something else entirely. New Yorkers had turned it into a kind of public memorial wall, covered from end to end in thousands of tributes — photographs, handwritten notes, flags, flowers, ribbons, children’s drawings. People had come from all over the country, and from around the world, to leave something. The city was still raw. You could feel it in the air. Being there at that time, standing at that fence, was honestly one of the most quietly devastating experiences of our lives together. We barely spoke.
We lived just north of New York City until 2007, and during those years, frustratingly little seemed to happen at the World Trade Centre site itself. There were endless arguments — about the design, the developer, the memorial, the politics, the money — as there always are when Americans get a large committee involved in anything. Building permits, lawsuits, redesigns. The site sat largely dormant for years. So when the opportunity came to visit again, some 14 years after that first emotional trip, we were genuinely curious to see how things had moved on.
🏙️ One World Trade Center — The New Colossus
And how they had moved on.
As you approach the World Trade Centre complex today, the first thing you see — and you cannot possibly miss it — is One World Trade Center. It is, quite simply, enormous. It dominates the Lower Manhattan skyline in a way that feels almost theatrical, as though the city is making a deliberate point. Which, of course, it is.
One World Trade Center stands 541 metres tall — or exactly 1,776 feet, a figure that was chosen quite deliberately, that being the year of American independence. It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the seventh-tallest building in the world. It sits on the northwest corner of the rebuilt World Trade Centre site, occupying the footprint where the original 6 World Trade Center once stood — a nine-storey building that was badly damaged in the attacks and later demolished. Construction on the new tower began in April 2006, though it moved at the kind of pace that suggested everyone involved had other things on. It was finally completed and opened in November 2014, making the whole project a 13-year endeavour from groundbreaking to opening day.
The design, by architect David Childs of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, is deliberately symbolic. The building has a square base that rotates as it rises, forming a series of isosceles triangles at its midsection before tapering to an antenna at the top. The glass facades catch the light differently depending on where you stand and what time of day it is. It is, in short, a genuinely striking piece of architecture — though I’ll admit that my neck was aching from looking up at it within about 30 seconds.
🕊️ The Sphere — Battered, Bruised and Still Standing
In the heart of the rebuilt World Trade Centre complex, there is now space to stop and think. Around Liberty Park, several monuments serve as quiet reminders of the suffering caused by the attacks of 11 September 2001 — but also, if you’re feeling optimistic enough, as symbols of resilience and hope.
The most striking of these is The Sphere. This large bronze sculpture, which now sits in Liberty Park, was originally commissioned by the Port Authority back in 1966 and created by German sculptor Fritz Koenig. Standing 25 feet tall and weighing a frankly impractical 25 tons, it spent decades as the centrepiece of the original World Trade Centre Plaza — a familiar meeting point for New Yorkers and tourists alike. Remarkably, it survived the attacks, though not without significant damage. It was retrieved from the rubble, battered and bruised, and stood for years in Battery Park before finally being returned closer to home.
🗽 De Oppresso Liber — The Horse Soldier
Just a short walk from the Sphere stands a striking bronze statue that stopped us both in our tracks. Called De Oppresso Liber — Latin for “to liberate from oppressors” — this 18-foot figure of a Green Beret soldier on horseback was erected as a tribute to the US Special Forces who were quietly deployed into Afghanistan in the weeks immediately following 9/11. These were the first American boots on the ground, inserted covertly to work alongside Northern Alliance fighters against the Taliban — riding horses across mountain terrain because there was no other way in. Remarkably few people knew it was happening at the time. The statue captures that moment with real power and dignity. It is a serious piece of work, and standing next to something that size, you genuinely feel the weight of what it represents.
🌊 The 9/11 Memorial — Absence Made Visible
The Memorial opened on 11 September 2011, exactly ten years to the day after the attacks. It was a long time coming, and when you finally stand there, you understand why they took the trouble.
