Ever since my son turned 13 last February, there’s been a growing maturity and desire on his part for both privacy and autonomy. In our home, he now shuts his bedroom door, and we hear him hanging with friends and playing for hours on his gaming laptop. He emerges for necessities including food, showers and to briefly discuss his school day and share homework.
He and I have long enjoyed staycations in NYC which present highly memorable bonding opportunities, including instilling in him a love of Manhattan, whether it be roaming streets, seeing a show, fun dining, visiting firehouses (his passion) or just chilling in a comfortable hotel lounge.
I seized the moment to arrange a two night stay this Columbus Day weekend, and our hotel of choice was the new, modern Riu Plaza New York Times Square. At first I wondered if the neighborhood might prove too hectic and noisy, but we wound up really enjoying the hotel and area, and street sounds were not an issue.
The Riu in NYC opened in March and is part of an international chain. With an impressive glass façade, the hotel and lobby are stunning with a good amount of cushy seating in various nooks, and there is an executive lounge on the 26th floor which some guests have access to, equipped with light fare and drinks, along with a television.
The hotel corridors have an urban sensibility and the feeling of a sleek cruise ship. We stayed in compact, yet efficient room with two double beds on a high floor with a street view. I always enjoy looking out the window from a high rise hotel at night to take in the lights of the city. The room was minimalist, with an understated white and purple décor, but it was high tech in a cool way and had a terrific flat screen television. The bathroom was a good size, and the shower (no tub) had a large spa-like head and excellent water pressure. The bed was comfortable, and there was a mini frig (no mini bar) which was great for storing drinks and leftovers. Most hotels I’ve stayed in have mini-bars with little room for storage, so this was truly welcome. One comment: There is no clock in the room, but you can arrange a wakeup call. In fact, I am very impressed with the hotel service. We requested a wakeup call, and my son had accidentally knocked the phone off the hook.. I didn’t realize we would have never received that wakeup call, but the hotel sent up a staffer to knock on our door to make sure we arose.
The elevators were super fast despite the 657 rooms and 29 floors, and there is free Wi-Fi. A fitness center is located on the lower level.
There is both a restaurant named Fashion (serving breakfast, lunch and dinner) and snack bar called Capital attached to the hotel, and we enjoyed the impressive, European-style buffet breakfast featuring everything from chocolate crème puffs (my son was in heaven), to lox to scrambled eggs to croissants. And, it goes until 11am, which is great for those non-morning people like us.
The room types include doubles, executives, family suites, junior suites and the presidential suite. Plus, the hotel has two conference rooms with capacity for 70 and 75 people, respectively, along with two meeting rooms. Meeting planners and business travelers also have access to full audiovisual equipment and Wi-Fi.
We would definitely stay here again. It’s an ideal location for theatre lovers, such as myself, and we had the opportunity to see the Off Broadway shows Tick Tick Boom and Miles Thorn, Master Illusionist. Not only is Thorn a young, skilled sleight of hand master, but he is a performer with a magical message for all ages ….one of hope and inspiration for anyone chasing a dream……such as himself.
In between the shows, we grabbed an Uber car and roamed around Soho one afternoon and had dinner at my newly-discovered, now favorite restaurant Beauty & Essex on the Lower East Side. Another day, we visited the Central Park Zoo (adorable red panda and a fun, short 4D film) and watched the Columbus Day parade. We capped it off with an early farewell dinner with friends at Junior’s Times Square. For all my time spent in NYC, we had never eaten there (except for a quick cheesecake takeout), and now I understand why during prime dining hours, there are lines to get in. Not only is the dessert amazing, but I had a salad with salmon that was very good, and my son loved the ribs. It’s a great family friendly choice.
I’m grateful for this quick trip and time my son and I had together, and I immediately find myself planning future stays in my mind with excitement and anticipation. Anything that gets him off electronics is a welcome experience. I know other moms out there of tweens and teens can relate. And, I hold dear the years we can explore together before trips with friends versus mom become his vacation of choice.