YMCA, New York > Reviews > YMCA New York

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Fantastic Location
Disadvantages:	Not great quality rooms and washing facilities

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

If you appreciate the "well, it's a roof over your head" style accommodation then I promise you will love the YMCA Westside, NYC. I was lucky enough to spend 5 days in New York last year as part of my college course so the accommodation was out of my hands. Fortunately I prefer to prioritise location to accommodation.

As far as youth hostels go, the YMCA west side has everything and more. Literally 1 minute to the end of the road, cross the street and you will be in Central Park. Being in the middle of one of the most famous concrete jungles, central park is a particularly stunning view. Maybe it's the contrast of the tall trees and quiet pathways to the colossal skyscrapers and rowdy streets that heighten the beauty situated so close to the YMCA. Within walking distance there is the famous ice rink (from Home Alone 2), which is well worth a go on even if you can't skate, the views alone are unforgettable. You will also find it easy to navigate to certain other parts of New York by walking through Central Park, including the shopper's best friend 5th Avenue. Where you will find the worlds most famous shops such as Tiffany's, F.A.O Schwarz and The Disney Store.

Take a left right at the end of the road, walk for 5 minutes and you will be on Broadway, the street that speaks for itself. First of all there are a lot of cheaper shops, as you head down Broadway towards Times Square you will see a myriad of shops selling "I Love NY" t-shirts, which are a must-buy! (But don't buy the first ones of see, each shop sells them for as little as they can and you will never find the best deal until after you have bought them elsewhere.) Only about 30 minutes walk away from the YMCA you will find the big Broadway hit musicals, so an evening out at the theatre can literally only cost the price of the ticket. Although I recommend you attempt to get a cab around a busy part of New York, as it is fun and challenging. They're no too badly priced either as I think most our taxi journeys back to the YMCA cost around $5 - $10. A slightly longer walk (30-40 minutes) will take you to the Empire State building and Macy's shopping centre.

The rest of NYC can also be found on the doorstep of YMCA Westside, with only a couple of minutes walk towards Broadway and you will be at Columbus Circle subway station.

Inside the YMCA is a very old building with many unusual designs. The foyer is very open with the reception desk right in the middle hosting a (usually) quite stern member of security. There is a cafe where you can buy freshly cooked or pre-made meals. I enjoyed the typical American style breakfasts, such as pancakes and syrup, or fried egg bagel.
To the left of the reception desk (in another room which was confusing) you find the check in/out desk with much more friendly staff. Once you're checked in it's best to take a lift as the building is about 13 storeys high (by the way, if you have a fear of lifts a trip to NYC will cure it easily).

The YMCA offers very modern and good quality gym facilities to its guests. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try these out but I got the tour. It included spaces to work out, cardiovascular exercise machines and one of the most beautiful but unusual swimming pools which looks quite strangely like a Victorian swimming bath.

Unfortunately the rooms left a little bit to be desired. We stayed in rooms with 1 set of bunk beds (2 single beds) and there was barely enough room to keep both suitcases on the floor. There was also a dressing table with mirror and cable TV, a small window and aircon unit. Although the beds were made fresh every day whilst we were out the rooms didn't seem that clean. The washrooms were down the other end of the corridor or on another floor and again were quite basic. Each shower and toilet was in 1 room where you would have to unlock the door with a special card, the doors were confusing to lock from the inside, as they didn't look like they had locked and it didn't feel particularly private. They floors got wet and stayed wet after the first person used the shower and brought back memories of swimming pool locker rooms, which was a little unpleasant.

Don't be too put off though! If you feel you can cope with a small bedroom and sharing a washroom the YMCA Westside offers the best location for the best price in NYC at around $90. I do urge that if you have any desire to visit NYC take the opportunity, and can you say "no" when there are places like the YMCA Westside?