The centrepiece is two vast reflecting pools, each nearly an acre in size, sitting in the exact footprints where the North and South Towers once stood. These are not ornamental garden ponds. Each one contains what are technically the largest man-made waterfalls in North America, with water cascading 30 feet down into a square basin, before dropping a further 20 feet and disappearing into a smaller central void. The effect is quietly extraordinary. The architect, Michael Arad, described the pools as representing “absence made visible” — water constantly flowing in, yet never filling. You watch it and the metaphor lands immediately, without anyone needing to explain it to you. The sound of all that falling water creates a strange pocket of calm in the middle of one of the noisiest cities on earth, which is no small achievement.
Running along the bronze parapets edging both pools are the names of all 2,983 people killed in both the 2001 attacks and the earlier 1993 World Trade Centre bombing. The names are grouped by location and circumstance — where each person was, and what they were doing, when the world fell apart around them.
The plaza surrounding the pools is planted with more than 400 swamp white oak trees, a species native to all three crash sites — New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Among them stands one Callery pear tree with a rather remarkable story. Workers found it badly damaged at Ground Zero in October 2001, nursed it painstakingly back to health over nearly a decade, and returned it to the site in 2010. It is known, simply and perfectly, as the Survivor Tree.
🏛️ The 9/11 Museum — Where the Ground Still Speaks
Just a short walk from the memorial pools sat the 9/11 Museum, built directly into the grounds of the World Trade Centre site itself — quite literally underground, in the original foundations. It was a beautifully conceived place, using artefacts recovered from Ground Zero alongside film and audio to tell the story of what happened that September morning in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania. Sombre doesn’t quite cover it.
Among everything on display, nothing stopped us in our tracks quite like The Last Column. This great steel beam stood at the centre of Foundation Hall, covered from top to bottom in handwritten messages, photographs, and tributes left by recovery workers and the families of those who were lost. Originally marked with yellow paint by a Fire Department search team, it had gradually become the emotional heart of Ground Zero. On 30 May 2002, it was ceremonially removed from the site, marking the formal end of the recovery operation. It came home to the museum in 2009.
🏛️ Inside the 9/11 Museum — A Story Told in Silence
The historical exhibition at the 9/11 Museum tells the full story of that September morning through a carefully assembled collection of artefacts, photographs, first-person testimony, and archival audio and video recordings recovered from the chaos of the day. It is, in every sense, a primary source — and it hits you accordingly.
The exhibition is divided into three distinct sections, each doing a different job. The first takes you through the events of 11 September 2001 as they actually unfolded, hour by hour, decision by decision. The second pulls back to provide the broader historical context — including the first World Trade Centre bombing on 26 February 1993, when a truck bomb planted in the underground car park killed six people and injured over a thousand, and other precursor events that, with hindsight, were signposts nobody quite read in time. The third section looks at the world after 9/11 — the immediate aftermath, the recovery operation at all three attack sites, and the ongoing ramifications that continue to shape global politics, security, and ordinary life to this day.
Karen and I had both, of course, seen a great deal of footage over the years. You don’t live through a period like that without absorbing rather a lot of it. But seeing it all again in this concentrated, immersive setting — with the actual artefacts from Ground Zero surrounding you on all sides — was something else entirely. We walked around barely saying a word to each other. There wasn’t really much to say.
Alongside the core historical exhibition sits the Memorial Exhibition, which honours all 2,977 individuals killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the six lives lost in the 1993 bombing. It is quiet, considered, and entirely fitting. We spent longer in there than we expected.
