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If you want to live like a local on the Upper East Side, check into this discreet hotel on East 63rd Street. You’ll feel as though you resided in one of the city’s rarefied co-ops, some of which, in fact, are just around the corner. However, the Lowell lobby offers much better service than even the best Park Avenue buildings, because the concierge can arrange for theater tickets and babysitters and fill any other special requests you may have. The pied-à-terre conceit continues with the interior design of the seventy guest rooms, most of which have muted color schemes and tasteful mahogany furniture. The best suites have terraces and/or wood-burning fireplaces. The Garden Suite, with two terraces (one large enough for a small dinner party) and a fireplace in the living room, is popular with couples who want to entertain when in town. My favorite is the Penthouse Suite on the 17th floor, which was redone last year by L.A. decorator Michael S. Smith. Envision a three-bedroom apartment with four terraces, views in all directions and interiors that manage to bring just the right sunny Southern California ease and glamour to apartment living. Rooms from $545.

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This seventy-five-room inn, situated in a renovated Romanesque Revival building from 1890, is a favorite of many of my out-of-town friends, whether they’re here for business or pleasure. It’s easy to see why. Its location in the heart of SoHo is ideal. And once you pass through its discreet entry off bustling Mercer Street, you’re in an oasis of cool. Daylight filters into the spacious entry lounge through veiled windows, making the lobby feel at once open and private. With a library wall of photography and art books, it’s an inviting place to relax by oneself or to have a casual drink with a friend. When the hotel opened in 1998, its Christian Liagre–conceived decor of dark wengé wooden floors and furnishings, pale-hued walls and well-proportioned rooms created a sensation. The hallmark look was copied all over town. Almost ten years later, the interior still looks great, if dated. Nevertheless, the atmosphere is serene and protective, which is probably why the hotel remains the favored crash pad for so many celebrities. (Proprietor André Balazs also owns the Hollywood home-away-from-home Chateau Marmont.) The restaurant is run by the acclaimed New York chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Some of the rooms have enormous marble tubs, hidden behind folding panels that open directly onto the bedrooms. Because the guest rooms feature extremely high ceilings, even the smallest feel capacious and bright. Each is equipped with WiFi, iPod docking stations and flat-screen televisions. While the hotel doesn’t have a gym, it provides day passes to an Equinox and a New York Sports Club, both nearby. When one friend asked if she could get a massage, she found herself in a nearby spa within twenty minutes. The concierge was, in her words, “amazing.” Rooms from $495.