En pleno Flower District de Nueva York, una torre de 35 pisos emerge entre florerías, plantas y arreglos que llenan de color la calle 28. SunnyNews se alojó en Moxy NYC Chelsea, un hotel que combina ubicación, diseño y espíritu informal con uno de esos lujos que no necesitan explicación: abrir los ojos por la mañana y encontrarse con el Empire State Building frente a la cama.
Ariel Ferrero, The Post FMGN Press
NUEVA YORK.- Hay calles de Manhattan que parecen tener su propio perfume. La 28th Street, entre Sixth y Seventh Avenue, es una de ellas.
Aquí sobrevive el histórico Flower District de Nueva York, donde las veredas amanecen invadidas por plantas, árboles, macetas y enormes arreglos florales que convierten una cuadra del corazón de Manhattan en algo parecido a un pequeño jardín urbano.
Y entre todo ese color se levanta, casi como si también hubiera brotado desde la vereda, la estilizada torre del Moxy NYC Chelsea.
No es casualidad que el propio hotel se defina como el “jardín secreto” del Flower District. Para entrar hay que atravesar un universo vegetal que dialoga permanentemente con el barrio: la entrada convive con Starbright Floral Design, mientras que el diseño interior mantiene las referencias botánicas en distintos espacios.
Pero detrás de esa fachada lúdica hay algo todavía más importante para el viajero: una ubicación extraordinariamente estratégica para descubrir Nueva York.
Entre dos maneras de vivir Manhattan
Moxy Chelsea permite jugar con dos ciudades diferentes sin cambiar de hotel.
Hacia el sur esperan Chelsea, Greenwich Village y SoHo, con sus cafés, pequeñas tiendas, restaurantes, calles arboladas y ese ritmo más casual que invita a caminar sin demasiado plan.
Hacia el norte comienza a sentirse rápidamente otro Manhattan.
El Empire State Building, Herald Square, Bryant Park y finalmente Times Square conducen hacia una ciudad más eléctrica, luminosa y vertiginosa.
Moxy queda, de alguna manera, en medio de esos dos mundos. Desde su puerta se puede salir caminando por la mañana hacia el Village y SoHo y, unas horas después, tomar rumbo norte para terminar la noche bajo las pantallas gigantes de Times Square.
Y Penn Station y Madison Square Garden están también a pocos minutos a pie, algo especialmente práctico para quienes utilizan el tren durante su estadía.
Una torre de 35 pisos entre las flores
El edificio alcanza los 35 pisos y alberga 350 habitaciones, siguiendo uno de los conceptos característicos de Moxy: dormitorios compactos e inteligentemente diseñados acompañados por espacios comunes con mucha personalidad.
Las habitaciones aprovechan cada centímetro y utilizan mobiliario flexible, mientras que las grandes protagonistas son sus ventanas de pared a pared y del piso al techo, que llenan los ambientes de luz natural y convierten a Manhattan en parte de la decoración.
Y cuanto más arriba se duerme, más espectacular se vuelve la experiencia.
SunnyNews pudo comprobarlo durante su estadía. Desde nuestra habitación, la cama quedaba enfrentada a un enorme ventanal y, detrás del vidrio, aparecía uno de los grandes símbolos de Nueva York: el Empire State Building.
No hacía falta levantarse. Bastaba abrir los ojos. De noche, iluminado sobre Manhattan. Por la mañana, recortado contra el cielo de Nueva York.
Hay hoteles que ofrecen una habitación con vistas. Y hay habitaciones en las que la ciudad parece dormir con uno.
Desayunar mientras despierta Nueva York
La mañana puede comenzar sin abandonar el hotel. En la planta baja funciona Café d’Avignon, una cafetería y panadería artesanal que abre directamente hacia la calle 28 mediante enormes puertas inspiradas en las de un hangar.
El lugar tiene algo particularmente atractivo: no vive aislado dentro de un hotel, sino conectado con la calle.
