If you love the theater and are looking for a relaxing vacation, there is no better location than the Washington Jefferson Hotel. Check out what is going on at New York’s Theater District a 10 minute walk away from the hotel.
Tag: Shimmie Horn
New York: New Cocktails
New Yorkers can become their own cocktail makers. In fact, everyone who buys The Liquor Cabinet app – designed by Award-winning New York bartender James Beard – can enjoy the feeling of being their own cocktail concoctor.
The history of The Liquor Cabinet dates back a couple of years when winner of the CFDA’s first Fashion Instagrammer of the Year Award Patrick Janelle set out with his brothers to crate a creative agency with a focus on cocktails.
A recent Brooklyn project saw Britten spring a twist on the Paloma cocktail summer classic by using a somewhat unconventional ingredient – Gordy’s Fine Cocktail Brine. What resulted was a merger of that ingredient alongside Curaçao, grapefruit and watermelon, and voila, the La Capilla in Jalisco was born. Janelle explains that: the strong, heavy acid flavor of the brine seems very of the moment, as food and cocktails are not so even and well-balanced right now, but are tending toward stronger, bolder flavors,” and the drink is served with sliced watermelon on the glass, topped with zested lime and sprinkled over Maldon salt.
And now, in other good news, according to a document from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control earlier this year seven bars located on this street just got licenses to sell alcoholic beverages until 4 am. So New Yorkers really have their summer funs mapped out for them!
TriBeCa’s Trinity Church
TriBeCa’s Trinity Church – close to Shimmie Horn’s luxurious Cosmopolitan hotel – was recently home to a celebration of Broadway history. Both these locations – Shimmie Horn’s hotel and the Church – perfectly mesh with New York City and all it has to offer: art, shopping and eateries.
Trinity Church (which sits along Broadway at Wall Street) is where Alexander Hamilton was buried. It was Hamilton who actually was one of America’s Founding Fathers and a parishioner at Trinity Church in the late 1700s. It was Hamilton who brought real fame to pop culture and the Hamilton Broadway musical was all for him.
So now, as a mark of recognition and honor of 16 TONY award nominations, on June 10th, Trinity Church gave light to the archives with Hamilton’s name on them, in a one-day only pop-up display of some rare documents that related to his years connected to the church. As Anne Petrimoulx, church archivist said: “Alexander Hamilton has always been someone near and dear to our hearts at Trinity Church. And we’re thrilled to celebrate him and the musical.”
If you missed it while staying at Shimmie Horn’s TriBeCa, there is always the Swedish Midsummer Festival on the 24th of this month which is sure to delight the whole family.
Krav Maga Comes to Tribeca
Shimmie Horn’s hotel in the Tribeca area, The Evelyn, is to be getting a new neighbor. The 158 Franklin address – that until now has been home to the Steven Alan Home Shop – is to become the address for the first Krav Maga Institute in the district.
While Krav Maga has already had a presence in Tribeca (using space at Tribeca Health & Fitness and Church Street Boxing), it has never formally established its very own presence.
But this month all of that changed and by next month, the Krav Maga Institute will be offering a complete schedule to benefit all those in Tribeca. Over the next few months this will further develop to offer Combat Cardio classes, yoga, and maybe even Brazilian jiu jitsu and muy thai but all under the auspices of the Krav Maga Institute. There will also be programs available for the youngsters: from 6 to 13 years of age, kids will be able to get a head start on their Krav Maga training.
The Krav Maga Institute is opening its first full-time space in Tribeca, downstairs at 158 Franklin, the building where Steven Alan Home Shop used to be. Up till now, KMI has been using fitness studios around the city—including Church Street Boxing and Tribeca Health & Fitness—on a part-time basis KMI will be offering soft-opening classes in April, shooting for a full schedule starting in May. By September it plans on being at capacity, with classes in the Combat Cardio program (fitness-based kickboxing), probably yoga, and possibly muy thai and Brazilian jiu jitsu. And there will be a program for kids age 6 to 13. When it’s fully open I’ll stop by for the full report.
Pokemon’s 20th Birthday Celebrations
Just took place in Midtown Manhattan, right by Shimmie Horn’s Iroquois Hotel. This video game character took the world by a storm for years and years and today has kids equally enchanted. In the 1990s people kept trying to “catch ‘em all, ” and last weekend a team of huge Pikachu characters could be found running around the city in celebration.
Pikachus’ started their parade by the Brooklyn Bridge, moved along to Midtown Manhattan and then finished their walk at Penn Station. The crowd that came to witness this event was so large that an entire team of handlers were brought in to navigate the situation.
Of course, it was also good for business given that a new set of Pokemon-based games is due to come out later this year. In addition, the New York Nintendo store provided fun and games in recognition of two decades of Pokemon fun.
