Moxy Lower East Side - Affordably Chic Lodgings In New York’s Hippest Neighbourhood

Anthea Gerrie Chooses The Moxy Lower East Side As A Base To Explore Her Family’s First New York Footsteps

My first thought on arriving at New York’s Moxy Lower East Side, awash in pink neon and wild lobby art, was:”I’m going to be sleeping in a nightclub!” My second, on entering a surprisingly silent and soundproofed 10th floor room with far too much luggage, was: “I’m never going to find room for all my stuff”. My third, having unpacked and mysteriously managed to hang all my tops in a room with no wardrobe, was: “This may be the best-designed hotel room in the world.”

All credit to whichever of the renowned international designers dreamt up the ablutions cube which seems to be at the heart of all his excellent space-saving designs for Moxy’s hip but eminently affordable hotels in New York City, where space is at a premium. Not that you notice the room as much as the floor to ceiling city view which knocks you out on entering if you’re lucky enough to get one; it wowed me at dawn, dusk and especially at night, when the bright lights of Lower Manhattan are ablaze.

The 303-room hotel is situated on the Bowery, once New York’s Skid Row, but now gateway to a former immigrant slum neighbourhood which is now Manhattan’s most happening quarter. Broome Street, the cross-street where the hotel meets Bowery, is a cool, strollable thoroughfare into the Lower East Side, no longer home to predominantly Jewish immigrants like my grandparents who joined millions more from eastern Europe during the early years of the 20th century, though they left their mark with shops, synagogues and skyscrapers still standing.

What you’ll see more of on Orchard Street, which crosses Broome, and the blocks to either side, is a sequel to the early department stores which once sold ballgowns made in surrounding sweatshop apartments. Now the clothes made locally are by cutting-edge designers who have set up signature boutiques or finds in the many vintage shops.

There are restaurants, bars and cafes galore, though the only change to Russ & Daughters, a beloved family deli which has been going strong since before 1914, when my mother was born, is that it now has a sit-down cafe serving cocktails and caviar as well as fabulous smoked fish bagels.

But back to the hotel and that cube, which at Moxy Lower East Side resembles a Mondrian in the primary colours printed onto its frosted glass. One side contains a good rain shower equipped with decent shampoo, body wash and conditioner, the other a loo. The lava stone sink is in the vestibule through which you walk past the bathroom modules to the sleeping area – narrow and close to the wall, but perfectly functional and with plenty of shelving above and below, not to mention a large mirror framed with Hollywood dressingroom-style lightbulbs.

As for that ingenious hanging space, the conventional wardrobe has been replaced with pegs over which hangers are dropped with chic leather loops, enabling six items to be unpacked and hung flat against the wall. If I’d stayed long enough to want to unpack my entire case, I would have found more storage room beneath my bed doubling as a hidden chest of drawers.

Somehow a desk and armchair are fitted in to a compact space to enable seated enjoyment of everything from the television news to that fantastic view. Large-screen smart TVs offer free access to streaming systems, but you may never get to switch them on in the city which never sleeps.

There’s a decent hairdryer and a garment steamer, and extra niceties like a luggage rack and room fridge are brought promptly when requested. However the Fiji water in the room – the only equivalent of the usual mini-bar -is chargeable, tap water must be taken to your bedside In a paper cup and that fridge is not quite as mini as it should be to sit comfortably in such a compact space.

You won’t go short of drinks, good food, or live music at Moxy Lower East Side, even if you never leave the hotel. There is indeed a nightclub and an excellent, super-buzzy Japanese restaurant in the basement. At Sake No Hana we feasted like kings on sushi, wagyu and excellent but non-traditional Asian fare in a big, buzzy room which felt like a club in its own right

Next morning there was very good free coffee by Stumptown in the Cafe d’Avignon, a lobby bakery serving excellent pastries and all the usual hot drink alternatives to the free filter brew, which is left out till 10am. Once the cafe closes the Fix Bar kicks in, though I was gasping for a coffee at 6pm after an exhausting day running around, and could only get tea from the bar. Those with endless energy can work it off at the 24/7 fitness centre complete with Pelotons, grab a bike or party downstairs at the subterranean nightclub Loosie’s or upstairs at the Highlight Room roof bar.

Subway connections are excellent, bringing all the big attractions of midtown and beyond – Rockefeller Center, Central Park, the Empire State Building and Museum Mile – closer to hand than you would expect, and the M15 bus runs south from close to the hotel to Lower Manhattan hotspots like the South Street Seaport, Wall Street and Battery Park, from where boats sail to Ellis Island, through which immigrants had to passed to gain access to their new American lives, and the nearby Statue of Liberty.

Not to be missed within walking distance is the excellent Tenement Museum which tells the different stories of each of those new arrivals in recreated apartments particular to each ethnic immigrant group.

It also runs walking tours, a great way to walk off your morning muffin, perfectly-made croissant or the delicious, rarely-seen Breton kouign amann pastry which is a speciality of the cafe and as much a reason to stay at Moxy Lower East Side as the thrillling city views and supremely comfortable bed. The latter, by the way, comes swathed in 300-thread-count linen and hypoallergenic pillows – down alternatives are available on request. An awful lot of quality content in a good location for a stunningly affordable price in the world’s most exciting city.