Outside the Peninsula Hotel

Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue, around 55th Street on the Upper East Side.

The Peninsula Hotel on 55th Street is adorned with flags and some gorgeous, ornate architecture.

I took this photo from the back of a cab.

--You might notice that parts of the Peninsula facade project quite a bit over the sidewalk - there are balconies and a rather deep overhang. I'd say the overhang might be 24" deep.

In New York, owners of buildings taller than six floors need to have the exteriors of their buildings professionally inspected every five years. It used to be that the inspectors would look at a building through binoculars, but after several accidents, they now have to go up to inspect facades firsthand.

Related posts: Glitzy Glam, Outside the Pierre, Fancy Living, on the Upper East Side, and Life on Park Avenue.

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In the Lobby of the Sherry-Netherland, on Fifth Avenue

Photo by myself at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street.

The lobby of the Sherry-Netherland Hotel, at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, is all decked out for the holidays.

The front desk is to the left, out of view. Several doormen stood by, at the ready to help people with luggage.

This hotel is very fancy, with rooms starting at $500 per night, upward to over $1k per night. They also have several apartments for sale, some with kitchens, some without (!).

One apartment for sale takes up a whole floor of the building. Its monthly maintenance is over $30k per month. Hello??!! That is a thousand dollars per day! Some of the smaller apartments resemble hotel rooms, and all are beautifully decorated.

For the Sherry-Netherland website, which includes apartments for sale, click here.

Related posts: Waiting at the Grammercy Park Hotel, All Lit Up, Outside the Gershwin Hotel, and The Royalton, Renovated.

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Outside the Mondrian Soho, on Crosby Street

Photo by myself at Crosby and Howard Streets, in Soho.

Just off a narrow cobblestone street in Soho is the Hotel Mondrian, a recent addition to the Morgan Group hotels.

A European-inspired living wall encloses an outdoor forecourt. Vines are trained to climb a wall of mesh and cor-ten steel, making the court semi-private.

Cor-ten is a type of steel that looks as if its rusted. A chemical reaction with air and water actually forms a protective film on the surface, making it slower to corrode than other metals.

Related posts: On Hotels and Hype, Along Fifth Avenue and Beyond, The Royalton, Renovated, and Waiting, at the Gramercy Park Hotel.

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Below the Big Chandelier, at the Paramount Hotel

Photo by myself at the Paramount Hotel at 46th Street and Eighth Avenue, in Midtown.

Smack dab in the midst of all the screaming LED signs in Times Square, is the Paramount Hotel.

The hotel was opened by the hotelier Ian Schrager and the lobby was designed by Phillipe Starck. A gigantic chandelier hangs in the middle of the space. When it opened, the bar of this hotel was a destination. Now, not so much.

Visitors should not forget that hotel lobbies are akin to public spaces. If you're ever in need of rest, you can stumble into one of the hundreds of hotel lobbies here, where a big, plush chair awaits you.

Related posts: The Royalton, Renovated, On Hotels and Hype, Along Fifth Avenue and Beyond, and All Lit Up, Outside the Gershwin Hotel.

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Waiting at the Gramercy Park Hotel

Photo by myself at the Gramercy hotel, at 21st Street and Lexington Avenue.

Just to the east of the Flatiron District is a tiny park called Gramercy Park. It is a tiny, fenced in park that is open only to those who live directly in the neighborhood.

The Gramercy Park Hotel is in the area. The lobby is other-worldly, done up in red velvet and black and white tile. There is an enormous chandelier and fireplace to suit how high the ceiling is.

Massive paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst and Keith Haring adorn the walls. The hotel was renovated by the artist Julian Schnabel in 2006. Schnabel is an eclectic artist, painting large scale works and directing films.

Rooms and suites range between $450 to $2,400 per night. As part of their stay, guests are allowed access into Gramercy Park.

The original hotel had a glamorous past, having been a favorite of rock muscians. A movie called Hotel Gramercy Park was made about the renovation and was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008.

