Results tagged “scottfitzgerald”

Arthur Emil, the man behind the late Windows on the World and The Rainbow Room, has won the coveted contract to operate the famous Oak Room and Oak Bar (pictured) in the Plaza Hotel, which is near the end of a three-year, $400 million makeover. The 18 story landmark building opened in 1907 and operated as a hotel until 2005, after being sold for $675 million. After delays blamed on “red tape”, the Plaza is expected to open by the end of March as an upscale condominium with retail space and a smaller hotel.

The Plaza, you know that place where the kids in Gossip Girl hang out, is turning 100 years old today. The date is marked by the first guest to ever check in to the famed establishment. Who was it? The fancy-named Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, and of course a PR-driven hotel manager was behind that. The NY Times reports that "His arrival was orchestrated by the Plaza’s first manager, who wanted the new hotel to open with a splashy, attention-getting stunt."

The New York Times has a tragic tale of a storied property that was meant to be a source of familial togetherness, but has instead rended the fabric of the Handler family to ribbons. The Point, as the estate on the Long Island Sound is known, is believed by many to be the inspiration for the home of F. Scott Fitzgerald's character Jay Gatsby. The 21-acre estate's mansion is only one of nine buildings on the property, which is filled with amenities like "a vineyard, a lily pond, a clay tennis court, a horse paddock, a squash court, a gym, a greenhouse and formal gardens." The Times reports that all of these are neglected and overgrown.

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores.

The Department of Buildings says that 86 Bedford Street, aka the building that houses the pub and former speakeasy during the Prohibition era, is secure as contractors have "contractors shored up the building". A construction crew was doing interior work at Chumley's - without a permit - and a chimney collapsed, imperiling the wall and causing residents in the building and nearby to be evacuated.

The dashing Steven Weiss of The Forward let us know about tonight's event at the Borders at the Time-Warner Building at Columbus Circle, between 6-7PM, with Sam Waterston and his daughter, Elizabeth, reading from the book, which will be followed by a discussion. Waterston, our favorite lawyer (Law & Order AND I'll Fly Away), played Nick Carraway in the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby. James McBride, author of The Color of Water, will be giving a reading on August 23. Here is the Times' press release.

Kurt Wenzel, Novelist