noplasticshowers

In the still active quest to find a NY hotel to use as home base, we present the (nope) Intercontinental Barclays hotel.  This was a quick, trip up for business and pleasure.

The Barclays is old school.  Well, old.  Definitely old.  Try as they might to upgrade to “hip” or “relevant,” there is too much inertia for the sluggish IHG chain to overcome.

Our arrival was very corporate and our room was nice but hamster cage.  All vestiges of Kimpton privilege have been assimilated.  And there is only so much that you can do to drag a mid-century hotel into the new millennium.  Frankly, I don’t even remember what our room number was or even what floor it was on.

The shower was fine.

A comfortable generic bed.  Design by somebody’s grandmother.

Oh, here it is, room 939 on the not at all memorable 9th floor.  This is a concierge floor which means only you can share an OK breakfast with other people who think that concierge service is good.

But it was NYC!  BTW, the Fasano is a great place for a ridiculously expensive business dinner.  Great food and a relaxed atmosphere conducive to conversation.

Also, as always the tucked away Oyster bar in Grand Central is a fun place for a snack.  We tried out the back room (new to me).  The front is more NY, FWIW.

Meanwhile, the bar back at the Barclays has a reputation far beyond its ’70s reality.  Great cocktails served by cynical old school NY barkeeps with a hotel lobby feel that can’t be overcome.  Skip it.

The great news is that the trip’s most memorable experience was a great one.  The MOMA’s Karl Lagerfeld exhibit was not to be missed.  See more here.

Before whizzing back across town and under the river to Newark, we had a great lunch at Blue Willow somewhat on a whim.  Outstanding.

All in all, three showerheads and a continued search for a NY home for the Barclays Intercontinental.  Too much corporate genericism for us.