Candy Hostel

About Candy Hostel

Candy Hostel suits travelers who want a plain base on the Upper West Side and plan to spend most of the day out in Manhattan. The address on West 94th Street puts you within walking distance of Central Park and close to the subway lines that run down the west side of the island. Couples traveling on a budget, students and small groups who cook together settle in well here. Light sleepers may want to ask about room position before booking.

Candy Hostel carries an official 1-star rating, the most modest category, so the stay is simple by design. Expect a bed, shared cooking space and a terrace rather than a full-service hotel. The building is carpeted and has lifts. Budget-minded travelers who treat the room as a place to sleep and shower do best here.

Rooms and listed facilities

The supplier lists carpeted rooms, a kitchen, a kitchenette, lifts and a terrace. Couples get a carpeted room and lift access, which keeps luggage handling easy. Families and small groups can use the kitchen and kitchenette for breakfast and simple meals instead of eating out. Business travelers have a straightforward place to sleep after a day downtown. Late arrivals should confirm reception hours and the latest check-in time with the property, and ask whether the terrace is open during the stay.

The setting

Candy Hostel sits on West 94th Street on the Upper West Side, a residential stretch of Manhattan with brownstones and quiet side streets. Central Park is about 1 mile (1.6 km) away in a straight line, an easy walk north. The 9/11 Memorial is about 6.1 miles (9.8 km) to the south. Three airports serve the city: LaGuardia about 5.4 miles (8.7 km), Newark Liberty about 13 miles (20.5 km) and JFK about 15 miles (23.8 km) in a straight line.

Location and neighborhood

Between 72nd and 96th Streets, the Upper West Side settles into its most residential rhythm. Broadway cuts diagonally through the grid, and the numbered side streets between Central Park West and Riverside Drive hold most of the neighborhood's brownstones and prewar apartment blocks. Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues carry the daily traffic of shops and errands, while West End Avenue stays quieter and Riverside Drive follows the higher ground above the river. This is the section Candy Hostel sits in, and it rewards slow wandering rather than a checklist.

Couples tend to like this stretch for the same reasons long-term residents do: mornings are quiet, the avenues are wide, and the river is a short walk west from nearly every side street. The American Museum of Natural History, on Central Park West at 79th Street, anchors the middle of the area, and the streets around it fill on weekend afternoons. Evenings pull people toward Riverside Park, where the sun sets over the Hudson and New Jersey sits across the water. A weekend here works best with few plans and long gaps between them.

Getting there and around

Most visitors arrive by subway or train. Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal are both a straightforward ride away, and several stations along Broadway and Central Park West serve the neighborhood; check current service before a late trip, since weekend track work is common. Distances from Candy Hostel: Penn Station around 2.9 miles (4.7 km), the center of Midtown around 2.6 miles (4.2 km), JFK around 15 miles (23.8 km). Pay for the subway by tapping a contactless card or phone at the turnstile. Vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street pay a congestion toll, so check the current charge before driving in.

Nearby sights and food

Central Park forms the eastern edge of this section, and the paths off Central Park West are the easiest way in from 72nd, 79th, 86th or 96th Street. The American Museum of Natural History sits on Central Park West at 79th Street; check opening days and hours before you go. Riverside Park runs along the Hudson on the west, with lawns, terraces and a waterfront path that continues well beyond the neighborhood. Two observation decks, Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building, are within a short trip south, and both are ticketed.

Food along Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues covers a wide range without much fuss. Bagel shops and delis handle breakfast, diners and coffee bars fill through the morning, and the side streets hold small Italian, Japanese, Thai and Levantine places that lean toward neighborhood regulars rather than visitors. Bakeries sell by the piece, wine bars open in the late afternoon, and pubs along the avenues pour local beers into the evening. Reservations help on Friday and Saturday nights; many smaller rooms do not take them at all, so an early or late seating is easier.

A day from Candy Hostel

A day from Candy Hostel can start late and still fit everything in. Begin with coffee and a pastry somewhere on Columbus Avenue, then walk east into Central Park at 79th Street and follow the paths south toward the lake. Spend the late morning at the American Museum of Natural History, or skip it and keep walking. The afternoon belongs to Riverside Park: follow the waterfront path north, find a bench, and stay for the sunset over the Hudson. Dinner back on Amsterdam Avenue, then a slow walk home along the brownstone blocks, which are at their quietest after dark.

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.

• Balcony
• Bathroom
• Carpeted
• Central heating
• Credit Card Accepted
• Kitchen
• Kitchenette
• Elevators
• Shower
• Telephone
• Terrace