No city anywhere fuels grand imagination, inspiration, inventiveness and inexhaustible chutzpah quite like the Big Apple, heralds New York Chic, a sumptuous book recently released by luxury publisher Assouline. Its writer Armand Limnander—who was born and raised in Colombia, spent summers avec family in France and has been a devoted New Yorker for more than two decades—dives into the bountiful fascinations of this inimitable mega-metropolis: “Paris is the capital of France. London the capital of England. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, and Beijing the capital of China. New York, on the other hand, is not the capital of the United States—but it is, unquestionably, the capital of the world. No other city can even come close to claiming that title.”
This hefty hardcover (10-by-13-inches, 312-pages) brims with engaging, enlightening photographs by stellar Oliver Pilcher, who delivers a visual feast. Creative direction by Thaddeus O’Neil adds to this triumvirate of bright-light pros. “I love New York and instinctively know what makes it chic,” Limnander explains. “But the more I tried to put this feeling into words, the more complicated things became. Isn’t chic supposed to be all about beauty, structure and elegance? At first glance, New York has little by way of rigor or formality; if anything, it operates like an impromptu ballet of barely controlled chaos. There is, to be sure, incredible sophistication here, but that’s not the first impression you get when you walk down the street. What then, I wondered, is the true essence of New York chic? I thought about how the city is made up of people from all over America and every other country in the world; about its mix of ideas and cultures, which I have always found so seductive; and about its spirit of optimism and opportunity.”
With deft-landing leaps, Limnander and Pilcher unfurl eye-opening text and images that focus on emotions and intimacies, cherished warmth and oh-so-cool vibe. Presented in New York Chic are varied neighborhoods, communities, gatherings, goings-on and folks. Observe a slice of who’s who and what’s what. Be buoyed to open your heart to New York’s soul. Shift your attention to the doers, dreamers, darers—and helpers. Peer inside revealing rooms of visionaries: artist José Parlá’s Brooklyn studio, hung with outsize color-rich paintings; fashion and interior home designer Lisa Perry’s serene penthouse on Sutton Place South, along the East River; fashion designer Zaldy Goco’s tactile studio in the Financial District; owner Jean-Marc Houmard’s celeb-magnet Indochine restaurant in Soho. Staring behind these and other oft-hidden doors is an intriguing, horizon-broadening kind of voyeurism.
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Booking.com and Warner Bros. Pictures have this week announced a new collaboration to celebrate the holidays and the debut of Wonka (in theatres December 15). The limited-time collaboration comes in the form of two sugar-coated stays at Wonka’s Sweet Suites in both New York and Los Angeles.
At this time of year, hotels all over the world feature unusual amenities. But this one in New York City is a great way to get in some meditation and creativity while you test out your artistic skills. And get a great holiday gift – for yourself.
If you ever fantasized about sailing on the original Queen Mary, and partake of the food from another era…well, you can, sort of, return to those meals of yesteryear.
Fiona Khuong-Huu, 16, is a pre-college student at The Julliard School and a guest artist and violinist who is part of the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts. The series is geared for children ages six and older and is a fantastic, fun way to introduce a younger generation to the world of classical music.
The gothic revival style hotel is within walking distance from the United Nations headquarters and the grand central train station. The hotel is also within range of notable New York landmarks such as the empire state building and the modern museum of art.
The holiday season is a magical time to visit New York City. While Rockefeller Center is a must-see, thanks to its famous Christmas tree and ice skating rink, Manhattan has many other spots for taking in holiday lights and festivities.
Authorities suspended international flights at one airport and closed four bridges between the U.S. and Canada in the Niagara Falls area following an incident where a vehicle crashed and exploded on impact on the Rainbow Bridge.
The Mandarin Oriental, New York is an ideal choice for travelers who want to enjoy a city escape—one that couples the best of bustling Manhattan with the luxury of a cocoon-like pied-ȧ-terre elevated high above the ground.
Tigre It’s unusual to hear a rum based cocktail described as “joyful pain” but that happens at Tigre, the intimate, retro chic bar that opened this week on New York’s Lower East Side. The reason for this description is the rum, or rather rums, in the recommended cocktail Airmail composed of champagne and three symbiotic rums from Martinique, Venezuela and Haiti, countries in a region in which slavery played a part in their production. The social history detailed by the maître d’ is, obviously, painful but the cocktail itself is delicious, a choice on the “then” section reinventing classics of the six part menu. (Their screwdriver also has eight types of citrus including three types of orange.) Creative concoctions such as Mister Softee with Singani, sage and pina appear in the “Now” section and martini fans can dictate exact specifications with a ratio of 4:1 to 16:1 among other options.