travel

THANKFUL TO TRAVEL, AGAIN

We are thankful to have the opportunity to travel, again, especially to New York. As a creative person, travel is such a powerful source of inspiration for my life, my creativity and my work. Being in different places, spaces and cities, feeds me in a way I’m not sure anything else does. It’s all about the people, the interactions and conversations, the fashion, the art, the food, the design, the architecture, the smells, all the nature and where we stay. It’s every bit of this and so much more. The sights, sounds, scents, tastes – the full sensory experience can give way to endless inspiration I bring back home. The experiences all become a part of me, woven and integrated into who I am, how I live, how I approach life, how I interact with people, and especially in how and what I create. 

FAMILY TRAVEL – WHERE TO GO

A little on the backstory – back in May, we unfortunately had to cancel our Mexico beach vacation because of escalating COVID numbers in that country. Since one of our sons has moderate to severe asthma, we opted to play it safe. This was the first out-of-state vacation we had planned in over 18 months so needless to say we were all a little disappointed. Our kids were especially bummed by the cancellation as Finest Playa Mujeres had become their favorite chill vacation spot. 

We were still eager to get out of our house and out of North Carolina so we regrouped and redirected our focus, in search of other travel destinations. We decided we’d only consider domestic travel and became interested in the northeast. If you’d like to read more about where we started and a new stylish lodging discovery, check out my blog post linked here, STAY IN STYLE: BLOCK ISLAND BEACH HOUSE. 

NEW YORK HERE WE COME

After coming up empty-handed with several interesting destinations, New York seemed like a good choice for our June trip. Really, isn’t New York always a good choice? It’s a state with varied opportunities and options for the entire family because let’s face it, it’s hard to please everyone! Or at least that’s the case in our family. Inevitably, some part of our crew wants a beach vacation while the other half wants more of a city adventure. New York City is also a place my 15-year-old son had recently become obsessed with visiting. Since he graduates from high school in three years, it’s an experience we wanted to share with him while we have the chance.

A lot of our trip booking was last minute, not how we typically plan our vacations. We were a little nervous about accommodations and availability. I have to say, we were pleasantly surprised we were so successful in pulling together what turned out to be a fantastic trip, stylish lodging included. I actually think we just got lucky with our timing as New York had just reopened after recently lifting COVID restrictions. Considering New York is typically crowded, especially the city and popular Long Island summer beach spots, we were fortunate we experienced less than normal crowds and lines.

Our trip ended up being a combination of city and beach, spending some part of our week in Montauk and the other half in New York City. It was actually the best of both worlds – a little beach rest coupled with some busy city stimulation. I plan to do a separate post on our Montauk stay. Here, I want to write about our personal experience at the Ace Hotel.

OUR STYLISH STAY – ACE HOTEL NYC

I’ve been a big fan of the Ace Hotel brand for some time now and have been looking for an opportunity to stay in one of their stylish creations. I already knew Ace is the place (oh my, the rhyme!) for the design enthusiast, but I wasn’t super familiar with the Ace NYC location. It had been a while since I’d visited NYC. The hotel is in Midtown, a couple of blocks from the Flat Iron Building, and in the up-and-coming neighborhood, NoMad (north of Madison Square Park). The centrally location was the perfect home base for hitting both Uptown and Downtown Manhattan attractions. It’s also super accessible to local coffee shops, restaurants, cafes and neighborhood delis as well as the subway. 

In terms of the hotel itself, from the popular bustling lobby to the quiet, well-equipped rooms, we couldn’t have had a better stay. I liken the hotel to sleeping with a hip, handsome man who’s not your husband! I think my guy is cool with that too. The design vibe is moody and soulful with masculine elements carried throughout. Think plaids, flannels and deep hues. I’m obsessed with the most perfect shade of dark green paint used throughout the hotel lobby. Ace Hotel – What is this color? Please do share. There’s also a vintage twist and a well-played nod to the past of the renovated historic turn-of-the-century building. 

OUR ROOM, WITH MUSIC + A  VIEW

We stayed in a double bed room equipped with a turntable and guitar. Imagine the delight of my musician husband and teenage son to have gotten so lucky. While the not so musical wife and mom got to experience the endless strumming and jamming in such close quarters. A major score we could all agree on was our spectacular window view of the Empire State Building. We seriously couldn’t believe our luck. Well, there was also a historic building across the street from the hotel with a modern rooftop addition. This designer quickly commenced some pretty intense stalking from our 10th floor room. You can read more about this modern masterpiece in the linked blog post – TRAVEL FINDS: NEW YORK CITY PENTHOUSE. 

Back to our room though, which had a surprising amount of extra space to spread out. When you’re a family traveling with two growing boys, this is always a plus (We have a third older son who has sadly aged out of joining us.). There was a larger than what I usually experience entry area. On one side, there was generous space for our luggage, and on the opposite side, were shelves with snack options and a full-sized SMEG refrigerator stocked with beverages for purchase. The bathroom was long and narrow, but not your typical cramped hotel bathroom. Think vintage-inspired black and white subway wall tiles, dark green ceramic floor tiles, cast iron bathtubs and brass fixtures.

HOTEL OFFERINGS

Unfortunately, we didn’t end up spending much time in the hotel lobby bar area as we got our fill of stimulation from our full days roaming around the city. Perhaps next time. It was a pretty hip and happening hang out with amble seating for working and lounging. The lobby bar also serves food, more of a small bites menu. We did take full advantage of popping downstairs to the Stumptown Coffee Roasters to grab our daily morning cup of joe. And when I say we, I mean my husband gets dressed and does this for us… he’s a good man! There was also a Milk Bar (dessert bakery) entrance accessible from the hotel lobby. My sons thought that was a win. The hotel also has a small shop close to the front desk check-in stocked with cool, Ace Hotel vibe-inspired goods.

WE’LL BE BACK

The Ace Hotel NYC did not disappoint, and this hip and handsomely designed hotel will definitely be our go-to spot when visiting NYC. We’re also looking forward to exploring one of their other ten locations, many found in larger, popular cities across the United States. The Palm Springs, Portland and Los Angeles locations look especially interesting. Until next time, thank you Ace Hotel for a stylish and inspiring stay! 

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*Please note this is not a sponsored or paid post! We are not affiliated in any way with the Ace Hotel.