Station to Station: Top Train Stops Around The World

Railway and subway stations aren’t just places to pass through. Well, they might be, but sometimes the journey and the stops along the way can be every bit as impressive as the sights you’re on your way to see. We always like to take a good look around as we travel, so here we’ve rounded up ten of our favourite stations from in and around our Virgin Atlantic destinations…

USA

New York – Grand Central Terminal
Obvious maybe, but while it’s America’s largest and probably the world’s most famous station, many international visitors to New York are unlikely to use Grand Central Terminal. If you want the complete movie-like NY experience though, you really have to take in the full grandeur of this most important emblem of the city. Set aside a little time and take a self-guided walking tour, admire the astronomical mural and gold-plated chandeliers on its 125 feet high ceiling, its iconic clock and staircases. And if you really need another excuse to be there, have a bite at the famous Oyster Bar down on the dining concourse.

Grand Central Terminal © Andrew-Kazmierski | Dreamstime.com

LA – Hollywood/Highland

You can, like many, arrive at LAX and jump straight in a hire car, but the Los Angeles transit system really shouldn’t be missed. Barely twenty years old, the LA County Metro isn’t just new and efficient, it’s also home to the work of around 300 artists. The Red Line has some of the best artwork: Hollywood/Vine Station’s interior is multi-faceted tribute to the film industry, while Hollywood/Highland’s curvy, organic structural supports take you into another world altogether.

Hollywood/Highland Station by Herr Hans Gruber on Flickr

Chicago – Union Station

Like Grand Central, Chicago’s Union Station is somewhere visitors are unlikely to pass through unless they’re travelling out of town by rail. It’s a shame as even in a city bursting with incredible architecture, this beautiful building shouldn’t be overlooked. Often used to host distinguished special events, the enormous neo-classical Great Hall with its soaring columns and palatial marble flooring makes this a truly iconic stop. The location for several big movie scenes, one of its two grand staircases was most famously used in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables.

Union Station Grand Hall by keith011764 on Flickr

Washington DC – Washington Metro

Completed in 1976 only after approval from the US Commission of Fine Arts, DC’s Metro is a citywide artwork that really has to be appreciated as a whole. The heavy concrete modernism of the system may point to the era in which it was made, but it’s still easy to imagine these tunnels transporting you far into the future. Designer Harry Weese’s coffered ceiling vaults have even earned it a place on the American Institute of Architects 2007 list of ‘America’s Favorite Architecture’. And to think we used to laugh at seventies style.

Washington DC Metro station © Kurtwilliams | Dreamstime.com

United Arab Emirates

Dubai Metro
As with the DC subway system, the dazzling design of the (fully automated) Dubai Metro is all about modernity and consistency. There is a hint of tradition in the world’s newest transit system though: the space station-like appearance of the stations’ exteriors is actually modelled on a seashell, referencing the UAE’s fishing heritage. Interiors meanwhile depict each of the four elements air, earth, fire and water – check out the bonkers jellyfish-shaped chandeliers at Khalid Bin Al Waleed station.

Dubai Metro - Mall of the Emirates station © Typhoonski | Dreamstime.com

India

Mumbai – Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
One of the oldest stations on our list and the only one to be afforded UNESCO World Heritage status, Mumbai’s CST appears more like a palace than a railway terminal. It was of course originally named after Queen Victoria and opened during the year of her Golden Jubilee. A masterful mixture of Gothic Revival and more traditional Indian styles with (at the time) state-of-the-art engineering, its myriad decorative elements and exquisite details make it as worthy of a good tour as any royal residence.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus © Jameswest | Dreamstime.com

Japan

Tokyo – Iidabashi (Oedo Line)

Iidabashi subway station by OiMax on Flickr

There’s plenty to marvel at on Tokyo’s Oedo Line; the design of its 26 stations was split across fifteen different firms and each stop has a unique artwork (a mural or sculpture). Makoto Sei Watanabe’s computer-generated “evolutionary architecture” at Iidabashi Station is the clear highlight though. Where many stations are subtle in their beauty, Iidabashi is bold and bug-like. A bright green ‘web frame’ hangs above the escalator and its street level ventilation tower ‘wing’ looks like some kind of alien chrysalis.
Kyōto Station

While the city is famously home to many centuries old shrines and temples, Kyoto’s main station is more of a monument to the future. Extremely controversial at the time of opening in 1997, its fifteen storeys of shiny steel and glass stand in huge contrast to its traditional neighbours. Something of a city within a city, there’s a shopping mall, museums, a cinema, a department store and more to explore, but if you have time to kill there, don’t miss the Sky Garden and suspended walkways for great views of the city.

