Bittersweet in NY
August 24, 2013
Dropping off the first born for college at NYU. It’s gonna be a strange week next week adjusting to life without him underfoot! Nobody will be up at 4am or asleep at 3pm (unless it’s near the solstice). We battled I-95 and the NJ Turnpike and drove directly into the city for the first time since 1989. The corporate apartment (with ample secure parking next door) is a perfect place to stay.
Room with a view
It’s a gorgeous crystal clear late summer day. Here’s the view.
Amenities include a kitchen (which we will ignore), and a big leather couch.
Kitchen
Big leather couch
We will pretend the showers are less plastic than they are. Well, no plastic, but they are shower over tub showers. Yes we will. And we will wash the sheets and towels on the way out.
Dinner at hearth as suggested by jS himself. A quick review. Music and ambiance: superior. Any place that has Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and Bowie on rotation makes us happy. Wine list: outstanding, quirky, weird and fun. We had a GSM like wine from Portugal that was superb. Food: good solid, not amazing. Service: our poor waitress was overworked with too many tables. The wine guys and server boys stepped in to help. All in all, we felt like we were whipped around on the trolley car of the second seating. That’s not good. Go back? Maybe.
But before that, a walk down the high line park. The park is a must see. Excellent in all respects.
HIgh line at sunset.
Some of us travel way too much. When our friends ask us where they should stay in a particular city on planet Earth we actually have an answer. This blog exists for my friends (though since the early days it has taken on a life of its own and now lots of people I don’t even know read it). So other than reading this blog, how do you judge whether a hotel is worthy?
I developed two heuristics for determining in advance whether a hotel is likely to be a good place to stay. Number one, and the reason behind the name of this blog, is a glass shower. Simply put, if the shower in your room is glass, you’re good. And if the shower in your room is built on top of a bathtub with a plastic shower curtain—you should run away.
Heuristic one: Glass shower
 Plastic shower at the Marriott (well, what did you expect?!). |
 Kimpton shower cube equals good. |
Heuristic two is much more difficult to find out there in the world than glass showers. It’s a bar that does not suck. Oh, every hotel has a bar. And they all think they have a “full bar” whatever that means. Most of them are trapped in the “we have eight different vodkas” days which are long since gone. (For the record, vodka is boring.) And most of them couldn’t make an interesting drink to save their lives. (A mojito is not interesting, and neither is a cosmopolitan.) What discriminating travelers want is some serious mixology. Why? Because we care as much about a beautifully constructed beverage as we do about a gorgeous meal.
When you find a hotel that meets both of these heuristics, you’re in luck. Know why? Because hotels with a great bar program and glass showers also have superior management, great staff, and a clue about what you like.
Want an example or two? Well, you’re in luck. I am a big fan of the Kimpton chain and have been for years. I prefer them to every other chain I have ever come across. And what sets some Kimptons apart from others is a great bar. Chicago Palomar? Superb bar. World class. Phenomenal property. San Francisco Palomar? Great bar. And the best staff in the business to boot. But what about New York? I like 70 Park, but 70 Park needs a great bar.
Forward thinking General Managers will immediately grasp what a great bar can do for a property. It will transform it from a great place to stay into a great destination even for locals. Build buzz. Create a community. And at the same time advance the art of the bar.
What constitutes a great bar in my book? Well it needs to be at least as well stocked as my own bar ar home. And I would really like to learn something from the professionals working behind it!
So happy travels. And may the bar be with you.
70 Park Beats Marriott to Death in NYC
May 3, 2013
After our pathetic week trapped at the Sawgrass Marriott a quick trip to NY was just the antidote we needed. Ah Kimpton. Get this, the staff is well trained and helpful! They seem to like their jobs in hospitality too.
But in its NY way, 70 Park is no Palomar. If it were entered in the battle of the Palomars, it would be soundly defeated in round one. In fact, if it were in a tennis match with either Palomar the score would look something like 6-0 6.2. Down in straight sets with multiple breaks.
I wanted room 1705. In fact, I even asked my travel people to ask for it. But I ended up in 1115. See what happens when you’ve already been in the best room and you have to step it down? I’m not sure the 70 Park people even know that they did that. Alas. Gotta use those computers people!
