The Peninsula
The paparazzi was waiting outside as I lugged my
overnight bag into the hotel lobby and for a moment they contemplated an
explosion of flashbulbs. It didn't take them long, however, to realize I was no celeb -- just a fortunate soul spending a night at the marvelous Peninsula
Hotel. Housed in a beauty of a landmark, Beaux Arts building, the Peninsula is
the perfect combination of old-world charm and modern, state-of-the-art
technology.
Rooms are huge with plenty of closet and storage space, but best of all is
the bedside control panel that allows you to regulate lighting, television,
stereo, air-conditioning, and signal the DO NOT DISTURB sign on your door. Even
though you really don't have to leave the comfort of your bed, eventually you
will need to go to the bathroom and when you do, you'll not be disappointed. The
huge marble bathrooms all have spacious soaking tubs with yet another control
panel at your fingertips including the controls for, in most rooms, a television
so you can watch while taking your bubble bath (now that's happy excess). The
Peninsula also features one of the best and biggest New York hotel health clubs
and spas, the rooftop Pen-Top Bar, and a faultless concierge desk.
The Peninsula New York
700 Fifth Avenue at 55th Street
New York, NY 10019
Tel: (212) 956 2888 Fax: (212) 903 3949
Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park
Perfect on almost every level. This
modern, Art Deco-influenced high-rise is located on the extreme southern tip of
Manhattan. You can get rooms with magnificent views of New York Harbor from your
bedroom, complete with telescope for close-ups of Lady Liberty. Where else can
you have a cocktail in your hotel bar and watch the sun set over the harbor? And
where else can you go for a morning jog around the Manhattan waterfront? You'll
find the full slate of comforts and services typical of Ritz-Carlton, from Frette-dressed feather beds to the chain's signature Bath Butler, who will draw
a scented bath for you in your own deep soaking tub. Standard rooms are all very
large and have huge bathrooms, while suites are bigger than most New York
apartments. If you don't mind the location and the commute to Midtown and
beyond, you won't find a more luxurious choice than this.
Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park
Two West Street New York
New York 10004
Phone: (212) 344-0800 Fax: (212)
344-3801
Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
There's a lot to like about this hotel.
From its enviable location overlooking Central Park to the impeccable and
personable service; but what I like best is that this undoubtedly luxury hotel
manages to maintain a homey elegance, and does not intimidate you with an
overabundance of style. Rooms are spacious and decorated in traditional,
English-countryside style. Suites are larger than most New York City apartments.
Rooms facing Central Park come with telescopes, and all have flat screen TVs with
DVD players; the hotel even has a library of Academy Award-winning films
available. The marble bathrooms are also oversize and feature a choice of
bathrobes, terry or linen, and extravagant Frederic Fekkai bath amenities.
Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
50 Central Park South
New York, NY 10019
Phone: (212) 308-9100 Fax: (212) 207-8831
The Flatotel Hotel
The Flatotel Hotel is a Contemporary, Intimate and
Cosmopolitan hotel in midtown Manhattan. Featuring deluxe rooms and suites
with custom designed furniture and state of the art amenities. Flatotel offers
boutique hotel intimacy with apartment size rooms.
135 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
Phone:
877.821.1473
http://flatotel.reachlocal.net/
The Carlyle
The Carlyle is a Manhattan landmark and incomparable luxury hotel since 1930,
The Carlyle (A Rosewood Hotel) offers an elegant private atmosphere, the finest
cabaret entertainment and an enviable location in New York City’s Upper East
Side overlooking Central Park.
The Carlyle
35 East 76th Street
New York, NY 10021
Phone:
212.744.1600 Fax: 212.717.4682
http://www.thecarlyle.com
Dining
Daniel
Savor award-winning Chef Daniel Boulud's seasonal French. The art
and architecture of Chef Daniel Boulud's native city of Lyon inspired the main
dining room's neoclassical elegance. Contemporary French cuisine celebrates each
season's most glorious ingredients and reveals their delicious flavors. The wine
list is composed of over 1,200 selections, including many rare Bordeaux and
Burgundies. Chef Daniel Boulud and Sommelier Philippe Marchal have designed a
wine list as impressive for its range and depth as for its clarity and
accessibility.
