The New Yorker Hotel Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Midtown West, Manhattan, New York City

View from several blocks away

It takes some serious self-confidence to name your hotel the New Yorker. But back in 1930, when the hotel first opened and competition wasn't as fierce, the New Yorker was a city institution hosting silver-screen starlets and foreign dignitaries (more on this in History, below). A lot has happened since then, however, and since 2000, the New Yorker has been a less glamorous Ramada Inn property (its official, more cumbersome, name is "The New Yorker -- A Ramada Inn & Plaza").

Don't let that label put you off, however. Housing 912 rooms on several dozen floors of an iconic Art Deco skyscraper -- its architectural siblings are the Chrysler Building (built in 1930) and the Empire State Building (1931) -- the hotel's New Yorker identity still shines brighter than its Ramada connection. (At night it is a literal shine -- the monstrous red New Yorker sign at the top of the building can be seen from all over the westside of Manhattan.) The grand lobby, with its enormous chandelier, evokes its rich old-New-York past. And the hotel certainly embraces its roots: The sign at the entrance and the gold logo on the marble floors show that Ramada is happy to play a supporting role and let the hotel's venerable past take center stage.

Where does all that leave you? Probably on the fence, if rooms at the nearby Radisson Martinique are only $50 or so more (and if they're equal or less, jump at those instead). The similarly priced Holiday Inn NYC is also a better choice, but that's about 10 blocks away. The only other place in the immediate vicinity, Hotel Pennsylvania, is far inferior to the New Yorker, so if being close to Madison Square Garden is a priority, the New Yorker is a solid bet. If it's not, and you don't mind fighting the crowds in Times Square every time you step outside your hotel's front door, options abound 10 blocks north, like the Best Western President, the Marriott Marquis, and the Hilton Times Square.

A bellman assists guests with baggage

• Concierge on duty during daytime hours
• Transportation desk to arrange car services, located in the lobby area
• Bell staff
• Security guards in front of elevators check key cards as you pass -- annoying, but hey, safety first.

View on a Larger Map

The New Yorker is on 8th Avenue, between 34th and 35th Streets, which puts it about eight blocks from one of the busiest intersections in the world, at 42nd and Broadway in Times Square. Those blocks make a big difference, though. While the neighborhood is hardly quiet -- it's a block from Penn Station, one of the busiest train stations in the country -- the area is significantly less touristed than its neighbor to the north, especially at night.

The neighborhood itself is a bit of a no-man's land. Some New Yorkers would call it the Garment District; others would simply designate it part of Midwest West. But the distinction isn't really important -- the boundaries of Manhattan's neighborhoods are always a little fuzzy. What's important is that you're within quick walking distance of a number of popular sites, including Times Square, the Empire State Building, and Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. And of course, Madison Square Garden -- home of the New York Knicks, Rangers, and many high-profile concerts -- is only a slapshot away.

• Also nearby: the enormous Manhattan Mall and Macy's East, which claims to be the biggest department store in the world.
• Subway stop for the A, C, E trains right outside its doors, which goes north, to the Upper West Side and Central Park, or south to Chelsea and the Village
• Safety-wise, the area is packed during the day but thins out dramatically late at night, and isn't the best-lit neighborhood. As with almost any area in New York, it isn't wise to wander around poorly lit areas alone late at night, but the neighborhood isn't particularly violent or dangerous.

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting into town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than 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. Some will actually drop you off right at the New Yorker; they also leave from the hotel every hour. 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.

The City View Room

You get the basics at the New Yorker -- a decent bed, plenty of light, a flat-screen TV, and a touch of style -- but no frills or pleasant surprises. According to the New Yorker's website, there are two types of basic rooms -- Metro and City View -- but really, they are identical except for the views. Both types come with queen beds and run small -- 135 to 150 square feet is cozy, even by New York standards. Rooms with two double beds are a bit bigger -- 240 to 260 square feet -- but whether you're sharing a bed or not, you better plan on getting intimate with your roommate. Aesthetically speaking, the rooms were renovated in early 2009, which is a huge plus, but other than gold headboards, the most creative touch is the complimentary stick of Burt's Bees lip balm.