Tasteful couch art piece.
This bedroom design featured on the website. With the same art and everything.
There was a welcome package (with sparkling water! yay!), but it came with a computer printed note and the printer was mis-aligned. Did they make me a hand lettered really cool note like the Palomar’s Kelsey Barthe and the gang?! Nope. Oh well, I am glad to be computerized special anyway. So thanks Santos Castillo, whoever you are! If the printer had not been screwed up, I would know what your role is.
Wine, computo-welcome, and best of all sparking water.
The bathroom has one of those really weird tubs. And (horror of horrors) it has a shower curtain!
Bathroom shot. 1115 70 Park, NY.
Really weird tub thing. I worry about what happens when this is turned on.
Arriving late, I headed down to the bar for a nightcap. Uncharacteristically, it was packed with people and hopping. Sad to say, though John and Pamela are really nice and game to make a crazy fun cocktail, their collection has yet to be touched by the magic wand of Jacques Bezuidenhout. I made a variant of the Berryville Passage:
1.5 Shine (or white dog with a sticker if you insist)
.5 Dolin’s sweet vermouth
.5 Dolin’s dry vermouth
.5 Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Fee Brothers Black Walnut bitters
1 dash Angustora
But we had to use crappy vermouth, sub in Peychauds for Black Walnut, and use Blanton’s instead of white dog. Well, uh, whatever. It was still kinda good.
Hey Jacques, plus ’em up!! Note that there are zero great bars in the night life wasteland where 70 Park is. Only the Blue Bar at the Algonquin and Lantern’s Keep at the Iroquois would provide any competition. If you guys created something only half as good as Fifth Floor or Sables you would scratch an itch that needs scratching. Really! Ten votes from noplasticshowers-land.
We’ll demote 70 Park back to four showerheads for fitting me in on a very full night (thanks and yay) but not putting me in 1705 (boo). Now about that bar.
That’s Dr. Apartment to You (New York City)
March 3, 2013
We’ve been here before, but it was a while ago—Penthouse Apartment D (or PHD). It’s nice to have a corporation sometimes!
We’re in the city to see Kandinsky at the Guggenheim and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe. Also had some great meals (at the Guggenheim’s superior Wright Cafe and Aureole).
View from the 38th floor.
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Laundry: feature of bug?
These are not the machines you’re looking for.
One notable cocktail recipe from Aureole is the Tim’s 135
.75 oz Dubonnet Rouge
.75 oz Eagle Rare 10 year (this needs to be plussed with something hotter)
.75 Campari
.75 Lillet blanc
Shake. Express orange peel and drop in.
Off to Maialino for brunch (thanks to Jaques for helping us massage the reservation situation) before flying home.
The apartment is super convenient. Close to Penn Station. Right in the middle of everything. Beautiful view. But then there’s the laundry.
Panic at 70Park NY
December 1, 2012
Ever lost your briefcase? Ever left it in a bar in NY city? Did you realize that five hours later when you went to check in to your hotel? Not fun.
After a productive day of business meetings we opted for a progressive romp through: Harry’s Bar (where my bag spent some time by itself), Wolfgang Steak, Weather Up, and Blue Smoke.
On the mixology front, Harry’s Bar had a reasonable selection and was game to attempt a Corpse Reviver #2. Wolfgang Steak is nothing special on all fronts including wine. Weather Up was a great place with bartenders who listen and play. Much fun was had. Blue Smoke continues to have the best bourbon selection in NYC bar none.
I arrived at 70Park around 1:30am and quickly realized that I did not have my bag. Panic set in. The staff was helpful (thanks you guys), but there is not much to be done when most places are closed or closing. Bar? Restaurant? Taxi? Uber car? My relief came only many hours later the next day at 11:30am when Harry’s Bar opened for the morning. I called from the airport. They had my bag. Drew rescued it and flew it down to Washington.
So, I forgot to notice my welcome snack, my personal note, and even what room I was assigned (it was 1217, the one with the ridiculous tub thing). But I got my bag back two days later.
Don’t panic, it’s only your entire work life in one bag.
70Park is not a bad place to panic if you have to. Five showerheads.
