Travel News Blog

New York City: 70 Park Avenue Hotel

70 Park Avenue Hotel, a Kimpton Hotel, brings a distinct approach to design and an intimate style of service, offering a haven of quiet luxury for guests seeking the ambience of their very own Park Avenue pied à terre—a NYC boutique hotel that feels like a second home. Located at 38th and Park Avenue, just steps from Grand Central Station, the midtown Manhattan hotel sets a new standard for comfort and style in New York boutique hotels, inviting guests to "Live Life Well." Check out the "Specials & Packages

The Alex Hotel New York

If you are traveling to New York check out The Alex Hotel. This hotel is a new generation of luxury accommodations in midtown Manhattan. Impeccable guest rooms & suites in a serene and welcoming environment await your arrival. Luxurious limestone baths, rain showers, robes, and towels. Frederic Fekkai bath amenities and a fully equipped fitness center are just a taste of the amenities offered at the Alex Hotel.

Downtown Deluxe – Gild Hall - A Thompson Hotel

Book any two-night or longer stay at Gild Hall, and you'll receive a discount of 15% off the hotel's Best-Available Rate -- an exclusive offer for Perfect Escapes guests. Gild Hall, offers an upscale escape in Downtown Manhattan. Designed with European flare and American style, Gild Hall decor sophisticated, with rich chocolate and red accents. The hotel's guest rooms feature 400-thread-count Sferra linens, flat-screen TVs, iPod docking stations, plus Dean and Deluca gourmet minibars, bathroom amenities by Kiehl's, and oversized Frette robes.

Weekend in the Park – Gramercy Park Hotel

Relax at this Ian Schrager icon with a special weekend rate, from $445 per night Gramercy Park Hotel, New York City plus enjoy WiFi and a complimentary room upgrade. One of the newest masterpiece in Manhattan with its unique pieces of furniture has luxury 185 rooms of accommodations.

Be among the first to experience this groundbreaking hotel, voted to Conde Nast Traveler's 2007 Hot List -- one of just 19 hotels in the United States to earn this coveted award.

New York: Wellington Hotel

The Wellington Hotel is located at 55th Street and 7th Avenue, a block from Broadway and Carnegie Hall. Centrally located in Midtown Manhattan, the Wellington is two blocks from Fifth Avenue and the Theater District, four blocks from Central Park, five blocks from Radio City Music Hall, seven blocks from Rockefeller Center, eight blocks from Times Square, nine blocks from Lincoln Center, two miles from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and United Nations, four miles from Wall Street, and 16 miles from John F. Kennedy International Airport. Rates from $179.00 a night.

The First Pizzeria In America

Do you know where the first Pizzeria in the US started from?  New York was the birthplace of the New York style pizza in 1905. Lombardi's became the first Pizzeria in America, invented from an Italian immigrant Gennaro Lombardi and became the worlds most eaten foods.

ForbesTravel has also voted Lombardi's as one of the best American Pizzerias. If you are ever in New York try and visit Lombardi's the birthplace of the pizza. After 100 years Lombardi's is still one of the best Pizzerias in the country.

Lombardi's

New York: 10 Great Buildings To See

Besides the Empire State Building have you seen all 10 great buildings in New York City? Here is a list from CNN on  10 great buildings you shouldn't miss next time you are in the big city.

"Condé Nast Building: 4 Times Square, Manhattan, by Fox & Fowle Architects, 1996-1999. This 866-foot tall skyscraper in the heart of Times Square is what Bell calls "environmentally correct," with state-of-the-art air quality and energy conservation systems.

Brooklyn Museum: Entry pavilion and plaza, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, by James Stewart Polshek, 2004. The glass and steel circular structure modernized the museum's imposing 19th century Beaux Arts facade while making it inviting and accessible, a suitable centerpiece for Brooklyn's burgeoning hipster art scene.

Prada New York: 575 Broadway, near Prince Street, Manhattan, by Rem Koolhaas, 2001. A wave of zebrawood is the centerpiece of Prada's flagship store, in Soho. "It displays the merchandise, it doesn't sell it," said Bell.

Rose Center for Earth and Space: At the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, Manhattan, by James Stewart Polshek, 2000. This illuminated 87-foot diameter sphere, which appears to be floating in a huge glass cube, houses the Hayden Planetarium and Space Theater.

