Love in the City

by Mike Mitchell

If you need to recharge your "relationship batteries", one sure-fire way is a romantic weekend in the big city: New York City that is. With world-class restaurants, unsurpassed theater and entertainment, and the excitement of "Sex and the City" everywhere you turn, New York seems like a lover itself. Although some do not associate New York with romance, if you do the city right, you can get an understanding of why residents truly love New York.

New York offers many options for a weekend stay including, one of our favorites - boutique hotels. Unlike large business hotels or chains, the boutique hotels provide a more intimate lodging experience with fewer rooms, more intricate designs and strong personalities. In New York there are at least fifteen boutique hotels in Manhattan in various neighborhoods and with various personalities.

Hudson

Hudson is a boutique hotel located in Manhattan's midtown West 58th Street. It is convenient to the theater district and to Central Park. One of the most impressive features of Hudson is the sweeping forty-foot, ivy-covered and romantically lit lobby. With brick-faced walls, and earth-toned accents and furniture, Hudson's atmosphere is decidedly rich and utterly hip. Hudson offers a private garden, a small intimate game room/bar and a hot nightspot, the Hudson Bar, which is generally packed with young hipsters on weekend nights.

Hudson boasts over one thousand ocean-liner-inspired guest suites, some with views of Central Park. The rooms are fairly small, but well appointed, with lush, crisp linens and sumptuous beds. Don't expect a whirlpool bath - or much of a bathroom at all - since space is a premium here and the bathroom facilities are minimal and crowded. Hudson also offers two ultra-luxurious, apartment-like penthouses with a tented terrace and over 2,000 square feet of space.

The location for theatergoers is perfect, a short cab ride or a long walk to the theater district. For a weekend jaunt of theater going and play, Hudson is a wonderful choice.

Morgans

Morgans is located on the East Side of Manhattan on Madison Avenue at 37th Street. Appointed in an "impressionistic" style with soothing tones of grey, ivory, black and tan, the hotel has only 119 rooms and each is fairly large (for Manhattan). The problem with Morgans is that the design is cool and unemotional. Additionally, it seems as though the designers merely covered the old with the new, hoping to create a hip, cool style. Unfortunately, this technique seems forced and the effect fails.

Morgans is on the south side of midtown Manhattan, close to the Empire State Building. It is fairly convenient to the theater district and to several restaurants. Being on the East Side, it is closer to LaGuardia than hotels on the West Side.

The best thing about Morgans is the restaurant, Asia de Cuba. It is a lively and rather over-crowded spot, but the food is wonderful. Large dishes meant to be shared and the fusion of Asian and Cuban tastes works perfectly.

Avoid Morgans as a hotel and go to the restaurant, but make reservations early - it's truly a hot spot.

60 Thompson

In a word: delicious. In more words: hip, stylish, luxurious, fantastic - I could go on and on about 60 Thompson. Located in the artsy SoHo neighborhood at (duh) 60 Thompson Street, this boutique hotel is the best of the best. Tapped as "one of the world's hottest hotels" by Conde Nast's traveler, 60 Thompson deserves all the praise that it gets. With only 100 rooms, 60 Thompson provides guests a sophisticated and sleek style. It is clearly one of the hippest of the hip. And the beds are, well, heavenly.

Since it is downtown, 60 Thompson is more convenient to the off-Broadway downtown scene than Broadway proper. The hotel boasts a restaurant, bar and, most notably, A60, a members-only bar that offers 360-degree views of Manhattan - fantastic.

60 Thompson is perfect for a weekend rendezvous in the hip SoHo neighborhood. If you want a love-laced getaway in the big city, 60 Thompson is the place. That being said, make reservations early, the hotel is very popular.

Paramount

Paramount is the quintessential expression of "Cheap Chic". Located on 46th Street near 8th Avenue, Paramount is very close to the center of the theater district, Time Squares and other midtown attractions.

The two-story lobby has a hip feel and provides a cool respite from the crowded street. On the lobby's second floor balcony, there is a simple bar with drinks and appetizers.

Paramount's 610 rooms are small (supposedly intimate) and have hardly enough room for much more than the bed. Each has a mini-bar/television console tucked into a corner and a minimal bathroom. The beds are basically on the floor, but are quite comfortable with rich linens and plush pillows.

Paramount is no 60 Thompson, but, as it is convenient to midtown sites and activities, it is recommended for theatergoers.