Wythe Hotel is one block from the waterfront in Williamsburg, which means you get panoramic views of Manhattan and instant access to one of New York’s coolest locales.
Planes
The closest airport is LaGuardia (seven miles away, which is 30 minutes in a cab), but most international flights land at JFK (13 miles and a one-hour drive away). The hotel can arrange for a private car to pick you up at the airport; it costs $96 from LaGuardia or $108 from JFK, including tip. If you’re arriving on a domestic flight, it’s $72 from LGA and $84 from JFK. Call the Smith24 team for help with all your travel.
Trains
It’s an eight-minute walk to the nearest subway station at Bedford Avenue; that’ll put you on the L train, next stop Manhattan. For travelling in and out of the city, head to Penn Station or Grand Central Terminal.
Automobiles
With round-the-clock public transport and zillions of taxis, there’s no need for a car in NYC. If you have to bring one, you can park it on the streets around the hotel, or at Icon Parking nearby.
Worth getting out of bed for
Wake up and marvel at the mystery of Manhattan across the water, then throw yourself into it. The L train (on the subway) takes you into Union Square in eight minutes, and from there the city is your oyster. Or, catch the East River ferry from the dock down below; it zips under the Brooklyn Bridge on its way to Wall Street and Downtown. Back at the hotel, hit Bar Blondeau for rooftop cocktails, or book out a the in-house Screening Room for a private movie night.
If you’re in town on a summer Saturday, join the rest of Brooklyn at open-air food market Smorgasburg (East River State Park), which showcases the latest and greatest street food innovations – it’s jam-packed, but then so are the artisan donuts. On the Williamsburg shopping scene, Upstate Stock (2 Berry Street) and Concrete + Water (485 Driggs Avenue) are cult fashion boutiques, and The Mini Mall (218 Bedford Avenue) is the old-school go-to for secondhand books and vintage clothes. The City Reliquary museum (370 Metropolitan Avenue) houses NYC curios and oddball artifacts. At night, book an alley at Brooklyn Bowl (opposite the Wythe) or join the locals for a game down in dive-bar The Gutter (North 14th Street).
Brooklyn Brewery has been hard at work in a converted Williamsburg factory since 1996, and it was one of the very first hipster-craft-beer kids on the block. It’s a must-do just across the road from the hotel, with tours and tastings throughout the day.
Local restaurants
For coffee, head to Homecoming, an adorable café-slash-florist. You'll find familiar dishes rendered sublime and pancakes worth getting out of bed for at Chez Ma Tante in Greenpoint; you'll get a neighbourly welcome at Sunday in Brooklyn – belly up to the walnut bar for a glass of natural wine or go all-out with ribeye steak and eggs. For dinner, do Diner, a converted Subway carriage where the ever-changing menu is scrawled on the tablecloths; bring a few friends to help you with 'Ax Handle' steak at St Anselm, or go easier on your arteries with Hudson steelhead trout at Marlow & Sons.
Local bars
Head to Hotel Delmano, an intimate saloon-like space that brings the spirit of New Orleans to Brooklyn with a raw bar, small plates and creative cocktails.
