Arlo Midtown in New York City

   Have you ever relaxed on a hammock and just taken in the scenery…of New York City? I’m guessing the answer is no unless you have stayed at the Arlo Midtown. More info on the hammock later. The Arlo Midtown is located just west of Penn Station, right near the Theater District and Times Square. If you’re coming to Manhattan from any commuter line like LIRR or NJ Transit, its location is a straightforward choice. There is excellent access to public transportation as well.

 

Let’s start with its first impression, which is beyond impressive. The lobby ceiling spans many stories high and has beautiful artwork and many nooks where you can relax. There were meeting rooms throughout the first floor and an awesome-looking fireplace with a connecting cafe that made delicious cappuccinos. I found myself working from there and making myself a little mobile office, feeling quite the cool New Yorker.

 

Moving toward the elevators, yes, I want to talk about the elevators. You need to swipe your room key to get elevator access to the room floors. Once you swipe, the system tells you which elevator to take, which is for your use only. It automatically took me to the 10th floor, where my room was located. With safety concerns, you did not have to touch anything to get to your floor.

Our room continued to impress. My first reaction was, “I need to leave this room?” and “Do I really need to visit places?” I seriously debated changing all of my plans just to hang out in the room. We stayed in a king room with a terrace, and I could practically live in this room.  The room was comfortable and exceptionally well laid out and decorated. I even loved the bathroom with its backlit mirror and thought it was just awesome hipster and cool.

 

I will now return to the hammock as the highlight of the room has to be the terrace.  I cannot emphasize enough how inviting this terrace was. Its size was pretty much the size of the room itself, so essentially, you’re doubling your living area. It comes with a couch, chair, and a full-sized hammock. I found that we basically changed our entire plans for our stay and just hung out on the terrace taking in the skyline view. We would sit there drinking coffee in the mornings, looking at the sunrise, and resting on the hammock, looking up at all the buildings in the evenings. I can genuinely say that I’ve never seen a terrace like this in New York City, and the terrace in and of itself became the highlight.

The hotel also has a great terrace on the rooftop, which also became a great work area when I needed downtime from the city. There was also a fitness center and free bicycle rentals, so it does provide quite a lot of what you need, especially for a quick trip into the city.

 

The Arlo midtown just made me feel cool and relaxed. I realize I’ve used that phrase a few times in the story, but it fits. Arlo Midtown, with its terrace, is a force to be reckoned with. It is one of the more relaxed hotels I’ve seen, and I love the fact that you can escape from the madness of the city within this hotel.

On this trip we also reviewed Samwon, T- Bar, and Baylander.