central park

Russian Billionaire Andrey Melnichenko Buys $12 Million Central Park Pad

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, owner of the eye-popping $300 million megayacht 'A' (above) designed by Philippe Starck, has splashed out $12.2 million on a penthouse pied-à-terre in Central Park. It's the first New York property for Melnichenko, at 38 one of the world's youngest billionaires, and his model wife Aleksandra, the Wall St. Journal reports, added to a real estate portfolio that includes apartments and estates in Moscow, France and the U.K. The 2,800-sq.-ft., two-bedroom duplex has two balconies, a terrace facing Central Park, and an entrance gallery with 24-foot ceilings. As we reported back in January Melnichenko, who amassed a $4.4 billion fortune in fertilizer and banking, entertained Martha Stewart, Demi Moore and Aston Kutcher on his yacht in St. Barth's over New Year's during Roman Abramovich's bash.

Tags: Andrey Melnichenko, billionaire, Central Park, mega+yacht, megayacht, New York, oligarch, penthouse, Philippe Starck, real estate, Roman Abramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires, superyacht, wealth, yacht

The Classicist: Celebrating the Season in Style with Range Rover at Wheatleigh

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wine, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

Click above for high-res image gallery. Photos exclusive to Luxist.

Winter can be a long, cold interlude verging on a test of endurance in the Northeast, and it's all too easy to get bogged down by the doldrums. Plenty of people either hibernate by their hearths or hit the beach until the mercury makes its ascent, but there are myriad ways to keep warm with style, verve and panache. We recently gathered some of our favorite accessories of the season at Wheatleigh, the majestic mansion-turned-luxury hotel in the heart of the Berkshires' winter wonderland. Getting us there in style and comfort through anything the weather cared to concoct was the 2011 Range Rover Sport, a luxurious way to see the landscape safe in the knowledge that the elements have met their match. The pedigreed SUV's smooth, refined, performance and rugged good looks mark it as a thoroughbred in all respects, a suitably stylish conveyance for arriving at a desirable destination like Wheatleigh. And we had the great new Olympus PEN E-PL1 compact, versatile digital camera on hand to record it all for your vicarious enjoyment.

Wheatleigh, located in Lenox, Mass. next door to Edith Wharton's famed country manor The Mount, is a grand estate based on a 16th century Florentine palazzo built in 1893 by New York financier Henry H. Cook for his daughter who married a Spanish count. Many of the materials and over 150 artisans were brought from Italy to produce intricate carvings and design flourishes for the grand interiors and facades. Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed Central Park in New York, was responsible for creating "Wheatleigh Park" on the land surrounding the palazzo. Following a four year multimillion dollar renovation it was transformed into one of the most unique luxurious small hotels in the world. The nineteen suites, guest rooms and baths artfully combine antiques and custom furnishings with original museum quality contemporary art. The baths are finished with English limestone, marble and hand-blown glass fixtures, and most rooms feature fireplaces and Bang & Olufsen TVs. Check out the gallery to see the perfect accoutrements for a stylish seasonal sojourn – from books to watches, champagne to cashmere sweaters, and boots to bags – no matter where your journey takes you.

Gallery: Range Rover at Wheatleigh Dec. 2010

Graf & Lantz wool felt Boat Bag, personalized Tumi Alpha wheeled case.

Tumi Alpha case; Dom Perignon Tribute to Andy Warhol edition; Private Stock jeans; Graf & Lantz Quiver wine carrier w/ Robert Mo

Tags: Bang Olufsen, Berkshires, Brooks Brothers, Central Park, champagne, Dom Perignon, Edith Wharton, estates, Frederick Law Olmsted, gardens, Holiday 2010, L.L. Bean, Lenox, luggage, luxury hote, mansion, Massachusetts, mens style, New England, Olympus, Olympus PEN E-PL1, palazzo, Persol, Ralph Lauren, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, spirits, stolichnaya, sunglasses, SUV, teNeues, The Mount, Tumi, vodka, Wheatleigh, winter

RSVIP: Taste of Summer Benefit in Central Park

by Jeffrey Slonim (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

On a balmy evening, Wednesday, June 2, 2010, a white tent with multiple peaks sprawls out next to the bandshell in New York's Central Park. Inside, rows of stations manned by chefs, their well-known names inscribed on their kitchen whites, dole out amuse-bouche and larger bites.

Well-heeled guests generously shelled out $350 ($400 at the door) for the endless banquet, as the proceeds benefit New York's beloved Central Park. In stilettos, reed-thin social Somers White Farkas towers next to a dance floor where her pal Muffy Potter Aston mixes it up to Michael Jackson's "ABC."

