Ah, the crisp, chill days of December. They may not be here yet, but they’re coming. And with them our thoughts turn to salchows, toe loops and flips – or more realistically, trying to not to belly flop on the ice.
Each winter outdoor rinks sprout up throughout Manhattan. (more…)
Books at the Library Hotel
We love hotel libraries, book-lined havens – or at the very least, a cozy room with a couple of well-stocked shelves – where you can climb into a big, squishy sofa or club chair. Sure, you can byo, but half the fun is discovery – that obscure novel you missed, a travel or photography book you’ve never seen or a Dutch design magazine you didn’t know existed.
Paper rules at hotel libraries. Elsie de Wolfe knew nothing warms up a room like books, and generations of decorators absorbed her edict. (more…)
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…)
With the royal wedding behind us and Mother’s Day straight ahead, we’re in the mood for tea. Afternoon tea with all the trimmings – champagne, anyone? — not just a teabag in a paper cup.
We don’t do afternoon tea at hotels very often. Still, we like knowing it’s there, like Everest – or the Empire State Building. A surprising number of New York hotels do up a proper tea with finger sandwiches, sweets, scones, mounds of clotted cream and leaf-filled pots fit for a queen, a mom – or at the very least, a newly minted duchess. (more…)
Like a glass of ice water on a sweltering day – or a hot fudge sundae any day – a hotel restroom can be a welcome sight. And if said restroom is super-clean, easy to find and flaunts some style, so much the better. We found five hotel restrooms in Times Square that fit the bill as well as two honorable mentions. Keep these in mind when you’re in the area; you’ll thank us. (more…)