The Standard, High Line - New York, NY

4/5 stars

The service at the hotel was one of the best parts. Terrell at the front desk was kind, out-of-his-way helpful, and a gentleman. Thank you, Terrell!

I got upgraded to a King with a huge, rectangular, container-ship-like bathtub. The bathtub was the best! The hotel even included bubble bath :) It was super nice being able to soak your feet after a long day of walking and exploring the city. It would be large enough for two. But you'd have to come here with someone you're comfortable showering in front of because the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom is glass.

The rooms were tiny and mostly clean (mine needed better vacuuming). I also thought it was strange that there weren't any electrical outlets near the bed or the desk/banquette bench area. This is a business hotel after all. More outlets, please. Other than that, I loved everything about this hotel: the bed (it was super duper comfortable), the tall windows, the many bars and restaurants open until 4 AM.

We had drinks at the Plaza and it was very relaxing. The servers there were nice and patient. We asked a bunch of questions, trying to understand the differences between the bars at the hotel. There are, like, 5 or something. The Plaza is pretty, like an outdoor garden. The perfect place to chill since it was VERY warm for October. Tip: the margarita was way better than the sangria.

Next, we tried drinks at the Standard Grill. Now they know how to make a good cocktail. If I had the time and the people to help me drink it, I would've gotten one of the $65 champagne punches. I settled on the Professor & Mary Ann (gin, strawberry-champagne shrub, lime, prosecco) and it was delicious. Unfortunately, the service here was aloof. The bartenders and servers at the Grill were more interested in flirting with each other than paying attention to us. I didn't try the food, but someone I was traveling with got some food to eat in their room and HATED it. Apparently the octopus didn't taste fresh at all (soft... mushy... super fishy-smelling). Yeah, octopus isn't supposed to taste like that. She also didn't like the marinated beets.

We also checked out the Top of the Standard. It was a nice rooftop bar, fantastic view, but we didn't stay. Not really our scene. We didn't make it to the Biergarten unfortunately. Next time :)

(2015)