New York isn’t Amsterdam. But since 1993, the addition of 100 miles of greenway paths has changed life for bike lovers. We wouldn’t recommend plowing into midtown traffic unless you’re Tour de France fit  – or a bike messenger. But the city’s growing network of bike lanes offers savvy riders a fun, pollution-free way to get from Point A to Point B and take in the sights that whirl by.

These five properties (plus bonus mentions) lead the growing band of hotels that house bikes to lend or rent to guests. (Condolences to the Hotel Gansevoort Meatpacking District, whose fleet of Puma bikes was stolen and, as of this writing, has not been replaced). (more…)

Q. I know New York in August is no picnic, but that’s when I can come in from Baltimore for a three-night weekend. (Baltimore in August is not so great, either.) I don’t want to break the bank, but I’d like a hip hotel with some style. Since I always stay in midtown when I come in for work, I want to be downtown this time.  Any ideas? (more…)

Le Parker Meridien on display.

For a short time, you can see Le Parker Meridien as it hasn’t been seen in years. Or to put it another way, the south side of West 57^th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues looks like a wide smile with a tooth missing.

The missing tooth is the sturdy, 12-story brick structure, long home to the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, that occupied the spot next to the hotel’s arcade entrance for more than a century, far longer than the 30-year-old Parker Meridien. But 1903 buildings, even ones with updated street-level facades, tend to be too short for 21^st century tastes, and in 2007 it was sold.

Its demise elicited protests from preservationists, (more…)

Classic Mai Tai.

When we strolled into the Two E Bar at the Pierre, a glamorous, windowless, black-and-white lounge with silk throw pillows on the banquettes, we never dreamed we’d wind up with a dark orange drink sporting an orchid and a paper umbrella. But atop our black-lacquered cocktail table stood a flier announcing the Two E Tiki Festival.

Among the seven selections priced at $14: Polynesian Fashion (Mount Gay Rum, brown sugar syrup, bitters, kumquats and raspberries) and Island Hopper (light rum, lychee syrup, white cranberry juice, cantaloupe and orange bitters).  Sugar shock anyone?

The bar offers a permanent menu of drinks more easily identified with its sleek Upper East Side surroundings, like gin martinis and sidecars. (more…)

It’s July 14, and ten days after celebrating the red, white and blue, we cheer the blue, white and red. Where to go if you’re feeling French today and can’t make it to the President’s garden party at the Palais de Elysee?

Flowers at Sofitel

Sofitel New York seems an obvious choice (the world knows about its French connections). And it doesn’t disappoint. At Gaby, the hotel’s French-inflected restaurant named for one Gabrielle Chanel, live music by a French Canadian band plays from 5 pm to 9 pm. The chef has prepared a special amuse bouche featuring cheeses and prociutto. And Ricard, the anise flavored liquor that’s a French national drink, flows, if not freely, then at a special price — $5 straight, $7 Ricard cocktails. (Created in 1932 in Marseille by Paul Ricard, it’s blended from Chinese star anise, Syrian licorice and herbs from Provence.) (more…)

Yotel's check-in computers.

The massive, inquisition-style check-in desk, once as basic to hotels as beds, pillows and running water, occupies a spot high on the endangered amenity list. But so, in some cases, do check-in staff members.

First came hotels like the Fitzpatrick Manhattan, where guests are seated at a small table opposite a staff member. Call it check-in as tete-a-tete, where conversation ensues and amenities are explained before the guest rises and heads for the room. (more…)

The "70s Manhattan."

Sounds like a riff on Long Island Iced Tea, ie mix ½ ounce of everything. But instead of a single drink we’re discussing one from each decade from the 1920s through the 1990s.

This summer the bar at the Barclay Intercontinental New York is serving up a Decades Cocktail Hour, weekdays from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Mondays celebrate the 1920s (Sidecar) and 1930s (French 75). Tuesdays relive the 1940s (Bellini) and 1950s (Harvey Wallbanger). Wednesday, the 1960s, is Vodka Martini night. (more…)

Pretty in pink.

We love hotel freebies, the kind you get when you walk through the door. A great looking lobby generously appointed with sofas and chairs? Check. Stylish lobby restrooms you can find without asking? Double check.

Fresh flowers? Pre-recession nearly every better hotel had them. But big, boisterous bouquets aren’t as ubiquitous as they once were, and we understand.  Some hotels dress their lobbies in hearty greens or small trees. Orchids, no fuss, no muss, are popular. And occasionally, exuberant blooms appear. They’re attention-grabbers. We had to stand in line and wait our turn to photograph this table tableau at the Plaza. Gorgeous (but what a shame there’s no place to sit, check your e-mail if you like and admire them).

Highlands Margarita.

It sounds like a mixed metaphor, but no, we’re talking mixed drinks – one of the coolest drinks we’ve had this summer. This refreshing concoction, served salt-free, combines Patron Silver Tequila, Cointreau, Chambord and fresh raspberries in a tall, ice-cubed glass ($14). It tastes as summery as the Fourth of July. It looks great, too – one of those hot weather drinks that helps lower the temperature by its mere appearance.

But a big part of the Highlands Margarita’s appeal is its backdrop. Situated several miles south of Carmel, California, where Overnight New York overnighted this week, the Carmel Highlands is an unincorporated town, population 800ish, (more…)