The Aurora

About The Aurora

The Aurora suits travelers who want a simple, well-placed base in Midtown Manhattan and who plan to spend most of the day out in the city. Grand Central Terminal is a short walk away, so commuters and day-trippers can move quickly. Couples, solo travelers and small families watching the budget get a straightforward place to stay, a 24 hour front desk and free wifi, with Murray Hill's quieter streets and Kips Bay's everyday services close by.

This is a 2-star hotel, so expect a plain, functional stay rather than polished service and extras. The booking supplier gives The Aurora a guest score of 3.6 out of 5 from 19 reviews, which points to a modest, mixed reception from past guests. Read that figure as a starting point and check recent comments before you book. Treat the booking as a base for sleeping between long days in Manhattan, with the address doing most of the work.

Rooms and listed facilities

The supplier lists air conditioning, free wifi, internet access, a safe, lifts and a fitness center, along with a bar and laundry service. Couples get the basics for a short city break, families should confirm bed arrangements and occupancy limits with the property, and business travelers can rely on the listed wifi and the 24 hour front desk. Late arrivals benefit from the listed 24 hour front desk and 24 hour security. Pets are listed as allowed, so confirm the policy directly with the property.

The listed facilities cover the practical side of a city stay rather than resort comforts. Air conditioning and wifi matter most in summer and on working trips, the fitness center suits early risers, and the bar gives you somewhere to sit without leaving the building. Confirm with the property which of these are open during your dates, whether the bar keeps limited hours, and how the laundry service is arranged. Ask about pets and the safe at the desk on arrival.

The setting

The Aurora stands on Third Avenue in the Murray Hill and Kips Bay part of Midtown Manhattan. The setting is residential in feel, with the Commissioners' Plan grid of numbered streets and avenues making it easy to plan walks north, south and west. Grand Central Terminal is about 0.4 miles (0.6 km) away in a straight line, Times Square about 0.9 miles (1.4 km), Penn Station about 0.9 miles (1.4 km) and the Central Park corner at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street about 1.2 miles (1.9 km). Observation decks are about 0.4 miles (0.6 km) away.

Location and neighborhood

Murray Hill and Kips Bay suit travelers who count nights rather than hours. The district runs across Manhattan's East Side between the low 30s and 42nd Street, a grid of brownstone side streets, apartment blocks and small offices. Weekday mornings bring commuters; weekends go quiet. A long stay here means a grocery run, a laundry stop and a regular coffee counter within a few blocks, and the residential rhythm makes all three easy to find. The Aurora sits within that pattern, with Midtown's sights close enough to reach on foot and the East River two avenues east for an evening walk.

Budgets stretch further on the East Side than in the Theater District, and the area's mix of casual diners, corner delis, pizzerias and lunch counters keeps everyday eating simple. Travelers staying a week or more can settle into a routine: mornings on the brownstone blocks, afternoons at a museum, evenings in a park or along the water at Stuyvesant Cove. Laundry services and pharmacies are part of the street fabric rather than a walk across town. Check total prices with taxes and fees when comparing stays, including any per-night occupancy charge and facility fee.

Getting there and around

Getting in and out is straightforward from Murray Hill and Kips Bay. Grand Central Terminal, at 42nd Street and Park Avenue, connects to regional rail and the subway, and sits around 0.4 miles (0.6 km) from The Aurora. Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal are a short ride or a walkable crosstown trip away. JFK and Newark Liberty are typically 45 to 75 minutes from Midtown depending on traffic and connections, with JFK around 13 miles (20.5 km) out; LaGuardia is closest by road. For the subway, tap a contactless card or phone at the turnstile. Service changes are routine, so check the transit authority's updates before a late trip.

On foot is often fastest inside the district. Fifth Avenue divides East from West street numbers, and the numbered grid is easy to read once you know which way is uptown. Broadway cuts diagonally across it. Buses run along the avenues, and the East River esplanade is a flat route north or south. For anything beyond walking range, the subway runs all night. Congestion pricing applies to vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street, so a car into the district carries a toll; check current charges before booking a ride.

Nearby sights and food

The immediate sights are close and mostly free to approach. The Morgan Library occupies a block of East 36th Street, a short walk from The Aurora, and Grand Central Terminal is worth a look inside even without a train to catch. The Empire State Building's open-air deck sits west of the district. MoMA is a walk or a short ride north, and the Theater District's houses around Times Square are reachable on foot in the evening. Observation decks at Hudson Yards, One Vanderbilt and Rockefeller Center give higher views, and each has its own ticketing; check hours and entry fees with the operator.

Food here follows the neighborhood's working rhythm. Casual lunch counters and diners serve sandwiches, soups and eggs at most hours. Indian restaurants cluster along the blocks near Lexington Avenue, alongside Thai, Japanese and Korean kitchens. Pizza by the slice, delis for takeaway salads, and bakeries for a morning pastry are all part of the everyday mix. Indian, Mexican and Middle Eastern spots fill the side streets, with a few sit-down places for a longer dinner. Reservations help at dinner on weeknights.

A day from The Aurora

A day from The Aurora can start early and stay cheap. Walk to the Morgan Library for its rooms and reading hall, then continue to Grand Central Terminal to see the concourse before the commuter rush thickens. Head north on Fifth Avenue to Museum Mile, where the Metropolitan Museum of Art sits at 82nd Street and is free to enter for the permanent collection, or turn west to MoMA if modern art suits better. Break for a slice or a deli lunch. In the afternoon, walk the High Line from Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, or take the free Staten Island Ferry from Whitehall Terminal for a look at the harbor and the Statue of Liberty. Finish with an evening walk along the East River esplanade, then dinner on a side street near the district.

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
• Air conditioning
• Bars
• Cleaning
• Express check in
• First aid
• Fitness Center
• Free Wi-Fi
• Internet access
• Laundry Service
• Elevators
• Lounge
• Non smoking rooms
• Pets allowed
• Safe
• Security Features
• Smoke detector
• TV
• Wi-Fi