The Shoreham

About The Shoreham

The Shoreham sits on West 55th Street in Midtown, a short walk from the Museum of Modern Art, Times Square and the southern edge of Central Park. That address suits travelers who want theaters, galleries and department-store windows within a few minutes of the lobby, and who plan to spend the day out rather than in. Couples booking a short city break, small groups and business travelers with meetings in Midtown all fit the same pattern here.

The Shoreham is a 4-star hotel, and the booking supplier records a guest score of 3.6 out of 5 from 1,354 reviews. Read that figure as a summary of past guests rather than a promise: it places the property in the middle of the Midtown field, with plenty of business traffic and theater weekends behind it. Expect a full-service city hotel with a restaurant, bars, a fitness center and a business center, and rooms that are carpeted and air conditioned.

Rooms and listed facilities

Facilities listed by the supplier cover the practical side of a city stay: a 24-hour front desk, 24-hour security, free Wi-Fi, a safe, luggage storage, laundry service, elevators and air conditioning. Couples and families can ask about family rooms and cribs; business travelers have a business center and a fitness center on site, plus a restaurant and bars. Late arrivals can rely on the desk being staffed around the clock. Confirm room type, bed setup, pet policy and any accessible-room details with The Shoreham before booking.

The listing also includes a restaurant, bars, a fitness center and a business center, which lets a day split between meetings, a workout and an evening out without leaving the building. Wi-Fi is free, and internet access is listed. Carpeted rooms and air conditioning are standard notes in the supplier's inventory. Ask The Shoreham directly about the room grade you are booking, what the windows face and whether a crib or an accessible room can be reserved for your dates.

The setting

The address is 33 West 55th Street, in the block between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, a stretch of Midtown that mixes offices, storefronts and hotel entrances. Distances are short and straight-line: about 0.1 miles (0.1 km) to the Museum of Modern Art, 0.2 miles (0.4 km) to Central Park at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, 0.6 miles (0.9 km) to Times Square and 0.7 miles (1.1 km) to Grand Central Terminal. Penn Station is about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) away. Subway service is close by on Fifth Avenue and near 57th Street; check current service before you travel.

This is a working Midtown block rather than a quiet side street. Offices empty in the early evening, theater crowds arrive before curtain, and the sidewalks stay busy late. The upside is that the Museum of Modern Art, the Theater District and the southern edge of Central Park all sit within a straight-line kilometre or two, so most days begin and end on foot. The 9/11 Memorial, about 4.0 miles (6.4 km) south, and the airports are better reached by subway, train or road than on foot.

Location and neighborhood

Traveling with children, the street grid works in your favor. Numbered streets run east to west and avenues run north to south, so a wrong turn costs a block rather than an afternoon. Fifth Avenue divides East from West, and Broadway cuts across on the diagonal. The Shoreham sits inside the Midtown and Times Square area, which runs from the Garment District blocks north of 34th Street down through the Theater District, Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center to Central Park South. Sidewalks are wide but crowded when the theaters empty. A stroller moves more easily before the evening rush.

Families use the area in two modes: daytime errands and evening spectacle. Fifth Avenue between Rockefeller Center and Central Park South holds the flagship stores, and those blocks fill quickly on weekends. Quieter ground exists. The Garment District north of 34th Street is calmer, and Bryant Park gives children room to move and a lawn to cross. Treat Times Square as a crossing rather than a destination at midday; the light show reads better after dark from a little farther back. Mornings are the calmest window for a walk east to west, and the grid keeps the route simple.

Getting there and around

Arriving is straightforward. 13 miles (21.5 km) is roughly the distance to the nearest airport, and the ride in from JFK or Newark typically takes 45 to 75 minutes depending on traffic and connections, so check the current options before setting out. 0.7 miles (1.1 km) covers the run to Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station, both connected to the subway. Penn Station occupies 34th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. 0.6 miles (0.9 km) places you at the middle of the district. The subway runs 24 hours; tap a contactless card or phone at the turnstile. Check service changes with the MTA on the day.

Nearby sights and food

The sights cluster tightly. The Museum of Modern Art stands on West 53rd Street, and Broadway's theaters, about 40 houses, fill the blocks around Times Square. Grand Central Terminal is worth a stop for the concourse ceiling alone. Hudson Yards, on the West Side, holds the Vessel and the Edge observation deck. Several decks lift families above the streets: Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt beside Grand Central, and One World Observatory downtown. The American Museum of Natural History sits on Central Park West at 79th Street, an easy run north. Timed entries cut the waiting.

Food in Midtown is built for a crowd. Expect diners, pizza counters, delis, ramen shops, taquerias and bakeries along Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Garment District, where tables turn fast. The Theater District leans toward grills and Italian places that fill before curtain. Near Bryant Park, sandwich shops and coffee bars suit a quick lunch, and the food halls around Rockefeller Center give children several cuisines under one roof, which helps when tastes differ. Children's menus are common. Reservations help at 7 pm. Ask about allergies before ordering.

A day from The Shoreham

A day from The Shoreham: start early, before the crowds gather. A walk north along Fifth Avenue reaches Central Park South, where the park opens its 843 acres of paths, lawns and playgrounds. Carry water. Come back down through Rockefeller Center and cross to Bryant Park for a sit and a run around the lawn. Lunch in the Garment District, then an afternoon at the Museum of Modern Art, where the upper floors move fastest with children. Return to The Shoreham to rest before an early dinner. Evening curtains run at 7 or 8 pm; check the show. Finish with the lights of Times Square from a little farther back, then walk to The Shoreham.

Distances

Facilities listed by the supplier

As listed by the booking supplier; a facility not listed here may still exist. Confirm anything important with the property.

• 24 Hour Front Desk
• 24-hour security
• ATM
• Air conditioning
• Alarm clock
• Balcony
• Bars
• Bath
• Bathroom
• Business Center
• Carpeted
• Cleaning
• Crib
• Desk
• Dry cleaning service
• Family rooms
• First aid
• Fitness Center
• Free Wi-Fi
• Hairdryer
• Housekeeping
• Internet access
• Iron and board
• Laundry Service
• Elevators
• Luggage storage
• Market
• Non smoking rooms
• Pets allowed
• Restaurant
• Safe
• Shower
• Sink
• Smoke detector
• TV
• Telephone
• Toiletries
• Towels
• Video
• WC