Planning your visit to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial
🇺🇸 9/11 Memorial & Museum
| 📍 Location | 180 Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan, New York, NY 10007 | 🌐 Website | 911memorial.org |
| 📞 Phone | (212) 266-5211 |
🕖 Opening Times
| Memorial Plaza (Outdoor) | Museum (Indoor) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun – Thu | Daily, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (free, no ticket required) | 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (last entry 5:30 PM) |
| Fri – Sat | Daily, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (free, no ticket required) | 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM (last entry 6:30 PM) |
| Tuesday | Open as normal | Closed most Tuesdays; check website for select open dates |
🚇 How to Get There
| 🚇 Subway — closest | WTC Cortlandt Station (lines 2, 3) — exit directly onto Greenwich Street, steps from the entrance |
| 🚇 Subway — nearby | Fulton Street Station (lines 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, J, Z) — short walk south-west |
| 🚇 Subway — nearby | World Trade Center Station (lines E, W) — short walk |
| 🚌 Bus | Multiple MTA bus routes serve Church Street and Vesey Street, a 3-minute walk |
| 🚕 Taxi / Rideshare | Drop-off on Greenwich Street or Vesey Street |
🎟️ Entry Fees — Museum (Memorial Plaza is always free)
| Adults (18–64) | Seniors (65+) | Youth (13–17) & College Students | Children (7–12) | Under 7s | Free Admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $36 | $30 | $30 | $24 | Free (ticket required) | Mon from 5:30–7:00 PM (all visitors); 1st Sunday/month 4–7 PM (NY area residents) |
ℹ️ Advance online booking strongly recommended — same-day tickets are rarely available. Tickets are timed entry. No re-entry once you exit. 9/11 family members, first responders, and rescue/recovery workers admitted free year-round. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Ticket prices are set by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and are subject to change; always confirm current prices and opening times on the official website before visiting.
In summary …
- The Memorial and Museum are wonderful, particularly if you had any personal experience associated with 9/11
- You can visit the 9/11 Museum as a self-guided tour or you can, for a cost, join a guided tour.
- It will take 2-hours plus to walk around the Memorial and Museum.
Visiting New York City
✈️ Getting There
By Air
New York is served by three major airports. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), in the borough of Queens, handles the majority of transatlantic flights and is the largest of the three. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is situated in New Jersey, just across the Hudson, and is a popular and often cheaper alternative. LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is the closest to Midtown Manhattan but handles primarily domestic routes.
All international visitors will pass through US Customs and Border Protection on arrival, regardless of which airport they land at. Be prepared for queues and have your documentation ready.
Entry Requirements & ESTA
Most visitors from countries participating in the US Visa Waiver Programme — including the UK, most of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand — do not need a full visa for stays of up to 90 days, but they do need an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before travelling. The ESTA costs $40.27 and is valid for two years or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner. It must be secured at least 72 hours before departure. Apply only through the official US government website to avoid third-party scam sites that charge inflated fees.
Ensure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your intended date of departure from the US. If you have previously visited certain countries — Cuba after January 2021, for example — you may not be eligible for ESTA and will need to apply for a B-2 tourist visa instead.
Getting from the Airport into the City
From JFK, the AirTrain connects to the subway system (the A line or the Jamaica Station hub for the Long Island Rail Road), giving you a relatively affordable route into Manhattan. Uber, Lyft, and licensed yellow taxis are widely available. Yellow taxis charge a flat fare from JFK to Manhattan.
From Newark, an AirTrain connects to Newark Penn Station, where you can board NJ Transit trains into Manhattan’s Penn Station.
From LaGuardia, there is no direct rail link; buses connect to the subway network, and rideshare apps are the most convenient option.
Be cautious of unofficial “taxi” drivers who approach you inside the arrivals hall. Always use the official taxi rank outside or book a rideshare through the app directly.
🚇 Getting Around
The Subway
The subway is the backbone of the city and the fastest, most affordable way to get around. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week — one of very few urban rail systems in the world to do so. Lines are identified by letters and numbers, and whilst the map can look daunting at first, the system is logical once you understand that express trains skip stops and local trains stop at every station.
The old MetroCard swipe system has now been phased out. The city has fully transitioned to OMNY (One Metro New York), a contactless tap-and-pay system. Simply tap your contactless credit or debit card, smartphone, or smartwatch on the reader at the turnstile. If you prefer, you can also purchase a physical OMNY card from vending machines in any subway station. A single fare costs $3, and there is a weekly fare cap — once you have paid for 12 trips in a seven-day period, additional rides are free for the remainder of that week. Children under 44 inches (roughly 112 cm) tall travel for free.
