newyork

Ever wish the luxury of chowing down in your hotel room didn't involve dialing room service, waiting an hour, paying 50 percent more than the food's worth plus tip and sometimes a room service fee? Well, the Grand Hyatt New York has a new concept that might pique your interest: their very own Market, which just opened on April 5.

Not just an average grocery store aisle; Market features locally sourced foods and brands from the Grand Central neighborhood like Roasting Plant, Tisserie, Chickalicious and Macaron Café NYC. It's located right in the lobby and you can conveniently charge your items to your room, sans waiting or fee.

"Market is truly changing the concept of hotel room service. It was conceived for our busy guests and travelers looking for quick, high-quality food with a sense of New York style and an eye toward healthy living," said Matthew Adams, Vice President / Managing Director. "With competitive pricing based on local markets rather than room service, Market will not only be accessible, but affordable."

Traditional room service for the purists among you will still be available, but for instant gratification, this idea, which we've only seen before in extensive resorts, seems long overdue. Well done, Grand Hyatt New York.

It looks like Rush Limbaugh is making good on his threat to leave New York City because of the new tax hikes. The larger-than-life conservative commentator just listed his pre-war Fifth Avenue penthouse for sale at $13.95 million, Gawker reports. The gaudy 20th-floor penthouse (above) at 1049 Fifth Avenue, which Limbaugh purchased in 1994, features 10 rooms with expansive Central Park and Reservoir views and four terraces, two of which face the park. There's a double living room with a fireplace, a wood paneled library, large media room with a terrace, a kitchen with a breakfast room, a large dining room with two terraces, four bedrooms with en-suite baths, and his-and-hers dressing rooms and baths, each with an oversized tub and stall shower. In questionable taste are the hand painted mural ceilings and walls throughout by artist Richard Smith. Ditto the hand painted gold leaf moldings. The foyer entry floor is patterned Italian hand-cut marble with herringbone mahogany in the uncarpeted rooms, and walls are upholstered in Fortuny fabric. There's also a separate maid's room with bath on the third floor.

UPDATE: The asking price for Rush Limbaugh's Fifth Avenue Penthouse has dropped by $1 million. It is currently listed by Corcoran for $12.95 million.

Gallery: Rush Limbaugh on Fifth Ave.

On March 10th and 11th in NYC Antiquorum will present its Important Collectors' Wristwatch sale featuring an amazing collection of valuable timepieces. Our favorites are two beautiful "Paul Newman" Rolex Daytonas (right) from the 1960s.

The first is a ref. 6239 stainless steel Daytona made circa 1963 with round button chronograph, estimated at $30,000 - $50,000. The second is a ref. 6241 stainless steel Daytona produced in 1968 with an anti-reflective black tachometer bezel and round button chronograph, estimated at $50,000 - $70,000.

Also for the Rolex enthusiast is a rare stainless Sea-Dweller diver's watch, Ref. 1665, with a "Double Red" Mark II tropical dial and thin case produced in 1967 with a double red Sea-Dweller logo, estimated at $30,000 - $40,000.

If you know a young lady who deserves the very best for this year's prom, ShopNYC Tours has created a specialized prom shopping experience for her which is budget-conscious, fun and guided by a New York City shopping expert, Natasha Malinsky. Here's more about what the tours include:

• Watch videos highlighting the hottest prom trends for 2010
• Visit a variety of boutiques that carry Contemporary Prom Dresses, Vintage Prom Dresses and Celebrity Consignment Prom Dresses
• Enjoy spot-to-spot transportation while sipping "teeny" (alcohol-free) cosmos and enjoying world-famous cupcakes
• Sightsee some of the hippest NYC neighborhoods with a savvy tour guide
• Get a prom make-up tutorial at Makeup Forever with a professional make-up artist

Natasha was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about shopping tours and how she stays in touch with what's cool for school:

Luxist: What inspired you to create a prom shopping tour?

Natasha Malinsky: Our Teen Fashion Tour is extremely popular and a lot of the people interested in that tour started to inquire about prom shopping in NYC. I thought it would be cool to not only offer a tour for prom dress shopping, but for everything prom including dresses, accessories, and even makeup. Shopping for prom in NYC gives teens the opportunity to stand out and have something unique that no one else will have, which is really exciting to them.

