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Travels: The Route 53

Hotel On Rivington- New York

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THE HOTEL ON RIVINGTON (THOR)
www.hotelonrivington.com
107 Rivington St.
New York, NY 10002
212-475-2600
Cost: $$$$
Hotel Decor: 95 (some aging, but overall THOR is stunning if you like boutique urban design)
Hotel Amenities: 90 (Don’t miss the summer roof deck parties.  Ask and research with the staff)
Neighborhood Scene: 90 (Cool chic.  Relaxed. Not something for everyone)
Miscellaneous: 98 (So unique in nature you won’t stay in another hotel like it in the US)
Overall Wow Factor: 90 (some aging of the hotel and service) 
The Hotel on Rivington (www.hotelonrivington.com) lived up to all the hype for me.  Located on the Lower East Side, it is a great escape away from all the hustle and bustle of Midtown Manhattan.  The often unexplored LES offers a vibrant nightlife with clubs, restaurants and some unique shopping.  The hotel is a sleek contrast to the rest of the neighborhood and really does stick out like a sore thumb.

Despite all my usual research I was not quite ready for the entrance to the hotel with it’s white modern sculpture entrance which felt like entering the Matterhorn at Disneyland.  Secondly, I wasn’t ready to find that the reception desk was on the 2nd floor.  I was so eager to see my room ( a corner with a glass shower) that I didn’t even bother to check out the lobby until I checked out.  When you get to your floor, the halls are black with no windows and you just follow the glow of the red light to your room.The lack of lighting adds to the shock factor when you enter your room with floor to ceiling windows that offers sweeping views of the LES bridges, with Delancey St. below and Wall Street in the distance.  The room fit the images of the photos on the website except my bathroom was black tiled compared to the yellow one I saw on the site.   For all you exhibitionists out there, it should be noted that the glass shower uses frosted glass so there is really no chance of being seen from the street below.The muted cauliflower blue and brown colors fit well with the design of the room complete with automatic sliding curtains, free wi-fi, balcony and flatscreen TV.  This is definitely a rock and rollers hotel.  For those who like celebrity watching (raising my hand) we spotted Sarah Michelle-Gellar here as she was having a “wrap Party” for her new movie.The Hotel on Rivington towers over the LES.  Once we dropped our items in the closet we explored the great stores for boutique clothing, found a restaurant for the evening (Tre) and scoped out restaurant row (Clinton St.).  Although the hotel has its own restaurant, Thor, we wanted to escape from the touristy feel and have a nice casual dinner in the neighborhood.  Tre is located just around the corner, one block north of the hotel and offers a quiet scene in a shotgun style restaurant with lots of good people watching as well as a great place to eaves-drop on the interesting lives of the people who live in this eclectic neighborhood.  We had the prix fixe meal which was a little salty but that wasn’t why we went there.  The interesting site was the tall British gal in her white hostess dress.

Thor Entrance
The low profile bed
The low profile bed
At one point this striking gal snapped on some rubber gloves, threw a large piece of prosciutto on the table and sliced it right there fresh for the patrons.  It was a scene that you’d have to have seen just to visualize the oddity.  Afterwards, we bar hopped, checked out the “Livingroom” , a small live music joint and then back to Thor for a drink.
Looking toward the Battery
Looking toward the Battery

We left our shades open and got up early the next morning for breakfast at the Clinton St. Bakery.  I’ll discuss that at another time, but located three blocks from the hotel on Clinton and Houston, you will find the best blueberry pancakes (okay Martha Stewart discovered them first) that are just one more reason to stay down in the LES.

I highly recommend the Hotel on Rivington.  We didn’t get to truly experience the hotel, but the small taste that we got was enough to get us to come back to the hotel and its great neighborhood.  The furniture , the interior design and the ambiance were spot on.