Along with thousands of other visitors, our second day in New York City included a 6 hour visit to Liberty and Ellis Islands. As I mentioned in my first post, we have never been to New York and what would a trip to New York be without visiting the iconic Statue of Liberty? 
 
The sheer size of Lady Liberty is a sight to be seen. The statue itself is 151 ft tall – and that’s not including the pedestal on which it stands. After landing at Liberty Island, we set off to enter the monument (This is included in all ticket purchases, order ahead of time because daily allotments are limited). After going through a lengthy, but important, security process we entered the monument and began to learn about how the statue of liberty was constructed.
 
Afterwards we went to Ellis Island. I was extremely impressed by the amount of history in that little island. The museum and exhibit talk about immigration to the U.S. There are charts and exhibits that talk about how people entering the U.S. were screened for sicknesses, and disabilities. As the people would come in, they were filed through lines and screened to see where they would be useful.
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This post will be my first in a series of posts I will write on interesting and unique hotels that are also wallet friendly. Hotels have become such an integral component of vacations, among the many amenities that are now offered at a variety of hotels that aide in making a vacation as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.  Because of this, choosing a hotel that fits your individual needs and desires as well as budget, has become quite a challenge. 

This post is focusing on The Pod Hotel. It’s a unique and modern hotel that is also an affordable option for the notoriously expensive New York hotel market. The Pod Hotel, formerly the Pickwick Arms, has been redesigned into a modern form on a technically advanced hostel and hotel. The Pod’s unique room features include: iPod docking stations,LCD-screen televisions with cable, free WiFi, wireless mini bar, and rain-style shower heads, just to name a few.  The hotel also has a rooftop deck and a garden style cafe. The hotel offers rooms that share bathrooms, private rooms, and studio style townhouses, many different styles to fit your personal needs.

It’s a great choice for younger travelers who aren’t brave enough to try hostels because the room rates are so affordable. Rooms start at $89 per night and range all the way up to $229- a steal for downtown New York City. One of my favorite things about this hotel is the Pod Community Blog which acts as an online concierge as sorts and allows for guests who are currently staying at the hotel to interact, ask questions, get recommendations and make requests. Questions posted on the site by guests are monitored and answered directly by the hotel’s concierge.

I honestly think we are going to see more and more hotels of these sorts pop up in large metropolitan cities around the country. At least I hope they catch on (or franchise). This is a clearly targeted demographic (one that I’m proud to be a part of) that is looking for hotels with these amentities. The Pod Hotel is pushing the boundaries of the traditional hotels by being above the technology curve. Can’t wait until I have the opportunity to visit New York- have been wanting to check out The Pod myself for some time now. If you get there before me- let me know what it’s like!