Excelsior

About Excelsior

Excelsior suits travelers who want a quiet residential block on the Upper West Side and a straightforward base for days across Manhattan. Couples who prefer local cafes and side-street evenings to Times Square crowds fit here, and families gain calm and space within a short walk of Central Park. Business travelers can reach Midtown by subway or on foot in reasonable time. Lifts serve the building and the rooms have air conditioning, which makes a late arrival with luggage easier.

Excelsior is a hotel rather than an apartment rental, rated 3 stars, and its guest score comes from the booking supplier: 4.2 out of 5 from 813 reviews. Read that figure as a summary of past guests' impressions, not a promise about any single room. The profile points to a simple, well-located stay on the Upper West Side rather than a large Midtown address. Confirm room details, bed type and the total price with taxes and fees with the property before you book.

Rooms and listed facilities

The facilities listed for Excelsior cover the essentials: air conditioning, a gymnasium, lifts and wheelchair accessibility. Couples may want to confirm bed type and floor when booking. Families should ask the property directly about how many people a room sleeps and whether a cot can be added. Business travelers can check on desk space and quiet room positions, since a gym and lifts say little about working comfort. Late arrivals should confirm reception hours and the latest check-in time with the property before traveling.

The setting

Excelsior sits at 45 West 81st Street, on a residential block of the Upper West Side where numbered streets run east to west and Broadway cuts across the grid. Central Park is about 0.4 miles (0.7 km) away in a straight line, with the American Museum of Natural History on Central Park West at 79th Street. Straight-line distances give a sense of scale: about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) to Times Square, about 2.1 miles (3.4 km) to Grand Central Terminal, about 2.5 miles (4 km) to Penn Station and about 14 miles (22.8 km) to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Location and neighborhood

The grid here was laid out under the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, and the numbered streets between 72nd and 96th run straight to the rivers while Broadway cuts across at an angle. Excelsior sits inside that pattern, and the numbering makes it easy to keep your bearings: Fifth Avenue divides East from West, so every address tells you which side of the park you face. Brownstones and apartment blocks from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries line the side streets, with facades of brownstone, limestone and brick. The American Museum of Natural History, on Central Park West at 79th Street, anchors the area's scientific history.

Culture sits within a short walk in several directions. Museum Mile begins on Fifth Avenue around 82nd Street, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and runs north to about 105th Street. Broadway's theaters cluster downtown around Times Square, a straight ride south on the subway, and the museums along Central Park West keep their own hours, so check before setting out. For architecture, walk west from Central Park West toward Riverside Drive, where the streets bend and the ground rises. Sunday afternoons are the busiest for strolling; weekday mornings are quieter.

Getting there and around

Manhattan is served by three airports. JFK, in Queens, links to the subway by AirTrain at Jamaica and Howard Beach; Newark Liberty, in New Jersey, links by AirTrain to a rail station where trains continue into Penn Station. From Excelsior, the drive to the airports runs around 14 miles (22.8 km); JFK and Newark are typically 45 to 75 minutes away depending on traffic and connections. Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station handle most mainline trains; 2.1 miles (3.4 km) is a reasonable measure to the nearer. Buses arrive at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The subway runs 24 hours; tap to pay with a contactless card or phone.

Nearby sights and food

Central Park bounds the district on the east, between 59th and 110th Streets, and entry is free. Riverside Park runs along the Hudson to the west, and both green edges reward a slow walk. The American Museum of Natural History, on Central Park West at 79th Street, is the area's largest single attraction. The Metropolitan Museum of Art sits across the park on Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street. Several observation decks lie south of the neighborhood, at Rockefeller Center, on the Empire State Building and at Hudson Yards; hours and ticketing change, so confirm with each operator.

The eating around Excelsior follows the residential grain. Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue carry most of it: casual places for pizza and pasta, Thai and Japanese kitchens, taquerias, falafel counters, and bagel shops that open early for commuters. Delis and grocery stores along Broadway suit a picnic in Central Park or beside the river. Bakeries sell bread and pastries through the morning, and wine shops and cheese counters cover an evening in. Weekend dinners fill up, so book ahead or eat early.

A day from Excelsior

A day from Excelsior can begin on foot. Walk east to Central Park and follow the paths north toward the Great Lawn and the reservoir, or head west to Riverside Park for the river path and the view across the Hudson. Break for lunch on Columbus or Amsterdam Avenue, then spend the afternoon at the American Museum of Natural History on Central Park West at 79th Street; ticket lines are longest at midday, so arriving early or late helps. In the evening, take the subway downtown for a Broadway curtain, typically 7 or 8 pm, and check the show's start time when booking. Return on foot from the station for a quieter end to the night.

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.

• Air conditioning
• Garage
• Gym
• Elevators
• Wheelchair accessible