L: What kind of girl is this for?

NM: I'm hoping to attract a wide range of teens -- everyone from NYC locals to domestic tourists. And since the tour is so diverse, covering everything from contemporary prom to vintage prom to consignment prom, there will be an opportunity for everyone to find something that fits their own style and, more importantly, budget.

L: How do you keep up with teen fashion trends?

NM: Teens look up to a lot of celebrities, so it's important to keep the red carpet in mind when researching teen trends. It's also important to keep the youth factor in mind. Teen fashion should be young, fun and affordable. The runway shows can be an inspiration for teens, but often times, ready-to-wear is too sophisticated and definitely too expensive. Fashion magazines like Teen Vogue and shows like "Gossip Girl" are great sources for teen fashion trends along with shows like Extra and Access Hollywood. Oh -- and giving Teen Fashion Tours helps me to stay on top of what teens want to wear.

Where was Natasha when we were in high school? (We mean that figuratively ... she was in high school.)

If you'd like to send a teen on the prom shopping experience of a lifetime, the cost is just $59 for groups of 10 or more, and $99 for smaller or private tours. Visit ShopNYC Tours or call 1-800-619-2795 for more information or to book.

If you're heading up to Kingston, New York, around 90 miles up from the city, stop by Uptown Cigar to light up a stick and relax for a while. I had the opportunity to catch up with Israel Markevitz, the store's manager, on a trip to Esteli, Nicaragua to tour Pepin Garcia's cigar factory, as well as the Drew Estate factory, which makes Acid, T59 and others. Israel is clearly plugged into the cigar business, as everyone from Jonathan Drew to Eddie Ortega to Pepin Garcia greeted him as a familiar face.

Israel explains that his shop is home to a great group of around a dozen regulars who are more than happy to welcome new guests into the shop. You can relax in his spacious lounge while puffing away and sipping a coffee, or you can time your visits to coincide with the various events he holds, including tastings, rolling events and book signings. Chess and backgammon boards are kept on hand, and you can always kick back and watch the game on one of Uptown's big-screen televisions.

Designer Grahame Fowler has opened a cool new boutique in New York's West Village, bringing British style with an original, eclectic twist to the Big Apple. He's not one of your twentysomething hipster types, but rather a seasoned multi-disciplinary creative whiz incorporating colorful experiences abroad and a healthy dose of the '60s Mod sensibility from his youth in the UK into an array of stylish designs. The small, crowded West 10th Street store, or "creative lab and retail space" as Fowler calls it, features a wealth of clothing and accessories ranging from outerwear, suits, sweaters, shirts, ties, scarves, belts and boots to chess sets, vintage Rolex watches and restored Vespa scooters. Many items display a British military and nautical influence as well, emphasized by Fowler's anchor logo adapted from his father's naval tattoo and liberal use of the Union Jack.

Barney's Creative Director Simon Doonan has become a big fan. "On the total indie front I'm loving Grahame Fowler, this incredibly hip, gorgeous microstore next to the fire station on 10th street," he declared recently. "He has the best shirts, and he's an English dude with a great mod sensibility - and I'm stuck in 1966, so I can relate." All of Fowler's unique, handmade, pieces are sourced and crafted in New York. His tailored items are characterized by relaxed silhouettes, fine fabrics and the luxury of comfort. His attention to detail is apparent in button holes varying in size and color, pastel hued elbow pads on crisp white button downs, and hidden straps inside jackets designed to hold one's newspaper. He also offers select women's pieces such as button down shirts crafted from vintage fabrics with cotton poplin details.

A few months ago New York's famed Time Warner Center opened a new culinary club, Circle of Taste, free to join.

COT has just announced its first ticketed event -- "The Best of Beef & The Beauty of Barolo" -- a dinner to be hosted within Porter House New York's wine cellar by Chef Michael Lomanaco (shown) and Master Sommelier Roger Dagorn. All the wines will be a selection of highly-sought-after and difficult-to-acquire Barolo wines produced in limited quantities.

