Upper West Side

A St Barths Hotelier does Manhattan

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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Artist Michael Varley at 25CPW

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

I snuck a peak into 25CPW over the weekend while taking my son for walk down Central Park West. Having been jammed for the past few weeks, I'd lost track of what's been passing through the unique gallery space on the Upper West Side. So, it was nice to have a chance to catch even a glimpse of the latest collection.

The action inside the art gallery caught my eye. New pieces were hanging, and gallery executive director Bess Greenberg was moving through the pace with a purpose, and a man I hadn't seen before wielded a paint roller at the end of a long handle. Not wanting to give up the perfect day, I pushed the stroller forward and back toward Central Park, but the curiosity stayed with me.

It turns out the new show contains selected works by Michael Varley and is on display until May 5, 2010. It can be viewed only by appointment, and the work is certainly interesting. Don't worry, there are more events coming.

Tags: art galleries, Art Gallery, artist, Artists, central park, central park west, manhattan, new york, new york city, Upper West Side

Afghan Refugees to Benefit from 25CPW Art Auction

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Charity, Video

The action at 25CPW has been nonstop. Following its successful show last week, featuring the artwork of guards from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the temporary art gallery on Manhattan's Upper West Side hosted a silent auction featuring the original creations of Afghan women and children. Several thousand dollars were raised at the event, which was organized by 25CPW guru Bess Greenberg and Brianne Leary, the driving force behind Saving Afghanistan and journalist who covered the Soviet/Afghan conflict through the 1980s. The financial result, says Leary, addresses an immediate need for specific refugees in transition.

The prices at the one-night auction were purposefully kept accessible, given the prevailing economic climate, says Leary, and the event was well-attended. Get the full story directly from Leary in the video below.

Gallery: Afghan Art Auction: A night of art, food and music @ 25CPW

Tags: 25cpw, afghanistan, art galleries, Art Gallery, artist, Artists, artwork, charity auction, manhattan, new york, new york city, Upper West Side

Met Museum's Guards Show Don't Just Watch: They Paint, Too

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Charity

The Upper West Side of Manhattan was once again home to an exciting and unique art exhibition last week. 25CPW, a temporary art gallery occupying a vacant retail space on Central Park West hosted an art show for a unique group within the Metropolitan Museum of Art: the guards. It turns out that some of the people protecting the masterpieces on the other side of Central Park also like to create, and from what I saw on Thursday night, when I attended the opening, they are pretty damned good at it.

The Thursday night opening also included the launch of Sw!pe Magazine: Guards' Matter, an art journal that accompanied the exhibition.

On display were paintings, drawings, photographs and other pieces. The styles varied but were displayed intelligently, preventing contrasting styles from crowding each other and leaving each artist enough space for his work to stand out. Nelson Diaz, an artist and friend who attended the how with me, was as electrified as I was – both by the works on display and the energy in the 25CPW space.

You can view the NY Times photo gallery here.

The next 25CPW event is on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 night at 6:00 PM, when the Afghan Art Auction will be held to benefit the George Dritsas Anthropos Fund. The fund was created to help refugees in transition, so do find a way to open your wallet. The money raised will also be used to help the Afghan Women Council, which seeks to assist women and children inside Afghanistan.

From the inaugural event at 25CPW:

Gallery: 10 from 25: Emerging Artists using Photography

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Tags: art exhibit, art exhibits, art galleries, Art Gallery, art show, central park, central park west, drawing, drawings, manhattan, metropolitan, MetropolitanMuseumOfArt, new york, new york city, painting, paintings, Upper West Side

25CPW: Artists Turn Empty Upper West Side Space into Den of the Aesthetic

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Ten artists found a way to make vacant commercial space incredibly exciting. I wandered by 25 Central Park West on a walk in my neighborhood a few days ago and saw artists inside. They were hard at work cleaning, preparing and hanging their pieces. Tapping on the window was one of my smartest moves this week. By doing so, I learned of a new exhibition, which opened Wednesday night. The show, 10 from 25: Emerging Artists using Photography, is set to run through December 13, 2009. It includes flat art and video, bringing to life an empty space in a part of Manhattan generally forgotten by the art community.

The artists, including Bess Greenberg, who gave me a tour of the space as she and the other artists prepared for opening night, have created an integrated show that doesn't sacrifice the message of each of the participants. So, in addition to a group exhibition, visitors are treated to 10 individual efforts, in which one can appreciate a specific style without having to cope with the intrusion of other pieces on his experience.

Gallery: 10 from 25: Emerging Artists using Photography

Tags: art, art exhibit, art exhibits, art show, ArtExhibit, ArtExhibits, Artists, ArtShow, artwork, central park west, CentralParkWest, manhattan, new york, new york city, NewYork, NewYorkCity, photographic art, PhotographicArt, photographs, photography, Upper West Side, UpperWestSide

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Tina Fey's Fancy New Apartment

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Actress and writer Tina Fey and her husband Jeff Richmond have picked up a swanky new co-op on New York City's Upper West Side apartment. Cityfile reports that they have bought in at 300 West End Avenue choosing a fourth-floor apartment that includes four bedrooms, an eat-in kitchen, library and a living room with wood-burning fireplace.The pair got a deal on the home. It was listed at $4.1 million but the couple paid just $3.4 million.

As the Real Estalker notes, they also own an apartment at 500 West End Avenue that they bought in 2005 for $1.9 million and a small 659 square foot place on W. 85th Street they picked up in 2006 for $550,000 to use as an office.

Gallery: Tina Fey's New Apartment

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Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, co-op, new york city, NewYorkCity, tina fey, TinaFey, upper west side, UpperWestSide

NYC's Glamorous New Empire Hotel

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

All phases of Manhattan's glamorous, newly-restored Empire Hotel are now complete with the opening of Jeffrey Chodorow's chic new Center Cut restaurant. The red brick structure adjacent to Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side originally opened on December 5th, 1923 and was a hotspot from the Roaring '20s through the Swinging '60s. One of the highlights of the redesigned Empire is the luxe rooftoop pool and deck where the huge Hotel Empire neon sign, one of the oldest in the U.S., casts a warm red glow over everything.

The warm, glowing lobby and lobby bar have a retro Old Hollywood feel; it and the rooms and suites are designed with a nod to the hotel's history, but are thoroughly modern and luxurious. Center Cut features restored woods, the space's original terrazzo floors and sweeping curtains, while the menu is an eco-friendly take on steakhouse classics. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: The Empire Hotel