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According to the New York City Economic Development Corporation, there are approximately 600,000 dogs living in NYC—it stands to reason that it would be a great place to travel to with your four-legged companion. We thought this trip would be a great way to test out our 5-month-old puppy’s traveling chops, so we brought her along for a five day foray in Manhattan in January. Since we knew it would be cold, we made sure to get her a jacket (this one from Furb is adorable and warm), some travel-friendly food from Sundays Food for Dogs and Brutus on the Go, and a TSA-approved carrier for her to travel in the cabin with us.
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Welcome to New York
After a six hour flight and a 45-minute taxi ride into the city from JFK on Wednesday evening, we arrived at the Romer Hell’s Kitchen, located conveniently on 8th Avenue at 52nd street, steps away from the Theater District. It’s a fairly large hotel, boasting 11 floors, 295 rooms, a cafe, and plans to open a full restaurant in the future. The modern lobby is softly lit and welcoming, and following a seamless check-in, we headed up to our room to unwind. We’d alerted the hotel in advance that we’d be bringing our puppy, Milou, so they furnished our room with a dog bed, food and water bowls, and a bone-shaped biscuit—thoughtful touches that started off our visit on the right foot (er, paw?). The rooms at the Romer are massive by New York City standards; ours was equipped with a king bed, roomy closet, dresser, chaise lounge, and side tables, with plenty of room for our puppy to run around.
It was the perfect time to grab dinner, so after a quick refresh, we strapped Milou into her sling, and headed to our reservation at The Barking Dog. This restaurant is just two blocks from the hotel and has a covered, heated, dog-friendly patio as well as a menu for your pet, but if you’re sans pooch, you can make your way inside to their cozy indoor dining room too. They have a full bar, a daily happy hour, and a prix fixe Theater special that gets you two courses for just $26. We liked it so much we came back for brunch on Sunday morning and had an equally delicious and welcoming experience. During the warmer months, the restaurant has even more outdoor tables spread through the plaza—a great place for drinks on a sunny day.
NYC Hearts Dogs
One of my favorite things about New York is being able to take the subway just about everywhere, and it just so happens that the Romer Hotel is located near a two train stations (50th Street station stops for the A/C/E one block south, and the 1/2/3 two blocks east). Dogs are allowed on the subway as long as they’re in a bag or carrier, so the Maxbone Packable Sling came in handy throughout our visit.
While you can’t bring your pet into museums, libraries, or Broadway shows, you can bring them into most shops (in fact, Milou was the star of the show every time we went into a new place). We walked her through Central Park from the Upper West Side to the Upper East Side, visited the Albertine bookstore, went to Bergdorf Goodman, had a coquito latte at the Puerto Rican 787 Coffee shop, and picked up Swedish candy from Bon Bon. On another day, we headed to Chelsea Market to do some exploring, and ended up buying some art and accessories at Artists and Fleas. We also walked to lunch at Hudson Yards, another dog-friendly shopping center with a few restaurants, including world-famous Mizon—don’t be fooled by the casual seating, the falafels and whole roasted cauliflower are to die for.
Back (and Forth) to The Romer Hotel
Because of its extremely central location, the Romer Hotel made an ideal base of operations—we were able to jump on the subway and be almost anywhere in 20 minutes. Despite its proximity to Broadway and Times Square, it was very serene, and allowed us to rest between our adventures. It also felt very secure, as you needed a key card to access the elevator, and after a certain time, the doorman checks IDs/key cards to make sure only guests are coming into the building. Housekeeping also comes by daily, and helped us keep everything tidy and our supply of towels refreshed (note that if you have a dog with you, you’re asked to dispose of their waste outside).
Dining with Doggy
Aside from the Barking Dog, we booked a few more pup-friendly meals around town. The Wilson in the NoMad area is a seafood focused restaurant that features a separate dog menu. You’re allowed to bring your furry pal into their enclosed patio area, which has plenty of tables. We also enjoyed a spectacular dinner at James Beard Award nominee Cookshop in Chelsea, with a farm-to-table focused menu that changes with the seasons. They have a heated, enclosed patio that allows dogs, with space heaters and gentle lighting that actually makes you feel like you’re dining in the main restaurant. One of my other must-sees on this trip was Veselka, the famous Lower East Side Ukrainian institution known for homemade pierogies and other Eastern European fare. (Their dog-friendly seating is an open patio with overhead heaters, which was fine for us but might be a bit too cold if the weather is below 40 degrees.) A special spot that we made a point to visit was Boris & Horton in the East Village — your (well-behaved) dog can roam free and socialize with other pups while you sit, sort of like being in your own home with additional canine friends.
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to explore the city with Milou, and though you can’t bring your pet into certain places like museums or grocery stores, NYC was generally very accommodating to our little one. Our stay at the Romer was the most ideal experience I could ask for as a dog owner who wanted to see as much as possible during our Big Apple visit, and pretty well priced given its location and quality of accommodations. If you’re thinking of bringing your dog with you to New York, definitely do it!
5 more things to know about traveling to NYC with your dog:
- If you’re staying in NY less than 30 days, your dog doesn’t need a health certificate—just a proof of rabies vaccination.
- Dogs cannot be left unattended in your hotel room, but you can always check out a doggy day care like Throw Me a Bone or Biscuits & Bath.
- If you need a late-night drugstore run, there’s a well-stocked 24-hour Duane Reade just a block and a half away from The Romer.
- For pet supplies, there are dozens of boutiques that sell dog food, harnesses, leashes, pee pads, poop bags, and more — at least three within walking distance of this hotel.
- If you want to let your pooch run free, Central Park allows off-leash dogs (with good recall) from 6:00 am to 9:00 am and again from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am.
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