Hi all! I wanted to share how I made the most of a Monday night work trip to New York City. In planning the trip I learned that most Broadway shows are closed on Monday nights, and some of the ones that are open are actually really long shows. As a result, here’s how I managed to have a fun but still early evening in NYC!
Planning for a Solo Night in New York City
Finding a hotel in NYC that does not cost a small fortune is hard. When checking with friends and my network, it seems like the NYC per diem rate for many companies is around $300-350. Finding a quality hotel in NYC that is within that range can be really challenging and sometimes impossible.
The workaround I found for my November 2026 trip was using the Marriott Bonvoy app to book the advance booking rate for the Marriott Residence Inn Times Square in Manhattan several weeks in advance of my trip. I was able to book a King Studio Suite for $291 before taxes and fees. This felt like a steal to get a room with a sofa and kitchen for one night in NYC.
Next, for anyone with a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, have you checked to see if you have used your semi-annual $150 Open Table dining credit yet? I had not yet used it for H2 2026, and knew that my husband and I would probably not use the credit in the next eight weeks. This motivated me to find a restaurant close to the Residence Inn Times Square where I could use this credit so I could have a nice meal and not worry about going over my dinner per diem in one of the most expensive cities for dining in the country.
I learned Limusina, a lavish Mexican restaurant, was a part of the Open Table and Chase dining partnership for NYC, and is only a fifteen minute walk from the Residence Inn. Booking more than two weeks out allowed me to select an early dining time of 5:45 so I could eat and still have time for a show.
Finally, it’s hard to find a Broadway show that is open on a Monday night, and is less than two hours long. Knowing I had to function in a 9AM meeting the next day, going out late at night in NYC was not an option. As a result, I found that Comedy Village has Monday Night Comedy shows that start at 7 and go until 8:30/8:45. While I found the show in advance, I did not purchase the ticket because I read the two item minimum on the website and thought I could not buy a solo ticket in advance. (I was wrong. It applies to a minimum purchase of two items in the club.)
Experience in New York City
Despite being under construction, the Residence Inn Time Square was a really great mid-tier hotel! My favorite thing is that except from 8:15-8:30 the morning I checked out, there was no real wait time for the evaluators. This was a really nice surprise after having to wait for what seemed like forever at other hotels in the area during previous trips to NYC for work and fun.
Also, the location of the Residence Inn Time Square can’t be beat. It’s across the street from Bryant Park, and is an easy walk from the Amtrak train station. And of course it’s also close to Times Square.
Next, the King Studio Suite in the Residence Inn was really big for a NYC hotel room. The kitchen had stocked utensils, so you could cook in the room while staying there to save money or meet dietary requirements. The one thing to note is there was dishwasher soap, but no dish soap under the sink so make sure you bring your own dish soap if you plan to use the kitchen sparingly.
The next time I take my kids to NYC, I will look to see if the King Studio Suite at the Residence Inn Time Square is available as it felt like it had more space than the Embassy Suites we stayed at the first time we took the kids to NYC.
Somebody averse to walking would not book dinner back by the train station, but that’s of course not me. When I arrived at Limusina for my 5:45 reservation the restaurant was pretty empty, but it filled up quickly— even on a Monday night.
It was hard to decide how to order for one at Limusina given the variety of small plates and main courses they have on the menu. I decided on ceviche, a truffle and jam quesadilla plus elote brule based on both online recommendations and the server’s suggestions. It was a lot of food for one person, so If dining alone you may want to get two items instead of three or just a main.
The service at Limusina was great, and the food was good enough for a solo Monday night work trip. Could I have picked a better restaurant in NYC? Yes, but I liked not having to think about the cost of the meal knowing that I had up to $150 of virtually free money from Chase; and I could still expense a reasonable dinner amount for work.
Given I have used credit card perks like a $100 hotel dining credit through AMEX and free meals in lounges to stretch my work dining budget on other work trips, I don’t feel guilty about expensing some of my dinner while using a larger credit card perk. If somebody wants to engage in a debate on this topic, I am happy to connect.
Anyway, a solo dinner at Limusina without dessert finished in 45/50 minutes. I was easily able to walk up to Comedy Village on 44th street in advance of its 7PM show.
After arriving early to Comedy Village, I learned that you actually can buy a single ticket online for $22, and the ticket price is $20 if you pay cash at the door. The two item minimum is for food and drink items during the show. Good thing I didn’t order dessert at Limusina as I used it as one of my items. The cheesecake wasn’t much to write home about, but I would still rate it higher than some of the early acts in the comedy show itself.
The first few acts at Comedy Village started very slowly, but got better as the show progressed. While that’s expected, when the second comedian complained several times about the crowd being low energy, it took a lot of self control not to heckle that the problem was them 🙂 The show did improve and the later acts were pretty funny. The show worked for a solo Monday night, but it did make me miss all of the shows I saw on my last Disney Cruise.
The comedy show ended around 8:45, and there were still tons of people out and about in the streets of NYC after the show. When walking from Comedy Village back to the Residence Inn there was a small stretch between Time Square that did feel pretty isolated as I walked alone. It was the only time I broke out my trusted Birdie Alarm during the trip and had it ready to go in case of an emergency.
Closer to Bryant Park, there were more people on the streets and I was able to catch a few holiday market shops that were still open for the evening. It was fun to start getting into the Christmas spirit in the quaint holiday village for a few minutes and still end an evening in NYC back in my hotel room by 9:10 PM!
Lessons Learned:
-Pre-paying for your hotel room can result in major discounts that unlock better hotel room options for a trip
-There’s a dramatic difference in the scope of restaurants included in the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Open Table dining partnership by city. Check your options when traveling to make the most of your card benefits.
-Always bring a water bottle while traveling, and make use of the hotel gym’s water station when you need to fill up.
Travel Gear:
–Birdie Alarm: Helps you feel safer while walking alone at night.
–Collapsible Water bottle: This fits in a purse and is more comfortable to carry than a heavy metal water bottle.
–Protein shaker bottle and coffee protein powder: This beats most of the food options at a free hotel breakfast bar.
-Check out my Amazon Storefront for a full list of my product recommendations. Please know I can make a commission from products that help offset the cost of maintaining this blog.
Final Thoughts:
November is a really magical time to go to NYC since it is somewhat decorated for the Christmas holiday, and not as cold as December!
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