Erpacrife Nebbiolo Metrodo Tradicionale

Bollito Misto
Tender poached filet mignon, cotechino sausage and salsa verde
La Querciola Barolo Donna Bianca 2004 'cru Costa di Rose'

Brasato al Barolo
Homemade Pappardelle Pasta, Braised Beef Short Ribs
Scarzello Barolo 2004 'cru Sarmassa'

Arrosto di Costata
Roasted Dry Aged Prime Rib of Beef
Cascina Ebreo, Torbido VDT 2001 'Novello di Monforte'

Dessert - Torta al cioccolato alle pere
Pears with mascarpone and chocolate
Ca'de' Mandorli, Brachetto d'Acqui 2008

Dinner begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $175 per person, and the multi-course tasting menu is all-inclusive. COT members may reserve two seats. Perhaps get an early start to the Valentine's Day weekend!

Sotheby's reached the high end of its presale estimate for its Important Old Master Paintings and Sculpture auction on Thursday. The sale was expected to generate between $38 million and $55 million, and the final result came in at $53.4 million. The top performer was "Jupiter and Antiope," a 1612 mythological scene by Hendrick Goltzius, though the $6.7 million winning bid failed to reach the low end of its presale estimate of $8 million to $12 million. The last high for this artist, though, was $1.5 million, set in 1996 when the art market was recovering following the burst of its early 1990s bubble.

Rembrandt's "Portrait of a Young Woman with a Black Hat" was also estimated at $8 million to $12 million, but the painting never made it under the gavel. The piece was withdrawn at the seller's request, Sotheby's told ArtInfo. He'd picked up the piece at a Sotheby's New York auction in January 2007 for $9 million, paying much more than the $3 million to $4 million estimate.

Rising over Manhattan's premier shopping and business district is the Four Seasons Hotel, a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best City Hotel.

Designed by I.M. Pei, the hotel features stunning views and gracious style. It is a remarkable luxury experience in one of the busiest cities of the world.

The hotel offers 368 generously-sized guest rooms, including 63 suites. Some accomodations have furnished terraces with views of Central Park or the downtown skyline. The décor is contemporary and understated, featuring the finest handcrafted furniture and English sycamore panelling. Signature facilities include Florentine marble bathrooms with a glass-enclosed shower stall, a deep soaking tub that fills in 60 seconds and a private changing area.

On the 52nd floor, the 4,300 square feet Ty Warner Penthouse, named for the owner of the hotel, was a collaboration between Ty Warner, renowned designer Peter Marino and I.M. Pei. With cantilevered glass balconies and floor-to-ceiling bay windows, the suite is set beneath 25-foot cathedral ceilings. The nine-room penthouse offers a breathtaking 360-degree view of all Manhattan, a private spa room, library, breakfast room, indoor-outdoor Zen garden and library. The suite was custom-commissioned in every detail, from semi-precious stone surfaces to fabrics woven with platinum and gold and comes equipped with a private chauffeur for unlimited travel during the guests' stay with a choice of a Rolls Royce Phantom or a Mercedes Maybach.

The hotel features a full-service spa with Shiatsu, hot stone, Thai ceremony and reflexology treatments (massage, facial and hand and foot treatments) in addition to whirlpool, sauna and steam facilities. There is also a 5,000 square foot fitness facility with cardiovascular equipment; fitness and yoga trainesr are also available for hire.

Nightly rates (not including taxes and service charges) start at $655 for a moderate room; suites start at $1,950 per night.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Cab driver-turned-fertilizer king Tamir Sapir has just listed his palatial New York abode, the famed Duke Semans mansion on Fifth Avenue, for sale at $50 million with Brown Harris Stevens. The billionaire bought the historic seven-story Beaux Arts mansion (which we first mentioned back in 2005) across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art from Doris Duke's heirs for $40 million in 2006 after a single walk-through, and announced plans for a $10 million renovation project with the intention of turning it into a museum for his world-class collections; as we reported last year, Sapir's fondness for exotic animal trophies has gotten him into trouble with authorities. The 20,000-square-foot mansion, built in 1901, currently has a doctor's office in the basement, a five-story main residence, a penthouse duplex on top, 12 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, and 11 wood-burning fireplaces.