For the Gramercy Park Hotel's website, click here.
For an earlier post about the movie 'Hotel Gramercy Park', click here.

Related posts: The Royalton Renovated, All Lit Up, Outside the Gershwin Hotel and On A Winter Day, at the Plaza Hotel.

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All Lit Up, Outside the Gershwin Hotel

Photo by myself outside the Gershwin Hotel, at 27th Street and Fifth Avenue.

The Gershwin Hotel is an arty, reasonably priced small hotel north of the Flatiron District. The one-of-a-kind light fixtures are hard to miss, recalling the sculptural forms of the architect Antoni Gaudi.

The Gershwin is just steps away from the Empire State Building and the Museum of Sex. The Flatiron District and Madison Square Park are a few blocks south.

I didn't realize until now that the hotel is also considered a youth hostel. There are rooms with bunk beds where those traveling on a budget can split the cost of a room with others.

Note: This hotel has received mixed reviews. Please do some research before booking a room.

Related posts: Deck the Halls of the Plaza Hotel, Going for the Gold and The Royalton Renovated.

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On Hotels and Hype, along Fifth Avenue and Beyond

Photo by myself at 5th Avenue and 41st Street, in Midtown.

Just out of frame on the left, an enormous graphic reads, 'What is your Andaz?' surrounded by curly-q's. The right of the graphic is filled with items signifying New York today: fire hydrants, people in love on the subway platforms and falafel carts.

You might think the billboard is leftover from Valentine's Day (perhaps it was unveiled at that time?). It's actually an advertisement for the Hotel Andaz, the new luxury arm of the Hyatt chain. A new hotel will open at this location, this Spring.

As in any large scale endeavor, you have to a) create a lot of hype and expectation, b) open to the public and on time, then c) earn rave reviews, which then generate more hype, and so on.

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Remember when I stumbled upon old jazz great Guiseppi Logan by chance in Tompkins Square Park? Well, fortunately for us all, he will be performing this week in Philadelphia. The Ars Nova Workshop, a non-profit experimental jazz group in Philly, is organizing the event.

Logan will be performing in a jazz quintet at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Tickets are a mere $12.

Click here for the Ars Nova website. My photo of Mr. Logan is there, along with articles and a sample of Logan's music.

Related posts: The View from New York and the Plaza Hotel, The Royalton, Renovated and Guiseppe Logan, Performing in Tompkins Square Park.

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Glitzy Glam, Outside The Pierre

Photo by myself near the side entrance of The Pierre, at 61st Street and Fifth Avenue.

A portion of this luxury hotel is comprised of co-op apartments. A number of celebrities have lived at The Pierre, including Elizabeth Taylor, Yves Saint-Laurent and Sumner Redstone.

Supposedly there is a triplex apartment located at the tippy top, which was listed at $70 million in 2006.

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Parts of the Upper East Side are decidedly fancy.

Madison Avenue is packed with expensive boutiques. Park Avenue is lined with tall limestone apartment buildings. And of course, Fifth Avenue is also known for its stately buildings, which enjoy an unobscured view of Central Park.

The other day I was walking around the area. A tanned woman hailed me down. Her hair was swept up in a long ponytail, and she wore a thick suede jacket and tall leather boots.

Sensing I was a New Yorker, she asked with a heavy French accent,'Can you tell me...eh....where is a...Bernaise?'

Bernaise...Bernaise...I picked my tiny brain for residual pockets of high school French. Hmmmm....

Shaking my head, I apologized. 'I don't live in the area. Sorry'.

Two seconds later, I ran back. 'Wait!! Do you mean Barneys?!'

Ah yes, Barneys, the fancy pants store for fancy pants people. Their main store is located at 60th Street and Fifth Avenue. What would a day of shopping be without a visit?

Related posts: The View from New York and the Plaza Hotel, Among Beautiful Things and The Flatiron Building in Detail.

