NYC Feburary 2020 day 1

Landed at EWR at 7:00 pm, picked up my checked bag and still made the 7:37 train to Penn. The taxi across town to Freehand took almost as long as the train and cost about as much. These tiny rooms are a fantastic bang for the buck, even if they still haven't fixed the shower making a lake on the bathroom floor. $100 / night + the usual add-ons

And that's before I unpacked and replaced the luggage rack with the chair and little table you see at the bottom right, and cleared off the bedside table to hold folded clothes on the bottom and computer gear on the top.
There are so many smart details: a long rack with hooks and a narrow shelf above, lots of lighting choices for a small room, depending on what you need (foyer, overhead, just-right-brightness bedside, bathroom sink, and shower), a *steamer* for your clothes instead of an iron and ironing board which would be impossible to use in this small space.

Decided to go with the traditional first meal in NY and walked over to El Quinto Pino via 23rd. It was quiet, but maybe the cold was keeping everyone in. Had the usual, and sent pictures to the family because I am like that.

Burbujas, nuestra bravas, uni panini

And I was still a little hungry so had calamari ala plancha, and a negroni with a campari made in Brooklyn. Skipped dessert, but was really wishing for a cup of tea by the time I got back to the hotel around 10:30 but no go. The doorman did say they could set me up with a kettle, so I might look into that.