Category: Shimmie Horn

Belleclaire Hotel, Shimmie Horn

Tecumseh Park One Block from Shimmie Horn’s Hotel Belleclaire

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Tecumseh Playground

On 77th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, only one block from Shimmie Horn’s Hotel Belleclaire, is a little playground named for one of the Civil War’s most famous generals, William Tecumseh Sherman.

Since 1952 the park has gone through 4 separate incarnations. It was first developed when the City of New York received the land bordered by Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues on the east and west, and between 77th and 78th streets on the north and south. The land was designated for use for recreational purposes together with a school. The old P.S. 87 was torn down, and the new William T. Sherman School was built, and opened its doors in 1954. The playground had basketball courts, a roller-skating ring, play equipment and a garden from the old school.

In 1970 the site was modernized as an “adventure playground” until it was updated again in May 1987. This third renovation was called “Operation Playground” and incorporated the efforts of a 1,500-member neighborhood association of parents and their children. They raised $55,000 in private monies, and the Department of Parks of NY contributed and additional $30,000. The renowned park designer Robert Leathers drew up a plan which included a maze, tire-bridge, swing, fire engine, tree-house, roller coaster obstacle bridge and a suspension bridge with tunnels. Remarkably the park was built by community volunteers themselves working side-by-side with the Parks Department workers, in only seven days.

Today the park has taken on a fourth renaissance. For $760,000 Councilman Ronnie Eldrigde funded the park’s newest theme, an imaginary journey which children can take from New York City to the 1870s Wild Wild West.

The park is named for General Sherman, who, although born in Ohio in 1820, retired to New York where he lived until his death in 1884. He resided at Broadway and West 70th street, where there is now located Sherman Square, just a few short blocks from Tecumseh Park.

If you are staying at the Hotel Belleclaire, and especially if you have some children in tow, a trip to Tecumseh Park would be great fun.

Shimmie Horn, Washington Jefferson Hotel

Washington Jefferson Hotel Short Walk from Central Park

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One of the world’s most famous inner city parks is located just a few short blocks from Shimmie Horn’s Washington Jefferson Hotel. Just exit the hotel, walk east a few steps to 8th Avenue, and then the 8 blocks north from West 51st Street where the Washington Jefferson is located, to Columbus Circle on 59th Street, and you have arrived at the incredible Central Park.

The park first opened to New Yorkers in 1857 and includes 843 acres of fields, trees, gardens, a zoo, a lake, baseball diamonds, brides, paths and lots more. In the following year a competition was held for a design to improve the park. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won the design competition, and in 1873 the newly designed, expanded and improved Central Park was ready.

Central Park offers an amazing array of things to do and see within its confines, including two ice-skating rinks, a swimming pool, a wildlife sanctuary, Shakespeare in the Park summer festivals at the Delacorte outdoor amphitheater, and Belvedere Castle. With such a wide selection of things to see and do there, it is no wonder that Central Park is the most visited city park in the United States. Join the crowd and go visit, it’s just a ten minute walk from the Washington Jefferson Hotel.

Iroquois Hotel, Shimmie Horn

Shimmie Horn’s Iroquois Hotel: New York’s Attractions Just Minutes Away

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Unique Boutique- The Iroquois Hotel

It would be hard to imagine a more conveniently located hotel than Shimmie Horn’s Iroquois. With Times Square two blocks to the west, Rockefeller Center four blocks north, Grand Central Station two blocks to the east, the United Nations ten minutes further, and Bryant Park two short blocks to the South, the Iroquois on 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue puts all of Manhattan at your service.

Aside from the prime location of the Iroquois the hotel itself is a wonderful counterpoint to the frantic whirlwind of activity Manhattan can bombard a visitor with. The Iroquois is a boutique hotel with a difference: exceptional personal service and the highest level of amenities uniquely position the Iroquois as a hotel which caters to each individual guest in an intimate and warm manner.

Whether you are in New York for business or pleasure, and especially a bit of both, Shimmie Horn’s Iroquois Hotel will make it easier for you to enjoy the city that never sleeps.

Belleclaire Hotel, Shimmie Horn

The AMNH is a Must-See Location for Any Visitor to New York

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American Museum of Natural History, New York

One of New York’s most important museums, if not the country’s, is only three blocks away from the Hotel Belleclaire, located on West 77th Street between Broadway and West End Avenue.

The American Museum of Natural History is a treasure of unique and extraordinary proportions. Founded in 1869, the AMNH was first located in the Arsenal building in Central Park until its present home was constructed. The cornerstone of the first building was laid down in 1874 and opened in 1877.

Over the many years since then several buildings have taken over, adding to the grand design and monumental feeling of the dedicated location. The main entrance on Central Park West leads visitors directly into an enormous Roman style basilica where they are welcomed by a scene burned into the memory of all who have gazed upon it; a cast reconstruction of the skeleton of a Barosaurus protecting her children from an attack by a hungry Allosaurus.

