CITYist

The launch of NICHOLAI by Nicky Hilton at Big Drop NYC on September 8th during New York’s Fashion Week was a huge success! Looking chic and fabulous, guests of the night’s affair enjoyed Pallini cocktails and received free makeovers with a free gift.

While new hotels like The Standard, The Trump Soho and The Andaz always attract a young and modern crowd, sometimes it’s good to step outside of the trendy zone and check into some of New York’s gems. To get a feel of the foundation of what New York is made of, I’m staying at some of these iconic boutique properties operated by HK hotels, at various locations around the city to see what they offer, and how hotel customer service existed when gentlemen were polite, and it was always, Ladies First.

Remember our amazing mural on Crosby and Broome that we kept telling you about? Well now there’s a video! Check out behind-the-scenes footage of the smart New York City murals projects—ours is the first (and we say best) one.

For many Hispanic New Yorkers, the city was “Nueva York” first. Thus, appropriately named is El Museo del Barrio’s newest exhibition. Opening today, Nueva York is a collaborative effort between the cultural institution and the esteemed New York Historical Society. The multimedia collection, comprised of paintings, sketches, documents, books, maps, artifacts and more provides nearly 400 years of context through which to understand the compelling history of the Latin American, South American, Caribbean and Spanish people who journeyed to (not always by choice), settled and lived in New York.

Joaquín Torres-García, New York Docks, 1920.

New Yorkers are fiercely protective and proud of their city—and their borough. So it’s only natural that artists would capitalize on this built-in market with city-centric prints. Enter pop artist Jim Datz, whose quirky, cartoonish posters pay homage to important spots with bright, bubbly pop personality. Pick up a poster at Three Potato Four for $48 and where your pride on your wall.

Via The Cut.

While you’re trying to tune everyone else out on your morning subway commute, artist Dejan Djordjevic is doing just the opposite. Earlier this year, Djordjevic debuted “Subway Series: A Gritty Look at Boston’s Token Traveler,” a collection of straphanger snapshots on Boston’s “T,” and followed it up with an Atlanta version last April. And what should be the next stop? In our opinion, it’s a no-brainer: New York, of course.

This decorating guru has designed some sleek interiors in New York establishments, making him a perfect source for information on the city scene. Check out the Venezuela-native’s picks, including Latin American restaurants and French cafés, all in the city that never sleeps.

To learn more about Angel Sanchez and his partner Christopher Coleman’s work, click here.

You might imagine that the designers behind Ruffian, a line of elegant, French-influenced womenswear with an edge, would know a thing or two about the New York scene. Ruffian’s clothes can go from uptown to downtown, and Brian Wolk and Claude Morais’ picks for the best spots in the city will take you along a similar path.

To read more about Ruffian, click here.

If you haven’t heard of Mia Moretti, you probably aren’t in the loop. The New York-based DJ by way of LA and San Francisco plays gigs in hip locales from Williamsburg to the Lower East side, and shares her favorite spots in her adopted city with us.

Click here to read more about Mia.

We just gave you an insider’s look into LA—and now we’re moving the spotlight onto New York. SUITE NY owners Kris Fuchs and Maria Sepulveda give you the lowdown on New York’s best restaurants, bars, book shops and, of course, best kept secrets. Visitors and natives alike will have something to learn from these design gurus.

Read more about SUITE NY here.