Favorites: Kevin Rudolph If you've had a song in your head for the past couple of weeks, there's a better-than-even chance that it is Kevin Rudolph's
Grand Central to Become Golf Simulator for a Day November 7th Plenty of New Yorkers look to spontaneously spend their lunch break swinging at some golf balls, but the west-side range at Chelsea Piers has a long wait to contend with (usually at least an hour or two). Nevertheless, we have found out that one of New York?s favorite landmarks will be providing a much-needed golf simulator sponsored by Callaway. In what they hope will make for the ultimate casual Friday, Callaway Golf is marking the upcoming launch of their FT-iQ driver by setting up a first-class golfing simulation on November 7th at Grand Central Terminal?s Vanderbilt Hall. From 7am to 7pm, the simulator will allow golfers to test out the new FT-iQ drivers while taking a moment out of their day to enjoy what we?d all rather be doing anyway. Aside from the driving ranges and demonstrations, Callaway will even be holding a long drive contest. It?s not the same as a mid-day round of golf, but with most of New York?s surrounding golf clubs closing for the winter season and an impromptu Manhattan driving session hard to come by, Callaway?s all-day mid-town golf simulator might be worth a look. As for the FT-iQ, Callaway is heralding it as the longest, straightest driver ever and the finest club they?ve ever made. Boasting 35% less spin, the new square-headed titanium club has been getting strong reviews so far. And if you have to pull yourself away from the office to test drive it yourself, well then that?s just what you?ll have to do.
Take the Yacht to Your Hotel In our lazier moments, we start dreaming about a vacation in which we get to travel from spot to spot without our feet touching pedestrian dry land. Speaking to that horrifically lazy rear of ours, the Impulsive Group has a vacation idea that comes pretty close to that dream. The first new vacation package revolves around the Impulsive, the group?s 120-foot yacht, which comes complete with renovated luxury staterooms, bar, game room, contemporary high-end styling, seven-member crew, Michelin-star chef, and is available for $100,000-a-week rentals. It seems these guys understand not everyone wants to be stuck on a boat for their entire vacation, so they?ve partnered their first-class boat with the Sanctuary Hotel (formerly the Portland Square Hotel), an upcoming four-and-a-half star boutique hotel near Times Square with a rooftop bar in the works. Available for 2009, the packages will provide helicopter and private jet transportation from yacht to hotel and vice versa. And because New Yorkers aren?t always content to stay in New York hotels, Impulsive is expanding their holdings to hotel/spas in locations like South Beach, Tahiti, and the Dominican Republic to go along with their two additional Upper West Side properties, the Broadway Hotel on West 101st st and Marrakech Hotel NYC on Broadway and West 103rd st. For scatterbrained travelers like ourselves, this is a welcome combination considering we don?t enjoy spending too much time on water and can get a bad case of cabin fever when confined to a hotel, even if it is a short cab ride from our home. These new Impulsive packages provide the holiday dexterity we like to have, particularly with the helicopter at the ready.
New York's Latest Stadium Luxury Suites Going Fast With two new stadiums slated to open in the next 18 months and some new renovations coming to the World?s Most Famous Arena, you can officially start preparing for the run on luxury suites. Let?s start with CitiField opening in 2009 as the first of New York's newest venues to announce that its luxury suites, going for as much as $500,000, are completely sold out. While the Yankees have been more tight-lipped regarding their upcoming new stadium, Bloomberg reported on October 10th that of their roughly 47 luxury suites (about seven suites) priced at around $600,000 each, were still available to potential buyers. While the baseball stadium sales figures are impressive, there's no disputing that, even if it doesn't open before 2010, the new Giants/Jets stadium is the biggest of the new players when it comes to luxury accommodations. With 200 luxury boxes up for grabs, individual suites started selling at around $1 million each when they went on sale last year. With no word yet on availability, Jets owner Woody Johnson is saying he foresees a strong demand for the roughly 2,000 seating licenses that will be up for grabs on StubHub starting October 19th. The auction ends October 27th and the licenses will provide potential ticket buyers access to the Coaches Club, a VIP dining, drinking, and lounge area situated directly behind the Jets' bench. Considering the selection of new VIP Premier Seating options coming to Madison Square Garden, including 68 new mid-level suites (each 50% larger) and 20 new floor-level suites ready by 2011, don?t think you can drag your heels just because the financial news is atrocious. The race is on.
It was the most famous bar in the most famous hotel in New York. One of the few legitimate New York icons left, the Oak Bar at the Plaza Hotel, closed since 2004 for renovations, has served the likes of Paul Newman, Harrison Ford, and President Bill Clinton and starred in films like North by Northwest, The Way We Were, and (of course) Crocodile Dundee. And now that it's returning to a Plaza Hotel/Condo complex beset by lawsuits and bad press, it's never been more important. The project is in need of a serious infusion of charisma. The resurgence began over the summer when the Rose Club opened at the Plaza (not to be confused with Rose Bar in the Gramercy Hotel), introducing a hip champagne backdrop that attracted Gossip Girls and their ilk. Now that autumn (in our opinion, primo drinking season) is here, the re-designed Oak Bar and Oak Room are back in business. Technically, the Oak duo officially reopens October 27th, but it?s not too early to start making plans for cocktails. Restored to its original glory, the Bar might help catapult the Plaza out of legal turnaround and into a bona fide nightspot. We still won?t stay there as either a resident or guest, but we?ll happily check out the Oaks for a drink.