Manhattan

East 80th Street, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

The words "indoor waterfall" immediately brought my attention to this townhouse at 170th East 80 Street in Manhattan. After all, those aren't words you hear too often in New York real estate. This 19 century townhouse has been reinvented over the last three years into a modern mansion by Kate Shin, president of WEmi:t LLC. "We have spared no expense to renovate this classic townhouse into a modern home with impeccable design sensibility and unsurpassed amenities," stated Shin. "Over the past three years, we have poured our heart and soul into this project.

The one-of-a-kind 20-foot wide and 22-foot high indoor cascading waterfall, pond and sculpture garden add a calming note to the home which also has an art gallery on the first floor that can be put to private or commercial use (the walls are reinforced and pre-lit to handle art installations). An indulgent 2,300-square-foot private spa lounge pampers with a jacuzzi, spa, sauna, massage room and a 1,000-bottle wine cellar.

The 13,000-square-foot home designed by Toshiko Mori Architects spans five levels. The parlor entertaining level has a grand living room, kitchen, pantry and dining room with a wall of Bendheim glass overlooking the waterfall and reflecting pool below. The third floor master suite includes a powder room, full bath, Dornbracht steam shower, Kohler "tea for two" bathtub, a large library or office in front and a serene bedroom space in the rear. Off the master suite is a grand terrace with planted grass, wood decking, and a skylight looking down onto the waterfall. Floors four, five, and six offer four bedrooms and the roof garden is a planted, green space. This incredible property is listed for $35 million through exclusive broker Paula Del Nunzio of Brown Harris Stevens. All images shown here are renderings.

Gallery: East 80th Street

Tags: estate of the day, manhattan, new york real estate

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New York City Mozzarella Bar Introduces Missing Link

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Nothing beats sitting down with the fresh mozzarella and pasta fare available at Obika, the midtown Manhattan mozzarella bar. Rather than disrupt your perfect city Saturday by scarfing down the heavily tourist fare available within striking distance of the shop's location on E. 56th Street and Madison Avenue, you can amble into the public atrium at the IBM Building and enjoy bufala at its finest.

The only thing missing has been a great glass of wine to accompany it. Well, the good news is that it won't be a problem anymore.

Anthony Fauci, managing partner of Obika's New York location, told me over the weekend that the restaurant has just received its liquor license, and that the libations are flowing. The offering is so new that the wine menu hasn't even been published on the Obika website yet, though Fauci tells me to expect options from Campagnia, Veneto,Tuscany and Puglia, not to mention "a few surprises." For now, the only way to find out is to head over and order a glass with your dish. I'm hoping to get there within the next few days.

Gallery: Obika: Mozzarella Bar in Manhattan

Fresh bufala is flown in three times a week

Even without a chef, the creations are delicious

Tags: food, manhattan, mozzarella, MozzarellaCheese, new york city

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Former Los Angeles Laker Chris Mihm Lists His Manhattan Beach Home

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Sports

In the latest case of sports star real estate, former Los Angeles Laker Chris Mihm is looking to unload his home in the professional-sports-star enclave Manhattan Beach, California. The LA Times reports that Mihm has listed at a loss. The home is for sale for $2.099 million but he bought in 2004 for $2.16 million. Mihm played for the Lakers from 2004 to 2009. He later went to the Memphis Grizzlies before being sidelined by an injury.

The home is a newer Mediterranean, custom built in 2002. It has a 25-foot-high entry which must have been great for the seven-foot-tall basketball player. The five-bedroom home has a large master suite with a separate reading area and a large bathroom with dual sink vanity, separate steam shower and Jacuzzi tub. The remaining four bedrooms upstairs each have full baths, and walk in closets as does downstairs bedroom.

Manhattan Beach is full of homes that are very close together. This one offers a little breathing room with a large lot and a pool and spa in the back yard. Other features include coved ceilings in the formal dining room, a game room and an eat-in kitchen, which opens to a family room. There is a two-car garage as well as a one-car garage, each with separate driveways. This property is listed with Chad Fahlbusch of Northwest Realty, Manhattan Beach.

Gallery: Chris Mihm in Manhattan Beach

Tags: celebrity real estate, los angeles real estate, manhattan, manhattan beach real estate, sports star real estate

Five Ways to Protect Yourself From a Poor Luxury Experience

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

I'm sure you'd love to believe that your concerns are being heard. At an airport, restaurant, hotel or any other place where you're parting with your hard-earned cash, you expect a certain level of service. When you don't get it, you expect management to give a damn. Shocking, I know, but sometimes even this second part doesn't happen.

