I’ve been in New York since the ’90s and recently reflected back to my first few weeks of exploring and rediscovering Manhattan. I travel frequently for work but the idea of a “staycation” has alway been slightly foreign to me.
When the Jumeriah Essex House invited me to enjoy a weekend adventure I quickly became nostalgic and thought back to 1998 when I first moved to Hells Kitchen to attend Fordham University College at Lincoln Center. Madonna was living just around the corner and her Ray of Light album had just come out. The Time Warner Building hadn’t gone up yet, and the building where the Museum of Arts and Design now rests was still a shifty windowless eyes sore. Alan Cumming and Natasha Richardson were singing their hearts out at the Kit Kat Club in the Broadway revival of Cabaret.
Whenever I’d get lost in Central Park I’d try to locate the iconic bright red Essex House sign. As soon as I’d find it I would walk South until I reached Central Park South and pass the lines of horse-drawn carriages and street vendors on my way back to my Lincoln campus. Though I never went inside, it reminded me I was close to home. Checking-in at the Jumeriah Essex House was the perfect opportunity to rediscover the city and experience it for the first time all over again.
History
The Essex House opened it’s Central Park South doors in October 1, 1931, the same year the first Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center was raised. To commemorate the opening of the Essex House at 160 Central Park West, over 1,000 decked out guests took to the Colonnades ballroom. New York was in the midst of Prohibition and celebrities and criminals alike were living it up a few blocks away at the local speakeasy, the 21 Club. The Essex House represents one of New York City‘s first Art Deco masterpieces, reflecting the spirt of an Americana we are continually trying to reestablish. The Dubai-based Jumeriah company purchased the Essex House in 2005 and invested over $90 million in renovating and updating the property, repositioning itself as a leader among luxury accommodations in New York City.
I was blown away when I walked through the revolving doors and faced photographer Atta Kim‘s enormous photographs of Central Park. I quickly learned that master curator Katherine Gass was welcomed onto the Jumeriah team in 2006 to create an artist-in-residence program as well as a lobby exhibition to illustrate and celebrate the hotel’s commitment to contemporary culture. Gass creates a display of the expansive Manhattan surrounding the Essex House with a selection of sensible 19th century vintage portraits juxtaposed with a wide array of images of Central Park, aerial landscapes, and unique moments of culture in the Empire City’s grand history. I purposely made a wrong turn through a pair of half open doors and an enormous ballroom unfolded around me. I had a quick moment of déjà vu and wondered if I had somehow opened a secret door that whisked me away to the Hapsburg’s Hofburg Palace in Vienna. A security guard politely let me know I had stumbled into the “Grand Salon,” and they were setting up for a private event for the evening. I quickly scanned the room and imagined a decadent gay wedding ceremony. Partygoers shaking their diamonds and butts to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” while waiters rolled out the tables with the chocolate fountain for the Viennese Hour.
ROOM WITH A VIEWA butler greeted me once at the door to my suite (by suite I mean one enormous sitting room with an office area, a giant bedroom with an appropriate king bed, two bathrooms, and enough closet space for all of Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolo Blahnik’s. The charming butler brought me a pot of delicious Earl Grey tea, which I sipped as I admired the view from the windows in each room. The Essex House has 509 upgraded luxury rooms and suites ranging from 300 to 2,500 square feet. I turned on the flat-panel television, and Grand Hotel was playing. (No, really!) My butler returned with a snack and we had a quick conversation about which Molton Brown scents we preferred. I had a spa appointment scheduled in an hour so I logically drew a bath and felt like Greta Garbo in the giant tub, pampering myself before my massage. I called my boyfriend and told him to clear the rest of his day and come relax in the suite. By the time he made it to the room the man who bad become “our” butler brought a fresh pot of tea and I was off to the spa. He picked up watching Grand Hotel where I left off, casually glancing out to catch a glimpse of the sweeping views of Central Park and midtown Manhattan below.
PAMPER
I ran into my friend Paul downstairs in the Spa. He had just received the Essex Signature Massage and was glowing. I was struck by how the spa catered to men as well as women, but offered more treatments catering to their male clientele than most. I was torn between getting the “thermal infusing facial,” a “conturing marine wrap,” the ‘hot stone massage,” and the “signature massage? When Paul raved about the latter my decision was made. I picked up the weekend section of The Times and felt a kind of old world kinship with my friend, sitting in the spa at the Essex House, waiting for my massage. Halfway through the treatment, my masseur asked if I would like to incorporate hot stones into the treatment–I was blown away by how much they intensified and enhanced the massage. When I asked about the oil he was using I learned that this spa is the sole carrier of Sodashi products in New York City. Between my masseur’s perfect hands, his magic stones, and the subtle Sodashi oil, I thought about requesting another eighty minutes of serenity. But I couldn’t be late for dinner.
DINE
We met up with more friends in the bar at South Gate, the hotel’s new fine dining restaurant. I took in Tony Chi’s clever design incorporating high ceilings, a massive skylight, the largest fireplace in Manhattan, and floor-to-ceiling views of Central Park. I ordered Tomm’s handcrafted tonic before the BF and I moved to a table to experience executive chef Kerry Heffernan’s journey through modern American cuisine. Once I finished my juniper cocktail, I flipped through the interactive iPad wine tablet to find something for each course of our outstanding meal.
PLAY
By the time we finished dinner, we happily felt like tourists in our own city. I made eyecontact with the president of Greece (shouldn’t he have been on an austerity budget?) on my way out of the lobby and set out to explore Hells Kitchen as if we were in for the weekend. Gone are the days where you only have one or two options in Hells Kitchen. When staying at the Essex House, you can be at over twenty different gay bars in a matter of minutes. Industry and Flaming Saddles Saloon are the hottest new spots in the neighborhood, but Therapy is a longstanding hit as well.
I snapped photos at the festive opening of Flaming Saddles earlier this fall and captured the attractive crowd. The swank club always has something fun going on. Mimi Imfurst from last season of RuPaul’s Drag Race has a regular show now and just last week Mike Ruiz blew out his birthday candles in front of a starry crowd including Deborah Cox, Amanda Lepore, Lance Bass, Michelle Williams, and Kristine W. Across the street, Therapy is two-levels of eye candy and fun.
If you’re craving vodka, glamour, and perhaps a little drag, head over to Vlada. Bianca Del Rio or Paige Turner might be riling up the crowd and causing a commotion. But we don’t mind. If you’re lucky enough to be at Vlada the night of the Habibi party, get out that $15 and head upstairs, it’s the best gay Middle Eastern dance party in town. Once you’ve had enough dancing, head back to the Essex House for a nightcap before South Gate closes for the night.
The next day is choose your own adventure: Breakfast at Tiffany’s? It’s just around the corner. The Rockettes are high kicking for Jesus at the Radio City Music Hall, there’s a new exhibit at the Modern Art Museum, and Ricky Martin is about to start previews for the first revival of Evita at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway.
Thanks to our friends at OutThink Partners and the Jumeriah Essex House
