East Village Bed and Coffee

Scott and I were only able to stay in New York for so long because we went with a Bed and Breakfast type place instead of a hotel. East Village Bed and Coffee is a guesthouse run by the totally awesome Anne Edris. She lives there and manages to give the whole place a home away from home feel. There's 3 floors with different themed rooms, and plenty of colour and art, including a wall covering collage constructed from Anne's grandmother's travel journals. There's a bathroom, kitchen, phone and computer on each floor and free wifi. There's also Mango who may be the most chilled out dog I've ever met.

It was a very comfy place to spend a week. Anne helped us out with all sorts of stuff that can be difficult when you're travelling, like contact numbers and getting tickets printed. When Scott's card was skimmed by an ATM machine, we managed to do what we needed to do within an half an hour because everything we needed was right there.

For such affordable accommodation, the facilities are impressive. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again when I return to New York. Unfortunately Anne's business is under threat from a law making Bed and Breakfasts and Guesthouses illegal in New York City. It seems to be an attempt to shut down private citizens making money out of renting rooms and increase hotel occupancy rates, but it's threatening legitimate businesses. Anne is on twitter and is fighting the legislation. Keep an eye on her twitter feed. She'll be launching a website soon and will be looking for people to sign her petition.