I recently enjoyed my first official cocktail-in-a-bar of the Covid summer and, fittingly, it was a Pink Drink! Pictured above is an enticing, frosty glass of Frosé (frozen rosé wine), which I procured at Versa; a cool ‘rooftop’ restaurant located on the fifth floor of the Renaissancehotel in midtown. While Versa is not literally on the hotel’s roof, which is maybe 20 stories higher up, its spacious patio emulates a rooftop experience, while also allowing for pandemic-compliant social distancing and other important safety guidelines. While enjoying the restaurant’s chill vibe, I happily discovered that if Frosé melts before you can suck it all down, it simply turns into chilled rose wine, as there is no diluting from added ice! Win win!
This gorgeous Red Grand Piano can be found in the lobby lounge at the NYLO Hotel NYC, Located at 2178 Broadway (entrance on 77th Street), on the Upper West Side.
BKLYN House, Located at 9 Beaver Street, Brooklyn NY (All Photos By Gail)
Street art fans already know that the neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn, with its artist-friendly rent and budding gallery scene, is also one of the hottest, most fertile areas in NYC to find amazing new street art popping up virtually everywhere you look. Appropriately, BKLYN House, an affordable new hotel, which had its soft opening in December, 2015, is providing a dynamic venue for showcasing the work of many of Brooklyn’s local artists.
Lobby of BKLYN House Features This Brooklyn-By-Neighborhood Mural By Artist DINK C
The bright, loft-style boutique hotel has 116 guest rooms, a modern and sleek industrial-style design and a collection of local street-art inspired artwork, including unique murals — one on each floor — depicting one of the unique areas of Brooklyn, which were commissioned specifically for the BKLYN Hotel.
Additionally, the walls of the hotel’s common areas, such as the breakfast room — where guests can enjoy a delicious free breakfast that is included with their room reservation — and the lounge / business center, feature many colorful paintings that pay homage to the vibrant neighborhood scene.
All art was curated by local gallerist Steven Gonzalez Marin of the Renaissance Collective, who partnered with Image Gallery to select a group of 11 artists, each assigned a neighborhood in Brooklyn that would inspire a wall-sized thematic mural. Check these out!
Welcome to Bed Stuy (Bedford Stuyvesant) by Josie’s Boy.
Bed Stuy Mural Detail
Bushwick by Mano a Mano
Bushwick Mural Detail (Biggie)
Crown Heights Mural on Post Card by Rez Shaolin
Flatbush Mural on Post Card by Yes One
Fort Greene Mural on Post Card by Mason Eve
Coney Island Mural by Ovrlnd Collective
Coney Island Mural Detail
Dumbo Mural By Phetus 88
Watch a fun video of the murals in the process of being created, including interviews with some of the artists, at This Link.
BKLYN House features comfy single and double occupancy rooms with Queen size beds, each room featuring Pillow-top Bedding, Flatscreen TV, Free High Speed Wi-Fi and In-Room Coffee Service, among other amenities.
I tried out the beds and they are super comfy.
BKLYN House is located in Bushwick, Brooklyn at 9 Beaver Street, Between Fayette and Ellery streets. The closest subway station is the J or the M Train to Flushing Avenue, and then a very short walk to the Hotel. Visit BKLYN House Hotel Dot Com for Rates, Reservations and More information!
This oil painting by artist Sul-Jee Scully, entitled The Magic Beach Hotel (2015), so perfectly captures the wistful vibe of late summer. I want to go there.
Photographed at The Painting Center, 547 West 27th Street, Suite 500, in the Chelsea Gallery District.