70 Park (NY, NY) Ideal Breakfast Spot
October 4, 2012
Turns out that 70 Park has a room with a view. After my zillionth trip to NY and umpity-umpteenth visit to 70 Park I was rewarded with an upgrade to room 1705. It’s darn similar to 915 and 1015 except for the really cool balcony where you can have breakfast and the palatial (by NY standards anyway) bathroom.
Familiar bedroom and art layout.
When the cat finally dragged me in at 11:30pm after a very long day, I was personally greeted with a note and a midnight snack. This trip was so entirely booked to the gills in NY that I accidentally forgot the wine and had no time to snack. Apparently, I need to slow down!
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 Wine, cheese, and fruit is a nice welcome. |
The bathroom in 1705 is the best one I have come across so far at 70 Park. It even has a big giant (as always unused) tub.
For NY, this bathroom is gargantuan. The size of many hotel rooms.
 Need more time for tubs. |
 Yes, you’re in NY. |
The all important shower has that crazy glass tile that looks about as much like plastic as possible. Very confusing. It needs more water pressure.
Not plastic. But ironically made to look like plastic.
I didn’t even notice the balcony when I crashed. In the morning it was a most welcome surprise. I walked up Park Avenue to Starbucks (as is my wont), grabbed a doppio macchiato, and had breakfast on the balcony with the morning paper.
The view down 38th Street.
Looking south on Park Avenue.
Fog over grand central station.
Fiver showerheads for 70 Park. It’s a toss up with the apartment!
Dinner at Roc Restaurant was superb, with excellent conversation and great Italian vino. A stop by the Brandy Library for a nightcap was a great idea on the tribeca mixology front, but the Brandy Library was out of everything interesting in both their bourbon selections and their rum pile. I am assured this only happens near the beginning of Fall, but frankly I am not a fan.
Finally a small shout out to United who needs all the praise it can get these days. USAir called while I was about a mile from LaGuardia for my flight to Boston. Cancelled. My enterprising cabby drove in record time to Newark (40 minutes) so I could catch an overbooked United flight instead. Not only did I get a seat on the plane, I got an upgrade as well and sat in 1B. The TSA precheck security was great and very very quick. I got to keep my shoes on! This may be the first time I felt like a 100K flyer in 2012. Sometimes travel is not so bad, even with major monkey wrenches.
New York City
May 5, 2012
My company has an apartment in NYC. Apparently it is a very advanced apartment, as evidenced by the apartment number:
That’s Dr. Apartment to you.
The view from the 36th-ish floor is pretty good.
View from the corner window.
Looking north from the roof (one floor up).
The building next door seems familiar. And kinda tall.
It’s nice to have net, a kitchen, multiple bedrooms, a washer and dryer, and lots of stocked stuff in NY. May have to stay here all the time and blow off 70Park.
Irony and the Eventi Hotel in NY
October 6, 2011
Admittedly, my first stay at the Eventi happened before the hotel had been debugged. It was just too new and not comfortable in its own skin. My stay that time was not up to par, and neither was the reaction to the constructive feedback I emailed in (that would be none…the reaction that is). I am happy to report that things are better now. It seems that GM Thomas Mathes has his ducks in a row and the Eventi is operating more like a proper Kimpton.
NY was full, 70Park was all booked up, my company had an client event 2 blocks away, and so I had to eat my words and come back to the Eventi even though I intended not to. I’m actually glad that I did.
Bad: the Acela down from Boston had no wifi. Good: the walk from Penn Station to the Eventi was only a block. Close enough to drag the suitcase.
The staff at the front desk was attentive and very friendly. I especially like the really tall elevator guy. And there a handwritten note in my room from Thomas welcoming me back with a bottle of wine, some fresh fruit, and sparkling (!) water. Very civilized.
I ditched my gear in room 2204 and headed the few blocks to the Iroquois Hotel where you can find Lantern’s Keep. Not a bad mixology joint, but really not quite attaining its own level of hype. Brandon was happy to experiment, but no Torani Amer on hand (and not much of a clue about bourbon when it comes right down to it)? I did not have a drink worth recording here which means that I’m still on the lookout for a bar to top the Raines Law Room in NY. (Please post suggestions if you have some.)