Kyoto Station space age interior by switchstyle on Flickr

Kanazawa Station

For those exploring more of the country, Kanazawa, one of Japan’s many ‘Little Kyotos’, is well worth a visit, not least of all for its magnificent station. In another great example of Japanese design extremes, the glass-fronted modern building is mostly eclipsed by a gigantic red wooden ‘torii’ gate at its entrance. Once you’ve been wowed by this futuristic take on a traditional structure, turn around and check out the fountain clock whose display looks like a water-powered digital watch.

Kanazawa station gate by Paul Mannix on Flickr

The UK

London – Jubilee Line Extension

Closer to home, we’ve already covered the magnificent St Pancras International in our London Icons, but the Jubilee Line extension stations definitely deserve an honourable mention. Completed in 1999, the polished metal panels, spaciously designed interiors and platform edge doors set these stations completely apart from the rest of the tube. This contemporary architecture is especially apt in the case of Southwark, the nearest stop for the Tate Modern gallery.

Southwark underground station by Travis_Simon on Flickr

Thanks to Flickr photographers Herr Hans Gruber, keith011764, OiMax, switchstyle, Paul Mannix and Travis_Simon, and Jameswest, Typhoonski, Kurtwilliams and Andrew Kazmierski on Dreamstime. Header image of Dubai Metro

Have you been passed through any special stations in our destinations? Any architectural icons to add? Share with us in the comments below.

Street Art: Banksy in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco

Originally based in Bristol, Banksy has gone on to become one of the most well-known and controversial street artists, hitting locations across the world with his trademark witty stencil works. It seems as if nowhere is out of his reach, be it the animal enclosures of London Zoo, the rides of Disneyland, or even the wall of the West Bank Barrier.

Just recently, on Easter Monday, a new Banksy was discovered in Fitzrovia, central London, next to the BT Tower . Reading ‘If graffiti could change anything it would be illegal’, it’s his first work since the run-up to the Oscars in Los Angeles.

Banksy - 'If Graffiti Could Change Anything...' London. by kathybragg on Flickr

It probably won’t be long before it is either protected or removed – be it by the local authority or another tagger. Given the transient nature of Banky’s work, it’s difficult to keep track of which paintings are still around, so here’s our guide to the best surviving originals to seek out in three of our destinations.

London

Banksy - 'Designated Graffiti Area' Shoreditch, London. by bixentro on Flickr

The Regent’s Canal in Camden was one of Banksy’s old haunts, holding several of his most well known works over the years. Now there’s just one left: a chalk outline of a room with a pair of highly detailed goldfish.
The popular Cargo nightclub, five minutes from Liverpool Street Station in Shoreditch, holds two Banksys: ‘His Master’s Voice’ and ‘Designated Graffiti Area’. Both can be found in the Rivington Street club’s beer garden, the former protected behind plexiglass.
Another protected Banksy is ‘Pledge your Allegiance to Tesco’ – although it has been victim of multiple attacks from other taggers, it has been repainted several times. This is one of Banksy’s most iconic works and can be found on Essex Road, Islington, near to Essex Road Station and St. Stephen’s Church.

Banksy Tesco Flag, Islington, London. by jeeheon on Flickr

Los Angeles

Having previously hit Disneyland, Banksy returned to LA for the Oscars, and sprayed up several more stencils in the run-up to the awards. Of these, only three remain. The ‘Crayon Shooter’ is at the Urban Outfitters store in Westwood Village, and although it has been slightly defaced, is now protected. Also under plexiglass is the ‘Crayon House’ on Washington Boulevard at Compton Avenue in Downtown LA.

Banksy - 'Crayon Shooter', Westwood Village, LA. by modernrockstar

Another new Banksy depicting a dog cocking its leg against a wall on Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills can be seen outside the JEM Community Centre, a short walk from the Electric Fountain. There’s also an older work at 9^th and Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles, by the Orpheum Theatre, of a girl swinging from a parking sign.

Banksy - Parking Swing, 9th and Broadway, LA. by JulieFaith on Flickr

For a broader look at street art and graffiti, there is also a fascinating exhibit at the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art called Art in the Streets, which contains a section on Banksy. It runs until 8^th August.

San Francisco

Banksy - Rat Graffiti, Howard Street, San Francisco. by dennis on Flickr

In the build-up to the release of his documentary, ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’, Banksy also hit San Francisco with six new works. Although only three remain now, they have been kept in good condition.
In a car park on Erie and Mission Street, just off the Central Fairway in the Mission District, Banksy stencilled a single bird singing in a tree. Since it first appeared, the image has been surrounded by other graffiti artists’ work; one of the great strengths of street art is the way that works can change constantly, and this is a real testament to that.
The second SF piece depicts a rat drawing a skull and crossbones on the wall of the rooftop at 1309 Howard Street in South of Market, a short walk from the San Francisco Civic Center.
Finally, a stencil of a doctor reading the heart rate of Peace and Love is at 720 Grant Avenue, in between Commercial Street and Sacramento Street. Close to the Cable Car museum in Chinatown, this has also been protected.