[via Curbed]

The listing pictures on today's Water Mill, New York home have me dreaming of the perfect East Coast summer. The six-bedroom home sits on 1.9 acres of property located a short walk to Mill Pond. The grounds include a tennis court, heated pool, pool house and two-car garage. The main home was originally built in 1850 and has been nicely updated. The shingled home has wraparound porches and a beautiful solarium. Rustic beams and a monster of a stove give the kitchen an older touch that soften the bright white renovation. This is a home of cozy nooks rather than wide open spaces and the overall effect is quite charming, it looks as if it could happily host a houseful of guests without everyone being on top of each other. This estate is listed at $12.95 million.

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.

Sir Richard Branson's plans for a luxe new retreat in New Jersey, which we first wrote about back in 2005, are finally coming to fruition. When completed the complex will consist of a culinary center, resort, spa and private club called Natirar 45 minutes from New York City. Situated on a beautiful 500-acre estate that was once the King of Morocco's summer home, and centered on a historic 40-room 1912 mansion (above), the first phase of the property is the just-opened Ninety Acres at Natirar Culinary Center, housing a restaurant, bar / lounge, cooking school, wine school and working farm. The resort will open this summer with guest cottages, a media room, a 4,000-square foot swimming pool, tennis courts, fitness facility, croquet pitch and greenhouses. Horseback riding and fly-fishing will be among the activities on offer. The invitation-only Club at Natirar will give members unfettered access to all the property's delights. The plan is for Natirar to eventually be the first U.S. outpost of Branson's Virgin Limited Edition Collection of luxury retreats.

[via JustLuxe]

Just two miles from the packed-in-like-sardines masses in Times Square, a different sort of New Year's Eve party was taking place at the exclusive Soho House New York. With a 1920's theme, brass band, DJ and cabaret performers, members and their guests filled the sixth floor dining room, bar and drawing room donning era-appropriate flapper dresses, bowler hats and tuxedos.

The private club is an offshoot of the original Soho House in London. In New York the club's name is a bit of a misnomer since it's set in the trendy nightlife hub of the Meatpacking District. Famous for its 15 minutes in a "Sex and the City" episode where Samantha gets kicked out of the rooftop pool because she's not a member, the club today is a mix of 30-something financiers and creatives. (One financier shared that he had to play up his hobby of dealing art in order to gain membership, since the club prefers to foster members in the creative industries.)

On New Year's Eve, two dinner seatings filled the crystal-chandelier topped dining room where guests nibbled on appetizers such as chestnut soup with truffles; lobster salad; and foie gras with spiced pear chutney. The perfectly cooked beef tenderloin and red-wine-glazed root vegetables was the standout entree with the other choices, braised fluke and cannelloni, distant seconds. During the leisurely dinner magicians entertained dinners and the band played jazz and ragtime.

After dinner guests retired to the drawing room where tables were reserved for bottle service (magnums of Champagne being the favored bottle). The party took a livelier spin when a DJ, dressed in wiseguy attire, began spinning pop tunes. The party reached a crescendo just as midnight struck. After the new year, more friends-of-members filled the rooms putting a squeeze on capacity. Some enjoyed the small smoking room (a rarity in Manhattan) where a burlesque performer entertained from a cage.

In a city hard hit by the economy in 2009, the Soho House channeled the zeitgeist of Manhattan with it's '20s theme. The party your cares away, 2010 has got to be better was the reining toast of the night.

I have a soft spot for the De La Concha Grand Reserve. Manufactured by Pepin Garcia, it came out in 2003, within roughly a month of the master roller's other creation, the Tatuaje, hit the streets. Both sticks are similar in taste and construction, though the Grand Reserve, which is the house cigar for the tobacconist with which it shares a name, isn't quite as heavy as its cousin. This is my regular, daily cigar and has been since I discovered it, at about the time it came to market.

The Grand Reserve is the first private label cigar created by Pepin Garcia. It is fully Nicaraguan – binder, wrapper and filler – and consequently delivers a bold experience. Momentum gathers through the first third of the Grand Reserve, giving way to a middle third that is a bit peppery with some hefty earth tones. The cigar ends strong but leaves little aftertaste. It generally burns evenly and holds up well against the elements (I smoked one in the snowstorm that hit New York over the weekend).

When you smoke the Grand Reserve, there's no doubt that it's a Pepin product. When I'm away from home (you can only get this cigar in New York), I usually smoke a Tatuaje, as it's quite close.

[Photo by Brian Sayler]