Sometimes when we travel it can be easy to get caught up in the idea of a place rather than the reality of it. And that can be particularly true of a place like New York, a place which, thanks to television and movies, we feel we know before we know it.
But where Manhattan’s Lower East Side meets SoHo, the idea of New York City becomes real. It’s New York City lived, not dreamed and it’s here, where the magic of those dreams seeps into the every day that you’ll find the very cool Moxy NYC Lower East Side.
When the Statue of Liberty welcomed the world’s tired, poor, and huddled masses, it was likely the Lower East Side where many of them first ended up.
Over the years, here cultures have collided, jostled past each other and feasted from that much-used cliche of a melting pot. And with all that comes an energy and an edginess, forming a feeding ground for creativity and culture. And then you have SoHo, the once industrial district, turned artistic enclave…
Moxy NYC Lower East Side sits astride both. Nearby, contemporary art galleries are juxtaposed with historic tenement buildings, TikTok-viral cafes share blocks with century-old bakeries. And this almost-too-cool-for-school hotel works here because, well because she’s kind of like my Filipino grandma. Lola would wear polka dots with leopard print, marry winter fleece with lace and she would rock that look. And then she’d offer you an empanada from her handbag. She was that kind of cool.
In other reviews of the hotel, you may read of its chic and playful sophistication, but when you pare it all back, the Moxy is a warm welcome home by a lady who’s seen it all and is happy to throw a hula-hooping bear into the mix.
There is a hula-hooping bear
I’ve called her Anya. And she watches over The Fix which adjoins the lobby. At six feet tall, she’s hard to miss and as you breakfast on the freshly baked pastries from the hotel’s Café d’Avignon, you can’t help but want to leave a morsel for her. She is hula-hooping after all.
The Moxy NYC Lower East Side is so unique it’s hard to think of it as not only part of the Marriott Bonvoy group but also one of four Moxy hotels within Manhattan alone (and that’s not including a recently opened property in nearby Williamsburg).
Moxy is no cheap chic
Some may consider the Moxy brand as a budget-friendly Marriott offshoot. And yes, its prices, particularly for New York City, are accessible, and its rooms are compact (but still spacious thanks to some clever space-saving design principles — think foldable furniture and under-bed storage). But the magic of the Moxy is its very playfulness.
It’s like it’s saying, ‘Anyone could open a hotel. We just had a really good time doing it. And while you’re here, have a Warhol Margarita or some free candy’.
Where to get the Warhol Margarita
I once attempted to stalk a musician based on their Instagram post, matching hotel room views to a blurry night-time picture. Who hasn’t? But thanks to the uber cool establishments found in the Moxy NYC Lower East Side chances are the musicians would come to you (or at least be in the same room).
The Fix, which during the day was a cafe and co-working space is suddenly a bar when the sun goes down. Throw back some drinks here and then have dinner at the hotel’s modern Japanese restaurant, Sake No Hana, before heading to Silver Lining Lounge, where you can tell friends back home that you caught a gig in NYC (and you didn’t even need to leave the hotel). ‘Oh, it was this cool little venue on Bowery,’ you’ll say. It’s also here you can get a Warhol Margarita or, my favourite tipple, the Violet Underground. Nico approved for sure.
For the night owls or the jet-lagged, Loosie’s is that cool underground (literally) club you’ll tell friends you went to. Or for the roof with the views, there’s The Highlight Room, the hotel’s rooftop bar.
Should I stay or should I go?
The Moxy NYC Lower East Side manages to do something that few hotels in New York City can, it competes with the city. And it does this because it is very much a contributing player in the city’s band (and it’s probably playing the bass). While definitely worth a stay, be sure to leave some nights free in your itinerary to enjoy your hotel with the locals.
FAST FACTS //
Address: 145 Bowery, New York, NY 10002
Website: http://moxylowereastside.com/
Number of rooms: 303
Opened: October 2022
Transportation: Easy access to B and D trains