Banksy - Peace and Love Doctor, Grant Avenue, San Francisco. by El Payo on Flickr

Thanks to Flickr photographers kathybragg, bixentro, jeeheon, modernrockstar, JulieFaith, dennis and El Payo, and to NeverLeaveLondon for the header image of ‘Balloon Girl’ on London’s South Bank (since removed).
Have you seen any other Banksys or other interesting street art in these cities? Let us know in the comments below.

Street Art: Banksy in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco

Originally based in Bristol, Banksy has gone on to become one of the most well-known and controversial street artists, hitting locations across the world with his trademark witty stencil works. It seems as if nowhere is out of his reach, be it the animal enclosures of London Zoo, the rides of Disneyland, or even the wall of the West Bank Barrier.

Just recently, on Easter Monday, a new Banksy was discovered in Fitzrovia, central London, next to the BT Tower . Reading ‘If graffiti could change anything it would be illegal’, it’s his first work since the run-up to the Oscars in Los Angeles.

Banksy - 'If Graffiti Could Change Anything...' London. by kathybragg on Flickr

It probably won’t be long before it is either protected or removed – be it by the local authority or another tagger. Given the transient nature of Banky’s work, it’s difficult to keep track of which paintings are still around, so here’s our guide to the best surviving originals to seek out in three of our destinations.

London

Banksy - 'Designated Graffiti Area' Shoreditch, London. by bixentro on Flickr

The Regent’s Canal in Camden was one of Banksy’s old haunts, holding several of his most well known works over the years. Now there’s just one left: a chalk outline of a room with a pair of highly detailed goldfish.
The popular Cargo nightclub, five minutes from Liverpool Street Station in Shoreditch, holds two Banksys: ‘His Master’s Voice’ and ‘Designated Graffiti Area’. Both can be found in the Rivington Street club’s beer garden, the former protected behind plexiglass.
Another protected Banksy is ‘Pledge your Allegiance to Tesco’ – although it has been victim of multiple attacks from other taggers, it has been repainted several times. This is one of Banksy’s most iconic works and can be found on Essex Road, Islington, near to Essex Road Station and St. Stephen’s Church.

Banksy Tesco Flag, Islington, London. by jeeheon on Flickr

Los Angeles

Having previously hit Disneyland, Banksy returned to LA for the Oscars, and sprayed up several more stencils in the run-up to the awards. Of these, only three remain. The ‘Crayon Shooter’ is at the Urban Outfitters store in Westwood Village, and although it has been slightly defaced, is now protected. Also under plexiglass is the ‘Crayon House’ on Washington Boulevard at Compton Avenue in Downtown LA.

Banksy - 'Crayon Shooter', Westwood Village, LA. by modernrockstar

Another new Banksy depicting a dog cocking its leg against a wall on Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills can be seen outside the JEM Community Centre, a short walk from the Electric Fountain. There’s also an older work at 9^th and Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles, by the Orpheum Theatre, of a girl swinging from a parking sign.

Banksy - Parking Swing, 9th and Broadway, LA. by JulieFaith on Flickr

For a broader look at street art and graffiti, there is also a fascinating exhibit at the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art called Art in the Streets, which contains a section on Banksy. It runs until 8^th August.

San Francisco

Banksy - Rat Graffiti, Howard Street, San Francisco. by dennis on Flickr

In the build-up to the release of his documentary, ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’, Banksy also hit San Francisco with six new works. Although only three remain now, they have been kept in good condition.
In a car park on Erie and Mission Street, just off the Central Fairway in the Mission District, Banksy stencilled a single bird singing in a tree. Since it first appeared, the image has been surrounded by other graffiti artists’ work; one of the great strengths of street art is the way that works can change constantly, and this is a real testament to that.
The second SF piece depicts a rat drawing a skull and crossbones on the wall of the rooftop at 1309 Howard Street in South of Market, a short walk from the San Francisco Civic Center.
Finally, a stencil of a doctor reading the heart rate of Peace and Love is at 720 Grant Avenue, in between Commercial Street and Sacramento Street. Close to the Cable Car museum in Chinatown, this has also been protected.

Banksy - Peace and Love Doctor, Grant Avenue, San Francisco. by El Payo on Flickr

Thanks to Flickr photographers kathybragg, bixentro, jeeheon, modernrockstar, JulieFaith, dennis and El Payo, and to NeverLeaveLondon for the header image of ‘Balloon Girl’ on London’s South Bank (since removed).
Have you seen any other Banksys or other interesting street art in these cities? Let us know in the comments below.

vtravelled Loves: Washington Square Hotel, NYC

Back in the ’60s and early ’70s Lower Manhattan’s 1902-built Hotel Earle, as it was then called, was something of a flophouse; a grand but dilapidated and seedy apartment hotel in seemingly terminal decline.
At the same time, the neighbourhood in which the Earle stood – Greenwich Village – was becoming the beating heart of New York’s alternative counterculture, reflected by its population of writers and free-thinkers who flocked to its jazz clubs and coffee houses, feeding on the daily intellectual scene of poetry readings and folk sessions.