Entran huéspedes, pero también neoyorquinos que compran un café antes de ir al trabajo, amigos que se encuentran para desayunar y gente que se lleva un croissant mientras sigue caminando entre las flores del barrio.
Espresso, cappuccino, café, pastelería recién horneada, opciones de desayuno y sándwiches conforman una propuesta informal y muy acorde con la filosofía Moxy.
Es una linda manera de comenzar el día: café en mano, las puertas abiertas y Manhattan pasando frente a uno.
Gym las 24 horas y espacios para quedarse
Para quienes consiguen conservar algo de energía después de caminar kilómetros por Nueva York, el gimnasio permanece abierto las 24 horas para los huéspedes.
El hotel también rompe con la idea del lobby tradicional. En el segundo piso aparecen espacios que funcionan alternativamente para trabajar, conversar o simplemente descansar. Allí se encuentran The Lobby Bar y The Conservatory, este último concebido como un gran ambiente vidriado de inspiración botánica que vuelve a conectar el interior con el Flower District.
Es parte del concepto del hotel: habitaciones eficientes para dormir y una importante vida social fuera de ellas.
Manhattan desde el piso 35
Y arriba de todo espera otro Moxy. En el piso 35 se encuentra The Fleur Room, el rooftop vidriado del hotel, con vistas panorámicas de 360 grados sobre Manhattan.
Desde allí, el horizonte se despliega desde la Estatua de la Libertad y el puerto de Nueva York hasta el Empire State Building.
De día impresiona la dimensión de la ciudad. Al caer la noche, Manhattan comienza a encenderse alrededor de los enormes ventanales y el espacio cambia completamente de personalidad.
Incluso sus paredes de vidrio pueden retraerse para transformar parte del lounge en una terraza abierta sobre la ciudad.
Ubicación: en pleno Flower District de Manhattan, entre Sixth y Seventh Avenue, con Chelsea, Greenwich Village y SoHo hacia el sur y Midtown, Empire State Building y Times Square hacia el norte.
ENGLISH VERSION
Moxy Chelsea: Sleeping Among Manhattan’s Flowers and Waking Up to the Empire State Building
BY ARIEL FERRERO / SUNNYNEWS & FMGN
In the heart of New York City’s Flower District, a 35-story tower rises among flower shops, plants and colorful arrangements that brighten 28th Street. SunnyNews stayed at Moxy NYC Chelsea, a hotel that combines location, design and a casual spirit with one of those luxuries that needs little explanation: opening your eyes in the morning and seeing the Empire State Building right from your bed.
NEW YORK.- There are streets in Manhattan that seem to have a fragrance of their own. 28th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues, is one of them.
This is where New York’s historic Flower District survives, a colorful corner where sidewalks come alive each morning with plants, trees, pots and spectacular floral arrangements, transforming a block in the heart of Manhattan into something resembling a small urban garden.
And rising above all that color, almost as if it had grown from the sidewalk itself, stands the sleek tower of Moxy NYC Chelsea.
It is no coincidence that the hotel describes itself as the Flower District’s “secret garden.” Entering the property means stepping into a botanical world that maintains a constant dialogue with the neighborhood: the entrance shares its surroundings with Starbright Floral Design, while references to plants and flowers continue throughout the hotel’s interior design.
But behind its playful facade lies something even more important for travelers: an exceptionally strategic location for exploring New York City.
Between two different ways of experiencing Manhattan
Moxy Chelsea makes it possible to enjoy two very different sides of the city without ever changing hotels.
Head south and Chelsea, Greenwich Village and SoHo await, with their cafés, small shops, restaurants, tree-lined streets and a more casual pace that invites visitors to simply walk without much of a plan.
Head north and another Manhattan quickly begins to emerge.
The Empire State Building, Herald Square, Bryant Park and, eventually, Times Square lead travelers toward a city that is more electric, luminous and fast-paced.
In a way, Moxy sits right between those two worlds.
