This year, we solidified a tradition: Going to New York City shortly after the holidays to binge on Broadway (and Off-Broadway) shows.
When it was announced that Cole Escola would be leaving Oh, Mary! this coming weekend, we quickly booked tickets for the show during their second-to-last-weekend in the starring role and started building an entire vacation around this performance.
So, we immediately set out to book additional shows and a hotel.
In 2023 and 2024, we stayed in Chelsea to be in the center of the gay scene.
This year, we decided to explore an entirely new neighborhood for us: TriBeCa (now simply Tribeca).
Where To Stay
While browsing deals on the Marriott Bonvoy app, we discovered a great deal on the Sheraton Tribeca and switched our reservation from our go-to in previous years, the Renaissance Chelsea.
And wow, our four-night stay would’ve shaped up so differently in another part of town.
Tribeca gives the quintessential New York experience but in a slightly less hectic (and crowded) way compared to our times in Chelsea.
The Sheraton Tribeca rises 22 floors above the neighborhood, with close proximity to multiple subway stations (our favorite being less than a block away), making it easy to catch a train and avoid the much longer Uber rides.
Our room was clean, cozy and well-appointed, if nothing special—small by Dallas standards, but decent-size for a New York hotel—without splurging on a higher category room. Beds were super-comfy, service was friendly and quick and our status-access to the Club Lounge saved us a ton of money on daily cappuccinos and could have been our sole source for afternoon wine. (Damn, Dry January, we didn’t get to partake!)
The 21st floor terrace with 180 degrees of the city is a really nice perk, too. Club Lounge guests get access to a private section while all hotel guests can enjoy the other side. Because it was about 3 degrees with the wind chill while we were there, we only ran out to the terrace a couple of times a day to snap photos.
But the Sheraton Tribeca sits in a prime location. Because of the cold (and snow one day, too), we decided to explore within a 3-block radius of the hotel.
Where To Eat
Rooms tend to be cheap this time of year, so if you want to book a last-minute getaway, you can likely save hundreds on accommodations. And even more on food if you show up between January 21 and February 9 for NYC Restaurant Week.
Pepolino is one restaurant that you’ll find on that list offering $30 two-course lunches and $60 three-course dinners. Located right around the corner from the Sheraton Tribeca, this Michelin-Recommended Tuscan eatery serves up some delicious, simple, rustic Italian fare with important details such as handmade pasta and a wildly popular ricotta cheesecake, also made in house.
While there, our waiter told us about the scene at Macao Trading Company when we asked for a fun place to grab an after-dinner mocktail. We arrived and it was closed for a private holiday party. Too cold to research a new spot, we popped into the closest place we could find: Añejo, a Mexican restaurant two doors down. After a zero-proof margarita, the bartender suggested a nearby speakeasy, which was one of the most magical parts of the trip.
Less than two blocks away, we found the discreetly market doorbell in an alley to gain access Saint Tuesday, several flights of stairs beneath Walker Hotel Tribeca. What awaited was a night of incredible jazz and mocktails handcrafted specifically for us by a masterful bartender. They were easily the most enjoyable non-alcoholic drinks we’d ever had in a bar. And the boozy drinks looked equally divine.
Nearly 20 years ago, we stumbled upon a place called Antique Garage in Soho and it quickly became a place to frequent. As luck would have it, Antique Garage Tribeca was also just around the corner from the hotel. It was like visiting an old friend who’d moved to a new place. The Mediterranean food wowed and the jazz quartet tucked in the corner provided one more night of live music to stir our senses.
Because we try to work out while traveling, we took advantage of our Equinox Highland Park membership to get guest passes to Equinox Tribeca. While working out, we Googled places to eat nearby and discovered a place across the street that sounded promising.
The delightfully fragrant smell of curry wafted from the doorway as we entered Benares, home to one of the most generous lunch specials ever. For less than $20 (only $16 for the vegetarian option), we enjoyed a multi-course meal that included some of the best Indian we’ve ever had in the city. Chatting up the owner, he told us if we had time, we simply had to try his favorite cheap pizza place, which coincidentally enough, was across the street from our hotel. $1.50 Fresh Pizza lived up to his hype. Wow.
Our final culinary journey was to meet a friend for brunch. She chose Soho Diner, which serves a steady stream of customers only a few doors down behind the pizza joint. Yep, Soho is just on the other side of Canal and we hadn’t even noticed. There inside the classic diner with an upscale twist, awesome music played from the jukebox while we enjoyed burgers, club sandwiches and egg platters over lively conversation about air miles and hotel points.
What To See
Photo by Matthew Murphy
Enough about all the food we ate, and on to the reason we booked this NYC trip in the first place—live theater! The only times we left Tribeca was four times to head uptown for these shows.
We chose to escape Dallas a day early due to the pending winter storm, so we ended up with an extra day and no plans to fill it. Browsing through the TodayTix app, we found a Thursday matinee and decided to buy tickets. Yada yada yada, a few hours later we were sitting second-row center for Singfeld: The Musical About Nothing. This Seinfeld parody show was exactly what we needed. It was hilarious, filled with unlimited insider jokes (not that there’s anything wrong with that), fantastic casting and the kind of rag-tag off-Broadway production value that has such raw energy it’s invigorating.
The next night, we got to see creator Cole Escola (they/them) in one of their last performances in the uproariously funny play about Mary Todd Lincoln. The phenomenon known as Oh, Mary! did not disappoint in the slightest. It starts off at Level 10 and only goes up from there. We howled and cheered so hard and had such an endorphin rush for two hours after we felt downright high on laughter. Though nobody can truly replace Escola in the role they created, the show’s so brilliantly written that it’ll still be a smash when Betty Gilpin takes over the hoop skirt and brat curls in two weeks.
Next up, we showed up to see Death Becomes Her and while standing in line, we realized we’d purchased tickets for the wrong Saturday. Rather than let it ruin our day, we hustled around Broadway and found two orchestra seats to Eureka Day. Someone had recommended it to us earlier in the week, but we knew nothing about it. And it turned out to be an incredibly funny and equally thought-provoking look at a group of parents trying to do the right thing for their kids and community, often with horrible results. Also highly recommend this one.
Finally, our last night in the city was upon us and we’d saved one of the best for last. Drag: The Musical, co-created and starring Alaska Thunderfuck, brings the story of rival drag bars to the stage with a healthy dose of sass and a shockingly elevated production value. With a cast of incredible queens (including Jujubee and Luxx Noir London at our performance) and the ridiculously hot Nick Adams, the musical features all original songs, some insanely big laughs and more heartfelt moments than we ever expected. Jimbo just took over the role from Alaska yesterday, so we’d love to go back and see the show again with the new cast additions. The show’s an absolute must-see production, whether you’re a mega fan of drag or not. It’s that good.
So, next time you’re headed to NYC, take our advice. Explore what’s just beyond your hotel’s lobby doors. In a city like New York, there’s enough to see and do in three blocks than most cities have in the equivalent square miles.