Washington Square Hotel’s famous guests

Lobby © Washington Square Hotel

The hotel had already counted Ernest Hemingway and Dylan Thomas among its guests, and musicians and writers – especially those of the stuggling variety – continued to make the Hotel Earle their temporary home during this time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Jack Elliott and Peter LaFarge, with Baez even referring to it as “that crummy hotel over Washington Square” in her 1975 song Diamonds and Rust.
Salvation, as far as the hotel was concerned, came in 1973 when it was bought by the Paul family, who have remained its owners ever since. Over the next few decades, the building was gradually and sensitively restored to the stylish art deco-inspired hotel that it is today, with its name changing to Washington Square in 1986. North Square, the hotel’s award winning bistro-style restaurant was opened in 1992.

A warm welcome

The Washington Square is one of the few remaining family-run hotels in New York, and its tight-knit community of employees – many of whom have been at the hotel for more than twenty years – is what makes it so special. You’ll be hard pushed to find a warmer welcome anywhere, which is why more than 50% of its guests are repeat visitors.

Guest room © Washington Square Hotel

Unpretentious, friendly and cosy, the Washington Square Hotel has 152 rooms on nine floors, in a variety of sizes and configurations to suit all comers, from the smaller superior double and twin rooms to the ample-sized deluxe doubles and executive kings. All have private bathrooms and are decorated in a characterful deco style with black and white prints of famous ’30s and ’40s movie stars on the walls, custom-made furniture and crisp white linen. Cable TV, iPod docks and free high speed wi-fi is available in every room.

Guest bathroom © Washington Square Hotel

A secret little cocktail bar

At the rear of the cheerfully-tiled lobby, is the hotel’s best kept secret. The Parisian-style Deco Room with its wrought-iron entry gate is the place to head to for a stylish afternoon tea when your legs are tired from browsing the boutiques of the Village and neighbouring Soho, or a late night tête-à-tête over a martini or two.

For afternoon tea or cocktails, the Deco Room © Washington Square Hotel

The downstairs bar and lounge is a livelier – sometimes positively jumping – space, popular with locals and guests alike and where conversation flows easily. The bartenders take time to stop and chat, the snack menu is excellent and the prices are reasonable, considering where we are. If you’re here on a Sunday, consider hanging around for the Jazz Brunch. It’s where Norah Jones got her first big break, after slipping a demo tape to the owners when she worked here as a waitress. They were so impressed, they let her sing, and that was the end of her waiting career.

WSH bar and lounge © Washington Square Hotel

A breakfast to see you through the day

An ample continental breakfast of juice, coffee, fresh fruit and assorted muffins, bagels and croissants is included in the room rate and is served in both the downstairs bar and the hotel’s North Square restaurant. Full cooked breakfasts are also available in North Square, and if you’ve a full day of sightseeing ahead of you, it’s worth shelling out the extra $8-10 dollars as you certainly won’t need to follow it with lunch. Try the buckwheat blueberry pancakes, or the Challah French toast with bananas and strawberries, both served with that all-American combination of maple syrup and bacon. For a savoury start to the day, try the ultra-filling Breakfast Bagel with ham and eggs or the ‘three eggs any style’ combo served with home fries.

North Square Restaurant © North Square New York

Eat, drink and be merry

Most first time visitors to New York will no doubt want to take in all the famous sights, and the hotel is perfectly placed to do that. The West 4th St/Washington Square subway stop is 30 seconds away on 6th Ave (for lines A, C, E, B, D, F, M) and the Christopher St/Sheridan Sq stop is one block further on, at 7th Ave (for lines 1, 2, 3).
Don’t be too keen to rush off though. The immediate vicinity is still just as interesting as it ever was. Greenwich Village up to and especially during the ’50s and ’60s was predominantly a magnet for artists, activists, radicals and bohemians, and although the area has been significantly gentrified – with business people, upper middle class families and celebrities now calling it home – it retains a magical atmosphere and still plays host to a pulsing streetlife scene.
Other than gazing from the rooftops of skyscrapers or sailing around New York harbour, pretty much everything you could ever want to do in New York, you can do right here. Unless stated otherwise, everywhere listed below is within a 5 – 10 minute walk from the hotel.

Jazz

New York’s two world-famous jazz clubs are practically on your doorstep.
The Village Vanguard (178 7th Avenue South) opened its doors in 1935, and more than 100 albums have been recorded here, including landmark live shows by John Coltrane, Bill Evans and Dexter Gordon.