"We'll raise over $600,000," says Gillian Miniter, president of the Central Park Conservancy Women's Committee. Miniter sports a dress by designer Lela Rose, Manolo shoes, and jewelry by Fulco di Verdura, an Italian duke favored by Coco Chanel. "All of it goes directly to the park," she says. "The conservancy provides 85 percent of the [$26-million] budget for the park each year."

At station 19, Austrian chef Marcus Glocker of Gordon Ramsay at the London NYC tells Luxist that he met the Brit TV foodie when he was 19 years old. "I knocked on his door to get a job in London," says Glock while spraying white foam into plastic cups from a silver canister to prepare white chocolate ganache, coconut foam, and fresh mango. "The yogurt powder in the chocolate makes it a bit tangy, very airy, no dairy, nice and light," he says. And does Ramsey, famous for knocking everyone in the kitchen down to size, wreak havoc when he visits New York? "He checks flavors," says Glock, who claims that no f-bombs are dropped. "He just mentions a few nuances."

Tags: blt market, central park, central park boathouse, central park conservancy, new york city, Palm Court, red eye grill, rsvip, serendipity 3, taste of summer, telepan

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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

New York City Will Keep Rights To Tavern On The Green Name

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

The restaurant has been closed, the furnishings have been sold off but Tavern on the Green still lives on in the hearts and minds of many New York City diners. Now a judge has decided that the city can keep the "Tavern on the Green" name. The AP reports that U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum ruled that city and not the debt holders of the bankrupt restaurant has the rights to the name. The name itself has been valued at $19 million. A three-day sale by Guernsey's auction house in January offered more than 25,000 auction items with values anywhere from $100 to $1.2 million, the proceeds of which went toward erasing the prior owner's $8 million debt.

The judge said that because the city had licensed the facility and had a hand in how the restaurant was run, including regulating the hours and manners of operation, it was the owner of the name. Last summer the city awarded the license to restaurateur Dean Poll who plans to open in the spring after spending $25 million on refurbishments. Last year, Restaurants and Institutions placed Tavern on the Green second in their list of the 100 highest grossing independent restaurants in the U.S. with 2008 sales of over $34 million.

Tags: central park, new york, new york city, new york restaurants, tavern on the green

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

Must-Haves from the Tavern on the Green Auction

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Sadly, iconic New York restaurant Tavern on the Green has shut its doors for good. The owners filed for bankruptcy and next week auction house Guernsey's will be selling the Central Park restaurant's glitzy contents to the highest bidder (including the entrance tent, above) during a three-day auction.

This Wednesday potential bidders began previewing the goods and will continue to every day from now until Tuesday, from noon until 8 p.m. The auction begins Wednesday, Jan. 13 although some items can be bid on early online.

With more than 25,000 auction items - the front-entrance sign and Baccarat-crystal chandeliers alike - and values anywhere from $100 to $1.2 million, bidders are likely to need a little guidance. That's why we consulted New York antiques appraiser Helaine Fendelman to see what items are worth bidding on and what's just kitsch.

A long-time New Yorker, Fendelman calls dining at Tavern a "quintessential New York experience." But she says, memorabilia from the restaurant will only hold its value if the restaurant's name continues to be recognizable.

Brand-name items are safe bets, she says. "A Waterford chandelier will retain its value and it will have the added cache of being from Tavern on the Green."

As for Tavern memorabilia, Fendelman advises picking "the iconic items that are identified with the restaurant" and always get a letter of authenticity from the auction house. She also says to beware of items that are common. If there are too many of a certain item, like the place settings, for example, they won't be worth anything. Also stay away from items that have been reproduced often. "Collectors shy away from things that have been imitated over and over again."

See the slide show below for 25 must-have picks. Then see and bid on the full list of auction items here.

Gallery: Tavern on the Green Auction Items

32-Light George III-Style Waterford Chandelier

Tags: central park, CentralPark, guernseys, new york, new york restaurants, NewYork, NewYorkRestaurants, tavern on the green, tavern on the green auction, TavernOnTheGreen, TavernOnTheGreenAuction

Partagas to Award Greatest Home Cigar Spot

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

When I fire up a cigar, I'm relegated to the front stoop or the benches over on Central Park West. Many people with basements wind up converting them to makeshift home cigar lounges ... with varying degrees of effort. As a result, what should be an incredibly relaxed, enjoyable experience is tainted by a substandard environment. So, Partagas has decided to raise the bar for cigar smokers across the country.

The Dominican cigar manufacturer will award $10,000 to the cigar smoker who needs it most – to create the "ultimate Partagas Cigar Cave. Do you have ideas? Put them together. If you can demonstrate that you need a pimped out cigar space most, Partagas will deliver.

