Hotel-hop your way through a day in Manhattan — without booking a room
New York's most stunning hotels are typically reserved for those willing to shell out hundreds a night. Right? Think again. With jaw-dropping architecture, hidden-gem dining and walk-in attractions that cost nothing to enjoy, you can hotel-hop your way through Manhattan and experience a luxury day out without booking a room.
Easily accessible via the Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station or Grand Central, these five stops are perfect for Long Islanders ready to explore the city's hotel treasures:
Stop 1: The Bar Room at The Beekman Hotel
Step through the revolving doors of The Beekman Hotel (123 Nassau St., thebeekman.com, 212-233-2300) and the Financial District’s noise dissolves. A nine-story iron-lace atrium rises above mosaic floors and velvet seats — grand, intimate, cinematic. It's the kind of place that makes you instantly narrate your life like a novel.
Completed the same year as the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883, the landmarked building once hosted the New York debut of "Hamlet." It later became New York University and the Mercantile Library, then fell into disrepair. Its 2016 restoration revived the Victorian splendor while preserving the original design — the centuries-old handmade rugs now wrap the lobby counters — and the sense that a spark of genius still lingers in the air.
The Bar Room in The Beekman in lower Manhattan. Credit: Randee Daddona
In The Bar Room, soft lamps glow over leather-bound books and open laptops. You can practically hear the clack of screenplays and big career-changing emails being written. Order a cappuccino or something with a creative wink to inspire — a Hemingway Daiquiri, a Marisa Tomei or a Jessica Pressler. Dine in on weekend afternoons for a live jazz brunch. The atrium is also decorated for the holidays with wreaths in December and a disco ball installation in January.
Cost: Free to explore; cappuccinos and lattes $7, cocktails $19-$25.
Open: Breakfast 7 a.m. to noon daily, Lunch noon to 3 p.m., Dinner 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday, until 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Reservations: Highly recommended
Travel from Penn Station / Grand Central Madison: Ride the A/C train to Fulton Street, about 15 minutes; Board the 4/5 train to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, about 15 minutes.
Stop 2: Museum of Street Art at citizenM Bowery
Most museums take you up stairs — this one leads you down. The Museum of Street Art (189 Bowery) is a free, self-guided gallery inside a 21-story stairwell at the citizenM Bowery Hotel (citizenm.com, 212-372-7274), each floor covered in murals celebrating Lower East Side culture. Twenty-one artists from the famed 5Pointz collective were invited to paint a floor each, inspired by the neighborhood’s history.
5Pointz began as a former industrial building in Long Island City, Queens, later known worldwide as an outdoor aerosol art haven until it was controversially whitewashed and demolished in 2013-14 to make way for condos. The Bowery museum keeps that legacy alive with vibrant portraits of icons like RuPaul, Rosario Dawson and Allen Ginsberg.
Newsday travel writer Carissa Kellman admires the walls of the 20-flight street art museum at CitizenM Bowery in Manhattan. Credit: Randee Daddona
To visit, ask the front desk to take you up to the 20th floor, head through the exit door and then walk your way down through the art. Don't skip exploring the lobby bar, featuring tiered cushioned seating and a floor-to-ceiling display of works by local artists.
Ask the front desk to take you up to the 20th floor, take the exit door and wind your way down through a gallery of local artists' work.
After your descent, head back up to cloudM, the rooftop bar with 360-degree skyline views and an Amsterdam-inspired menu. Reservations recommended; drinks optional but highly tempting.
Cost: Free
Open: Noon to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Reservations: Not required
Travel from previous stop: Take the J train from Fulton Street to Bowery, about 10 minutes.
Stop 3: Nikola Tesla exhibit at The New Yorker Hotel
A hidden gem below street level, this small but fascinating free exhibit at The New Yorker (481 Eighth Ave., newyorkerhotel.com, 212-971-0101) honors famed inventor Nikola Tesla, who spent his final decade living upstairs. In the basement corridor, you’ll find preserved artifacts from his room, letters and black-and-white photographs of his life’s work. It’s a quiet, quirky slice of history just steps from Penn Station.
The Nikola Tesla exhibit in the basement at The New Yorker hotel. Credit: Randee Daddona
To get there, head to the information desk at the end of the lobby past check-in and ask to visit the museum. The two flights of stairs are to the left and the exhibit is in on the back left wall.
Cost: Free
Open: Daily, 24 hours
Travel from previous stop: Take the B/D train uptown to Washington Square, then the A/C/E to 34th Street—Penn Station, about 20 minutes.
Stop 4: Burger Joint at Thompson Central Park
Walk into the Thompson Central Park lobby, veer right and there it is — a hidden entrance, a red velvet curtain, walls covered in graffiti, a chaotic, colorful welcome. Indulge in a double cheeseburger loaded with the works, perfectly salted fries and an ice-cold milkshake, messy in the best way.
The Burger Joint at the Thompson Central Park hotel. Credit: Randee Daddona
Burger Joint (119 W. 56th St., 212-708-7414, burgerjointny.com) opened in 2002 as an "if you know, you know" secret. Chef Anthony Bourdain helped put it on the map, and in 2021 it moved to a larger space across the hotel, keeping its hidden charm. When I visited, a group of 15 tourists from Italy showed up just 30 minutes after it opened, proof that the secret is officially out.
A cheeseburger with the works at The Burger Joint. Credit: Randee Daddona
Locals love it. Visitors chase it down. And walking through that curtain still feels like stepping into a true New York secret.
Cost: Single cheeseburger $17.50, double cheeseburger with the works $27, fries $10.50, Oreo milkshake $15
Open: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., daily
Reservations: Not required
Travel from previous stop: Take the E train to Seventh Avenue, about 5 minutes.
Stop 5: Peacock Alley at the Waldorf Astoria
Meet at the clock: The Waldorf Astoria (301 Park Ave., waldorfastorianewyork.com, 212-355-3000) has returned after eight years and a multibillion-dollar restoration, and it shows. Marble floors gleam, the Art Deco clock is restored to perfection, and mosaics shimmer under crystal chandeliers. Glamorous yet welcoming, the lobby invites you to slow down, take it all in, and imagine the grand parties and whispered deals of decades past.
The restored Art Deco clock in the Waldorf Astoria. Credit: Randee Daddona
End your day at cocktail bar Peacock Alley, lounging in leather chairs beside Cole Porter’s piano, cocktail in hand, paired with elevated bar bites. Ask the bartender for the bar snacks — homemade Cheez-Its and seasoned nuts — perfectly matched with your drink.
The Commodore cocktail and Waldorf martini at Peacock Alley in the Waldorf Astoria. Credit: Randee Daddona
Live music plays daily from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring jazz singers, pianists and surprise Broadway guests, making this the liveliest time to visit. Here, you’re surrounded by history, elegance and a quiet luxury that feels earned, not flaunted.
Beef sliders and pigs in a blanket at the Waldorf Astoria. Credit: Randee Daddona
Cost: Free to explore; cocktails $29-$38, pigs in a blanket $28, beef sliders $36
Open: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
Reservations: Highly recommended if dining between 5 and 9 p.m., a $75 per person minimum daily 4 to 8 p.m.
Travel from previous stop: Walk east about 15 minutes.
Plan your trip home
For Long Islanders returning via Grand Central Terminal, follow the order above. The Waldorf is just three blocks from the station.
Returning via Penn Station? Flip the midtown stops. Visit the Waldorf first after the Lower East Side, then Thompson Central Park and finish at The New Yorker, a short walk from Penn Station.
Either way, you'll end your day just steps from the station, already swapping photos and planning your next New York City adventure.
