Because this Paris-New York-Paris adventure was, a spontaneous endeavour; meaning, completely not budgeted for, I had to figure a way of executing it within reason, so as to not cause unnecessary palpitations of my devoted Arts Patron's heart.
Even though he did say,
Alright, better go. Just stay at the Bowery...
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| WAH! photo credit- The Bowery Hotel |
I, in an effort to be sensitive, did not.
(Hint- for longevity in a marriage, Give and Take. Take and Give.)
I told him- Baby, I am going to slum it! In Hoboken!
Baby/Singular Arts Patron- Where is Hoboken???!!! Is it safe???!!!
Ah. Hoboken.
There's now a W Hotel there, right on River Street, a mere 5-minute walk from the PATH train station. The total cost for mod-cons including paying a non-refundable pet cleaning fee, daily internet and a separate pet charge, was less than half of what it would cost for me to stay at the Bowery.
I even had the audacity to request for a room with a view. And I received one!
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| Thank you, W Hotel, Hoboken! |
The room I got met all our needs- comfy bed, powerful shower, thick towels. The size (larger than my London flat) took some adjusting to.
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| Bruno is here- if you can spot him in all this space! |
I'm not sure if I would stay here again. It's too much of a theme park for me.
Another tip for budget living in the City on one of the prettiest streets downtown, is the Larchmont Hotel. I've stayed there three times during the dancing years. The rooms are clean, tiny, and the bathroom situated down the hall, is shared.
Recently the Firmdale Group created the Crosby Street Hotel, on a site that was once a public parking lot. I'm a big fan of Kit Kemp's interiors; so when I looked at the pictures of what she has done, I salivate.
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| WAH! (All photo credit- Firmdale Group) |
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| WOW! |
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| WAH! |
Transiting in Paris, I find, Hotel Odeon. Previously, Bruno and I were terribly pampered at the elegant and understated Hotel Esprit Saint Germain (blanket, doggy bowls, Badoit water for Bruno on arrival). Both hotels share the great location on Rue St- Sulpice. The church with its plaza and trees for Bruno, is at the end of this street.
Hotel Odeon is a truly practical and unfussy find. It's kind of like staying at Motel 6. But because it is Paris, there is the added quaint factor. And, mood lighting.
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| Bruno is seated front, left of this picture, in the breakfast room. |
It's so quaint, only one person with travel companion in her arms, can fit into the elevator (but there is an elevator!).
It's so quaint, there are authentic wooden beams on the ceiling, the floor of my room slants, and Bruno, clever boy, learns quickly, that the bed is where we have, space.
I tell the Arts Patron, we are safe and comfortable, and it's just as well that he's not here. Because there is no way he would fit his 6-ft self in the bathroom.
Alas the hotel is already fully booked on our Monday return. So I take a walk around the neighbourhood to locate the next sensible steal.
If you think of the church as the heart, then all the little streets are like arteries....
Right beside an elementary school, on a tiny, forgotten side street (Rue Madame), I see, Villa Madame.
Villa Madame is dressed. It is a lesson in clever design for tight spaces, with the generous use of plants, mirrors, wall-mounted lighting, and fabric.
We are assigned a room even smaller than the one at Hotel Odeon. But for a change, we are on the top-most floor.
And given the added treat, of a private patio space!