Village Vanguard New York by ElvertBarnes on Flickr

The much newer (it opened in 1981) but equally legendary Blue Note (131 West 3rd St) has also showcased a lineup of greats including Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Nina Simone.
And not to be missed, according to the Washington Square Hotel’s general manager Sonny Christopher, is the Fat Cat club (75 Christopher St, at 7th Ave) where you can get your groove on to a nightly jazz act while playing pool, ping-pong or shuffleboard, or even a sedate game of chess, scrabble or backgammon. It’s even been voted the city’s best pool hall by New York Magazine.

Eat & Drink

 

Babbo Italian restaurant on Waverly Place by pcphoto on Flickr

Babbo (110 Waverly Place), the flagship Italian restaurant of celebrity chef Mario Batali, is bang opposite the hotel. Make a reservation in advance, or if you can’t get in, console yourself with the cookbook. The Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia St) is an excellent alternative, with a performance space downstairs – Suzanne Vega got her first big break here.
The cupcake craze is not going anywhere, and in this neighbourhood you’re spoilt for choice. The Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker St at West 11th), made famous by its appearances in Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada, has now expanded to three other sites in Manhattan (Upper West Side, Rockefeller Center and Grand Central Terminal) but this is the first and the original.

Sweet Revenge, New York by Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Bake on Flickr

There are plenty of competitors for its crown: Sweet Revenge (62 Carmine St) is a bar that pairs its cupcakes with wine and beer, Crumbs Bake Shop (37 East 8th St) is famous for its ‘colossal’ cupcakes (the size of an average birthday cake), and Cupcake Stop (70 Greenwich Avenue) also has a mobile truck which parks at different destinations around the city daily – check their twitter feed for location details.
Beloved local gourmet deli Citarella (424 6th Ave at 9th St) also sells an impressive range of cupcakes and other baked goods, but is better known for its incredible array of seafood, aged meats and handcrafted breads. Head here to stock up for your Central Park picnic.

Citarella by snowpea&bokchoi on Flickr

Joe the Art of Coffee (141 Waverly Place) is the choice of locals for your daily java, and late night snackers will find satisfaction at the 24hr Washington Square Diner (150 West 4th St at 6th Ave).
The White Horse Tavern (567 Hudson St at 11th St) is one of the very few remaining artist and writer hangouts that is still open today. Dylan Thomas drank here, as did Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Jack Kerouac and Norman Mailer. Mix it up with locals, NYU students and tourists, and dream of that novel you’ll write one day. The Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher St) kickstarted the modern gay-rights movement after the infamous Stonewall Riots of 1969. Its bars on two levels have recently been renovated and host nightly events and parties.

Hang out

Washington Square Park, next door to the hotel, is Greenwich Village’s landmark neighbourhood meeting place and centre of cultural and leisure activity. Most of the buildings that surround the park belong to New York University, so students are a permanent fixture here, along with plenty of buskers and street performers. The two most famous features are the Washington Square arch, which marks the beginning of Fifth Avenue, and the central fountain, made famous in the opening credits of sitcom Friends. There’s also a dog playground and a dedicated chess-playing area in the northwest corner nearest the hotel.

Playing chess in Washington Square Park © Maxine Sheppard

Slightly further afield (about a 20 minute walk from the hotel) is Manhattan’s newest public park, the High Line. Built on a former elevated freight railroad, the park’s southernmost entrance is at the junction of Gansevoort St and Washington St in the Meatpacking District, and runs as far north as 20th Street, with the Chelsea section expected to open later this summer, doubling the length of the park.

Frank Gehry's IAC building taken from the High Line park © Maxine Sheppard

Fantastic views of Chelsea and its many new architectural wonders can be enjoyed here (Polshek Partnership’s Le Corbusier-style Standard Hotel and Frank Gehry’s IAC building are just two) and it’s especially beautiful at night when all the benches, water features, plants and flowers are imaginatively floodlit.
Many thanks to Flickr photographers snowpea&bokchoi, Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Bake, pcphoto, ElvertBarnes and aturkus for the great header shot.

vtravelled Loves: Washington Square Hotel, NYC

Back in the ’60s and early ’70s Lower Manhattan’s 1902-built Hotel Earle, as it was then called, was something of a flophouse; a grand but dilapidated and seedy apartment hotel in seemingly terminal decline.
At the same time, the neighbourhood in which the Earle stood – Greenwich Village – was becoming the beating heart of New York’s alternative counterculture, reflected by its population of writers and free-thinkers who flocked to its jazz clubs and coffee houses, feeding on the daily intellectual scene of poetry readings and folk sessions.

Washington Square Hotel’s famous guests

Lobby © Washington Square Hotel

The hotel had already counted Ernest Hemingway and Dylan Thomas among its guests, and musicians and writers – especially those of the stuggling variety – continued to make the Hotel Earle their temporary home during this time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Jack Elliott and Peter LaFarge, with Baez even referring to it as “that crummy hotel over Washington Square” in her 1975 song Diamonds and Rust.
Salvation, as far as the hotel was concerned, came in 1973 when it was bought by the Paul family, who have remained its owners ever since. Over the next few decades, the building was gradually and sensitively restored to the stylish art deco-inspired hotel that it is today, with its name changing to Washington Square in 1986. North Square, the hotel’s award winning bistro-style restaurant was opened in 1992.