Implied, of course, is that you need to have somewhere to put it. That leaves me out of the running before it gets started, but I wish all who enter the best of luck.

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Tags: central park, central park west, CentralPark, CentralParkWest, cigar, cigar lounge, CigarLounge, cigars

Cigar Smokers and the Fight for Public Places

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

The weather is getting warmer, and restaurants in cities across the United States are stretching out onto sidewalks. Why not bring a touch of Europe across the Atlantic and enjoy the fresh air? Well, for some, fresh air is what's at issue. Smokers, after spending a winter enduring the elements, are happy to enjoy a bit of comfort. With most cities passing smoking bans, outside has become the last option for a lot of us, and outdoor dining almost always leads to ill will.

I was out on my front stoop a few nights ago, cigar in hand – as I've done for the past two years at this location. Customers at Bistro Cassis, a few doors down, complained loudly and in shrill voices, "You can't do that! It's blowing right at us!" Well, I reminded her, it's a public place, and I can do what I want. I continued to enjoy my cigar, though I moved back a little bit, so the building would provide some cover. Routinely, staff at the restaurant has been unnecessarily rude, perhaps in an attempt to show some advocacy for guests. Routinely, the staff fails.

Had she asked nicely, of course, I would have gladly relocated to the benches on Central Park West, a block away. Most cigar smokers seem to share this attitude. Ask nicely, and we'll accommodate the best we can. Demands and rude tones tend not to yield the desired results.

Smoking bans are an easy target for cigar smokers (and, for that matter cigarette smokers), and I admit, our community gripes about them a bit too much. We're past the point of being productive, and dwelling on the injustice feels like a waste of time. The fight for outdoor spaces, however, is a very real outcome of the prohibition on indoor smoking. Without locations where we can partake of our chosen luxury, we're forced outside. Though the laws vary, most do not prohibit smoking on sidewalks. So, that's where we go, disrupting dining experiences as a result.

Tags: central park, centralpark, cigar, cigars, manhattan, new york, new york city, new york city marathon, NewYork, NewYorkCity, restaurant, restaurants, smoke, smoker, smokers, smoking, smoking ban, SmokingBan

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Bidders Check Out Tavern On The Green

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Tavern on the Green in New York City's Central Park may have been the second highest grossing restaurant in the U.S. last year but that doesn't make it immune to sale. On Tuesday, potential bidders for Tavern on the Green's operating license took the third of three fact-gathering tours. The restaurant's operating license expires December 31 but interested parties only have until May 18 to submit proposals and $50,000 bid deposits to compete for the license.

The 25,000-square-foot restaurant in Central Park has been a tourist draw for decades. One thing that doesn't come with the license to operate the restaurant is its famous name. The name has been owned by the LeRoy family since 1973. Restaurateur Warner LeRoy took over the restaurant's lease in 1974 but the first incarnation of Tavern on the Green as a restaurant dates back to 1934 when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia opened the restaurant with a brass key. Le Roy reopened the restaurant in 1976 after $10 million in renovations. Since LeRoy's death in 2001, it has been managed by his daughter, Jennifer Oz LeRoy. The NY Times reports that Michael Desiderio, Tavern's chief operating officer, said last month that the name "Tavern on the Green" had been appraised at $19 million.

Parks officials are planning to select the winner of the license by July. While the restaurant brings in millions of dollars each year it also has substantial overhead and that could increase. The Times says that under the terms of its current license, the LeRoy family is required to pay 3.5 percent of its gross receipts to the city but more recent licenses for other businesses often demand a larger percentage. The restaurant also could use a bit of refreshing. But for potential bidders the promise of a restaurant that is a guaranteed draw is pretty alluring.

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Tags: central park, CentralPark, new york city, NewYorkCity, tavern on the green, TavernOnTheGreen

Tour Central Park With An Expert Guide

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

For those who really want to get to know New York City's Central Park there could perhaps be no better tour guide than the park's official photographer and historian, Sara Cedar Miller who is also the author of "Central Park, an American Masterpiece". The Hotel Plaza Athenee, New York has created a partnership with the Central Park Conservancy to offer a private, custom tour of Central Park led by Sara Cedar Miller.

The tour will take place in a hybrid Toyota Highlander and each tour will be customized to the guest's interests and can include visits to Shakespeare Garden and Turtle Pond, the North Woods, Conservatory Garden, and other areas.

Each tour package includes a guestroom at the Hotel Plaza Athenee, a tour of Central Park and a signed copy of Sara's acclaimed book, "Central Park, an American Masterpiece". 100% of the proceeds from the tour portion of this package are turned over to the Conservancy to restore and manage the Park.