Note that if you are using an overseas bank card, your bank may occasionally flag the first transaction as suspicious. It is worth taking a short test ride when you first arrive to verify your card works smoothly.
Buses
MTA buses cover areas of the city not well served by the subway and use the same OMNY tap-and-pay system. They are a good option for crosstown journeys in Manhattan, where the subway’s north-south orientation can be less convenient.
Taxis & Rideshares
Yellow taxis are iconic and plentiful in Manhattan. Uber and Lyft are widely used and often convenient, particularly late at night or when travelling with luggage. Avoid pedicabs (cycle rickshaws) unless you agree a fixed price in advance — they are notorious for charging tourists eye-watering amounts.
Walking & Cycling
Manhattan’s grid layout makes it one of the most walkable cities in the world. Many neighbourhoods are best explored on foot. Citi Bike, the city’s dockless bike-share scheme, is popular and relatively affordable, particularly for short hops between neighbourhoods.
Cars
Hiring a car in the city is not recommended. Traffic congestion is severe, parking is expensive and scarce, and the subway and walking will get you where you need to go more quickly and cheaply. Consider a car only if you are planning to venture outside the city limits.
🏙️ Neighbourhoods to Explore
Manhattan offers an enormous variety of experiences within a relatively compact area. Midtown is home to many of the city’s most iconic landmarks — Times Square, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, and the Museum of Modern Art. It is central, well-connected, and a natural base for first-time visitors.
The High Line, a repurposed elevated railway turned public park, runs through Chelsea on the west side, connecting to Hudson Yards at one end and the Meatpacking District at the other. Chelsea is also a hub for contemporary art galleries.
Greenwich Village and the West Village retain a bohemian character, with tree-lined streets, independent cafés, and a rich literary and artistic history. SoHo is known for its cast-iron architecture and high-end shopping. Tribeca, once an industrial area colonised by artists, is now one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the city.
Downtown’s Financial District contains Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and the Oculus — the striking transit hub and shopping centre near the World Trade Center site.
Uptown, Central Park divides the Upper West Side from the Upper East Side. The latter is home to Museum Mile, a stretch of Fifth Avenue that includes the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Frick Collection, and several others. Harlem, to the north, has a vibrant cultural identity rooted in African-American history and is well worth a visit.
Brooklyn’s neighbourhoods are increasingly popular with visitors. Williamsburg has a thriving food and nightlife scene. DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) offers spectacular views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline. Brooklyn Heights is one of the city’s most elegant residential areas.
Best Time to Visit New York City
🌸 Spring (March – May)
Spring is widely regarded as one of the most delightful times to visit New York City. Temperatures climb gradually from around 7°C in March to a pleasant 20°C by May, and the city shakes off its winter coat with a burst of colour. Central Park’s cherry blossoms typically peak in early April, drawing photographers and picnickers alike, while the High Line transforms into a ribbon of wildflowers and grasses above the streetscape.
Crowds are manageable in March and early April before the Easter holiday surge, making it an ideal window to visit popular museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Museum of Modern Art without the queues of summer. Hotel prices sit at a mid-range level — higher than winter, but far below the summer peak.
Rainfall is fairly consistent throughout spring, so a compact umbrella is wise. The weather can be unpredictable: a warm 18°C afternoon can be followed by a sharp drop at dusk, so layering is essential. Outdoor festivals begin to reappear — the Tribeca Film Festival typically runs in late April or May — and restaurant terraces start to fill up, giving the city an energised, sociable atmosphere.
What to pack: Lightweight layers including a cardigan and a light waterproof jacket, comfortable walking shoes, a compact umbrella, jeans or chinos, a couple of smart-casual tops for evenings out, and a light scarf for cooler mornings and evenings.
