Sometimes, you just want to get away. On an early spring day on Long Island, we decided a retreat was just what our family needed to visit a new town, reconnect, and escape the clutter of our small home.
A press trip to The MC Hotel as I researched The 7 Best Boutique Hotels in the United States for TheStreet.com provided just the getaway we needed.
Montclair is a New Jersey-based suburb of New York City with highly rated public schools, a walkable downtown area, and just 12 miles from New York City. This makes it a favorite amongst families who can afford it; the median home price, according to Zillow.com, is over $1 million.
Most residents love it. I was glad to see that Redditors posting about their hometown shared the same vibes I got after just one visit:
“Cool city like town,” one said.
“It kind of has a small “city” vibe in that it has popular, bustling downtown areas,” wrote another.
Several Redditors posted about the vibrant art scene, museums, and hiking trails.
But let’s keep in mind this is Geek Travel Guide and, on this chilly spring day, we were traveling with a young teen and a tween. We missed the famous art museum and other smaller galleries. Here’s how we spent our 48 hours in Montclair and surrounding areas.
I had done my research and it seemed like the Van Vleck House & Gardens, a walk-through arboretum with luscious greenery and flowers, paved trails, and fairy gardens, was a must-stop. The gardens are open from dawn to dusk every day. But the Van Vleck House is closed to tours. With six acres of parkland and special events frequently, the gardens provide a great way to get some steps in, in a scenic environment. We went before everything was in full bloom, but a trip in late April, early May or even the summer, must be breathtaking.
If you are looking to get away from it all (especially for NYC natives) and get back to nature, this idyllic setting will do it.
Montclair is filled with fun boutiques, whether you’re into window shopping, high fashion, or eclectic finds. The Montclair Girl outlines some of the best here, and we stopped into many during our walk through town. Don’t judge me for adding Urban Outfitters to this list. But it turned out my daughter forgot to pack pajamas for this one-night trip.
It was our first time in the store. I’m more of a Target / Old Navy girl. But the visit kicked off a tradition of my daughter and I visiting UO in every city we can find one! We’ve stopped at locations on Long Island; in Columbus, Ohio; at the Mall of America in Minnesota; and the flagship Herald Square store on Broadway in New York City.
The Montclair location rivals the New York flagship with multiple stories of cutting-edge fashion and a huge clearance department, which is where I steered my daughter. We later learned most UO stores have multiple floors, but it seemed huge to us at the time. She got some super lux jammies that sure beat Old Navy plaid! (Keep reading for more of our favorite shopping spots in Montclair, New Jersey.)
After a busy day with lots of walking, the kids were exhausted. We checked in at The MC Hotel, Autograph Collection, and were invited to a private viewing of the rooftop. We reveled in the view of Manhattan from the rooftop, along with a sight of the Dream Wheel at the mall.
The MC Hotel opened in 2019 as a joint venture between hospitality giant Marriott and the Aparium Hotel Group, which will manage the property, according to RealEstateNJ. The hotel is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, which combines the look and feel of a boutique hotel with the perks of Marriott’s reputation and, perhaps most importantly, the Marriott Rewards program.
No two Autograph hotels are alike, and each one draws on local traditions, culture, and flavor to create an upscale experience that allows you to get to know the host city even within the walls of the hotel. For instance, The MC Hotel has been dubbed “part gallery, part gathering place,” emphasizing Montclair’s rich arts and culture scene. (Which, admittedly, we didn’t spend enough time appreciating in our short 48 hours!)
Unique local art adorns the walls of each hotel room, as well as the Allegory restaurant. The hotel, itself, is a 3-dimensional canvas of ultra-modern décor, with cozy curved seating in the Alto rooftop bar and earthy colors accented by brighter shades.
We stayed in a Junior Balcony Suite, with a king-size bed and a separate living room area with a pull-out sofa and plenty of room for an air mattress.
When we reached our room, the kids were delighted to discover fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and milk while a bottle of champagne and glasses greeted me and my husband. (Well, mostly me.) My daughter and I enjoyed our beverages (milk and champagne, respectively) in champagne glasses.
