An Affordable Place to Stay in New York

I took the Amtrak to Penn Station early Tuesday morning for a quick two-day visit to what I call The City. The idea was to do some job-related networking, see some old friends, and buy some Coach bags. I am happy to say I was quite successful in all of those quests. Not to mention, my expectations were exceeded when I landed a Gucci watch for 10 bucks on Canal Street.

Being unemployed, I had to cut corners on this trip wherever possible. A train ticket from Baltimore is always cheaper than air fare (unless you take the Acela Express, of course). And the train is a much faster and more pleasant trip than doing the whole stressful airport thing.

There was no staying at the Hilton for me this time, either. I tried out a place called Riverside Tower Hotel on the upper west side. It's in a great location - 80th and Riverside Drive, which puts it exactly three blocks from the 1 train at 79th. You can go one stop (to 72nd) and hop on the 2/3 express train to get anywhere on the west side of Manhattan in a jiffy.

With prices starting at $104, Riverside Tower is probably the only hotel in Manhattan where you can sleep for under $150 a night. Even the $150-a-night hotels are usually flea bags. This place wasn't. At least, there were no bugs - with the exception of one flying insect that I locked in the bathroom for my second night there.

Granted, it is a pre-war building, and the plumbing looked historic, but everything worked fine and the place was pretty clean. The only thing you have to get used to is the small size. As I went up in the old, small elevator after checking in, I said to myself, "Remember, it's going to be small."

Nonetheless, when I opened the unpainted door to my room on the 8th floor, I busted out laughing and had to call my sister-in-law Judy immediately on my cell to tell her just how small "small" is in this hotel.

I had reserved a "suite" but didn't realize until after my trip that what I'd gotten in error was just a "single." Fortunately I was only charged for the single, which is about $121 a night (after massive tax is tacked on). So the error saved me about 35 bucks.
When I entered my room I saw a small twin bed shoved against the left wall. No headboard. The bed took up nearly half of the main room, which was carpeted in bright red. To the right of the bed, not four feet away, was an old floor lamp and a windowed wall with a small A/C unit.

There was a small TV across from the end of the bed on top of a three-drawer dresser, a phone sitting on a phone book, and a closet about 4' wide. On a shelf above the dresser was a mini-fridge and an unplugged microwave (with no outlet in sight). The bathroom was a hoot. The sink was miniature, as were the soaps. The front of the toilet was so close to the wall that an average-height person would have to turn their knees to the left in order to sit down. The entire bathroom probably measured 4' x 6'. In fact, I estimate that the hotel room was just under 125 square feet in total.

But it was clean enough (and, believe it or not), quiet enough to sleep in. Unfortunately, I can't sleep in a twin bed. With my cubital tunnel syndrome, my folded arms fall asleep. So I didn't get much sleep while I was in New York this week. But who sleeps when they go to NY??

I gotta say, even though the maintenace guy was having a bad day because he was waiting forever for an empty elevator that he could get into with his steam cleaner, the front desk staff was friendly throughout my stay there. That reminds me, the elevators are so small that you can fit either one person and their luggage or two people sans luggage. And when you are on your floor and press the down button, the elevator stops for you even if it is going up. My advice: if the elevator comes, just get on it no matter which direction it's headed.

Also, the owner (or manager?) Don is quite responsive over email if you have questions about your stay at Riverside Tower.

So, if you need an inexpensive hotel in NY in a good location, this is the place. Just try to avoid getting the "single" room. Their web site shows the exact layout of each floor. I recommend you try a suite. Looking at the floorplan, the double isn't any bigger than the single, so I wouldn't recommend that room either. Plus, if you get a suite on the Riverside Drive side, you can have a nice view of the Hudson.

Just know ahead of time that there is no bedside table, no alarm clock, no cable TV, no Internet access (except apparently Wi-fi in the lobby area), no bath soap (just tiny hand soaps), and no shampoo, conditioner, or hair dryer. It's just a place to sleep and shower.

Zabar's is right around the corner where you can go to buy groceries and beverages to stock your little fridge. Across from Zabar's is an H&H Bagel, too. You're also close to lots of shopping on Broadway - there's a Filene's Basement on your way to the subway. And Riverside Park is a great place to walk (something I didn't have time for this trip).

And that concludes my unofficial review of the Riverside Tower Hotel in NY. If any of my readers out there have stayed in hotels in NY, please post any recommendations you might have (for or against) in the comments section.