Tag: Shimmie Horn

Triumph Hotels

Garden Parties, Movie Nights and More

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Near to Shimmie Horn’s Triumph hotels – spanning Tribeca, Upper East Side, central New York, etc. – are fabulous spots for enjoying some superb summer events.  Here, we take a brief look at three of them.

The Spring Garden Party – hosted each year by The Frick Collection – opens itself up for locals to check out.  Once a year the amazing garden becomes accessible to those invited to the event.  To get an invite to the event featuring a live jazz band, pop-up bars and more, you have to have made a bit of a name for yourself as a fashionista, musician, restaurateur, or philanthropist. Once you get it, check out the official “off-limits area” on the second floor.

For something lower key that requires you to have zero recognition or award-winning qualities, the  Bryant Park Movie Nights series this year has a wonderful lineup including such classics as Driving Miss Daisy and When Harry Met Sally.  Enjoy the best vendors the city has to offer via the Hester Street Fair offering music, biking, art and film. With a secret show, cinematic shorts, BMX display, a Joyride Art exhibition and more, the annual event that in now in its 18th year, continues to be a “major catalyst for the urban bike movement, one of the most powerful and culturally relevant forces of the last decade.”

Cosmopolitan Hotel – Tribeca

Frederick Feature

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Shimmie Horn’s Frederick Hotel was recently featured in the UK’s About Time Magazine.  In an article by Angelica Malin article entitled Perfe4ct Weekend 48 Hours in New York, the Frederick was said to be a “vibrant…fantastic boutique hotel in Tribeca.”  It was further described as being “home to a 24-hour fitness centre, restaurant and cocktail bar [featuring a] vintage and Art Nouveau style, with flashes of colour and touches of minimalist design, for something rather unique to the area.”

Located at 95 W Broadway, the Frederick also offers a 24-hour fitness room, Pret A Manger and Starbucks in the hotel, Serafina Tribeca (a top Italian restaurant) and its own cocktail bar.  Built in 1838 it is one of Tribeca’s “longest-running historic hotels” in the area.

For those booking a suite from now until March 31, 2018, they will receive a $50 American Express Card.

Belleclaire Hotel

The Evolution of the Hotel Belleclaire

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Last week, New York Times contributor Michael Milton described many of the changes the Hotel Belleclaire has endured since its humble beginnings in the early 20th century.   Personifying the hotel – a part of Shimmie Horn’s Triumph hotel network – he had admired it himself for so long that in 1982 he vowed “someday [to be] living in that building.”

The Hotel Belleclaire has seen many faces (including famous ones like Maxim Gorky, Babe Ruth and Mark Twain) and has also endured its share of dramatic action.  But in recent years it has undergone quite the renovation, becoming the quintessentially boutique hotel it is today. As Milton so eloquently describes:

But the lobby has since been recreated with an eye toward the hotel’s elegant past. It is now light-filled and wood paneled, with subtle dark stone insets in the walls near the elevators. After much work, the simple original mosaic — worthy of a prosperous Pompeian merchant’s home — has been unearthed. Hiding beyond a black dropped ceiling and lost to everyone’s memory was a vast expanse of glass which once covered the hotel’s fashionable Palm Court and has now been restored to its full glory.

In addition, the hotel is currently undergoing “a partial exterior restoration, an undertaking which will help bring back much of its original grandeur.”  All the changes themselves have an impact as they are happening, as Hotel Belleclaire Manager Robert Holmes said pointing out that where the limestone was from (Indiana) and how it “pulled up from a site close to one [architecture Emery] Roth used for the original limestone decorations.”

As Winston Churchill once said, “we shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”  With this statement he must have been referring to the Hotel Belleclaire.

Washington Jefferson Hotel

Getting in Shape in the New Year

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Now that Christmas and the New Year and all the festivities are behind us, it’s a good time to start getting into shape.  Studies have found however, that for those who are too ambitious when it comes to establishing a fitness routine, they end up quitting all too quickly.

Starting slow is essential.  At any of Shimmie Horn’s Triumph hotels, we treat our guests to wonderful walking tours throughout Manhattan, suitable for all weathers and seasons.  In conjunction with Streetwise New York Tours, from today there are tours exploring “the hidden gems of Times Square” (from the Washington Jefferson Hotel today), fashion and art in the Financial District and classic Midtown Manhattan to name but a few.

These complimentary walking tours compliment the R&R one will get when staying at any of the Triumph hotels.

Cosmopolitan Hotel – Tribeca

Getting in Some Culture in Tribeca

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Shimmie Horn’s Cosmopolitan Hotel is located in the trendy, culturally-rich neighborhood of TriBeCa.  Known predominantly for its Film Festival offering a rich, diverse offerings helping the “general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center,” this neighborhood is also quiet, charming and very close to the Hudson River Parks.

Currently there are some interesting exhibitions in the area.  The Apexart TriBeCa gallery is hosting ‘Animal Intent,’ which, as Emily Falvey curator explains is an “interspecies collaboration” between human and animal creation.  One example is the honeybees and Aganetha Dyck who worked with William Eakin (photographer and apiarist) to place random objects inside bee hives enabling the bees to cover the pieces in their wax lattices.  This transformed them into what looked like “honeycomb” sculptures.

Then there is The Dietz Lantern Building where David Bonavita is leading an apartment staging. Seeking local artists who are willing to loan artwork temporarily.  This is to be displayed in the apartment while it is on the market and will give Tribeca-based artists some exposure.

