THUMBS UP TO MARRIOTT’S BRAND OF HIP URBAN HOTEL

REVIEW OF THE MOXY EAST VILLAGE

I stayed five nights for an incredibly low price at the Moxy East Village Hotel in New York.

It’s at a perfect location near Union Square transit + East Village/Lower East side dining, shopping and vibe.  

I slept soundly in a super quiet room.

I can't believe the punk rock-themed hotel -- with a popular rooftop bar and loud music at a nightclub and outdoor dining venue on same block immediately next to property -- was so tranquil and sound proofed. Bravo. 

Room small, but I only needed it for sleep.

Bed was super comfortable.

Had blackout drapes but I enjoyed wall of windows on NYC so much, I left the blinds up. 

Shower is great. No flooding. 

Sink vanity featured lots of room for storage.

I love the pegs on the wall -- I stored a dozen things on them.

Plus, there is under bed storage and locker-like storage above the flat screen TV.

The staff great and the rooftop was a cool amenity for a June visit.

The restaurant looked amazing, but didn't eat at it. 

The little outdoor space on main level was super chill and great for summer. 

Great room design -- everything I needed in less than 200 SF.

The free breakfast in the hip, rock n roll space off the lobby service is great.

I know it is difficult, especially with packaging boxes for the masses, but I wish there were a few more healthy breakfast options -- granola, cereal, more fresh fruit. 

I used to free mini fridge that I requested for storing berries, oat milk, cereal to have healthier options.

Wish wheelchair users didn't have to use an elevator every time they go from street to lobby.

It's good that there is an elevator, but it sucks that in a brand-new building, people with disabilities are segregated from the majority using the steps - and vulnerable if the equipment breaks down.

The safe was not big enough to store my expensive camera. Gotta fix that.

Overall, a grade of A…and I’m hard to please.

ST. MARK'S PLACE

EAST VILLAGE, NYC

Funky Town seems to fill a wide variety of needs of St. Mark’s Place habitues.

There are convenience store items.

There are tons of cool punk rock, new wave and other rock band T-shirts, stickers and patches.

In the back, they do body piercing.

All around, there are bongs, vaping gear and other things we used to call head shop products.

Also a lot of cheap sunglasses and nice, patient, polite workers there.

ST. MARK'S PLACE

EAST VILLAGE, NYC

Search & Destroy is a legendary punk rock clothing and accessories boutique.

Yes, that’s a bunch of dolls stacked in the window to look like dead, well…

And you probably see something vulgar in the image – half the photos on the entry foyer/door are obscene and it doesn’t get any less raw inside.

Famed for high prices and surly workers – plus dozens of signs telling you NOT to snap a picture inside – we’re not sure how this far from wheelchair-accessible, worst customer service in the neighborhood place survives.

But it is highly photogenic and part of the nabe’s punk history.

ST. MARK'S PLACE

EAST VILLAGE, NYC

Established in 1990, Andromeda Studio 33 bills itself as one of the oldest and original bod mod shops in USA.

We hate tattoos, but love the colorful façade and characters at this walkup space.

ST. MARK'S PLACE

 EAST VILLAGE, NYC

Theatre 80 carries on a generational cultural function, which has helped to create the East Village from the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

When Theatre 80 was first envisioned and built at 80 Saint Marks Place, the neighborhood of the Lower East Side was a blighted area and the term East Village had yet to be coined.

We were among the first of the cultural institutions, which began the Lower East Side Arts Movement resulting in the neighborhood now being referred to as the East Village.

Beginning during Prohibition, 80 Saint Marks Place was a vital destination for performers of all kinds.

Jazz greats such as Thelonious Monk, Harry “Sweets” Edison, John Coltrane and Frank Sinatra performed here before Theatre 80 was established in the former nightclub. 

--from Theatre 80's website. There's also a gangster museum upstairs.

ST. MARK'S PLACE

EAST VILLAGE, NYC

St. Mark's Place, named after the nearby St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, is part of Eighth Avenue in Lower Manhattan. It’s named St. Mark’s Place between Third Avenue and Avenue A.

Still the land of misfits, it draws as many tourists and locals and the rents are no longer low.

A cloud of perpetual weed smell hangs in the air and competes with the scent of many Asian restaurants and other cuisine.

Referenced in the Replacement’s ode to the late Alex Chilton -- Checkin' his stash by the trash at St. Mark's place – the few blocks of history and discord also played host to great Broad City episode.