Great Steaks
If you are looking for an evening out that includes a delicious steak when you are spending a few nights at Shimmie Horn’s The Evelyn, look no further than Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse. This popular restaurant gives customers the ability to “feel completely at home in an atmosphere so cordially convivial.”
Run by owners Ben and Jack Sinanaj (who are also first cousins) as well as their siblings Harry and Russ, the Sinanajs’ have “devoted themselves to the religion of the NYC steakhouse.” As well it features two bars (with exquisite cocktails), a long dining room and five private dining spaces. It has a classic feel to it, including “ochre-colored walls, dark wood, sturdy chairs, white tablecloths, a wine wall.”
So that’s one new fun way to enjoy a steak in the heart of New York City.
New York City Technology
East Village has just gotten the first ever free Wi-Fi Kiosk in New York City. Located at 3rd Avenue near Manhattan’s 15th Street, it has to undergo QC first but once it starts working it will be at 2.0 signal strength, with a range of 150 feet. It is hoped that it will be as fast as Google Fiber.
Gone are the old pay phone booths and in their stead, 7,500 hubs are planned by the city over the next eight years. It is anticipated that screen advertising will generate $500 million revenue over the next 12 years.
Meanwhile, other parts of the city and other areas of technology are decidedly low-tech and lacking in any modern features. For example, New York City’s subway system which uses century-old technology. At the moment, the state agency responsible for the subway, the MTA is undergoing a budget battle to get the funds needed for this very necessary update.
Eating with a Difference in Tribeca
For those looking for a menu with a difference in the Tribeca neighborhood, they might be pleased to hear that Maman is opening a third restaurant at 211 West Broadway. Get something that is simultaneously delicious, aesthetically pleasing and healthy, such as the spaghetti-squash “à la carbonara.” This dish features a poached egg, roasted pastrami, pumpkin seeds and rosemary on top of gluten free corn spaghetti and spaghetti squash. Quite delicious and very pretty.
It is hoped that this restaurant will succeed since just over a year ago the first one opened on Centre Street. Next one opened in Toronto and this is the third one. It will be open seven days a week from 7am to midnight.
Tribeca these days is becoming quite well known for its alternative food fare. For example, A. B. Biagi with its organic milk based ice cream, featuring Brazilian flavors and tastes such as basil pine nut and acai berry. If you want a creamy soy milk panna cotta, check out Brushstroke and then for freshly ground Japanese buckwheat, kobe beef and more, Daruma-ya is perfect.
Tribeca certainly has a whole slew of new and veteran restaurants offering alternative food fare to its customers.
Times Square on Christmas
Times Square on Christmas is a must-see for tourists. Possibly a must-avoid for locals but for those who find themselves vacationing at Shimmie Horn’s luxurious Washington Jefferson Hotel, the theater district is filled with joy and tinsel. Try getting through the spray paint artists, costumed panhandlers, theater patrons and tourist bus ticket sellers though and you might decide it’s time to go back to Shimmie Horn’s hotel!
The holiday season in Times Square is indeed a bit stressful but for tourists, it really is a great place to visit. Granted, on a daily basis, around 170,000 commuters pass through the area so over the holiday season it is going to be really crazy. In fact the figure for this time of year is around 450,000.
But wouldn’t it be a fun after dinner party story to share with friends back home after your vacation? How bad would you feel if you had to reveal that you stayed at the Washington Jefferson Hotel, right smack bang in Times Square and didn’t even venture out at the most colorful time of year?
And don’t forget, it’s not as bad as it seems. There is of course the extra infrastructure that is set up just before all the celebrations begin to deal with this additional traffic. Isn’t it worth just taking a peek? Go on, brave it; everyone deserves a bit of Christmas spirit!
When OfficeWear Became Fun
Just last week, Of Mercer opened its doors in New York’s Flatiron District. Home to upscale hotels such as Shimmie Horn’s The Chandler and The Wyndham Garden Manhattan Chelsea West, the area makes for a great hangout. And now, with this new addition, it’s a perfect place for women looking for “work-appropriate dresses made of Italian wool for under $200.”
The store was founded by Emelyn Northway and Dorie Smith. The two first met on a day that they were wearing the exact same dress. They are both graduates of Wharton Business School. The reason behind the store was because the two “found that [women’s workwear] was either oversized or kind of masculine, or brands would call something workwear and it would be miniature and tight…[Thus] the options were either really frumpy and ugly or super sexy.”
Of Mercer provided a solution to this and now the store in Flatiron – as well as offering clothes for purchase – will be “a kind of satellite office space for its core customers,” almost like a hub, catering toward freelancers and those who are stuck in between two meetings.
Future plans for the space include workshops and networking events.