Hemispheres Magazine

THE MUSE HOTEL
NEW YORK CITY

BACKSTORY: Located in the Theater District, the Muse occupies a 1920s-era building with an appropriate dash of showbiz history: It once housed Astor Pictures, a film distributor whose titles included Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and the original Scarface.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND JUST OUTSIDE: Times Square is barely two blocks away — close enough to stroll to, but far enough to keep all the hurly-burly off your doorstep. Also nearby: Rockefeller Center, the New York Public Library and Fifth Avenue shopping.

ROOM WITH A VIEW: From the private terrace attached to the 15th-floor Spa Suite, you can soak up a panorama of soaring buildings, then head back to your gigantic Jacuzzi to just … soak.

BEST PLACE TO HANG OUT: The Muse’s tony restaurant and lounge, Nios, attracts a lively mix of travelers and theater lovers, who grow livelier still under the sway of concoctions inspired by the mythological Nine Muses. (Here, “Tragedy” — a piquant mix of Absolut, lime and ginger beer — is a good thing.)

DESIGN NOTES: The lobby bathroom setup overfloweth with creativity. Each of the six unisex rooms has its own theme, such as “Macho” and “Envy,” and over-the-top décor to match.

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