New York in the winter, especially leading up to Christmas, has an indescribable magic and charm that is every bit as great, if not more, as the movies make it out to be. Though I am reporting on this trip quite a bit later than it actually happened (about two months… so yes, a bit…) I still recollect the excitement I felt at experiencing yet another new place in New York in which to feel quite at home.
We left on Friday night and arrived to our destination – the Jane Hotel (113 Jane Street New York, NY)- before searching for a place to dine.
The Jane Hotel was recommended to us by a coworker and I know that we’ll be back. It is quaint, quirky, and most importantly it is AFFORDABLE. We stayed there for less than $150 for the night. Granted, we slept in bunk beds and used a shared bathroom, but at our age (combined with our salaries and eagerness for frequent adventures) we were more than okay with that. (I think one day we’ll ‘splurge’ for a room with a double bed and private bathroom, but that room is still more affordable than most hotels in NYC!)
After dropping off our things and doing a ton of admiring in and outside of the building (which resembles a ship, and you should definitely see it for yourself!!) , we headed out to find a restaurant in Greenwich Village and were determined NOT to use Yelp, but to stop at whatever place struck our fancy. We decided on this little Mexican restaurant:
Móle! (57 Jane Street, New York, New York.) We had fun, enjoyed every bite, and left with no regrets after eating there. It was a pretty small restaurant, but was able to accommodate us right away and we were more than happy with our food and service. Score!
After the awesome preview of our hotel and our fantastical meal, we headed to our prime destination(s): Jazz Clubs!
My coworker ALSO recommended heading to Smalls (183 W 10th Street, New York, NY) and Mezzrow (163 W 10th Street, New York, NY):
Our experience gave us a much greater preference for Mezzrow. At the time that we went, it was $20 per person as a cover charge, and we gained access to both Smalls and Mezzrow. We did not enjoy Smalls as much as I’ve been told we would, but we arrived quite late and did not see any open seats. We stood for about 30 minutes and decided to see what was happening at Mezzrow. Even though we left, the music was amazing! It was just that we were unable to grab drinks due to the crowd and the people sitting around the bar, and the fact that we had good standing spots and were concerned about losing these. As Matt says, ‘spots are precious here; even standing room is up for grabs’. When going to Mezzrow, we were able to hear the amazing music from the front room after getting our drinks, and then plucked up the courage to go into the main area and sit at a table to watch the last couple of closing songs.
The jazz experience was phenomenal and we are most certainly going to mirror our experience in the future (both hotel and Jazz Club!).
The next day we went to the Strand…
walked around…
and ate some good NYC food:
I doubt that New York will ever disappoint.
Philly Wanderlust 
I have never been to America, but I like the sound of Jazz at Mezzrow. When I lived in London, I used to go to Ronnie Scott’s Jazz club.
Thanks for following my blog, which is much appreciated.
Best wishes, Pete.
Great photos and really interesting post. Love New York but there are so many bars and clubs to see that you’d need to go back countless times to see them all.That inside knowledge you got seemed invaluable.