SEE
MANHATTAN
IN STYLE AT THE ALEX
By Michael Hepworth
I have just returned from a brief trip to
New York
and had the good fortune to stay at the
Alex
Hotel
in midtown
Manhattan
, and can recommend it highly to the readers of Nitedine.
New York
is an expensive place to stay, and in the past I have even advised readers
on a budget to go to
Jersey City
and catch the train in to avoid the high cost of hotel rooms in
Manhattan
. However the 203 room/suites Alex is good value for a luxury private
hotel, and since the hotel is comprised mainly of suites, the chances of
being in one are pretty good, with upgrades from guest rooms pretty
inexpensive at $50.
The hotel has only been open since April 2004 so it still retains
that feeling of newness, especially in the suites, which have been
designed by David Rockwell with a clean, balanced design. The 33-story
tower is very close to Grand Central Station, the United Nations and Park,
Madison and Fifth Avenues. Many diplomats stay in the hotel, some for
extended stays, so service has to be impeccable, and the manager, a
charming woman named Mary Lou Pollack is right on the ball and is not
adverse to balling someone out in private if they fall short of the high
standards expected here.
Another aspect of the hotel I liked a lot is that
there were only 5 suites on my floor, allowing for zero interaction with
other guests. Every suite features Frette linens, limestone bathrooms,
Frederick Fekkai bath amenities and fully equipped Poggenpohl kitchens
with sub-zero refrigerators stocked with goodies. Throw in the Sharp
flat-panel AQUOS Liquid Crystal televisions located in the living room,
bedroom and bathroom, and you have a home from home hotel suite that will
set you up for a night on the town. What slightly surprised me was
the really friendly nature of all the staff, certainly not as aggressive
as I would have suspected, given the frenzied pace of the city that seems
to be in a permanent but very controlled hurry. Also, all the housemaids
spoke English. There is 24 hour room service with food very reasonably
priced, and a concierge service, business center and a Fitness center with
an in-house personal trainer.
The hotel has an in house restaurant called Riingo
that has received some acclaim from the local food critics, partly due to
the menu being created by star chef Marcus Samuelsson. He also does double
duty at Aquavit, so executive chef Johan Svennson runs the kitchen on a
daily basis providing his own flair to the menu. The sushi bar is run by
Shinegori Tanaka, and the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and
dinner. I had one of their signature omelets for breakfast, and I also
hear that their French toast is one of the best in the city. An
example of the kind of food you can expect at Riingo’s for dinner would
be a very creative appetizer such as a goat cheese salad with a red beet
glaze with cerica, which is a hard to find Peruvian fruit that looks like
a yellow bell pepper. Follow that with beer-braised short ribs with apple
puree and hearts of palm, and seared tuna with beef cheek ravioli. If you
do get to go to Riingo’s, make sure to demand the baby donuts with green
tea ice-cream.
There is so much to do in
New York
that it is impossible to map out a plan, but a visit to Grand Central
Station is a must. The décor is so familiar with the many movies you have
seen, and the
New York
Transit
Authority
Museum
on site is well worth a visit. After that catch a subway a short distance
downtown to the Ground Zero area, and see what is happening down there,
currently a hot local political issue. Then take a walk through Wall
Street, and then to Battery Park where you can see the Statue of Liberty
from a distance, and the rather impressive skyline of
Jersey City
.
For the nightlife there is such an abundance of restaurants and night
clubs, that it would be impossible to single out too many, but I did check
out Randy Gerber’s club the Stone Rose in the
Time
Warner
Building
. A pretty hip place with a great view and no admission charge and a
slightly older crowd downing the martini’s that are all the rage now
everywhere, served with Grey Goose Vodka. Flying to
New York
is easier than ever with Jet Blue and Song pushing the route hard at very
good prices, so get out there and have a good time if you have not been
recently.
Fact Sheet
Alex
Hotel-
205 East 45th Street
,
New York
10017
212-867-5100-Tel
212-867-7878-Fax
www.thealexhotel.com
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