• Mediocre beds. The Simmons Beautyrest mattress was too firm for my taste, but at least it wasn't springy. The linens, by the Suite Collection and Convertible Collection, are 60 percent cotton, 40 percent polyester, though that's par for the price.
• Each room comes with a 32-inch LG flat-screen TV, which shows about 40 channels of basic cable, plus HBO.
• For Internet, you have two options: free Wi-Fi (fine for email and basic web-surfing); "premium" Wi-Fi package for anything beyond that (e.g., video streaming), for a daily fee
• Small, but clean, bathrooms; reasonable water pressure in the shower, but the the spray was uncomfortable -- like little pins, almost -- not soothing.
• Mimosa-scented conditioning shampoo and almond- and lime-scented bar soaps from Natura, a lesser-known brand

The decrepit gym equipment

Apparently the recent multimillion-dollar renovation didn't extend to the amenities. The New Yorker's fitness center is one of the most worn, outdated gyms in the city. If you do want to brave the torn-up weight benches and old equipment, be sure to pick a good time -- there's only one treadmill, one bike, and one stair machine. As for other features, not much:

• Two options for Internet: 1) free Wi-Fi, up to 500kb/s, fine for email and basic web-surfing; 2) premium broadband (up to 5mb/s), which costs an extra per day fee for streaming video or big downloading
• Finally, if you're interested in booking the hotel for a conference or other corporate event, the New Yorker is well equipped to handle hosting duties. For more information, check the New Yorker's website.

Rollaways (for a nightly fee) and cribs (free) are both available, but the standard (Metro and City View) queen-bed rooms are so small -- 135 to 150 square feet -- they won't fit. You'll have to book a room with two double beds, spring for a suite, or book two adjacent rooms to sleep a family any larger than two people.

• No kids' club or babysitting services
• The area is generally safe, but it does get quiet at night, and could make some parents uncomfortable.

Save for the gym, which has seen better days, most of the New Yorker was updated in February 2009.

Shrimp pasta from Cooper's Tavern

The New Yorker boasts two restaurants, though "boasts" may not be the right word, as both are about as pedestrian as they come.

• Cooper's Tavern is more a run-of-the-mill restaurant and bar than an atmospheric tavern. The tavern is open for lunch and dinner.
• The Tick Tock Diner, on the other side of the lobby, is a retro-50's-era diner open 24 hours.
• Local options abound, though this part of Midwest West is far from the best neighborhood for a foodie. Head south, to the Village, or north to Hell's Kitchen, further north to Columbus Circle, or north still to the Upper West Side for some of the best dining in the world.
• For a more adventurous (and cheap!) dining experience, check out Koreatown, two blocks east, on 32nd Street.

When the New Yorker opened in 1930, it was New York's largest hotel, with 2,500 rooms. (Today it has 912 rooms; the title now belongs to the Hilton New York and its 2,000 rooms.) It once employed 92 telephone operators and 150 laundry staff, who washed as many as 350,000 pieces a day. The barbershop alone, one of the largest in the world, boasted 42 chairs and 20 manicurists.

In the 1940s and '50s, the hotel was more than just a hotel. It hosted a number of popular Big Bands and celebrities, including Spencer Tracy and Joan Crawford. Even Fidel Castro stayed here. Its history has also veered into the sordid. The inventor Nikola Tesla spent the last 10 years of his life in near-seclusion in rooms 3327 and 3328 (you can stay there yourself!), where he also died. For more on this, check out this piece in the New Yorker magazine (no relation).

Finally, in 1975, three years after the hotel closed due to poor profits, the controversial Unification Church, led by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, purchased the building for $5.6 million and converted much of it into church space. Not until 1994 did it reopen as a hotel. Weird, wacky stuff.