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On the Mud Truck and Hotel Gramercy Park

Photo by myself in Astor Place, around 4th Avenue and 8th Street.

The Mud Truck is a distinctive part of the New York cityscape. Visible from blocks away, usually with a line waiting outside, the Mud Truck serves up coffee in bright orange cups.

There are actually two trucks, typically located in Astor Place and the West Village. Everything about the trucks, from the logo to the name have an anti-establishment vibe.

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For those who get the Sundance Channel on television, there's a great film playing on December 31st.

The other night, Mark and I watched Hotel Grammercy Park, a documentary about hotelier Ian Schrager's renovation of the historic downtown hotel, which once catered to rock stars. Schrager himself gained notoriety in the 70s when he opened Studio 54.

The movie interviews Schrager, as well as several quirky people who lived in the Hotel before the renovation. Some longtime residents refused to move out during the construction period. One gay couple writes show tunes. An elegant woman collects teddy bears.

Then there's the ill-fated family that originally owned the hotel. One of the descendants grew up in the hotel, and recounts a story of drug addiction and tragedy. There is something about all the characters in this movie that makes them very 'New York'.

Here's the trailer for the movie


Click here for the Sundance page about the film.
Click here to see the review and photos of the hotel by the New York Times.

Related posts: Shopping on St. Mark's Place, On Seeing the World Through a Different Lens and The Scoop.

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Tropical Luxury at the Caribe Hilton, Puerto Rico

Photo by myself at the Caribe Hilton hotel, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As you can see, it’s beautiful here – brightly sunny with a gentle sea breeze.

Mark and I are staying at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, a sprawling hotel complex by the water. There are restaurants, a spa, an outdoor hammock forest, a swimming lagoon and several outdoor pools. A casino is located just a 15-minute walk away.

Mark and I are usually intrepid travelers and prefer smaller hotels, off the beaten path. However, I don’t have many complaints about the obvious luxury of this place. It's not bad!

Staying here is like being on a cruise ship on land. There are free activities offered every day, from yoga classes to bingo to feeding giant koi in a pond. It's a great place for families.


A grove of hammocks provide a restful spot to read a book.

Large swans and other waterfowl live in a central garden. There are reefs with colorful fish just offshore, visible from a small dock. At night, the outdoor gardens and pools are lit with festive lights.

The only disappointment so far has been a couple extremely overpriced meals we've had outside the hotel, which fell short in terms of food and service. (Mark even had food poisoning). We have been spoiled by New York, where you can eat very well for a reasonable price.

Coming up tomorrow, photos from our trip into Old San Juan.


Work on your tan next to several swimming pools.

Related posts: Signs of Hope, Now on Sale, in Midtown and Signs of the Times.

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Hailing a Cab, Outside the Hudson Hotel

Photo by myself outside the Hudson Hotel, around 58th Street and 9th Avenue.

There was a little bit of a scene outside the Hudson Hotel, which was designed by Philippe Starck.

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Not much to report from this front. The Yankees won their 27th World Series last week. I watched part of the last game, and it was inevitable that the Yanks would win. I hope another team wins next year and the year after that!

Work is picking up, with clients demanding that things be done yesterday. One project is rushing to wrap up before Christmas. It's a small renovation out in Connecticut, where the pace is a bit slower than it is in the city. The race to the finish will be similar to driving a jalopy on the freeway. Oy vey!

I visited the project last week, meeting with the cabinetmakers and contractor. Funnily enough, they asked whether a New Yorker could ever live in the country. 'Would you be able to handle it out here?' they asked, and chuckled to themselves.

Related posts: A View from New York and the Plaza Hotel, On How the Streets are Numbered in this City and Going for the Gold.

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Taking a Glance at Columbus Circle

Photo by myself near Columbus Circle, at 59th Street and Central Park West.

The Trump International Hotel at One Central Park, has hung up evergreen boughs along its brass canopy. Below, the doorman talks to a waiting driver.

