This post originally appeared at SavoringTheGood.com. Posted here with permission.
We Stayed At The New York Marriott Downtown With The Kids!
We are a family that likes to travel. We like day trips, weekend trips, week long getaways, staycations, international travel, if it involves travel and fun we love experience it. We have even started our own hashtag to help document our travel adventures! Follow #MockTravels to see what we have been up to.
This past weekend we were invited to the New York Marriott Hotel Downtown on for a complimentary stay behalf of Influence Central to experience the hotel from a families point of view. I am hoping this post shows you all the fun and amenities the hotel has to offer a busy family when they are visiting New York City.
Arrival
Marriott Rewards members have a pretty sweet app that they are able to book, check in and earn free nights through their app. We were able to check in with the app and go to a designated line (talk about special treatment!) to pick up our room keys. It was super simple that I could have handed the phone off to the kids and had THEM check us in. Another fun surprise was that each of the kids were given a little plush brown bear upon arrival. It is the little touches, like this, that make families staying at the Marriott feel especially welcome.
My oldest is taking advantage of the free Wi-fi. The adults loved the free Wi-fi as well but she was in her ELEMENT with a lounge chair, smart phone and free internet.
Eats
We drove in to NYC for the weekend and we had arrived just after noon and we were starving!! There are so many food options in NYC but when the kids are ‘starving’ and I am getting ‘hangry’ there is no time for negotiations and deciding where to eat. We didn’t have to leave the hotel to find delicious food that was not going to break our pocketbook on our first meal in New York. Bill’s Bar and Burger is located IN the hotel and had selections for every member of my family.
The kids were entertained by the Wikki Stix and coloring page while we looked over the menu and took a few minutes to relax in the restaurant. My husband ordered the classic cheeseburger as Bill’s Bar & Grill is famous for their burgers. The burger gets two thumbs up for taste and quality. I decided to see how Bill’s would stretch it legs beyond burgers and ordered the blacken Mahi tacos. The three mini tacos were full of thick cuts of Mahi, perfectly seasoned and the toppings were the perfect accompaniment to the fish. Bill’s Bar & Grill may be famous for burgers and shakes but they canoodle their own when it comes to fish tacos.
My oldest ordered her favorite cheese burger and there was not a bite left by the time she was finished her meal. I guess the combination of traveling and good food makes for a clean plate for her!
My youngest two shared a plate of chicken tenders and french fries. THAT is a tip! If your kids are not ones to finish a entire meal, have them share a meal. The chicken tenders at Bill’s Bar & Grill looked so good! They were full cuts of chicken and lightly breaded. I can’t tell you what they tasted like because the kids ate them up with our offering me a bite…. THAT is how good they had to be.
We were so full that there was no room for their famous milkshakes but the ones we saw being served to the other customers looked INCREDIBLE. Next time Bill’s. Nest time we will get a shake!
If you need to get out of the hotel and stretch your legs, Brookfield Place is just a short walk from the hotel and has LOTS of dining options and beautiful shops for you to explore.
The Room
Did you check out the room video that I did? How awesome was that suite!? We don’t normally get a suite but the Marriott wanted us to show you an awesome option for larger families.
The views from the New York Marriott Downtown were INCREDIBLE! We had a view of the Hudson River and the kids loved watching the comings and goings of all the boats and people. This sparked conversations about how big New York City is, where people work, where people live, how they get between the two places, the highest of the buildings, why there are only skyscrapers in certain sections of the city (bedrock) and so much more! Being on the 35th floor really give you a different perspective!
The Sights
We were steps away from One World Trade Center, 9/11 Memorial and the new One World Observatory. I, along with a lot of the country will never forget 9/11/01 but my children were not even born when the towers fell. Starting that conversation can be hard if you are helping your children to understand that part of our history. The 9/11 Memorial website has resources for you to start that conversation. Here is a link if you are interested.
A reflection on One World Trade in the 9/11 memorial.
A photo posted by Sarah Mock ? (@howipinchapenny) on
We had a fun introducing the kids to the NYC Metro system. It was hot so that might be why they have this look on their faces! Bonus Tip: Don’t get a metro card for each person. There is a $1 fee per card, instead, just add money to a single card. Swipe the card as each person goes through the turn style and you are good to go!And as long as your child is 44″ and riding with a paying adult, they don’t need to pay! NICE!
My kids are climbing that rock! #centralpark #nyc #KidsLoveNYC #ad #ic
A photo posted by Sarah Mock ? (@howipinchapenny) on
All the toys! #mocktravels @toysrus #nyc
A photo posted by Sarah Mock ? (@howipinchapenny) on
A photo posted by Sarah Mock ? (@howipinchapenny) on
We had a wonderful family getaway weekend in NYC! We would definitely stay with Marriott on our next adventure. The hospitality, amenities and location were all winners for our family!
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