☀️ Summer (June – August)
Summer is New York City’s busiest and hottest season. Temperatures regularly reach 28–33°C, with high humidity making the heat feel more intense, particularly in July and August. The city buzzes with energy: outdoor cinemas, free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theatre, rooftop bars in full swing, and street festivals nearly every weekend. Coney Island and the Rockaway Beach become popular escapes for New Yorkers and tourists alike.
The trade-off is significant congestion. Hotels charge peak rates, queues at major attractions such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building stretch long, and the pavements in Midtown can feel suffocating in the midday heat. Booking well in advance and planning sightseeing for early morning or evening helps considerably.
Despite the crowds, summer has an infectious vitality. The 4th of July fireworks over the East River are spectacular, and the city’s parks host free concerts and events almost continuously. New York Pride in late June brings a celebratory, welcoming atmosphere to the streets.
What to pack: Breathable cotton or linen clothing, shorts and lightweight trousers, a hat and sunglasses, high-SPF sunscreen, a reusable water bottle, a light cardigan or layer for heavily air-conditioned restaurants and museums, and comfortable sandals alongside a pair of trainers for longer walks.
🍂 Autumn (September – November)
Autumn is arguably the finest season in New York City and is consistently the top pick among seasoned travellers. September brings warm, settled weather — often lingering in the low-to-mid 20s°C — without the oppressive humidity of summer. As October arrives, the temperature cools to a comfortable 14–18°C and the foliage in Central Park, Riverside Park, and Prospect Park turns to spectacular shades of amber, russet, and gold.
The city returns from its summer pace to full cultural gear. Broadway’s new season launches in September, galleries open major autumn exhibitions, and New York Fashion Week draws the industry’s eye in early September. The New York Film Festival runs through October. Restaurant Week (which actually spans several weeks) offers prix-fixe menus at some of the city’s finest establishments.
Halloween on 31st October is taken seriously here: the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade is one of the most theatrical events in the city’s calendar. Thanksgiving weekend in late November is festive and memorable — the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a spectacle — though it does bring a surge of domestic visitors and raised prices.
What to pack: A mid-weight jacket or trench coat, knitwear and jumpers, smart-casual layers, ankle boots or sturdy walking shoes, a light scarf, jeans and trousers, and a compact umbrella for November showers.
❄️ Winter (December – February)
Winter in New York City is cold, but it is also deeply atmospheric. December is one of the most magical months: the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree draws millions, ice-skating rinks open in Central Park and Bryant Park, and the shop windows along Fifth Avenue are dressed in elaborate festive displays. The seasonal markets — particularly those in Union Square and Columbus Circle — add a European flair to the city’s streets.
Temperatures average 0–5°C in January and February, with occasional snowfall that, when fresh, gives the city a cinematic beauty. Wind chill can make it feel considerably colder, especially in open areas such as the Brooklyn Bridge or along the Hudson River waterfront. After the holiday rush, January and February are among the quietest months for tourism, which means shorter queues, lower hotel prices, and a more authentic sense of everyday New York life.
February brings New York Restaurant Week again, and the city’s world-class indoor attractions — the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, Lincoln Center — are all the more inviting when the cold drives you inside. Valentine’s Day sees the city at its most romantically charged.
What to pack: A warm, wind-resistant coat (ideally down or wool), thermal underlayers, chunky knitwear, a hat, gloves, and a scarf, waterproof boots with grip for potential icy pavements, thick socks, and smart layers for evenings at the theatre or a fine-dining restaurant.
🗽 Overall Best Time to Visit
If there is one season that stands above the rest, it is autumn — specifically late September through to late October. The weather is reliably comfortable, the city is alive with cultural events and culinary offers, and the foliage transforms Central Park into something truly breathtaking. Crowds are thinner than summer, prices are more reasonable than December, and the light — that particular low, golden autumn light — flatters the city’s skyline and brownstone streets in a way no other season can match. For those seeking a balance of comfort, atmosphere, value, and beauty, autumn in New York City is simply unbeatable.