A warm welcome

The Washington Square is one of the few remaining family-run hotels in New York, and its tight-knit community of employees – many of whom have been at the hotel for more than twenty years – is what makes it so special. You’ll be hard pushed to find a warmer welcome anywhere, which is why more than 50% of its guests are repeat visitors.

Guest room © Washington Square Hotel

Unpretentious, friendly and cosy, the Washington Square Hotel has 152 rooms on nine floors, in a variety of sizes and configurations to suit all comers, from the smaller superior double and twin rooms to the ample-sized deluxe doubles and executive kings. All have private bathrooms and are decorated in a characterful deco style with black and white prints of famous ’30s and ’40s movie stars on the walls, custom-made furniture and crisp white linen. Cable TV, iPod docks and free high speed wi-fi is available in every room.

Guest bathroom © Washington Square Hotel

A secret little cocktail bar

At the rear of the cheerfully-tiled lobby, is the hotel’s best kept secret. The Parisian-style Deco Room with its wrought-iron entry gate is the place to head to for a stylish afternoon tea when your legs are tired from browsing the boutiques of the Village and neighbouring Soho, or a late night tête-à-tête over a martini or two.

For afternoon tea or cocktails, the Deco Room © Washington Square Hotel

The downstairs bar and lounge is a livelier – sometimes positively jumping – space, popular with locals and guests alike and where conversation flows easily. The bartenders take time to stop and chat, the snack menu is excellent and the prices are reasonable, considering where we are. If you’re here on a Sunday, consider hanging around for the Jazz Brunch. It’s where Norah Jones got her first big break, after slipping a demo tape to the owners when she worked here as a waitress. They were so impressed, they let her sing, and that was the end of her waiting career.

WSH bar and lounge © Washington Square Hotel

A breakfast to see you through the day

An ample continental breakfast of juice, coffee, fresh fruit and assorted muffins, bagels and croissants is included in the room rate and is served in both the downstairs bar and the hotel’s North Square restaurant. Full cooked breakfasts are also available in North Square, and if you’ve a full day of sightseeing ahead of you, it’s worth shelling out the extra $8-10 dollars as you certainly won’t need to follow it with lunch. Try the buckwheat blueberry pancakes, or the Challah French toast with bananas and strawberries, both served with that all-American combination of maple syrup and bacon. For a savoury start to the day, try the ultra-filling Breakfast Bagel with ham and eggs or the ‘three eggs any style’ combo served with home fries.

North Square Restaurant © North Square New York

Eat, drink and be merry

Most first time visitors to New York will no doubt want to take in all the famous sights, and the hotel is perfectly placed to do that. The West 4th St/Washington Square subway stop is 30 seconds away on 6th Ave (for lines A, C, E, B, D, F, M) and the Christopher St/Sheridan Sq stop is one block further on, at 7th Ave (for lines 1, 2, 3).
Don’t be too keen to rush off though. The immediate vicinity is still just as interesting as it ever was. Greenwich Village up to and especially during the ’50s and ’60s was predominantly a magnet for artists, activists, radicals and bohemians, and although the area has been significantly gentrified – with business people, upper middle class families and celebrities now calling it home – it retains a magical atmosphere and still plays host to a pulsing streetlife scene.
Other than gazing from the rooftops of skyscrapers or sailing around New York harbour, pretty much everything you could ever want to do in New York, you can do right here. Unless stated otherwise, everywhere listed below is within a 5 – 10 minute walk from the hotel.

Jazz

New York’s two world-famous jazz clubs are practically on your doorstep.
The Village Vanguard (178 7th Avenue South) opened its doors in 1935, and more than 100 albums have been recorded here, including landmark live shows by John Coltrane, Bill Evans and Dexter Gordon.

Village Vanguard New York by ElvertBarnes on Flickr

The much newer (it opened in 1981) but equally legendary Blue Note (131 West 3rd St) has also showcased a lineup of greats including Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Nina Simone.
And not to be missed, according to the Washington Square Hotel’s general manager Sonny Christopher, is the Fat Cat club (75 Christopher St, at 7th Ave) where you can get your groove on to a nightly jazz act while playing pool, ping-pong or shuffleboard, or even a sedate game of chess, scrabble or backgammon. It’s even been voted the city’s best pool hall by New York Magazine.