Gone are the days when even the risk of a customer complaint struck horror in the eyes of a hospitality manager. Close to a decade ago, I emailed a gripe to Kelly's Roast Beef in Massachusetts. Within 24 hours, I had a call from the manager who as horrified, embarrassed and eager to make things right. I didn't care about the free meal offer – in fact, I turned it down twice before giving in – it was the attitude that made the difference. He was genuinely upset that he was losing a single customer, and the prospect of that didn't sit well with him. Now, so many years later, this remains my go-to story about customer service perfection.

Today, that seems to be gone – or at least scarcer. For some restaurants and other hospitality companies, even in the luxury space, it's the belief that a certain amount customer churn is to be expected. Or that brand is irrelevant. Or that intermediaries (such as online booking sites) have made price the motivator, obviating the need for a commitment to customer service excellence. In a recent case for me, at The Mercer Kitchen, in the Mercer Hotel, it was clear that brand was the problem – namely that a cool, upscale spot didn't need to worry about customer satisfaction.

Using this experience, let's take a look at five things you should be wary of when expressing your concerns to a hospitality manager; they indicate that your complaint isn't being handled properly:

Tags: customer satisfaction, customer service, hotel, hotels, manhattan, mercer hotel, new york, new york city, restaurants, service, soho

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Classic Cocktail Recipes from the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (with video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits

Classic cocktail recpioes from the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has reinterpreted authentic cocktail culture for a new generation with a new Classic Cocktail Menu highlighting time-honored libations that are perfect for the upcoming holiday season.

For over 100 years, bartenders in many of the heritage brand's bars and lounges, from The Plaza hotel's Oak Bar (winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers Choice Award for Best Hotel Bar) to The Savoy in London, have helped invent, design, refine and serve drinks that can only be described as classic.

This fall's new menu will be whipped up by the best mixologists in the business, who have been extensively trained in the art of the cocktail. Taking inspiration from many classic cocktail eras, Fairmont's most famous recipes for delicious cocktails across the brand are available online. Expert bartenders have posted photos, tips and tricks for making lip-smacking libations that date from colonial times right up to the present. See the slideshow below for recipes for making your own classic cocktails at home and be sure to check out the video below in which Orlando Rivera, head bartender at The Plaza's Oak Bar talks to Luxist about how classic cocktails have made a comeback.

Gallery: Classic Cocktail Recipes from the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Tags: awards-main, classic cocktails, cocktail recipes, cocktails, entertainment-pedia, luxist-awards, main-pedia, Manhattan, Orlando Rivera, Plaza Hotel, recipes, sidecar, The Savoy

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"Earth Leak": Art Brings Disaster to Manhattan

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

As I walked the aisles of New York's Affordable Art Fair this past weekend, hoping to meet artists who'll someday become the mainstays of the auction scene, a powerful installation stopped me dead in my tracks. Black paint dripped from a white orb, which was suspended above a pile of once-white everyday household items. A milk carton and shoe, among other things, slowly turned black, as did the map of the world upon which they rested. An entanglement of pipes spread out from the dirtying action, and a quiet man sat on the floor beneath one of them, looking content and relaxed.

So, I had to interrupt his piece.

This is how I met Kamol Akhunov, the artist responsible for "Earth Leak". Inspired by the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Akhunov's installation drives home the message that a disaster thousands of miles away can affect our daily lives, as suggested by the black paint falling upon the pile of household goods, as well as the map beneath them.

Gallery: Earth Leak at the Affordable Art Fair

Artist Kamol Akhumov with Earth Leak at the Affordable Art Fair

Tags: affordable art, affordable art fair, affordable artwork, art exhibit, Art Exhibition, art exhibits, art fair, art show, artist, Artists, artwork, gulf of mexico, Gulf of Mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Gulf of Mexico spill, manhattan, new york, new york city, oil, oil spill

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Five Ways to Protect Your Purchases at New York's Affordable Art Fair

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

The Affordable Art Fair starts on September 30, 2010, and it comes with plenty of opportunities to pick up pieces by emerging artists. Featuring works priced from $100 to $10,000, the right choices can turn into astounding art investments down the road. While collectors are drawn to the pieces themselves first, it's hard to overlook the financial appreciation that can occur, especially as the art market claws its way back from financial crisis lows.

