Actually we spent three nights there, but I didn’t want that title to get too long.
For Canadian Thanksgiving, Andrew and I went to New York City. We don’t have a ton of money, so we stayed at Menno House!
I took so much delight in telling people that was where we were staying. Menno House! What would it be like??
When the day finally arrived, we took the subway to the nearest stop-
-and emerged from the earth in the middle of Manhattan. In the midst of a charming little market, actually. From there, we walked an easy block or two to Menno House. We stood on the sidewalk looking up at the… is this a brownstone?
It looked very pleasant to us, anyway. Very inviting! We climbed the stairs with our carryons, and noted we were in precisely the right place:
We rang the bell, and the door opened. We actually ended up being there pretty much at the time Andrew had told the house manager we’d arrive.
Stepping inside, it just felt like stepping into the familiar. What do I even mean by that, though? Well, look!
But you don’t have to be a Mennonite to stay at Menno House. You just have to know it exists and book it in time for your trip. (I think Andrew booked it 6 months in advance!)
To stay in Manhattan, you’d pay about $400 a night at the cheapest options. But at Menno House, it’s considerably less.
As an added touch, we were amused to see Dutch Blitz cards use for room numbers, which made us feel even more at home!
We did move rooms after our first night, but forgot to take pictures of the second room. Anyway, as you can see, there are beautiful quilts everywhere.
We did have to share a bathroom. But honestly, since our point was to be out and about exploring all day every day, the bathroom-sharing thing was fairly inconsequential. I mean, we do prefer to have our own, but when it comes to saving money and being in an excellent location from which to explore, you just can’t get any better than Menno House.
It’s run by Manhattan Mennonite Church, which does not actually have a building… other than this one. They rent space to meet at. The reason the church purchased this house, was to provide an affordable place for Mennonites visiting NYC to work for MCC.
Andrew will have to correct me, but I think he knew about Menno House from our friend Jessica Penner, who attends Manhattan Mennonite and is on the board of directors for Menno House.
Consider this my Christmas gift to you — a little money-saving travel tip, if you were inclined to visit NYC with plenty of time to plan ahead.
Additionally, there are others around the world! All you have to do, is seek them out.
Merry Christmas, dear readers. From Andrew & I!