Eat & Drink

 

Babbo Italian restaurant on Waverly Place by pcphoto on Flickr

Babbo (110 Waverly Place), the flagship Italian restaurant of celebrity chef Mario Batali, is bang opposite the hotel. Make a reservation in advance, or if you can’t get in, console yourself with the cookbook. The Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia St) is an excellent alternative, with a performance space downstairs – Suzanne Vega got her first big break here.
The cupcake craze is not going anywhere, and in this neighbourhood you’re spoilt for choice. The Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker St at West 11th), made famous by its appearances in Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada, has now expanded to three other sites in Manhattan (Upper West Side, Rockefeller Center and Grand Central Terminal) but this is the first and the original.

Sweet Revenge, New York by Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Bake on Flickr

There are plenty of competitors for its crown: Sweet Revenge (62 Carmine St) is a bar that pairs its cupcakes with wine and beer, Crumbs Bake Shop (37 East 8th St) is famous for its ‘colossal’ cupcakes (the size of an average birthday cake), and Cupcake Stop (70 Greenwich Avenue) also has a mobile truck which parks at different destinations around the city daily – check their twitter feed for location details.
Beloved local gourmet deli Citarella (424 6th Ave at 9th St) also sells an impressive range of cupcakes and other baked goods, but is better known for its incredible array of seafood, aged meats and handcrafted breads. Head here to stock up for your Central Park picnic.

Citarella by snowpea&bokchoi on Flickr

Joe the Art of Coffee (141 Waverly Place) is the choice of locals for your daily java, and late night snackers will find satisfaction at the 24hr Washington Square Diner (150 West 4th St at 6th Ave).
The White Horse Tavern (567 Hudson St at 11th St) is one of the very few remaining artist and writer hangouts that is still open today. Dylan Thomas drank here, as did Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Jack Kerouac and Norman Mailer. Mix it up with locals, NYU students and tourists, and dream of that novel you’ll write one day. The Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher St) kickstarted the modern gay-rights movement after the infamous Stonewall Riots of 1969. Its bars on two levels have recently been renovated and host nightly events and parties.

Hang out

Washington Square Park, next door to the hotel, is Greenwich Village’s landmark neighbourhood meeting place and centre of cultural and leisure activity. Most of the buildings that surround the park belong to New York University, so students are a permanent fixture here, along with plenty of buskers and street performers. The two most famous features are the Washington Square arch, which marks the beginning of Fifth Avenue, and the central fountain, made famous in the opening credits of sitcom Friends. There’s also a dog playground and a dedicated chess-playing area in the northwest corner nearest the hotel.

Playing chess in Washington Square Park © Maxine Sheppard

Slightly further afield (about a 20 minute walk from the hotel) is Manhattan’s newest public park, the High Line. Built on a former elevated freight railroad, the park’s southernmost entrance is at the junction of Gansevoort St and Washington St in the Meatpacking District, and runs as far north as 20th Street, with the Chelsea section expected to open later this summer, doubling the length of the park.

Frank Gehry's IAC building taken from the High Line park © Maxine Sheppard

Fantastic views of Chelsea and its many new architectural wonders can be enjoyed here (Polshek Partnership’s Le Corbusier-style Standard Hotel and Frank Gehry’s IAC building are just two) and it’s especially beautiful at night when all the benches, water features, plants and flowers are imaginatively floodlit.
Many thanks to Flickr photographers snowpea&bokchoi, Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Bake, pcphoto, ElvertBarnes and aturkus for the great header shot.

vtravelled Weekly Round-Up w/c 2nd May

After a couple of weeks off, our weekly round-up is back with travel tips, lists, bits and bobs from our destinations around the world…

Get busy in Cape Town

We do love a list and while we tend to stick to even or round numbers there’s nothing wrong with breaking the rules as What’s Up Cape Town have done here with this 19 minutes and 19 things down-to-earth guide to activities in and around the Mother City.

Drop off the kids for date night in NYC

Holidaying with small kids but want to recapture some of that old romance and still keep them happy? The ever-reliable Mommy Poppins has a handy list of entertaining childcare options in New York, including pajama parties and more.

LA: Ice cream sundae, Monday, Tuesday…

If you’re off to Los Angeles anytime soon, you’ve definitely picked the right time as Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Truck has hit town and will be handing out free samples all over the city for the next six weeks!

To the pub!

We’ve done all sorts of London lists covering chocolate shops, cakes, even hats, but we’ve yet to focus exclusively on the great British boozer. As broad a topic as it is, we have to concede that The Guardian have done a pretty good job with their 10 Best London Pubs list this week. We can personally vouch for the great atmosphere of the Ewok village-like beer garden of North London’s Faltering Fullback too.

Jamaicar

Finally, we came across this nifty number via Uncommon Caribbean. Possibly the only car manufactured in the Caribbean, the Island Cruiser looks like the perfect hire car for an easygoing drive…

vtravelled Weekly Round-Up w/c 2nd May

After a couple of weeks off, our weekly round-up is back with travel tips, lists, bits and bobs from our destinations around the world…

Get busy in Cape Town

We do love a list and while we tend to stick to even or round numbers there’s nothing wrong with breaking the rules as What’s Up Cape Town have done here with this 19 minutes and 19 things down-to-earth guide to activities in and around the Mother City.