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I've noticed recently that I hardly take black and white photos anymore. I can't say this is on purpose, because the 'black and white' images are originally taken in color. It's just that I've gotten a little better with my picture taking, so the color ones don't look so terrible.

There is something about New York and black and white images, though. It's a city of high contrasts. It's a city of classic looks. There are often sharp angles, and deep shadows. And there's often such a mix of different color schemes, that black and white just makes sense.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Related posts: Now, On Center Stage, East (Side) Versus (West) Side and At The Brooklyn Museum - The Dizzying World of Murakami.

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The Royalton, Renovated

Photo by myself in the lobby of The Royalton, the swanky hotel at 43rd Street and 6th Avenue.

The downstairs bar and restaurant are dramatically lit. The interiors were originally designed by the innovative Phillipe Starck. A complete renovation was done in late 2007.

There are a few Starck-designed hotels that were hip in their day, including The Hudson at 58th Street and Columbus, and The Paramount at 46th and 8th Avenue.

You can check out the original Starck design for the Royalton, before the renovation here. It was strikingly different - modern and quirky, much less homey than it is now.

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Interiors are changing all the time. I guess people need to feel like they're experiencing new things, even if they're drinking the same drinks and talking with the same people.

These days, the exterior and interior of a building are seen as separate entities. The building exterior stays more or less the same, while the interior changes depending on the tenant, or the decade, or the season.

In architecture school, we are taught to think about the inside and outside of a building at the same time. Exterior and interior were seen as bound up with one another. In architecture school, there was no such thing as an interior designer or even a client. You, the architect, did it all.

How different it is in the real world!

Related posts: On Living in a Petri Dish, It Takes a Village and Architecture, A Glorified Profession.

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Going For The Gold

Photo by myself, outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower, at 59th Street and Central Park West.

This shiny sign and shiny building symbolize less class and sophistication than sheer bling.

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Tonight (Tuesday), Bob Dylan is playing in Prospect Park, his first Brooklyn concert.

Tickets went on sale in June for 7,000 seats, ranging between $55 to $100 dollars. Reports said that some tickets were being resold for over $550.

Mark and I didn't go, though. He's still recovering from working the weekend. We've been glued to the television at night, watching the Olympics, like everyone else. The camera flit between the synchronized diving, swimming and gymnastics.

Whew!

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On Living in a Petri Dish

Photo by myself, at the W Hotel in Union Square.

The bar downstairs, Olives, is always crowded and serves great food.

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Mark says there are 31 days until Spring. And he reminded me yesterday that there are only 8 days left in February. Woohoo!

You wouldn't know it. After an almost balmy weekend, the last couple of days have been bone-chilling, with brisk, icy winds. People at my office have been coughing and sneezing. Mark has already gone through two rounds of very bad colds this season.

I have to wonder whether the crazy weather has something to do with how sick people are. I don't know what's happening on a germ level, but I've been carrying hand sanitizer with me, along with Airborne and multi-vitamins.

There are people I know who don't ride the subway because of the germs, and those who take the trains and don't touch anything. They lean against the pole, making it difficult for everyone else, who then have nothing to grab onto. Or they hang onto other people, or they just stand without holding onto anything, swaying and tumbling onto fellow passengers.

Yesterday on the way to work, I was sandwiched between a baby carriage and a guy in dreadlocks. Trying to avoid the man's swaying hair, I could barely grab hold of a nearby pole. I kept shooting hateful looks toward the mother, who had parked the stroller awkwardly in the train, but she was too busy feeding her other child crackers and cheese with the little plastic red stick that comes with the package.

Goodness. Sometimes I wouldn't mind just driving to work in my own, sanitized car!

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It Takes A Village

Photos by myself in Aspen, in the funky lobby of the Sky Hotel.

Studded leather and some sort of pelt adorns the front desk. This lobby is always hopping.