Within the building visitors can visit a huge number of exhibits and halls, including but not limited to the Hall of African Mammals, the Hall of Meteorites, and the Halls of Fossils. If stars are more your interest, then by all means visit the adjoining Rose Center for Earth and Space, formerly the Hayden Planetarium.

Whether you are in New York for business or pleasure, make sure the AMNH is on your list of “must-see” places.

Iroquois Hotel, Shimmie Horn

New York’s Finest: Rockefeller Center Near the Iroquois Hotel

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One of New York’s iconic sites is the world famous Rockefeller Center. From the ice skating rink and the startlingly beautiful Christmas tree in the winter to the fountains, bronze sculpture of Atlas holding up the world and the gilded Prometheus in the Lower Plaza, the great landmarks of Rockefeller center can be recognized at a glance.

Rockefeller Center was built in the depths of the Great Depression of the 1930’s, employing more than 40,000 workers while the country suffered double digit unemployment. At the time, John D. Rockefeller Jr. was well known for his philanthropic activities, but his plan to create a “city within a city” is said by many to be Rockefeller’s “single defining business venture.”

The Center opened in May, 1933, bringing to fruition the philosophy that “art was an act of good citizenship.” Rockefeller Center is filled with works of art, making a tour through the many buildings and plazas like a trip to a living art gallery or museum.  For instance, take a delightful stroll through the Channel Gardens and the Promenade and see the delicate Christmas Angels created in 1954 by Valerie Clarebout  from Aluminum wire, paint and lights; the cast bronze Fountainhead figures, created in 1935 by Rene Paul Chambellan; and of course Prometheus, Paul  Manship’s heroic-sized sculpture, made in 1934 of gilded cast bronze. Prometheus is 18 feet high and weighs eight tons, and is probably the most famous of all of the Center’s magnificent sculptures. The theme of this sculpture, which is the theme of the entire Rockefeller Center, is carved into the red granite wall which is behind Prometheus is a quote from the 6th century B.C. Greek playwright Aeschylus: “Prometheus, Teacher in Every Art, Brought the Fire That Hath Proved to Mortals a Means to Mighty Ends.”

Rockefeller Center is located just a few blocks from Shimmie Horn’s Iroquois Hotel between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and 48th to 51st Streets. Consider a visit to one of New York’s grandest locales.

Belleclaire Hotel, Shimmie Horn

The Apthorp Building

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The Apthorp, 1909

Just one block away from the elegant Belleclaire Hotel is one of New York City’s designated landmarks, the apartment building known as the Apthorp. It was designed by the renowned architects of Clinton and Russell for the failed politician and absentee landowner William Waldorf Astor.

The Apthorp is in the style of Renaissance Revival, was built between the years 1906 and 1908, and fills the entire block between 78th and 79th Streets and between Broadway and West End Avenue. Today this historic building is a condominium, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Anyone with any interest in architecture, or would just enjoy seeing a quintessential building from the great heyday of New York City development, should stop by the Apthorp and take in a little bit of New York history, design, and style.

Shimmie Horn

Free Concerts are a New York Summer Tradition for Visitors Too

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Even if you are in New York on business, it does not mean you can’t enjoy some of the special New York sights, sounds and experiences the Big Apple has to offer. One of the more popular events for visitors as well as tried and true New Yorkers are the incredible free concerts offered not only in Central Park, but throughout the five boroughs.

This coming Sunday, August 28th, come hear, for free, “Jagged Edge,” “Avant,” and “Melanie Fiona.” The show begins at 3pm at the Central Park SummerStage, an outdoor showcase situated at the Rumsey Playfield which can found on East 72nd Street right off of Fifth Avenue. Come early, up to 90 minutes before the show begins, to get a good spot on the grass. Don’t forget to bring some water, a picnic dinner, and a blanket to sit on. This quintessential New York summer activity is sure to please. Who says business and pleasure don’t mix? In New York it surely mixes well.

Belleclaire Hotel, Shimmie Horn

Enjoying Central Park During Your New York Stay

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No trip is complete to New York without some time in Central Park. Take a carriage ride around, enjoy the Central Park Zoo, or catch some Shakespeare in the Park during the summer months.  Central Park always has something interesting going on, whether you’re in for a day or enjoying an extended stay at the Belleclaire Hotel owned by Shimmie Horn.

When you finish strolling through the park, or enjoying some of the many activities there, take some time to go through the Museum of Natural History.  This is a day in and of itself, with oodles of interesting things to see and admire.  In the evening, enjoy a concert, ballet or opera at Lincoln Center and you’ll have capped off the perfect day in New York.