Bedford Hotel Rating: 2.5 Pearls

Midtown East, Manhattan, New York City

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The Bedford Hotel is housed in a great brick building that, unfortunately, faces an unappealing parking garage. Grand Central Terminal, Bryant Park, and the Morgan Library Museum are all within walking distance, as are many shops and restaurants.

Midtown East is where many New Yorkers come to work. Iconic skyscrapers -- the Chrysler Building and the Seagram Building -- dominate the skyline. On the ground, plenty of delis and Starbucks cafes feed the cubicle occupants. Nightlife is scarce, but excellent, typically pricy, cuisine is always within walking distance. On its western border, 5th Avenue is home to shopping icons like Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany & Co., along with high-end flagships like Gucci and Versace. Madison Avenue, one block east, is also dotted with designer boutiques.

• Less than two blocks from the 4, 5, 6, 7, and S subway lines
• 20-minute bus ride to Central Park
• 12-minute subway ride to Times Square
• 10-minute walk to the Empire State Building
• 25-minute subway ride to the ferry terminal to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
• 20-minute bus ride to Rockefeller Center
• 20-minute bus/subway ride to the American Museum of Natural History
• 35-minute bus ride or $9 taxi to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the "Met") and 20-minute bus ride to the Museum of Modern Art (the "MoMA")

• Standard rooms have either a queen-size bed or two double beds and are an average size for the price in New York; they're small, but not uncomfortably so.
• Larger, one-bedroom suites also available
• The Tower Suite is much larger, and also includes a broad balcony.
• Coffeemaker, minifridge, and microwave in every room
• All rooms are nonsmoking
• No formal room service, just local delivery from Ristorante Domenico (next door)
• Electric, two-burner stovetop in select rooms

New York has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting to town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than getting there from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45 and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to midtown Manhattan costs about $40 and can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 (plus tolls) and can take more than 90 minutes. It's customary to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.

Those looking to save some cash can use the privately run shuttle buses that are available at all three airports for about $14 per person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. Public transit is also available for as little as $7 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairways.

For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.