Daniel
60 East 65th St.
NY, NY 10021
Phone: 212.288.0033 Fax 212.396.9014
Le Bernardin
Exquisite glamour and class of Manhattan without any overweening
glitz. Impeccable French. The wood-paneled room is grand, but in an oddly
soothing way. And then there's the chef, Eric Ripert, who, unlike most
super-chefs in town, tends to stay in his kitchen and cook. Go at dinner (when
the room fills with suits at lunchtime, it looks like a corporate cafeteria).
All the food is excellent and Michel Couvreux is one of the great sommeliers in
America—let him choose the wines.
Le Bernardin
155 W. 51st St.
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-554-1515
http://le-bernardin.com/
Masa
There are just 26 seats in Masa, an elegantly designed Japanese
restaurant in the Time Warner Center. There is no menu; all diners will spend
about 3 hours having an unparalleled omakase experience.
Masa
Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Circle, 4fl
New York, NY 10019
212-823-9800
http://masanyc.com/
Alain Ducasse at the Essex House Restaurant
Highlighting the best American
produce, prepared with French techniques, the menu at Alain Ducasse changes
seasonally to offer the best cuisine. An extensive wine list and a stylishly
designed atmosphere ensure a sophisticated dining experience.
Alain Ducasse at the Essex House Restaurant
55 W. 58th St. (6th & 7th Aves.)
Phone: 212-265-7300
http://www.alain-ducasse.com/public/index.htm
Shopping
Barneys
After financial woes forced the closure of the original
Chelsea store a few years back, New York's self-made temple of chic is back on
top. The Madison Avenue store exudes impeccable high style -- and a frostiness
that's hard to overcome, but designer-fashion fans probably won't mind. While
the store focuses on hot-off-the-runway women's wear, its menswear runs the
gamut from classic to cutting edge. The fragrance department works hard to offer
offbeat and unusual scents as well as the classics. Both the downtown (in two
locations) and uptown Barneys Co-Ops have blossomed into real fashion hot spots,
sisterly but separate from the chic Barneys New York Madison Avenue
headquarters.
Barneys
660 Madison Avenue
New York NY 10021-8448
Phone: 212.826.8900 Fax:
212.833.2293
Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf's is a museum of haute couture. The store
is designed on an intimate scale and lacks the kicky nouveau riche feel of Bendel's. The fifth floor is an open space filled with fashions at more
reasonable prices. The jewelry on the main floor and unparalleled gift and
tabletop floor are worth a browse alone. Just across the street is Bergdorf
Goodman Man, a palace of fine men's fashion.
Bergdorf Goodman
754 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10019
Phone:
1.800.558.1855
The Crystal District
The five-block stretch of Madison Avenue between 58th
and 63rd Streets is home to the richest concentration of luxury crystal in the
world including decorative objects and unique jewelry. The French crystal
company Baccarat as an enormous Madison Avenue U.S. flagship store with a
section devoted to jewelry and a showroom for chandeliers, vases, stemware, Gien
china, and jewelry.
Daum
Daum showcases magnificent decorative objects and tableware, jewelry,
handcrafted furniture, lighting, and objets d’art in Pâte de Verre – an ancient
technique performed only by Daum’s master craftsmen. 694 Madison Ave New York,
NY 10022, Phone: 212-355-2060
Lalique
Lalique features exquisite crystal home decor, barware and stemware, jewelry,
watches, handbags, scarves, fragrance, lighting, and porcelain.
712 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10022, Phone 212-355-6550, www.lalique.com
Steuben
Steuben displays a stunning collection of American-produced crystal including
classical and contemporary bowls and vases, Steuben's signature animals, and
extraordinary one-of-a-kind sculptures. 667 Madison
Avenue (at 61st Street) New York, NY 10021, Phone: 212-752-1441www.steuben.com
Favorite places to visit: Central Park, Metropolitan Museum, Trinity Church,
Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Guggenheim
|