Though very similar to my first room at Eventi, room 2204 is slightly more spacious with a much better layout and a superior bathroom. I’m sadly resorting to pictures taken with my phone until I replace my camera. (Sorry.) Here is one of the all marble bathroom which includes a bathtub and a shower with complicated controls and multiple shower heads. Good stuff indeed!
A view down the hall from the entranceway.
These bits suck, but you get the idea. The extra room in this suite is not very big, but there is a door between the rooms.
In the end, the Eventi earns high marks and five showerheads for its outstanding bathroom design and personalized service. My compliments to the management team for making the Eventi hum.
Back in NY City at 70Park
September 29, 2011
Well, at least this time my trip to NY was not a complete bust like last time! My meeting at JPMC actually happened, and a talk at Columbia should round things out nicely this morning.
This iteration I am in room 1015, which is the exact same room design as 915 only up one floor. You can see some pictures in this entry. One key thing to note about 70Park is that it is in NY and the city is noisy. A high floor is always better.
Room 1015 is of the style featured on the hotel's website. Here is their glossy picture. It is a nice room.
I guess there are no rooms with glass showers on the property, because I am being treated very nicely by the staff and they appear to be paying close attention. They have to know the noplasticshowers deal. My arrival was enhanced by a personalized note from Nicholas Salazar with a very nice fruit plate (on day 3 it is getting a bit moldy I must admit…hah) and a bottle of California wine that I brought down to the office in NY.
The biggest slip this trip on the hospitality front was this. Apparently 70Park was being relaunched post renovation with some kind of private party in the bar (to which inner circle people were supposedly invited). I found out only after check in and had already made other plans. Advanced warning for busy people maybe? In any case, the trip down to Blue Smoke for some excellent Hirsh Reserve bourbon and a well-crafted Sazerac was definitely a better deal all around.
Here is the very strange shower/tub/whirpool combo package found in the bathroom. Plenty of room for an entire gang in this shower.
All in all, 70Park remains my hotel of choice in NY. It is ideally situated exactly between the NY office and my standard NY meeting locations. Five shower heads.
On the mixology front, I had a very nice visit to Death & Co for some interesting concoctions with my friend Jason. I had a drink called the “red ant” and another couple of rye-based beverages whose names escape me for obvious reasons. The atmosphere is very nice at Death & Co. The drinks are sturdy and well crafted. Worth a visit, but not in my list of top all time mixology joints.
70Park in NY up to Par
May 25, 2011
Must be the location. As described in the previous entry, Cupertino has no flair. Regardless of Apple’s great design capabilities, NY is just a way cooler place to visit. When business drags me up to New York City (especially when I am due at 270 Park Ave), I like a good location in the middle of the action. 70 Park Avenue fits the bill.
Though my room was smaller, and the HVAC system appears to be the same one as the one in the Cypress, there is something about the style of 70Park that is just appealing. Artsy, edgy, well lit, and sprinkled with noise form the street. Quintessential New York.
I arrived very late from a dinner with friends in New Haven on the Metro North train into Grand Central. A quick walk in the sultry summer air put me at the hotel after midnight. Checkin was great. And I was greeted in my room with a much needed cheese plate, a personal note, and a bottle of wine. You go 70Park!
As previously described, 70Park is not big, and all of the rooms that I have stayed in have shower curtains instead of glass cubicles. But they retain their favored place to stay in NY rating and their five showerheads. I will be back.
Here is the small but very stylish bathroom. Filled with mirrors (like the whole property) and thus seeming way bigger than it actually is. The shower? Meh.
It turns out that my trip to NY was mostly a bust other than seeing my friends in Connecticut. My meeting never happened due to some kind of crisis with the people I was supposed to meet. So I shlepped over to the Guggenheim to see the “Great Upheaval” exhibit. Ah Kandinsky. The exhibit was superbly constructed and a great snack at the Wright Cafe topped off the day perfectly.
On the mixology front, there is decidedly mixed news. The hotel book thing found in hotels everywhere now features a section on mixology. Uh oh. We are getting outted. Even the guggenheim cafe serves a Negroni off the menu! What are we elitists to do?!
Negroni
1 oz gin
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz Campari bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass 3/4 filled with cracked ice. Add a splash of soda water if desired. Garnish with a half slice of orange.
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