Brooklyn hotel--Marriott Brooklyn Bridge vs. Hampton Inn

[FritzG]

We'll be arriving in Brooklyn around 3pm for one night pre-cruise, and we want to stay in Brooklyn.  We're looking at the Marriott or the Hampton.  Any comments on location, the hotels themselves and restaurants within a short walking distance?

[GTJ]

All else being equal, the Marriott is better located. It is between Adams Street and Jay Street, just north of Fulton Street, the latter being the main spine of downtown Brooklyn. The Marriott is also closer to Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, and to Atlantic Avenue, including all the restaurants on each. There are many subway stations surrounding the Marriott. This is not to say that the intersection of Tillary Street and Flatbush Avenue Extension is a bad place to be. It is simply slightly less convenient, where the difference is a matter of minutes. As well, both Tillary Street and Flatbush Avenue Extension are major arterial highways, and less conducive to walking. The same is true as to Adams Street, but is only on one side, and the area surrounding the Marriott is much more pleasantly congested with pedestrian activity. No commentary on the hotels themselves, but Marriott scored incrementally better than the Hampton Inn. If I were choosing, I would likely make the decision based on room rates.

[lenquixote66]

Montague St.has great restaurants.

[FritzG]

Thanks for the replies.  Since the prices are not much different I think we'll stay at the Marriott since it's a full service hotel and the location is better.  We're seniors, and a shorter walk to restaurants is important. Plus we'll only be there for one night, and we'll only be eating dinner while in Brooklyn.  DH wants a good NY pizza!

 

[GTJ]

5 hours ago, FritzG said:

Since the prices are not much different I think we'll stay at the Marriott since it's a full service hotel and the location is better.

A good choice. The hotel itself, like most in Brooklyn, is rather sterile, homogeneous, and without charm, but modern with full service, and it really began the revival of Brooklyn as a place for hotels to build once again. No other large hotel is as centrally-located in Brooklyn as the Marriott. If you're departing from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, the hotel is convenient because it is just over two miles from the terminal, and an easy transfer by taxi or bus.

 

The best pizza in downtown Brooklyn is nearly equidistant from both hotels, slightly greater than a three-quarter mile walk (15-20 minutes), near the foot of Fulton Street approaching the East River. This would be Juliana's Pizza, 19 Fulton Street, with Grimaldi's, 1 Front Street, being very close. Some prefer Ignazio's, 4 Water Street, but that is not universal and I cannot opine. There's other great pizza nearby, though probably beyond a reasonable walk, such as Lucali, 575 Henry Street, in Carroll Gardens. And, alas, the best in Brooklyn (and arguably the country), Di Fara, 1424 Avenue J, in Midwood, just lost its patriarch, Dom Demarco, a few weeks, and I don't know the plans for its continuance. Please promise that you will not limit yourself to the 99-cent pizza around the corner from the hotel!

[FritzG]

On 4/11/2022 at 4:18 PM, GTJ said:

A good choice. The hotel itself, like most in Brooklyn, is rather sterile, homogeneous, and without charm, but modern with full service, and it really began the revival of Brooklyn as a place for hotels to build once again. No other large hotel is as centrally-located in Brooklyn as the Marriott. If you're departing from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, the hotel is convenient because it is just over two miles from the terminal, and an easy transfer by taxi or bus.

 

The best pizza in downtown Brooklyn is nearly equidistant from both hotels, slightly greater than a three-quarter mile walk (15-20 minutes), near the foot of Fulton Street approaching the East River. This would be Juliana's Pizza, 19 Fulton Street, with Grimaldi's, 1 Front Street, being very close. Some prefer Ignazio's, 4 Water Street, but that is not universal and I cannot opine. There's other great pizza nearby, though probably beyond a reasonable walk, such as Lucali, 575 Henry Street, in Carroll Gardens. And, alas, the best in Brooklyn (and arguably the country), Di Fara, 1424 Avenue J, in Midwood, just lost its patriarch, Dom Demarco, a few weeks, and I don't know the plans for its continuance. Please promise that you will not limit yourself to the 99-cent pizza around the corner from the hotel!

Thanks, I think we'll try Juliana's.  

DH had family in Flushing/Queen's for many years!

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 4/11/2022 at 7:17 AM, FritzG said:

We're seniors, and a shorter walk to restaurants is important. Plus we'll only be there for one night, and we'll only be eating dinner while in Brooklyn.  DH wants a good NY pizza!

