Tag Archive for: The Mark

The Merriest, Happiest Holiday Decorations at New York City Hotels, 2022 Edition

If we had choose just one word to describe the 2022 holiday season in New York City, we’d go with normal. And hey, after two years of pandemic craziness, normal sounds downright scintillating.

Lighting the way towards a blissful normalcy are the city’s hotels, dressed to dazzle whether you’re checking in — 6.5 million visitors were expected between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day — or just checking them out, as we do every year. Camera in hand, we captured 11 deliciously decked halls, walls, and even sidewalks at hotels all over Manhattan — and added the city’s showpiece outdoor tree just because.

Happy Holidays! Read more

An Under-The-Radar Supporting Role For The Mark Hotel In “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”

OscarHotels don’t win Academy Awards, but that hasn’t kept New York City hotels from landing in movies that get nominated. 

Consider 2013, when NYC hotels had close-ups in three movies chasing Oscars –Best Picture contenders The Great Gatsby and American Hustle which showcased extravagant, if wildly different, interiors at The Plaza, and Blue Jasmine (Best Actress, Cate Blanchett), which features a contentious argument shot near the big clock in front of the erstwhile Tribeca Grand (now the Roxy Hotel Tribeca).

Only one New York City hotel is in the running for reflected glory when the 93rd Academy Awards air on Sunday, April 25, and it’s on screen for less than five minutes. But the scene filmed in a suite at The Mark won instant notoriety when Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Sacha Baron Cohen’s cheeky mockumentary, debuted in October. It wasn’t for the interior design. Read more

The Met Museum Returns With New Shows, A Fresh Look And A Friendly Attitude

I missed the Metropolitan Museum of Art a lot during the nearly six months it was shuttered due to Covid 19. Turns out the Met missed me right back, along with the 7.36 million guests who visit annually.

As I reached the entrance for a preview last week, fresh from my temperature check, I was greeted by Met Director Max Hollein, who was handing out wrapped Water Lilies masks to visitors. The love continued as I entered the Great Hall. “Welcome back!” exclaimed staffers everywhere I looked. “Enjoy your visit!” I heard as I was clicked through. It took every ounce of restraint not to yell Yippee! Read more

On the Look-out for Eggs During New York’s Big Egg Hunt? Check Out These Three Hotels

Every year or so we’re treated to a citywide exhibition of large objects decorated by artists, like upright pianos or fiberglass cows. So why not eggs?

The Fabrege Big Egg Hunt, as you’ve no doubt heard, is on, with 250 gigantic egg sculptures adorned by artists, architects and creative types like Bruce Weber, Julian Schnabel, Jeff Koons, Carolina Herrera, Jacques Torres and William Wegman. Read more

Was that the Tribeca Grand On View for a Blink in “Blue Jasmine?”

Yes, it was, and what a plum, if fleeting, cameo Tribeca’s chic brick, pie-slice-shaped hotel landed in Woody Allen’s latest movie.

Without giving too much away, a lead character – Alec Baldwin as a huckster bazillionaire named Hal – is spotted canoodling a glamorous brunette by his wife’s sister as the pair exit the hotel. After registering the look of shock on the sister’s face, the camera lingers for a few seconds on the hotel and its iconic clock with Roman numerals atop a sculpted wrought iron stand, a Tribeca landmark since the hotel opened in 2000. Read more