What happens if your artwork is damaged? Collectors don't always spend enough time thinking about the financial side of their holdings, and art insurance can be an afterthought. So, it might not be a bad idea to invest a little in protecting your work.

"After taking the time to evaluate a work of art, but before making a purchase, it is important that collectors consider how they are going to protect their investment," said Andrew Gristina, Fine Art Specialist, Travelers Inland Marine. "Most people buy art because of the aesthetic beauty, however, it's also a financial investment, which is why insurance coverage and proper handling should be a consideration with each purchase."

Here are three five steps you can take to protect what you pick up at the Affordable Art Fair (or anywhere else):

Tags: affordable art, affordable art fair, affordable artwork, art, art collecting, art collection, art collector, art fair, art work, artist, Artists, awards-main, decor-pedia, emerging artists, financial crisis, insurance, luxist-awards, main-pedia, manhattan, new york, new york city

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Bufala Break: A Bite at Obika on Madison Avenue

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Toting shopping bags up and down Manhattan's Madison Avenue can become tiring. After wearing out your elbow signing credit card slips, you'll find yourself with a daunting appetite, and you'll want to take care of it without deviating from your upscale excursion. There aren't many dining options, and most will lead you to a side street where the fare is mundane at best -- it's Midtown, after all. You can keep your luxury momentum going without having to trot far from your fashion binge at Obika, a mozzarella bar on the corner of Madison Ave and E. 56th Street.

The setting may strike you as strange -- nobody would expect to find a chic establishment in the IBM building's public atrium. Well, you'll have to suspend disbelief for a moment, because the bufala that awaits you is worth it. Popular with the local business crowd because it's easy to get in and out while still indulging, managing partner Anthony tells me that he sees plenty of visitors to New York come through.

Gallery: Obika: Mozzarella Bar in Manhattan

Tags: cheese, dining, food, madison ave, Madison Avenue, manhattan, mozzarella, MozzarellaCheese, new york, new york city, new york city restaurants, prosciutto

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Louis XIII Holds Court at New York Strip Club

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events

A white hummer pulled up in front of the club, and armed guards were on hand to meet it and escort the passengers. A welcoming committee, of sorts, waited on the red carpet, flanked by me and people like me. The passengers, of course, were a pair of Louis XIII Rare Cask de Remy Martin cognac bottles, and their destination club was the Rick's Cabaret gentleman's club in Manhattan.

Rick's may seem like a strange venue for such a rare spirit. According to Louis XIII senior brand ambassador Remi Brabant, only 786 bottles of the Louis XIII Rare Cask were made, and most will go to private buyers. This is also the case with the 30 bottles allocated to the U.S. market: most will not be featured in clubs. Yet despite these constraints, three bottles were made available to Rick's Cabaret – with the third going to the company's Tootsie's club in Miami.

Frankly, I was a bit surprised that a gentlemen's club would get such a high allocation. Make no mistake: Rick's Cabaret is an upscale establishment, and it provides a luxury service that can get as pricey as you'd like. But, it's just not what you'd expect ... it's not what I'd expect, and I tend to be rather open-minded on these matters. I used to cover Rick's Cabaret and had the pleasure of interviewing the company's CEO, Eric Langan, on several occasions.

Gallery: Louis XIII Rare Cask Remy Martin Arrives in Manhattan

Armed guards greet Louis XIII Rare Cask de Remy Martin

Louis XIII is carried into Rick's Cabaret

The Grand Unveiling of Louis XIII Rare Cask de Remy Martin

Tags: club, clubs, cognac, liquor, louis xiii, louis xiii cognac, manhattan, new york, new york city, remy martin, Ricks Cabaret, strip club, strip clubs, stripper, strippers

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Andaz 5th Avenue Opens July 5

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Back in January we wrote about the soft opening for the Andaz Wall Street. Its sister property, the Andaz 5th Avenue, the second Andaz property in New York and the fifth in the collection, plans to open its doors on July 5, 2010.

The Andaz 5th Avenue takes its design cues from the midtown Manhattan neighborhood. The interiors designed by Tony Chi are meant to be loft-like and reflect the city's century-old apartment residences. The hotel's 485 Fifth Avenue location was once the largest and last of the Rogers, Peet & Co. department stores, later becoming the Tommy Hilfiger global headquarters before its transformation into Andaz 5th Avenue.

