February 13, 2005

Best Western Seaport: quiet space - now with noise

I had some friends in town this weekend who stayed at the Best Western at the South Street Seaport, a location that looks interesting for its recent renovation amid the old dock-side buildings in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. Many of the area's buildings are from the 1800s, with the Best Western structure dated to the 1840s, according to the AIA Guide to New York City.

It’s a short walk to the Fulton Street subways, which has so many lines it makes it easy to get anywhere. All of the oldest parts of the city are in walking distance, and yet the area itself remains mostly crowd free - including the downtown branch of the TKTS Broadway ticket office.

Through Travelocity, they paid $125 for Thursday and $150 for Friday night.

That little stretch near Peck Slip is under so much renovation these days – entire streets are sometime blocked off as nearly every building (or razed lot) is having work done. I find it amazing to see these old buildings come to life again since many have been hidden under boards and drab paint for years. Most people avoid that little pocket of a neighborhood unless they’re headed for the Bridge Café or a hidden bar because it tends to smell like the fish market and even walking the sidewalks can feel like sport.

The construction led to some noise drawbacks for my friends. Not the crews themselves, but the traffic they created, which elicited the New York drivers’ proclivity for horn blowing. Both my friends – separately – brought up to me about the horns around their hotel and one particular driver who laid on his horn for more than a minute non-stop. I know that sound. I didn’t hear it at their place – but my money’s on a crazy driver who wanted some construction equipment moved NOW.

Other than the noise, the hotel appeared fine. The red-brick exterior is indeed beautifully restored, though once you get inside, you’d have no idea you’re in an old building. All character disappears, and you might as well be in a Best Western, Des Moines. They did have views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the East River and Brooklyn and the room was pretty standard for a chain hotel.

February 13, 2005 09:40 AM in Hotelology

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