Blue Moon Hotel - New York, NY Review

When my friend dropped me off at a corner in upper Manhattan, he figured that I could take a cab for a few blocks to the Blue Moon Hotel.  I asked a few people how far the hotel was, but no one had heard of the hotel.  I explained that it was on Orchard street and one person said, "Oh, that's on the east side in downtown."

Since it was my first time in New York, I had no idea where I was.  So I hopped into a cab and gave the guy the address.  The cab driver tried looking up the address on a map.  He finally told me he had no idea where it was and let me out.  I flagged another cab down and we were finally on our way.

When the driver pulled up to the Blue Moon Hotel, I thought for sure he took me to the wrong place.  The place was brightly lit and it looked like a coffee shop. The sign on the front indicated that I was indeed in the right place.

I was immediately greeted by Randy, the owner who gave me a warm welcome.  Randy is an artist and his work is on display in the foyer.  I checked into my room-- a spacious 300+ square foot room with a queen-sized bed, desk, mini-bar, table and a small sink.  A walk-in closet was a welcomed surprise.  The bathroom had a pedestal sink and a bathtub with sliding doors.  All of the decor was period specific-- a throwback to a hundred years ago but with all the modern conveniences, such as a flat screen TV.

Later that evening, Randy sat down with me in the foyer and offered me a glass of wine--  compliments of the house.  He told me a bit about the hotel-- he and his wife renovated the entire building into a 22-room hotel.  The hotel a lot of history on display-- from the original woodwork to things that Randy uncovered as he renovated.  He brought over a small, yellow tin box and handed it to me.  It was a box that held typewriter ribbons from many years ago.  "Here, you can keep this.  A souvenier of your visit here," he said.   

The prices range from about $500 to over a thousand per night.  The prices are typical of New York, as space is at a premium and most hotel rooms are much smaller than what is found at the Blue Moon. 

There is no room service at this hotel, nor will you find a vending machine.  If you want a late night snack, you can dig into the fruit basket.  Breakfast the next morning consists of homemade pastries, fruit and coffee.  

Staying at the Blue Moon was definitely a memorable event for me-- I won't forget the unique rooms nor the graciousness of the owner.  I would definitely stay there again.