The Ludlow

The Ludlow rises above Ludlow Street between Houston and Stanton, and its entrance sets the tone: a red-brick passageway opens onto a lobby of oak panels and mosaic floors, centered on a limestone fireplace. The MICHELIN Guide, which gives it One Key, sums it up simply as cool. Rooms run from compact studios to lofts, terrace rooms and a penthouse, spread across floors three through nineteen, and Time Out's reviewer found floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony with sweeping views of Lower Manhattan.

Off the lobby, the Lobby Lounge and garden pour drinks into the evening, and Dirty French, the hotel's restaurant, serves under the same roof. The Lower East Side does the rest: Katz's Delicatessen and Russ & Daughters are a short walk away, as are the bars and venues that keep the neighborhood up late. It suits couples who like a little noise before a quiet room, and travelers who want downtown energy with a fireplace to come home to. Few lobbies in the city are as easy to linger in.