 

Can you walk just under 1 mile (0.8 mile)? Grimaldi's & Juliana's are pretty much side by side and as NY as NY pizza gets.

[FritzG]

14 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

Can you walk just under 1 mile (0.8 mile)? Grimaldi's & Juliana's are pretty much side by side and as NY as NY pizza gets.

I can, but I'm not sure about DH.  Would a cab take us a short distance like that?

Edited April 16, 2022 by FritzG

[GTJ]

4 hours ago, FritzG said:

Would a cab take us a short distance like that?

Generally yes. It is unlawful for taxis to refuse fares their owners would not want to be haled before the TLC to defend against a fare refusal; you can view a passenger "Bill of Rights" here. Yes, it is possible that an individual driver might refuse, in which case you might insist (e.g., make a fuss, call the police), but I have never been refused personally, even for short trips. Note that because you are outside Manhattan, you will find that many taxis are painted green rather than yellow.

 

The fares are the same for both types of taxis for this journey: Flag drop $2.50, plus MTA surcharge $0.50, plus $0.30 accessibility surcharge, plus $2.50 per mile (or $0.50 per minute in stopped or slow traffic), plus $1.00 surcharge weekdays 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., plus $0.50 surcharge daily 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., plus any tip at your discretion. No charge for baggage, no charge for wheelchair accessibility, and no distinction among vehicle sizes. A lot of additions, but overall NYC taxi fares are not terribly expensive compared to some other cities. So the fare to Juliana's in the afternoon would likely be about $5.80 plus tip. The fare to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in the midday would likely be about $9.80 plus tip. These fares apply only to yellow and green taxis where the trip begins on the street, so if instead you board in, say, a hotel driveway, or you use a livery vehicle that is not yellow or green, then you might not pay the meter but instead whatever fare is agreed-upon (likely higher than a metered fare). If you're asked if you want to pay the metered fare or not--most often in a green taxi, rarely in a yellow taxi--generally the correct answer is, "yes, a metered fare, please." Uber would likely be slightly more expensive than yellow and green taxis. You might also tip the bellman at the hotel if you have him or her hail a taxi for you, but think twice if a livery is hailed by the bellman instead of a yellow or green taxi. Much of all this is innate to New Yorkers, but sometimes people visiting do get taken advantage by the legal distinctions or just outright cheating by a small handful of corrupt taxi drivers.

Edited April 16, 2022 by GTJ

[PacnGoNow]

23 hours ago, GTJ said:

Generally yes. It is unlawful for taxis to refuse fares their owners would not want to be haled before the TLC to defend against a fare refusal; you can view a passenger "Bill of Rights" here. Yes, it is possible that an individual driver might refuse, in which case you might insist (e.g., make a fuss, call the police), but I have never been refused personally, even for short trips. Note that because you are outside Manhattan, you will find that many taxis are painted green rather than yellow.

 

The fares are the same for both types of taxis for this journey: Flag drop $2.50, plus MTA surcharge $0.50, plus $0.30 accessibility surcharge, plus $2.50 per mile (or $0.50 per minute in stopped or slow traffic), plus $1.00 surcharge weekdays 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., plus $0.50 surcharge daily 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., plus any tip at your discretion. No charge for baggage, no charge for wheelchair accessibility, and no distinction among vehicle sizes. A lot of additions, but overall NYC taxi fares are not terribly expensive compared to some other cities. So the fare to Juliana's in the afternoon would likely be about $5.80 plus tip. The fare to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in the midday would likely be about $9.80 plus tip. These fares apply only to yellow and green taxis where the trip begins on the street, so if instead you board in, say, a hotel driveway, or you use a livery vehicle that is not yellow or green, then you might not pay the meter but instead whatever fare is agreed-upon (likely higher than a metered fare). If you're asked if you want to pay the metered fare or not--most often in a green taxi, rarely in a yellow taxi--generally the correct answer is, "yes, a metered fare, please." Uber would likely be slightly more expensive than yellow and green taxis. You might also tip the bellman at the hotel if you have him or her hail a taxi for you, but think twice if a livery is hailed by the bellman instead of a yellow or green taxi. Much of all this is innate to New Yorkers, but sometimes people visiting do get taken advantage by the legal distinctions or just outright cheating by a small handful of corrupt taxi drivers.

Very helpful cab info.

Does anyone know if either of these hotels have a liquor store nextdoor?

