NY City – Contributed by Jens Hoffmann
House & Hotel Magazine features one of New York City’s nicest hotels: The Plaza Athénée.
We felt like a proper New Yorker wandering the tree-lined streets surrounding the Plaza Athénée. Comfortably ensconced amid the grand townhouses and luxury boutiques of the Upper East Side, this “Sex and the City” dream hotel (its Bar lounge was featured in one episode!!) oozes the kind of warmth that comes with such a Manhattan location.
A twinkling nighttime skyline provides the backdrop for some of the suites’ wraparound atrium terrace. At the Plaza Athénée, you’re just blocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, the Whitney and the Frick Collection.
For guests who prefer fine clothing to fine art, you’re even closer to Barneys, Bloomingdale’s and Bergdorf Goodman — not to mention the Madison Avenue outposts of Valentino, Prada and every other premium designer worth naming and it is not to far away from East Village, Soho.
The Plaza Athénée is regularly cited as one of the finest hotels in the world. It has 142 rooms, 25 are suites with hardwood floors and full kitchenettes. Several suites have dining rooms for spontaneous dinner parties or outdoor balconies with expansive cityscape views. There’s a great 24-hour concierge, friendly 24-hour room service and twice-daily housekeeping service.
Exquisite rugs and pieces of art, classic but comfortable furnishings and views of the Manhattan skyline all add up to a world-class stay.
Our restaurant tip: At “Arabelle”, the hotel’s modern American restaurant, you will get nice food and a bit of fine dining experience; diners under the domed ceiling, amid Murano glass.
Sunday brunch offerings include steamed lobster, chilled shrimp plus a huge dessert buffet.
Its worth it. There are more famous hotels in New York — but few offer this level of boutique elegance and personal pampering.
I love New York.
My personal highlight:
High Line New York City (the green part)
The High Line is a linear public park in New York City. It was built on a section of a former elevated railroad line in in lower Manhattan and not only boasts stunning architecture and a rich plant life but also cultural attractions. But probably you have already heard about it, which is why I think it might be one of the most successful urban projects in recent years.
In fact, there are at least three aspects about the High Line that make it a ‘High Line’ for contemporary urbanism:
In 1999, two residents of lower Manhattan formed the non-profit ‘Frieds of the High Line’. The aim was to preserve the structure and to possibly reuse it as public open space. Five years later, after the project had gained a broad community support, city funding for the redevelopment arrived. In times of rising participation of locals in urban planning, the High Line hence seems to be a prime example for a successful grassroots movement. The High Line park has been generating a strong real estate development in the areas along the former railroad tracks.
We enjoyed it.
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