Drop off the kids for date night in NYC

Holidaying with small kids but want to recapture some of that old romance and still keep them happy? The ever-reliable Mommy Poppins has a handy list of entertaining childcare options in New York, including pajama parties and more.

LA: Ice cream sundae, Monday, Tuesday…

If you’re off to Los Angeles anytime soon, you’ve definitely picked the right time as Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Truck has hit town and will be handing out free samples all over the city for the next six weeks!

To the pub!

We’ve done all sorts of London lists covering chocolate shops, cakes, even hats, but we’ve yet to focus exclusively on the great British boozer. As broad a topic as it is, we have to concede that The Guardian have done a pretty good job with their 10 Best London Pubs list this week. We can personally vouch for the great atmosphere of the Ewok village-like beer garden of North London’s Faltering Fullback too.

Jamaicar

Finally, we came across this nifty number via Uncommon Caribbean. Possibly the only car manufactured in the Caribbean, the Island Cruiser looks like the perfect hire car for an easygoing drive…

Ten Essential Apps for Business Travellers

Not so long ago we posted our guide to Essential Apps for Travel Lovers and with more and more smart phones on the market there are more tools for every kind of traveller. Here we look at some indispensable apps for the traveller who needs it most; for many, business travel means a minefield of information and very little time to process it all – if there was only a way to make things simpler…

Expensify

There are few people who’ll disagree that filing expenses is the worst part of business. Expensify is the rescue remedy for all those accounting headaches. Record and keep track of mileage and cash expenses and save images of receipts for uploading. Link a credit card with the account and will generate e-receipts for all purchases. Painless and paperless.
FREE for Blackberry, Android, iPhone and iPad.

Talk To Me

Talk To Me for Android

Android phone users really lucked out with this app, one of the very best text-to-speech (and speech-to-speech) programs on the mobile market. Talk To Me will translate over 40 languages and speak the translations back to you for most of them. It’s so simple to use and might well be your best friend in any communication tight spot.
FREE for Android.

The Trainline

One of the essential downloads of last year and an indispensable app for anyone doing business in the UK*. Finding out when your next connection is couldn’t be easier. Aside from browsing comprehensive schedules for the whole country, you can now buy tickets within the app.
FREE for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and Nokia.

WorldMate

Though available across all mobile platforms, WorldMate is really one for the BlackBerry user. The BB version can manage itineraries, check weather, convert currencies, search Yelp for local recommendations and more. Its niftiest feature however, is TripCatch which automatically identifies your travel confirmation emails and syncs them with the itinerary in the app. The paid Gold adds real-time flight info and alerts.
Basic version FREE for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad.

EasySign Mobile

Quick, straightforward and green, EasySign allows you to sign invoices, orders or whatever you like on the go. Just import email attachments (PDF, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, jpegs, text documents) into the app, add your signature on screen and send without the pain of searching for a printer.
FREE for iPhone.

EasySign Mobile for iPhone

Keypoint

KeyPoint for iPhone

Create, edit, play, share and publish presentations on the go; Keypoint is the essential tool for the time-strapped traveller on their way to an important meeting. The great easy to use interface comes loaded with 10 themes and 7 animation styles to choose from and you can export straight to Keynote or PDF.
£1.19 for iPhone.

TripCase

One of a number of cover-all organisational tools on the market, TripCase stands apart with a few key features. Once all your itinerary details are imported to the app, its intelligent messaging system uses it to inform you of any delays or other useful information and advice relating to your journey or accommodation. Real-time alerts of cancellations and gate changes also come as standard with the free version. You can also post updates to any or all of your social networks at once.
FREE for Blackberry, iPhone and Android.

Taxi Magic (US)

All hail the app that eliminates the need to hail. Taxi Magic is fully integrated with taxi dispatch systems across the US* and allows you to book a cab, track its journey to you and pay with your credit card within the app. Get an e-receipt for expenses and well, what else do you need? We eagerly await the arrival of as effective an app in the UK.
FREE for iPhone. (*US store only. If travelling to the States from elsewhere click on your account at the bottom of the app store homescreen to change country.)

Virgin Atlantic Flight Tracker

Virgin Atlantic Flight Tracker for Nokia Ovi

We couldn’t really go without mentioning our own Flight Tracker app, especially as it’s now available for Nokia Ovi users. Reliable real time flight statuses and schedule information, straight from the source. Simple.
Free for Nokia and iPhone.

Help Call

One final lifesaver (literally) for the iPhone crowd comes in the form of Help Call. This app automatically detects where you are in the world and activates local emergency numbers for one-touch access. You can also store a designated friend’s number alongside the usual police, fire and ambulance services.
59p for iPhone.
Are there any awesome apps you just can’t travel without? We’re always on the lookout for tips, so let us know in the comments below.