Or a suggestion for a hotel Brooklyn or Manhattan financial district that would have a liquor store or wine store right next door.  
Seems a lot of them are quite a walk and we just want to grab a couple of bottles pre cruise.  Would be great if there are restaurants next door too.

TIA

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

8 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Does anyone know if either of these hotels have a liquor store nextdoor?

 

G & I Wine & Spirits is about 400 yards from the Marriott Brooklyn Bridge.

 

8 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Would be great if there are restaurants next door too.

 

There are restaurants close by, but it isn't like being in Manhattan, where it feels like there is a restaurant every 200 feet.

 

[PacnGoNow]

4 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

G & I Wine & Spirits is about 400 yards from the Marriott Brooklyn Bridge.

 

 

There are restaurants close by, but it isn't like being in Manhattan, where it feels like there is a restaurant every 200 feet.

 

Awesome! Thanks 

[FritzG]

On 4/16/2022 at 4:42 PM, GTJ said:

Generally yes. It is unlawful for taxis to refuse fares their owners would not want to be haled before the TLC to defend against a fare refusal; you can view a passenger "Bill of Rights" here. Yes, it is possible that an individual driver might refuse, in which case you might insist (e.g., make a fuss, call the police), but I have never been refused personally, even for short trips. Note that because you are outside Manhattan, you will find that many taxis are painted green rather than yellow.

 

The fares are the same for both types of taxis for this journey: Flag drop $2.50, plus MTA surcharge $0.50, plus $0.30 accessibility surcharge, plus $2.50 per mile (or $0.50 per minute in stopped or slow traffic), plus $1.00 surcharge weekdays 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., plus $0.50 surcharge daily 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., plus any tip at your discretion. No charge for baggage, no charge for wheelchair accessibility, and no distinction among vehicle sizes. A lot of additions, but overall NYC taxi fares are not terribly expensive compared to some other cities. So the fare to Juliana's in the afternoon would likely be about $5.80 plus tip. The fare to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in the midday would likely be about $9.80 plus tip. These fares apply only to yellow and green taxis where the trip begins on the street, so if instead you board in, say, a hotel driveway, or you use a livery vehicle that is not yellow or green, then you might not pay the meter but instead whatever fare is agreed-upon (likely higher than a metered fare). If you're asked if you want to pay the metered fare or not--most often in a green taxi, rarely in a yellow taxi--generally the correct answer is, "yes, a metered fare, please." Uber would likely be slightly more expensive than yellow and green taxis. You might also tip the bellman at the hotel if you have him or her hail a taxi for you, but think twice if a livery is hailed by the bellman instead of a yellow or green taxi. Much of all this is innate to New Yorkers, but sometimes people visiting do get taken advantage by the legal distinctions or just outright cheating by a small handful of corrupt taxi drivers.

Thanks for the detailed information because we haven't been to NYC for a very long time.  A lot of the info is very similar to London's taxi rules. We try to avoid gypsy cabs so learning what color taxi to watch for is helpful, too.  We're also careful not to have to hotel call a cab company that is usually much more expensive. We'll be sure to ask for a "metered" fare.

 

[GTJ]

3 hours ago, FritzG said:

We try to avoid gypsy cabs so learning what color taxi to watch for is helpful, too.

Yellow taxis have always had rights to pick-up anywhere in the city, so most yellow taxis cruised in Manhattan where demand for taxi service is most dense. "Green" taxis were more recently introduced to combat the issue of insufficient taxi service outside Manhattan, with green taxis not being permitted to accept street hails in Manhattan below West 110th Street and East 96th Street. It was easier and less expensive to get a green medallion than a yellow medallion, so this plan was expected to be a market-based plan to more fully distribute taxis (but with the collapse of medallion prices in this Uber age other problems are arisen). Given that the Marriott in Brooklyn is outside the yellow-only zone in Manhattan, you can expect to find both yellow and green taxis looking to solicit your business. Note that it is unlawful for "gypsy" taxis to accept street hails (that they had done so for a long time outside of Manhattan was one of the causes for establishing green taxis), but it lawful for non-colored taxis (liveries or FHVs, commonly called "black" cars) to pick up on radio call or off-street, and for TNCs to pick up according to other recently-adopted rules, neither truly being "gypsy" taxis. It has never lawful for pure "gypsy" taxis--those not regulated by TLC--to pick-up passengers anywhere in NYC. Again, a bit complicated, but if you want to hail a taxi, look for "yellow" or "green."