The library at the Library.

January is the slowest of slow seasons in New York. And small wonder. The weather is dreary, days are still dark, and the holiday fizz has gone flat.

In short, it’s the perfect time to come to New York if you’re looking for deals. Tickets to Broadway’s dearest shows, reservations at the city’s hottest restaurants – a snap. And hotels plush and modest roll out their most agreeable rates. If you’re ever longed for a night at the Greenwich, the Crosby Street or the Carlyle without breaking the bank (too much), this is your moment.

Or choose one of the 24 hotels participating in the second annual Hotel Week NYC.  Last year Hotel Week launched with eight participants and Nancy J. Friedman, a well-connected Public Relations firm, organizing things. This year Nancy Friedman is back along with most of last year’s hotels (we miss you, Andaz Wall Street and Z Hotel) and lots of new ones. (more…)

Chef Devesa and the Barclay bees.

In a city known for lavish rooftop amenities, from lounges to pools, the roof of the Intercontinental New York Barclay is neither the tallest nor the chicest. But it’s got buzz.

In June, a fleet of wooden planters arrived, and before long, a small-scale urban garden brimming with herbs, fruit and flowers bloomed atop the roof’s southeast corner (the plants enjoy a spectacular view of the Chrysler building).  And in mid August, the bees swarmed in, housed in four wooden hives, each the size of an old tube TV set and populated by 70,000 to 80,000 tiny bugs.

“We’re looking forward to serving our own honey at our breakfast buffet,” says Serge Devesa, executive chef at the hotel, standing serenely beside a hive. In his white chef’s coat, the French-born chef could be a beekeeper, and the bees steered clear of him. They left me alone, too, though that was probably because, unlike Devesa, I avoided them. (more…)