Guests can leave the hotel in the morning and walk south toward the Village and SoHo, then head north a few hours later and end the night beneath the giant screens and dazzling lights of Times Square.
Penn Station and Madison Square Garden are also just a short walk away, making the location especially convenient for travelers planning to use trains during their stay.
A 35-story tower rising among the flowers
The building rises 35 stories and features 350 guest rooms, following one of Moxy’s signature concepts: compact, cleverly designed bedrooms complemented by lively and distinctive communal spaces.
The rooms make intelligent use of every inch of space, incorporating flexible furniture, while their standout feature is undoubtedly the wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the rooms with natural light and turn Manhattan itself into part of the décor.
And the higher you stay, the more spectacular the experience becomes.
SunnyNews experienced it firsthand.
From our room, the bed faced a huge window and, just beyond the glass, stood one of New York City’s greatest icons: the Empire State Building.
There was no need to even get out of bed. All you had to do was open your eyes.
At night, it glowed above Manhattan. In the morning, its unmistakable silhouette stood against the New York sky. Some hotels offer rooms with a view. And then there are rooms where it feels as if the city is sleeping right beside you.
Breakfast while New York wakes up
The morning can begin without even leaving the hotel.
On the ground floor is Café d’Avignon, an artisanal bakery and café that opens directly onto 28th Street through huge garage-style doors.
There is something particularly appealing about the place: it does not feel isolated inside a hotel but rather connected directly to the street.
Hotel guests come and go, but so do New Yorkers grabbing a coffee before work, friends meeting for breakfast and people picking up a croissant before continuing their walk through the neighborhood’s flower-lined sidewalks.
Espresso, cappuccino, coffee, freshly baked pastries, breakfast options and sandwiches make up an informal offering that fits perfectly with the Moxy philosophy.
It is a lovely way to start the day: coffee in hand, doors open and Manhattan moving past right in front of you.
A 24-hour gym and spaces designed to linger
For those who still have some energy left after walking miles through New York City, the fitness center is open 24 hours a day for hotel guests.
Moxy Chelsea also breaks away from the traditional hotel lobby concept.
On the second floor, communal areas can be used to work, meet friends, have a drink or simply relax. This is where guests will find The Lobby Bar and The Conservatory, the latter designed as a large glass-enclosed botanical-inspired space that once again connects the hotel’s interior with the surrounding Flower District.
It is all part of the Moxy concept: efficient rooms for sleeping combined with an active social life beyond them.
Manhattan from the 35th floor
And at the very top, another side of Moxy awaits.
Located on the 35th floor, The Fleur Room is the hotel’s glass-enclosed rooftop lounge, offering sweeping 360-degree views of Manhattan.
From here, the skyline stretches from the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor all the way to the Empire State Building.
During the day, the sheer scale of the city is impressive. As night falls, Manhattan begins to light up around the enormous windows and the entire atmosphere changes.
Even the lounge’s glass walls can retract, transforming part of the space into an open-air terrace high above the city.
A hotel that feels like its neighborhood
Perhaps that is Moxy Chelsea’s greatest strength. It does not try to isolate visitors from New York. It does exactly the opposite.
The flowers from the street make their way into its design. Café d’Avignon opens onto the sidewalk. Huge windows bring the skyline directly into the guestrooms. And the rooftop gives Manhattan back to guests from high above the city.
Its location also allows travelers to decide every morning which version of New York they want to experience. To the south, the relaxed spirit of Chelsea, the Village and SoHo. To the north, the lights, noise and relentless energy of Midtown and Times Square.
And right in the middle, hidden among the flowers, stands a tower where SunnyNews had the privilege of falling asleep and waking up with the Empire State Building right outside the window.
It is one of those images that explains, without the need for many words, why New York always makes you want to come back.
Location: In the heart of Manhattan’s Flower District, between Sixth and Seventh avenues, with Chelsea, Greenwich Village and SoHo to the south and Midtown, the Empire State Building and Times Square to the north.
