PHILLY
EVENTSMade-to-Order Weekend: Live Like the A-List
Trump International Hotel & Tower, New York, NY
- Midtown is cool again: the Trump's terrace.
All in the name of research, we leafed through tabloids and prowled Gawker.com for weeks before our New York City glitz-athon, seeking restaurants that draw catfights and dance-offs from barely legal A-list stars: Where might we see Lindsay Lohan? An Olsen twin? There was nowhere more Page Six-ish to start than at the sleek Trump International Hotel & Tower. Here, where Central Park West and South intersect, you enter the looking glass through a boîte of a lobby lined in glossy maple and marble; park-view suites are far roomier than your average $900,000 Manhattan apartment; and the staff is superbly friendly, as well as willing to dish about favorite guests (Adam Sandler, Mark Wahlberg, the newly buzzworthy David Hasselhoff).
Digs: Floor-to-ceiling windows, flat-screen TVs, Deco-modern decor, and cinematic views of Central Park and the Time Warner Center make it hard to pry yourself away and experience the city (rooms from $725 a night).
Eat: Call ahead — way ahead — for a table at Del Posto, the glam new 18,000-square-foot Mario Batali spot in the Meatpacking District (85 10th Avenue, 212-497-8090; dinner for two, $150 and up). For a cozier vibe with just a side of scene, hit nearby Pastis, the brasserie that birthed the Meatpacking boomlet (9 Ninth Avenue, 212-929-4844; dinner for two, about $150). Hotel Gansevoort, with its new, tabloid-ish G Spa & Lounge (18 Ninth Avenue, 212-206-6700) just across the street, is prime for a late-night drink. For lunch, visit Cipriani Downtown (376 West Broadway, 212-343-0999; lunch for two, about $80).
Do: Escape uptown to see the rooftop installation by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang through October 29th at the Met (1000 Fifth Avenue, 212-535-7710; ticketweb.com).
And: Purge a prosecco hangover with a run in the Park or at the Trump’s excellent fitness center and pool.
Travel Time: A two-hour drive from Center City, traffic willing; about an hour and a half on the train.
Digs: Floor-to-ceiling windows, flat-screen TVs, Deco-modern decor, and cinematic views of Central Park and the Time Warner Center make it hard to pry yourself away and experience the city (rooms from $725 a night).
Eat: Call ahead — way ahead — for a table at Del Posto, the glam new 18,000-square-foot Mario Batali spot in the Meatpacking District (85 10th Avenue, 212-497-8090; dinner for two, $150 and up). For a cozier vibe with just a side of scene, hit nearby Pastis, the brasserie that birthed the Meatpacking boomlet (9 Ninth Avenue, 212-929-4844; dinner for two, about $150). Hotel Gansevoort, with its new, tabloid-ish G Spa & Lounge (18 Ninth Avenue, 212-206-6700) just across the street, is prime for a late-night drink. For lunch, visit Cipriani Downtown (376 West Broadway, 212-343-0999; lunch for two, about $80).
Do: Escape uptown to see the rooftop installation by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang through October 29th at the Met (1000 Fifth Avenue, 212-535-7710; ticketweb.com).
And: Purge a prosecco hangover with a run in the Park or at the Trump’s excellent fitness center and pool.
Travel Time: A two-hour drive from Center City, traffic willing; about an hour and a half on the train.
Originally published in Philadelphia magazine, September 2006