Tour package rates start at $990 for a midweek tour depending on the time of year. Three hour tours are available on the weekends. A four-week advance purchase reservation is recommended.

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Tags: central park, CentralPark, new york city, NewYorkCity, plaza athenee, PlazaAthenee, spring vacation, SpringVacation

Chanel Pulls the Plug on Mobile Art Exhibition

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Chanel has decided to pull the plug on its avant-garde and attention-getting but extremely costly Mobile Art Pavilion exhibition due to the economic crisis. In October my colleague Tracy Chait reported on the Pavilion's installation in New York's Central Park. Designed by starchitect Zaha Hadid in collaboration with Chanel kingpin Karl Lagerfeld, the high-tech Pavilion (above) is full of self-serving if stylish art inspired by Chanel's iconic quilted handbag. For the Central Park installation alone Chanel paid $400,000 for the space plus a charitable donation. Originating in Hong Kong, it traveled to Tokyo before landing in NYC and was scheduled to continue on to London, Moscow and Paris. Chanel reps cited a "refocusing of investments" in deciding to bring the tour to a premature end.

Tags: Central Park, CentralPark, Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, KarlLagerfeld, then and now, ThenAndNow, Zaha Hadid, ZahaHadid

Zaha Hadid's Chanel Pavilion Lands in Central Park

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Yesterday Zaha Hadid's Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion made its way to Central Park, the latest stop on its whirlwind world tour. The curled shiny structure is full of art inspired by Chanel's iconic 2.55 handbag -- pieces like an enormous Chanel handbag spilled over. The work has drawn criticism for its cluelessness, and its place in the Park, which the New York Times calls an "instrument of psychological healing for the weary." Apparently Chanel's little interlocking Cs don't have quite the same calming effect, even when they're wrapped up in Hadid's creativity.

Chanel paid $400,000 to rent space in the park, and has additionally made a donation to the Central Park Conservancy.

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Tags: architecture, central park, CentralPark, chanel, zaha hadid, ZahaHadid

The Classicist: At The Carlyle Hotel

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Classicist

When Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week hits New York City this Friday, the hip downtown hotels will of course be flooded with fashionistas. The ones who value refinement and elegance over mere trendiness however will head to the Upper East Side's Carlyle Hotel, a luxurious landmark since it first opened in 1930 and one of our favorite places to stay in the world.

French Vogue editrix Carine Roitfeld recently declared that the Carlyle is her favorite hotel as well, and with the addition of a luxe new spa next month, with its "sleek palette of slate, charcoal and black complemented by finishes in nickel, chrome and glass and rich molding," others are sure to follow suit. Not that the Carlyle lacks for high-profile guests; since it opened nearly 80 years ago, the hotel has played host to an endless procession of movie stars, millionaires and high society.

The Art Deco masterpiece was the perfect setting for both stylish philanderer John F. Kennedy, who owned an apartment on the 34th floor, and legendary cabaret singer Bobby Short, who hung his top hat at the swank Café Carlyle for decades (Woody Allen has also been known to hoist a clarinet there on occasion).

Gallery: The Carlyle Hotel

Tags: Bemelmans Bar, BemelmansBar, Bobby Short, BobbyShort, Caf Carlyle, CafCarlyle, Carine Roitfeld, CarineRoitfeld, Carlyle Hotel, CarlyleHotel, Central Park, CentralPark, French Vogue, FrenchVogue, John F. Kennedy, JohnF.Kennedy, Ludwig Bemelmans, LudwigBemelmans, Mercedes-Benz, New York City, New York Fashion Week, NewYorkCity, NewYorkFashionWeek, Nick Foulkes, NickFoulkes, Woody Allen, WoodyAllen

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944 Fifth Avenue, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We got the tip on this apartment through the New York Observer and what a prize pad it is. The home which formerly belonged tothe late Lilyan Spitzer Lindemann, takes up the entire fifth floor and has treetop Central Park views from the living room, library and master bedroom. The private elevator foyer leads into a reception gallery with marble floor and cloakroom with powder room. The drawing room has a ornate fireplace and Rococo style paneling. French doors open to the adjacent library with Louis XV style paneling and there is a large dining room also off the entrance gallery. The master bedroom also has a fireplace, marble bathroom and large closets. There are three additional large bedrooms and a fifth bedroom created from two of the original five maids' rooms. The kitchen has a butler's pantry and there is a staff dining room as well as a double and a single maid's room with bathroom. It is listed at $18.9 million. After the jump, the very definition of the word grand.

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Tags: central park, new york, new york city, NewYork, real estate

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