Going to be in NYC 7-14 - 7-21

[Richard_From_CHI]

Any wild times going on, anything I shan't miss? I've been to NYC a bunch so I can skip the touristy crap. Any great bands playing, great comedy???

Have to hit the comic shops.

[Dan B]

Jay Reatard is playing the Bowery Ballroom on the 21st with The Ponys.

[Richard_From_CHI]

I knew Jared of the Pony's when he was knee high. I wonder if I can hit him up for tickets.

[Richard_From_CHI]

I arrived and am staying at a hotel that literally is like being in the Starship Ikea. The pod hotel. I upgraded to a "big" room as the Mrs. is joining me here and is 6 month pregnant, and the "big" room is 8 x 12 feet. It's nice, and clean, and I've stayed in worse.

It is a lovely weekend here in NYC. Just walked over to a deli I like to get my favorite cookie for breakfast the half white/ half mocha, man I wish we had these in Chicago. Oh wait, I don't want to weigh 500000000 pounds.

[Laurie]

Is it the new Andre Balazs hotel? With bunk beds or some shit, and an indoor pool? Bunk beds are not for grown ups, Mr. Uma Thurman.

[Richard_From_CHI]

They do have bunk beds, and some rooms don't have bathrooms. I am sitting in the lobby now, which look like the aftermath of an exceedingly rough evening of Ikea and Herman Miller Inc. hanging out together.

It beat the Hudson which was 5 times more expensive. I really hated that place when I stayed there and they were rude as hell to the Mrs.

[Laurie]

No kidding! I got it in one.

I like staying at the Flatotel. The people there are pretty nice, and the decor isn't too bad. Also, the location is pretty great. There's an F train station about a block away, which takes me to all of the nice places in the Village and LES. Er, I think it's the F train anyway. A crosstown bus stop is about two blocks away, I think. Also, it's in walking distance to MOMA, which is a place I like to visit. It's nearby the theater district, too (I've walked to shows from the hotel), but not so close that it's noisy and sucky. ALSO, the bitches from the second season of America's Next Top Hosebeast stayed there. That was the season that brought the world Ms. Elyse Sewell, so fuck you JLC. Something posi can come from reality TV.

[Gore Marie]

No bathrooms?? What are there, like locker room/group bathrooms on each floor? Gross.

Also, Elyse<3<3

[Richard_From_CHI]

Teenie weenie individual bathrooms. I agree.

[Laurie]

Ooh, another thing I love about the Flatotel: HUUUUUUUGE marble bathrooms. Well, not huge, but big for NYC.

It's expensive, but not as expensive as the Hudson. And, you know what, it's not as expensive as the W, either.

[Richard_From_CHI]

The Hudson was total crap. When I was there the fire alarms malfunctioned multiple times during each night, the staff were uniformed assholes, and it was nearly at critical mass for pretentiousness. I was extra mad as we decided to spend a few extra bucks and stay somewhere extra fancy and it was annoying.

[Laurie]

Good to know.

Ever stayed at the Maritime Hotel? The rooms look cute, it's expensive but not too expensive for New York, but... Ugh. Meatpacking District. Awful neighborhood, awful nightlife, or so I hear.

I've also considered the Rivington. I spend a lot of my time in and around the LES neighborhood when I'm in town, so that's a maybe.

ALSO: The Library Hotel is so cute. I would like to give that place a try.

[Richard_From_CHI]

STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS from the Carlton Arms, the "artists hotel" utterly and completely horrifying.

[Martin]

Hey Richard, what was so bad about Carlton? I'm sort of planning an NYC trip and the Carlton's rates are looking pretty good...

[Richard_From_CHI]

It was fucking disgusting.

DO NOT DO IT.

The Pod Hotel has cheap rooms and if you can endure the piped in techo music everywhere it is pretty nice.

I am in my room there as I type this. No complaints.

thepodhotel.com