The High StandardMore pics from our NY trip — I'm kind of going in reverse chronological order, for anyone who cares, i.e. Emily....
Sunday night, September 6th, for wedding anniversary no.12 (wedding anniversary number twelve!!!), we stayed at the Standard Hotel. After we checked in we took a walk on the Highline, which runs right under it.
A lot has been written about the Highline and I'm sure we'll have more to say about it in the future (they still have at least ten blocks to add on to the North end).
The designers (landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and planting specialist Piet Oudolf) found an impeccable balance, keeping elements of the beautifully rusted, overgrown old structure, but making it into a fun, functional public space, equally beautiful in its own way.
I had this thought while we were up there that experiencing such a space — an environment where every last detail is designed, but allowed to breathe, never forced — is a feeling of pure luxury.It's an amazing gift for the people of New York City, and judging by the crowds, they seem to be loving it.
Everything in The Standard is also well-designed — all of the rooms have (widely publicized) floor-to-ceiling windows, and ours had a cool little seating area right next to the view. It was a little like an Airstream trailer, with everything in its right place.A totally schizo panorama of the view. That little bubble of glass in the middle of the photo (click to enlarge) is Diane von Furstenberg's building. Must be nice.Back to the hotel room. There's no door on the bathroom and the wall of the shower is glass, so that you can see right into it from the main room. I have a pet peeve about people calling inanimate objects "sexy" but it is a "sexy space." Honestly, I kind of prefer the slightly more rustic-feeling Maritime Hotel, but we enjoyed our stay and would go back.
And honestly, at that point, after three days of drinking and catching up with friends and walking around, we would have been happy with anywhere that had a TV and a bed. We're old, god dammit! BBC America delivered for us with an encore showing of one of my favorite Bond movies. Emily made fun of me for taking pictures of the TV.After that we had a drink in the bar downstairs. The patio is nice — good for people watching.
More pics from our NY trip — I'm kind of going in reverse chronological order, for anyone who cares, i.e. Emily....
Sunday night, September 6th, for wedding anniversary no.12 (wedding anniversary number twelve!!!), we stayed at the Standard Hotel. After we checked in we took a walk on the Highline, which runs right under it.
A lot has been written about the Highline and I'm sure we'll have more to say about it in the future (they still have at least ten blocks to add on to the North end).
The designers (landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and planting specialist Piet Oudolf) found an impeccable balance, keeping elements of the beautifully rusted, overgrown old structure, but making it into a fun, functional public space, equally beautiful in its own way.
I had this thought while we were up there that experiencing such a space — an environment where every last detail is designed, but allowed to breathe, never forced — is a feeling of pure luxury.
It's an amazing gift for the people of New York City, and judging by the crowds, they seem to be loving it.
Everything in The Standard is also well-designed — all of the rooms have (widely publicized) floor-to-ceiling windows, and ours had a cool little seating area right next to the view. It was a little like an Airstream trailer, with everything in its right place.
A totally schizo panorama of the view. That little bubble of glass in the middle of the photo (click to enlarge) is Diane von Furstenberg's building. Must be nice.
Back to the hotel room. There's no door on the bathroom and the wall of the shower is glass, so that you can see right into it from the main room. I have a pet peeve about people calling inanimate objects "sexy" but it is a "sexy space." Honestly, I kind of prefer the slightly more rustic-feeling Maritime Hotel, but we enjoyed our stay and would go back.
And honestly, at that point, after three days of drinking and catching up with friends and walking around, we would have been happy with anywhere that had a TV and a bed. We're old, god dammit! BBC America delivered for us with an encore showing of one of my favorite Bond movies. Emily made fun of me for taking pictures of the TV.
After that we had a drink in the bar downstairs. The patio is nice — good for people watching.
Then we ordered room service.