So, for art, culture and some quiet luxuriation, TriBeCa with its museums, exhibitions and Shimmie Horn hotels could make the perfect vacation venue.

Restaurants

Fun Eats in East Village

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ribsAccording to The New York Eater, “the East Village has the most kinetic, rapidly evolving, and downright fun restaurant scene in the city.” Featuring originality with tastes from around the world, there is very little in the world of cuisine that one will be strapped to find in the area.

The east Village food scene really began gaining credence back in the 1980s.  And then by the year 2000, things really started moving up for the region.  But there are some timeless pieces too.

But if you want to experience a bit of history in an Italian way, check out John’s of 12th Street.  This traditional Italian eatery has been serving East Village customers for more than a century.  Having opened in 1908, it brags of being “rich in history, rich in food [but] easy on the wallet.”

And for traditional ribs (that are at the same time unique) Mighty Quinn’s goes back to basics by getting the best quality ingredients and leaving them to do their own thing…not complicating the matter just barbecuing old school with plenty of wood and time with “just the right amount of salt and spice to let that lovely marriage of process ad product evolve into something transcendent.”

Take in breakfast at the Black Seed Bagel, a Chinese dry hot pot from the Mala Project, a French bistro at Lucien, and one of the best schnitzels New York has to offer at Edi & The Wolf.

We know one thing for sure; if you leave the East Village hungry, you sure missed some boat or another.

Chandler Hotel

Enjoy a Relaxing Evening at Hotel Chandler

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cocktailsFor those looking for some relaxation, amidst the hustle and bustle of New York’s Flatiron District, Shimmie Horn’s Hotel Chandler is the perfect choice. The building – constructed in the early 20th century in a Beaux Arts style – is right by Fifth Avenue but once inside one feels relaxed in the stately elegant décor which also features modern amenities.

While there, take time to spend a few hours at the Hotel Chandler Bar, and relax in its intimate and elegant setting. It has developed a reputation among locals in the Flatiron District as providing excellent service while offering a wide range of cocktails, fine wines and a rotating selection of beers. And, for some real food, the Hotel Chandler restaurant has some wonderful unique culinary creations using the freshest, seasonal ingredients.

Iroquois Hotel

Get a Great Night’s Sleep at The Iroquois

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iroquoisOne of Shimmie Horn’s hotels is Midtown Manhattan’s Iroquois. This boutique hotel is not only elegant and centrally-located, it also makes comfort a top priority with each room featuring Comfy Simmons Beautyrest mattresses, comfortable work stations and Jacuzzi tubs. Talking of Beautyrest mattresses, that was one of the big sales that took place in New York on Columbus Day Weekend. For those looking for the comfort of the Iroquois at home, 1800Mattresses had a special a couple of weeks ago offering a 65 percent discount as well as a free Beautyrest air mattress for anyone making a purchase of more than $799.

In addition to its comfort, at the hotel you can enjoy dining at a true gem of a French restaurant – the exquisite Triomphe Restaurant & Lounge, as well as Midtown’s best French restaurant. Or take in the classic, historical ambience as you sip a cocktail at the Lantern’s Keep.

The Iroquois truly is a mark of comfort and style within the bustling New York City. And for those who want to be right in the center of it as well, Shimmie Horn’s boutique hotel is the perfect location.

Restaurants

Summer Happenings in NYC

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sunshineSummertime and the livin’ is easy…at least in New York City it has the potential of being…

What’s better in the summer than ice-cream?  Learning how to make it yourself from the experts and thanks to Sarah Lohman, historic gastronome and Laura Weiss, ice cream historian (who even knew such professions existed?) one can now learn about the history and mechanics and ice cream and making the yummy cold stuff first hand. Last week, Brooklynites were invited to the Brooklyn Historical Society, located at 128 Pierrepont Street from 7-9pm on July 28th to learn all about that.

And then tomorrow for food lovers who are looking for something on the savory side that is a bit hotter, the Brooklyn Historical Society hosted Scott Wiener, a pizza historian, together with a panel of Brooklyn pizza-makers on The Search for Authenticity will be discussing who makes the most authentic pizza in New York City. The event will boast a classic old-school slice shop, alongside an historic coal-fired pizza parlor, a traditional Neapolitan pizzeria, and a new-school pie innovator. What more could food connoisseurs ask for?

Staying cool and keeping hot in New York is what it’s all about this summer.

Entertainment

Hospital Themed Bar

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syringeLooking for a bar with a difference in New York?  Something that you’ve possibly never seen before?  Well, look no further than Lower East Side’s Sanatorium – a hospital-themed cocktail bar which looks a bit like “the waiting room of a debauched doctor.”

Rather than the interior being made up of typical mahogany and hanging glasses, in here you will find operating-room style lamps affixed above a marble bar.  There is no ‘Saloon’ sign but instead, Venetian plaster covers the walls in a green scrub color.  You don’t get your shots in classic shot glasses but rather syringes and the cocktails are prepped on operating-room trays.

But the music remains pretty conventional for a bar.  With D.J. Xavier Herit, you’ll enjoy Euro house music and then once a week though – again with a taste of something different – there is a performance by chamber ensemble New Vintage Baroque.  Another thing that is not typical is the fact that you actually have to make an appointment to go there.  However, if the jolly bouncer is around, walk-ins are usually accepted.  So enjoy a Waiting Room shot made from tequila, cherry tomato, basil, balsamic vinegar, lime and habanero elixir, topped with a slice of ibérico ham, carved from a leg hanging over the bar and you’ll want to make this place your regular.