A never sleeping city @The Algonquin Hotel / New York / USA

Today we feature the good old Algonquin. Great hotel wit a fantastic lobby, just amazing and one of the most legendary ones in New York City.

It has undergone understated changes that have maintained its look and updated the feel of the space. The Algonquin Hotel is a great 5star hotel. The refurbishment of this literary landmark, which opened in 1902 and was home to the famous Algonquin Round Table and the birthplace of the New Yorker magazine, includes upgrades of the historic lobby’s furnishings, the famed Oak Room, Blue Bar, renowned Round Table Room and all suites and guestrooms.

Changes include subtle recessed lighting, new pendant lighting and new furniture in soft fabrics that feature deep hues of hunter green, midnight blue, squash and burgundy. A magnet for legends of stage, film and literature, the lobby was frequented by the likes of the Barrymores, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and William Faulkner (who wrote his 1950 Nobel Prize address in his suite), among many others.  

The work includes a new Yamaha baby grand piano and new speakers in the Oak Room cabaret, which has showcased legendary musical talents such as Harry Connick, Jr., Andrea Marcovicci, Diana Krall and Peter Cincotti.  The Round Table Room restaurant, where Dorothy Parker and her witty companions met, offers new furniture, and new banquettes will line the outer walls creating a more convivial atmosphere.  Restaurant seating will also be extended into the lobby as it was historically.

The guestroom décor has been updated with contemporary colors and fabrics for window treatments, furniture, bedding and carpet.  Also, the artwork gracing the rooms has been reframed, giving a fresh new look while preserving the character of each guestroom and themed suite (including the Vanity Fair Suite, Playbill Suite, Thurber Suite, Wits End Suite, Dorothy Parker Suite and more).  
What was not changed?  The “bones” of the lobby were unchanged. The original and exclusive New Yorker wallpaper, custom-designed by New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff, remains a point of interest to guests as they stroll the corridors.  Also, Matilda, the hotel’s resident cat, continues to roam the lobby and check out incoming guests and visitors from her various vantage points, making friends with guests and making sure to keep solo visitors company while they read or sip a signature Algonquin cocktail in the lobby.  A New York City landmark recently named to the National Trust Historic Hotels of America, the Algonquin Hotel is located in the heart of midtown Manhattan at 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, just steps from Broadway’s Theatres and world-class shopping.  Home to Dorothy Parker’s famous Round Table and birthplace of the New Yorker magazine, the Algonquin Hotel is highly regarded by travelers the world over.

The hotel’s popular Oak Room, which has showcased musical talents such as Harry Connick, Jr., Andrea Marcovicci, Diana Krall and Peter Cincotti, serves dinner and offers cabaret performances Tuesday through Saturday.  The legendary Algonquin Round Table of the 1920s is the inspiration for the current Round Table Room serving traditional American cuisine breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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.

My resto tip:

Per Se in New York hold three Michelin stars, and he is generally regarded as the top resto in America.

Per Se resides on the fourth floor of the smart Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle. Its private dining room has an attractive view over Central Park and seats up to 11 diners ($295 for the nine-course tasting menu; $185 for the five-course tasting menu, available at lunch only).

Per Se is noted for its lengthy, intricate tasting menus of carefully crafted dishes. The service is faultless, the staff supported by a sophisticated system that records guests’ every preference. If a diner is left-handed or has a particular ingredient like or dislike, these details will automatically be taken into account upon the next visit. One couple visited Per Se after dining at French Laundry on their honeymoon, and were taken aback that the waiter at Per Se knew exactly what they had eaten in Napa and had prepared an entirely different set of dishes for this meal.

The restaurant has a famously wide repertoire, but a menu might include “oysters and pearls,” a clever dish of sabayon of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and Sterling White sturgeon caviar, the elements of the dish combining perfectly, prettily served in a Limoges porcelain dish. It might be followed later in the meal by “quail in a jar,” deboned quail with duck foie gras, lettuce and a few drops of 100-year-old balsamic vinegar, offered with toasted brioche. The same care and attention goes into the seafood dishes, such as tender Nova Scotia lobster, served with pea tendrils and sweet carrot emulsion that balance the lobster’s richness. “Coffee and doughnuts,” which consists of intensely flavored coffee semifreddo with steamed milk, paired with a silky cinnamon sugared beignet, makes for a nice finish.

Even over a multicourse menu, the cooking technique never falters: The tightly run kitchen at Per Se produces an unusually consistent standard. The combination of exquisitely crafted food with flawless and discreet service is a winning combination. If you are looking for a sophisticated private dining experience in New York, you will find none better than Per Se.

House & Hotel Magazine likes it, you must try it, ist worth it.