Other things to do whilst in New York City
1. Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo is one of the largest metropolitan zoos in the United States, covering around 265 acres in the north of New York City. It opened in 1899 and is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which also manages several other zoos and aquariums across the city. The zoo is home to more than 6,000 animals from several hundred species, including big cats, gorillas, snow leopards, and Komodo dragons. Many of the enclosures are designed to reflect the natural habitats of the animals inside, with large open areas rather than small cages. It draws around 2 million visitors each year and is accessible by public transport, including a direct bus route from Manhattan. Entry prices vary depending on the time of year, and some areas within the zoo cost extra on top of the general admission fee. The zoo also carries out conservation work both on site and internationally, focusing on protecting endangered species and their natural environments.
2. New York Botanical Garden
3. Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
Standing on a small island in New York Harbour, the Statue of Liberty has been one of America’s most recognisable landmarks since it was unveiled in 1886. The statue was a gift from France and depicts a robed female figure holding a torch aloft, symbolising freedom. A short distance away sits Ellis Island, which served as the country’s busiest immigration processing centre from 1892 to 1954. During that period, millions of people arrived there by ship, mainly from Europe, hoping to start new lives in the United States. Officials would check their documents and carry out basic health assessments before allowing them to enter the country. For many, the sight of the statue as their vessel sailed into the harbour was their first glimpse of America. Today, both sites are open to visitors and are managed as part of a national monument, drawing large numbers of tourists each year. Ellis Island also houses a museum dedicated to the history of immigration, where many Americans can trace the arrival of their ancestors.
4. Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art, known as MoMA, is located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and has been open to the public since 1929. It holds one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in the world, covering painting, sculpture, photography, film, design, and more. Works by artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Frida Kahlo are among those on permanent display. The building has been expanded and renovated several times over the decades, most recently in 2019, giving it a mix of older and newer gallery spaces. Entry is ticketed, though the museum does offer free admission at certain times. It attracts millions of visitors each year and is widely regarded as one of the most significant art museums in existence, though opinions on modern art — and on the museum’s choices — naturally vary from person to person.
5. Central Park
Central Park sits at the heart of Manhattan, covering around 840 acres of landscaped grounds in the middle of one of the world’s busiest cities. It was laid out in the 1850s and 1860s by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, and has been a public green space ever since. The park contains open meadows, woodland paths, a boating lake, an ice-skating rink, several playgrounds, and a zoo. On any given day it is used by a wide mix of people — joggers, families, dog walkers, tourists, and office workers on their lunch break. In summer the lawns fill up quickly, and free outdoor concerts and film screenings are common. In winter the bare trees and quieter paths give it a quite different character. It is maintained by a partnership between the city and a private conservancy, and entry is free throughout the year.
Where to stay in New York City
1. Element Times Square
During our visit to New York, we stayed in the Element hotel which is in the Hells Kitchen district. For us, it was perfectly located and was only a 5-minute walk to Times Square. It was also very close to several metro stations and the main bus terminal. We were feeling a bit stingy and cautious due to the Covid-19 pandemic so we decided to walk from Penn Station to the hotel, which only took us 10-minutes, hauling our luggage.
The room was good, we had a little kitchenette and there were pots, pans, plates and silverware, so we were self-contained. We were lucky enough to be on one of the higher floors, so we had a view. It was also possible to see the Empire State building.
Breakfast is included but nothing to write home about, but there are plenty of places to eat in the area so it was not a problem for us.
2. Yotel New York
3. Freehand Hotel
Freehand is located in the former George Washington hotel, known as the home of many artists, and it has maintained its creative spirit. It has a partnership with Bard College and many artists take an active part in designing the hotel and in shaping its cultural life. Freehand features five restaurants and bars, and elegantly designed rooms with private bathrooms. The rooms sleep up to 6 people.
It is located on Lexington Avenue and in walking distance of Union Square, Midtown and Flatiron.
More to Explore
