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A Manhattan Getaway

My husband has been wanting to take me away a while. Just some time away from our daily lives and chores, which I thought it sounded like a great idea, but the search for the perfect hotel, the planning, etc seemed overwhelming for us when we are already always so frazzled. Then I found some great deals in Groupon‘s Summer Shop for amazing getaways, in romantic and exotic places, in magnificent hotels, at great prices, and that pretty much got the ball rolling- we were going on a small getaway this summer!

manhattan getaway

We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Metropolitan, near Time Square. When I booked it I didnt’ realize we stayed their last year, and we loved it, so finding out we were staying at the same place that we were treated so well was awesome. We checked in and were informed our Junior Suite was upgraded to the VIP Executive Suite, which turned out to be the biggest hotel room we ever saw.

This was our view:

nyc street view

Our room had a huge king sized bed, two bathrooms, a writing area, a living room, and dining area with wet bar. There were two plasma tvs and because we were on the very end of the floor, we had a three way panoramic view of the city below. It appears we stayed in the best room of the hotel. Groupon guests also receive complimentary glasses of wine at the bar and free Wifi, so all in all, we felt extremely welcome by the DoubleTree- again.

groupon special offers

One our first evening we visited the firehouse across the street, because my boys love firemen, and those NYC firefighters are always so friendly.

new york fire department
new york fire department-2

We had an Italian dinner at Gente Restaurante with a 50% off Groupon , followed by dessert at the famouse Dylan’s Candy Shop.

dylan's candy bar

Then we just strolled the New York streets, because I was always mesmerized by the hypnotic lights, and still am.

manhattan nights-5

manhattan nights-6

manhattan nights-3

We returned to the hotel to enjoy our drinks, and the boys finally conked out in their king sized bed.

manhattan nights-3

My husband and I enjoyed our room view at night, and went to sleep ourselves because we had another fun day ahead.

manhattan nights-4

The next day, we had the best brunch ever at the Round Table at the Algonquin Hotel, where JFK enjoyed many meals in his day. It’s a beautiful room with ornately carved dark woods, frosted windows with intricate designs, and an overall warm atmosphere. It was the sort of place Marilyn Monroe would have a lunch date in a 50s movie, and I just loved it. The service was great, but the food even better- it was really the best BLTs and buttermilk pancakes I ever tried.

the round table restaurant

Then we visited the Intrepid! They learned about our mission to Pluto (our shuttle, the Horizon, is almost there!), fun and interesting science experiments, and studied the inside of a space ship…and lots more. There was so much to do, but it was a hot day, so we definitely have to return for another getaway.

intrepid new york pier 86
intrepid new york pier 86-3
intrepid new york pier 86-4

And we finally headed back home.

You know what I didn’t do? I didn’t turn on my computer. Or work, or pay bills, or anything else. We just had fun together, for an entire weekend.

I need lots of getaways 🙂

Manhattan hotel

If you do too, I’d recommend you take a peek at what’s available on Groupon first, right from the start. You might find a gem at a great deal at hotels, restaurants and events that you’d never have thought you’d be able to. You can book your room within minutes, and then… go pack.




  • I just love escaping like that and unplugging makes it even better! You’ve been having a GREAT summer!

  • That’s awesome that you got an upgraded suite! It looks like it was a great trip. Good for you!

  • What a great (unplugged) getaway! I haven’t had one of those since, well, I started blogging 4 years ago! So glad you all had a fun time in the city. I’m curious to see what sweets that Dylan’s Candy Shop carried.

  • Sounds like such a fun weekend! I want to take my family to NYC sometime. We need to do another Chicago weekend getaway as a family, too.

  • Look’s like you had a great trip. And it’s always amazing to be upgraded.

  • Okay, those firemen pictures are killing me! How insanely adorable!

  • How fun! That looks like such a fun day full of adventure! I live in Kansas so to be able to go and do and experience a day in the life would be so fun!

  • what a fun little getaway! I haven’t been to NYC in way too long, I loved your pictures and all the savings you had!

  • I swear you have had the most amazing summer LOL. I loved NY the one time I visited and would love to visit again.

  • You had an amazing view! I bet Dylan’s Candy Bar is tasty. Those beds are huge!