Tags: andaz 5th avenue, hyatt, manhattan, new york city, new york hotels

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Absinthe in Manhattan: An Illicit Delight Comes Home

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

There is no shortage of choices when you step up to the bar. An endless array of gins, vodkas, rums and other spirits can almost be intimidating ... yet disturbingly similar. If you want to stand out while sipping and socializing, skip the norm and ask for an absinthe. Edward III, a new product on the market, distinguishes itself in many ways. A clear absinthe – so technically you aren't dancing with la fee verte – it's produced locally, with organic ingredients. And rather than prepare it traditionally, with sugar and water, it can be used as the foundation for a number of unique cocktails, as co-founder Mark Maurice explains.

There's a new spirit in town ... and it's spirited, to say the least.

Gallery: Edward III Absinthe

Tags: absinthe, AbsintheCocktail, liquor, manhattan, new york, new york city

Ferrari Store Opens in New York City

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Having any sort of car in New York City is a luxury in itself for many Manhattanites; having a Ferrari is the ultimate indulgence. That doesn't mean plenty of people don't want a piece of that prancing horse magic. Hence the opening of a new Ferrari Store in midtown Manhattan the other day, next to the Ferrari showroom at Park Avenue and 55th Street. For the opening event Ferrari had a 1959 250 California, 1984 288 GTO, a 458 Italia, a 612 Scaglieti and a 599 GTO on display at the boutique which stocks a wide range of Ferrari clothing and accessories. Designed by Italian architecture and design firm Studio Iosa Ghini, the space is meant to evoke the speed of a Formula One car. A white glass front wall lures passersby with videos and graphic panels, allowing clear views to the entrancing interior.

[via LuxuryLaunches]

Tags: boutique, clothing, Ferrari, Formula One, Manhattan, New York City, Park Avenue, stores

New Manhattan Hotel To Open In August

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

Cassa Hotel and Residences, a dramatic new building in midtown Manhattan will open on August 1. The building was created by architect Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos in collaboration in with CetraRuddy. The striking modern obelisk hosts a 166-room boutique hotel, 57 residences, and the restaurant, 1945, which will open in Fall 2010. The hotel rooms boast a collection of art and fashion books by Rizzoli and Taschen, black leather studded headboards, 42-inch flat-screen televisions, Frette Linens, Angelo Caroli bath amenities and the photography of Irene Mamiye. Dean and DeLuca provides an in-room snack bar. Introductory rates start at $279 based on availability.

Tags: manhattan, new york, new york city, new york city hotel

A St Barths Hotelier does Manhattan

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

I sipped a glass of rum as the plates were cleared. To my left was Christian Langlade, half the husband-and-wife team that owns and runs Hotel Christopher on St. Barthelemy and my host for dinner. After talking about his property, the conversation turned to my hometown, and I was amazed to learn his regular hotel on jaunts up to Manhattan: On the Ave.

I spent several months at On the Ave in 2004, first on consulting assignments during my white collar travel days and then to facilitate my move to New York from Boston. Just the mention of this hotel brought a flood of memories so powerful that I had to put my glass down for a moment.

On the Ave isn't glamorous, but is far better than sufficient – frankly, it was a business traveler's dream. Tucked away on W. 77th St. between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, it's rarely the first choice of visitors looking for access to Times Square or Wall Street. Nonetheless, I fell in love with the property quickly. It offered easy subway access, simple accommodations that I found comfortable for late-night work and, best of all, a sixteenth-floor terrace with a north-facing view.

Tags: hotel, hotels, manhattan, new york, new york city, St Barths, Upper West Side

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Luxury Hotel Package Capitalizes On Birth Tourism

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Given the recent focus on the immigration debate, the question of what it means to be an American is a hot button issue. One New York hotel is offering a luxurious package for expectant mothers looking to give birth in the U.S. and gain citizenship for their child. The concept has been around for a long time but the latest package gives your new baby, a luxury residence on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The Marmara Manhattan, part of a Turkish hospitality chain, is offering a one-bedroom suite accommodation for $5,100, plus taxes, for a month, with airport transfer, baby cradle and a gift set for the mother. The hotel has sold 15 of these packages so far.

Tags: luxury birth package, manhattan, marmara manhattan

Manhattan

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