Amanda Pressner -- Oyster Locals Reporter
Amanda Pressner caught the travel bug as at age eight when she and her family did a cross-country trip in a camper van nicknamed "The Blue Moose." Between trips abroad, she’s writes for such publications as USA Today, Shape, Travel + Leisure, and Cosmopolitan. Along with Holly Corbett and Jennifer Baggett (both Oyster Locals contributors), she is co-author of The Lost Girls, a memoir about a yearlong, round-the-world backpacking adventure. She currently resides in Manhattan, but is always ready to pick up at a moment's notice and travel again.
- Places lived: Tampa, Florida, New York City
- Education: Florida State University
- Destination expert for: New York City
- Always in my suitcase: My Nikon D90 camera, laptop and universal memory card reader (for stealing fellow travelers' snapshots!)
My Favorite Hotels
1
The Jane Hotel
- Pearls: Rating: 3.0 Pearls
- Location: West Village, Manhattan
- Price: $220/night
With shared bathrooms and hilariously small (though cleverly designed) rooms, this newly renovated West Village landmark offers quirky accomodations for hipsters on a tight budget -- most rooms cost a fraction of the New York average. The Pod Hotel offers similarly priced (and sized) rooms in Midtown East, but it can't compete with The Jane's proximity to the thriving West Village.
2
The Empire Hotel
- Pearls: Rating: 4.0 Pearls
- Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan
- Price: $290/night
For the price, you'll be hard-pressed to find this level of on-site amenities at any other New York hotel. The Empire's rooftop bar and pool, both with excellent views of the upscale Upper West Side, make this 420-room hotel one of the city's best values, despite the small rooms.