Apple Store, SoHo: 103 Prince St., Manhattan, by Ronnette Riley and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, 2002, with Apple's creative team, including CEO Steve Jobs and others. If you're looking for the Apple Store on Prince Street, you'll be forgiven for doing a doubletake or maybe even walking right past it. The exterior is a 1920s stone and brick post office, with the original "STATION A" signage above the entrance. The inside is distinguished by clean, white space and an inviting glass staircase to a glass bridge upstairs.

Grand Central Terminal: 42nd Street and Park Avenue, Manhattan, by Reed & Stern and Warren & Wetmore, 1903-1913, restored by Beyer, Blinder & Belle, 1998. The famed train station's Beaux Arts Classical design is known for its arches, clock, constellation ceiling and cathedral windows. The building's beauty was restored in a project completed in 1998, and the corridors were enlivened with exhibition space and interesting places to eat and shop. Free tours ($10 suggested donation) sponsored by the Municipal Arts Society, Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m.; meet at the information booth on the main concourse.

Morgan Library expansion: 33 E. 36th St., at Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, Renzo Piano, 2006. Piano's expansion of the Morgan Library, a 1906 Beaux Arts building designed by McKim, Mead & White, is considered one of his masterpieces, with glass walls linking the old and new.
Chrysler Building: 405 Lexington Ave., at 42nd Street, Manhattan, by William Van Alen, 1930. This building is not as well-known as the Empire State Building, but Bell thinks it should be (even though it doesn't have a public observation deck). It's a phenomenal example of Art Deco architecture that is both elegant and fun, from the distinctive tiered crown, easily picked out from the city skyline, to the enormous gargoyles shaped like radiator caps.

Hearst Tower: 951-969 Eighth Ave., near 56th Street, Manhattan, by Sir Norman Foster, 2004. This 42-story tower was built atop the original six-story home of the Hearst media empire. The diagonal gridwork and see-through glass panels, with no vertical supporting columns, make this sleek design unique in the world.

Seagram Building: 375 Park Ave., near 53rd Street, by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson (design architects) and Kahn & Jacobs (associate architects), 1958. "It was this building that transformed our skyline," said Bell. The building is a perfect glass box, elegantly proportioned and set back 90 feet from the street."

 

The Plaza Hotel In New York Reopening

The legendary Plaza Hotel in New York will reopen March 1, 2008 after a two year remodeling worth $400 million. The hotel will still keep its well known white clove service and it will return with a new contemporary flare.

The Plaza will have 282 guestrooms, along with other amenities such as a "world-class retail collection debuting in late spring 2008" which will include exclusive boutiques, fine food, the Caudalie Spa, Fitness Center, and Warren Tricomi Salon. Rates start at about $735 a night.

Welcome To The Plaza

Hotel Pensylvania New York: Celebrate Your 50th Anniversary For Only $11.00

New York's Hotel Pennsylvania is offering anyone celebrating an anniversary 50 years or more a chance to celebrate with them for the price of $11.00 which is what they charged 50 years  ago.

To be eligible for their golden anniversary special you must proof  that you are celebrating your 50th anniversary or more, stay a minimum of  2 nights one night at their regular price the second night at $11.00.

For more information call the hotel directly at 1-800-223-8585.

Recipe Of The Week-Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies

At The Waldorf Astoria there are restaurants, bars, and lounges from a classic steakhouse and a progressive American brasserie to a multi-starred Japanese restaurant, the food and beverage venues of The Waldorf Astoria entice diners with their creativity and culinary distinction.

Recipe from:The Waldorf Astoria's Executive Chef John Doherty.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHERRY COOKIES

Yield: 12 large cookies
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (preferably Valrhona)
1-1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 ounce unsalted butter
1 ounce crème fraiche
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 medium eggs
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup lightly toasted walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Lightly butter a cookie sheet and set aside.

In a double boiler or a metal bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, melt together the bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, butter and crème fraiche.  Set aside and keep warm.

In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla and espresso powder, whisking together to dissolve the espresso.  Stir this into the warm chocolate mixture and set aside in a warm place, being careful not to let it set.

In a medium sized metal bowl, whisk together the eggs, dark brown sugar and granulated sugar.  Place the bowl over a large sauce pan of simmering water and whisk the mixture constantly until it is warm.  Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until the mixture is pale, 4-5 minutes.  Fold the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, and stir the sifted mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir in the chocolate chips, toasted walnuts and dried cherries.

Using a size 16 ice cream scoop (available at most kitchen supply shops), or 1/3 cup, scoop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet.

Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 9-12 minutes, being careful not to over bake.  These cookies are best served the same day they are baked.