It was a lovely touch that you don’t find at the La Quinta or Hampton Inn! (Although as Hilton Honors members, we appreciate water and cookies at the Hampton Inn when we receive them!) We travel a lot and always look to keep budgets in check, so it’s a rare weekend that we get to enjoy the service and ambiance of a boutique hotel. The Autograph Collection blends the beauty and ambiance of boutique brands with Marriott rewards points, so you if you are a hardcore travel hacker, you won’t feel like you’re missing out.
The cookies gave the kids enough energy while the champagne gave me enough tolerance for round two – as long as it didn’t require too much walking after strolling the gardens and exploring town. Crashed on the sofa and staring at my laptop bag, thinking how I really didn’t want to open it to work, which I knew I would if we stuck around, I suggested: “How about a movie?”
Before we took this trip, I had been working long hours. Even gathering in front of the TV to watch Netflix or a movie on Amazon Prime hadn’t happened in a while for our family.
The Clairidge is a historic theater that’s just a five-minute walk from The MC Hotel. The Clairidge is a non-profit cinema devoted to supporting local and independent filmmakers, so it often features an eclectic line-up. However, the cinema also shows new releases and blockbuster films. That weekend, we decided to see The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Next, it was back to the Alto rooftop at The MC Hotel for a breathtaking sunset view of Manhattan, cocktails and dinner in Allegory with live bands playing. The kids decided to have their pasta and burgers delivered to the room, leaving my husband and I for a rare romantic dinner. After dinner, we headed out to the Alto rooftop bar again, where I enjoyed a few craft beers and tried to stay warm near one of the tabletop firepits.
On this Friday night in the spring, the rooftop bar got crowded quickly, with beautiful people dancing and a DJ spinning music to keep them moving. But it had been a long day and we headed out early — before the kids started texting us!
The next day, we had more time to explore the town. True to our geek family nature, our first stop was East Side Mags. After so many shopping excursions, it’s hard to pinpoint what stands out about any specific comic book store, but I remember spending far too long browsing the collection of comics and figurines. I loved the local vibe and the extensive collection of local artists featured.
If East Side Mags was a fun side quest, Montclair Book Center was a breathtaking journey into a reader’s paradise. It has the cool, “find anything here” vibe of a used bookstore, an unassuming green striped awning out front that reads Montclair Book Center, and a sign on the top that says “Books New & Old.”
If you are seeking luxury and glamour, or even overpriced fashion (of which Montclair has plenty) you won’t find it here. You will find 10,000-square-feet across three levels of books and music, ranging from brand-new bestsellers to paperback Sci Fi classics. We picked up a little of both! They also sell collectible books.
I have seen my share of indie bookstores, used bookstores, and even chains close over the years that I’ve been a reader and writer. With The Book Revue closing on Long Island and The Strand in New York City not quite what it used to be, I was thrilled to come across Montclair Book Center, which is billed as one of the largest used bookstores in the New York Tri-state area. We could have literally spent days here if the kids didn’t get bored, whiny, and hungry.
We started to head home but diverted to Red Bank, NJ to visit Kevin Smith’s comic book shop (read about it here!) and enjoy some sushi in a strip mall that was some of the best we’ve had. They brought out our food in a sushi boat, which my son had always wanted! It turns out Sono Sushi in Middletown is a local landmark owned and operated by the same family (the Lee family) for 27 years. The service was as attentive as it is at our local sushi places, where we are regulars, and the staff knows us.
Montclair is a hotspot for local New York artists and other city dwellers seeking a weekend getaway of art, culture, and shopping in a laidback atmosphere. From New York City, it’s just a 46-minute trip on NJ Transit, or a short bus ride. For Long Islanders, the trip can take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours, depending on where you live and how bad the traffic is.
Montclair is just a hop off I-80, making the city easily accessible from Pennsylvania and states further west.
With a rich and vibrant arts culture and a close proximity to Manhattan, Montclair is a friendly, walkable suburban town and a fabulous place to get away from New York City. On the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, hot spots like the rooftop bar of The MC Hotel boast breathtaking views.
Montclair is famous for cultural sights, a vibrant arts scene, historic architecture, and the Van Vleck House & Gardens, a 12-acre botanical garden and Italianate villa. Just three miles long by two miles wide, the town includes six historic districts with 92 landmarks.
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