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Today I got to spend some time with my brother, a corporate lawyer, who now lives in LA. He works with banks and large companies to structure contracts and transactions. My brother lived on Wall Street a few years and doesn't miss New York at all.

'Life is hard in New York,' he tells me every time we see each other. To him, it's the subways and the long hours. Why not have a healthy lifestyle and nice weather all the time?

I often think the opposite, that New York life is easy, and that New Yorkers are a breed of human that refuses to grow up. They don't have to deal with buying a place, cleaning gutters or shoveling snow. They can live in a perpetual playland, if they want to.

Take my coworker and her husband, who came with me on the Aspen leg of my trip. They rent in Battery Park City, after living in White Plains.

'How about Brooklyn?' I'd suggested to the husband. 'You get twice as much space as Manhattan, and there are a lot of great restaurants now. It's not like it was a few years ago.'

'Well, we love Battery Park City. There's the park, and there's the water.' Then he added, 'Having a kid in New York isn't so hard. Everyone comes to you.'

Yes, that's true, but your combined income has to be a certain amount to afford such luxuries. He and his wife have a nanny who visits every day, so that both parents can work. They own a car, and he makes the reverse commute to Jersey for his job. Presumably, too, they park the car in a garage.

My cousin and her husband, on the other hand, live in Chicago. They also have a babysitter who visits daily to care for their 10-month old. They own a townhouse on Chicago's South Side.

These families are the lucky ones. I think it's the story of many couples in New York and other major cities. Their lifestyles sound nice. Their kids were planned. But what happens when life doesn't go according to plan?

What if you're a single parent? What if you're struggling to make ends meet? Your view of the world would be very different from 'everyone coming to you'.

My mom recounted life when I'd been born. My father was studying for his PhD. His monthly stipend was $400 a month. Rent was $350 a month. Fortunately, my grandparents moved in to help with my brother and me, so my mom could go to work.

It certainly does take a village to raise a child. Some villages are just fancier than others.

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Sweet Memories

When we arrived at Centraal Station in Amsterdam, we picked up our luggage and trooped through the streets to our lovely hotel, the Pulitzer. Even though it was a short walk, I had a hard time not oogling and taking pictures every second.

We found the hotel easily, marked by its red banners, a rambling, gracious building pieced together from smaller townhouses. There was a spacious lobby with dark wood panelling, a fireplace going (yes, in late August) and a long reception desk to one side. To get to our room on the third floor, we used one of the three elevators, which could only hold two people at a time.

Our room was beautiful (see above). It overlooked the canal, had wooden shutters and old wood beams, and the greatest bathroom ever. As an architect I can go on and on over the most ridiculous things, like bathrooms. This one had charming old tile and was basically a quarter of a circle, so the door was curved. I took a bunch of photos but none of them could capture the small, precious space.

One of the best things from the trip was a package of stroopwafels from the hotel. Mark had eaten these a while ago by chance and didn't know what they were called. Every trip to Fairway, we'd scour the candy and cookie aisle. The hotel sent up several packages of stroopwafels later and we bought a couple packages before we left.

Stroopwafels are delicious and deceptively simple. Two crispy-ish, butter-laden waffle layers sandwich a thin layer of caramel. It's the texture that makes the cookie so yummy. I'm not usually a sweets person but I could not get enough of these, which are the perfect companion to coffee.

We found them online when we got home, and saw it mentioned alongside Trader Joe's. So...we're going to brave the crowds at the Union Square store today, in pursuit of this decadent cookie.

Mark found a site that sells a few varieties that sell them online. These were the ones we found in the bakery, and these were the ones we got at the hotel.

Sarah at Living in Dutchland lists stroopwafels as one of the top ten things in her life as a British woman in Amsterdam. Check out her blog for a daily account of such a beautiful city. I wish I'd read her blog before I went; I would've toured her recommended sites and had an ice cream bar!


Photo by myself of our comfy bed at the Pulitzer Hotel.

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