MichaelNY

About MichaelNY

MichaelNY suits travelers who want to stay in upper Manhattan and use the subway to reach the rest of the island. The address is on Sylvan Terrace in Washington Heights, a residential street far from the Midtown crowds but still inside New York City's grid. Couples who prefer a simple base, families traveling by car and anyone visiting friends or relatives uptown will find the location practical. Breakfast is listed, and free car parking is listed, which makes the hotel easier to use if you arrive with a vehicle.

MichaelNY holds an official two-star rating, so expect a straightforward, unpretentious stay rather than a full-service hotel. Rooms are the core of the offer, and the listed facilities are breakfast and free car parking. That combination works well for a short city visit built around sightseeing, or for a longer stay when you plan to spend most days out. Guests who need a base near the upper end of Manhattan, with a car parked off the street, get the essentials here. Check the total price with taxes and fees before booking.

Rooms and listed facilities

The supplier lists two facilities at MichaelNY: breakfast and free car parking. For couples, breakfast removes the need to find a morning café, and the parking space matters if you arrive by car. Families get the same two benefits, though it is worth asking the property about room configuration and how many people a room sleeps. Business travelers can treat breakfast as a working start to the day. Late arrivals should confirm reception hours and parking access in advance, since both can depend on staffing.

The setting

MichaelNY is on Sylvan Terrace in Washington Heights, in the Harlem and Upper Manhattan part of the borough, near the northern end of the island between the Hudson River and the Harlem River. Straight-line distances give a sense of the spread: about 5.2 miles (8.3 km) to Central Park at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, about 5.8 miles (9.4 km) to Times Square, about 6.0 miles (9.7 km) to Grand Central Terminal and about 6.5 miles (10.4 km) to Penn Station. The 9/11 Memorial is about 9.4 miles (15.1 km) away in a straight line, and the streets below 14th Street sit further south.

Location and neighborhood

Washington Heights and Inwood form the high ground at the northern tip of Manhattan. The land rises steeply from the Hudson River on the west and drops toward the Harlem River in the northeast, and the ridge here sits well above most of the island. Inwood is the last neighborhood before the Bronx, connected by bridges over the Harlem River. Streets follow the 1811 grid in part, but the slope breaks it, and some roads run at angles or end in stairways. The area is quieter than Midtown and feels residential, with apartment blocks, hospital campuses and university buildings mixed among the parks.

First-time visitors often skip this part of the island, which is a mistake. Fort Tryon Park crowns the ridge, with lawns, wooded paths and long views across the Hudson River to the New Jersey Palisades. The Cloisters, the medieval branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, stands inside the park and is ticketed. Below the park, St. Nicholas Avenue is the spine of a Dominican neighborhood, and the side streets hold bakeries, groceries and small restaurants. The George Washington Bridge crosses the Hudson at the northern end, and the riverside paths give the area a different rhythm from Midtown.

Getting there and around

MichaelNY sits at the top of Manhattan, so plan on the subway for most trips. Trains run 24 hours a day; tap a contactless card or phone at the turnstile, and check the MTA before you travel, since weekend service changes are common. By road, the area is around 16 miles (25.5 km) from the airports, around 6.0 miles (9.7 km) from the main rail stations and around 5.8 miles (9.4 km) from Midtown, though traffic on the bridges and the Henry Hudson Parkway can add time. Buses and the riverside paths cover shorter hops. Wear shoes for the hills, because the streets climb.

Nearby sights and food

Sights near MichaelNY are the parks and the Cloisters, and everything else is a ride south. Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters fill a half day; the museum is ticketed, so check opening days before you go. Inwood Hill Park at the northern tip keeps woodland and shoreline. For the classic sights, allow a trip downtown: Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, the High Line and the observation decks all lie well south of here. Broadway theaters cluster around Times Square. Each is a drive or a long subway ride, so plan one district a day.

Food here is mostly Dominican, with other Latin American and Caribbean kitchens mixed in. Along St. Nicholas Avenue and the blocks around it, counter-service places serve rice and beans, roast chicken, plantains and stews. Bakeries sell sweet and savory pastries, and small groceries carry tropical fruit. Portions are generous and the pace is unhurried. Further south in Harlem, soul food and West African cooking appear. Expect Spanish-language menus at some counters and long lines at lunch. Book ahead for table service at the weekend, and check opening days, which vary.

A day from MichaelNY

Start early from MichaelNY and walk to Fort Tryon Park while the paths are quiet. Spend the morning at the Cloisters, which is ticketed; check the day it opens before you set out. Eat lunch on St. Nicholas Avenue, then take the subway south for an afternoon of sightseeing: Central Park and Museum Mile, or the High Line and the observation decks at Hudson Yards. Book timed entry for any deck or popular exhibition. Return north for dinner near MichaelNY, where tables are easier to find than downtown. Finish with a walk along the riverside path and the George Washington Bridge lights.

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.

• Breakfast
• Computer room
• Free car parking