Many homes destroyed and public utilities and services left damaged and useless. A national crisis is on our hands as citizens of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and other states wait desperately for relief. In our own city—a global center of commerce, creativity, media, and diplomacy—the effect is beyond traceable.

Hotel Belleclaire proudly calls New York City its home, and is equally proud to be part of New York State and to share its borders with New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and others affected by the storm. Our hearts break for those who cannot replace what has been lost, but we know with certainty that our people are resilient. Our thoughts are with the community, and we tip our hats to those joining in the relief efforts—among them our friends, our employees, our guests, our neighbors. Thank you.

How You Can Help:

The American Red Cross and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City are accepting donations to assist with Hurricane Relief. Contributing to these causes will not only provide immediate aid needs, such as clean water, food, and hygiene supplies, but it will also help with the long-term relief and restoration efforts.

• American Red Cross
• Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City

The ING New York City Marathon – to be held on Sunday, November 4 – finishes on the west side of Central Park at approximately 70th Street. Hotel Belleclaire is located just a few blocks northwest of the finish line at 77th and Broadway. While the rest of the field competes for cabs and fights for space on the subway, you can loosen up your legs with a brief walk back to the hotel before relaxing in one of our Guest Rooms, Broadway Kings, Parlor Suites or Family Suites.

The NYC Marathon is the world’s largest by  the total number of race applicants, offering more than $600,000 of prize money and attracting some of the world’s fastest marathoners, along with weekend warriors and beginning runners from around the world. As one of the World Marathon Majors – along with Boston, London, Berlin and Chicago – the New York event is one of the world’s premier annual athletic events, drawing a national broadcast on ESPN and media attention from leading papers and publications. The course starts in Staten Island before crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn. After traversing Brooklyn from south to north, the race passes through the southwest corner of Queens before flying uptown along the east side of Manhattan. The trail makes a short detour to the Bronx before returning to Manhattan for the home stretch.

Once you return to your accommodations at Hotel Belleclaire, you can unwind in your guest room with convenient amenities like free high-speed Wi-Fi access, an iPod docking station, a flat-screen HD TV and Gilchrist and Soames bath products. Finish your marathon weekend in style and comfort by enjoying a replenishing dinner on the lively Upper West Side and complimentary Gillie’s Coffee and Bromley Tea at the hotel on Monday morning.

Make NYC Marathon hotel reservations at Hotel Belleclaire today by booking online!

ING New York City Marathon

November 4, 2012 at 8:30am

Start: Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island

Finish: Central Park, Manhattan

Phone: (212) 423-2249

www.nycmarathon.org

Also keep in mind that if you are planning on attending a family-friendly show, Hotel Belleclaire offers a collection of family suites featuring two bedrooms, microwaves and inspiring views of 77^th Street.

Upcoming Broadway Shows:

Annie
October 3 – March 31
Palace Theatre

This musical tells the story of Orphan Annie, a redheaded girl who is forever optimistic. See how her life changes when she is selected to spend time in the house of wealthy businessman Oliver Warbucks.

The Heiress
October 6 – February 10
Walter Kerr Theatre

A young and naive woman falls head over heels for a handsome young man that her problematic father suspects is a fortune hunter.

Glengarry Glen Ross
October 16 – December 30
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

Go inside an intense Chicago real estate office where the stakes are high. First prize is a new Cadillac, second prize is a set of steak knives and third prize is dismissal!

The Mystery of Edwin Drood
October 19 – February 10
Studio 54

Go back in time to a Victorian music hall where a boisterous ensemble of actors mounts a staging of Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel. Everyone on stage is a murder suspect for young Edwin Drood and the audience chooses the killer.

A Christmas Story
November 5 – December 30
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Travel to 1940′s Indiana, where a boy named Ralphie has just one wish for Christmas – owning a Red Ryder BB Gun.

The Anarchist
November 13 – February 17
John Golden Theatre

The Anarchist is set in a women’s prison and tells the story of Cathy, an inmate with a radical past who asks Ann, the prison’s female warden, for parole.

To make a reservation for any of these Broadway shows or learn more about others, please contact our concierge at Belleclaire@continentalguestservices.com or phone at 212-362-7700.

NYC Walking Tours:

Central Park Reservoir Loop

From Hotel Belleclaire, walk east on 77th Street. When you reach Columbus Avenue, look to the left to see the American Museum of National History, one of the world’s most famous museums. When you reach Central Park West, turn around and take in the rows of stately apartment buildings across from the park. These buildings – most erected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – are part of the Central Park West Historic District, and display some of the city’s finest Neo-Renaissance architecture. Enter the park and take one of the winding paths north to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. The 1.5-mile loop around the Reservoir is one of the most picturesque paths in New York City, providing stellar views of the city’s skyscrapers over the placid water.

Hudson River Greenway

If you’re seeking a break from the claustrophobia of the concrete jungle, walk west on 77th Street to Riverside Park. Just two blocks from Hotel Belleclaire, this verdant strip of greenery and trees borders the Hudson River and provides a great place to find a cool breeze. Walk across the park to the riverfront and head north along the Hudson River Greenway. This popular biking, jogging and walking trail provides peerless views of New Jersey, and extends north to Riverbank State Park, which extends into the Hudson and provides a variety of athletic and arts experiences. 

Broadway Lights

The city’s most famous thoroughfare, Broadway bisects the island of Manhattan, making its way through many of NYC’s notable neighborhoods on its way from Inwood Hill to Battery Park. Hotel Belleclaire is located at the corner of 77th and Broadway, making it easy to turn the corner from the front door to start this walking route. Head downtown on Broadway, taking time to admire the early-20th century architecture of the Upper West Side. Broadway doesn’t run parallel to the rest of NYC’s avenues, meaning it crosses each avenue to create one of the city’s famed squares. Here are some of the unique intersections you’ll pass through during your walk:

• Lincoln Square (at 65th Street)
• Columbus Circle (at 59th Street)
• Times Square (45th Street)
• Herald Square (34th Street)
• Madison Square (23rd Street)
• Union Square (14th Street) 

Columbia University

The densely populated, skyscraper-filled island of Manhattan is the last place you’d think to find an expansive, beautiful college campus. But just a few miles north of Hotel Belleclaire sits Columbia University, an Ivy League institution and a six-block respite from the concrete and steel of the city. Walk up Broadway from Hotel Belleclaire and take in the essence of the Upper West Side. It’s one of Manhattan’s most diverse neighborhoods, featuring cuisine of all kinds and residents of all origins. When you reach 116th Street, enter Columbia’s gates and take the tree-lined walk east to the open lawn. The Beaux-Arts buildings that line the green courtyards were built near the turn of the 20th century – the most famous structure is the Low Memorial Library, an 1895 building that is listed as a National Historic Landmark.  

Take the first step on your tour of NYC by making reservations at Hotel Belleclaire today.

Get more inside info on the Upper West Side by reading our convenient New York City travel guide. 

IT’S A FASHION FRENZY FOR THE MASSES!

New York City fashion week events are by invitation only, and I was lucky enough to score tickets from fashion week designers; one of many loyal Hotel Belleclaire guests!  

Thanks to my Dream Team hair and makeup stylists at Dramatics NYC (West 74 Street & Amsterdam, www.dramaticsnyc.com), I will be primped and prepped by the very best!  Now, all this fashion fever got me thinking; what can we do for our guests during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week?  Hmm… How about share our TOP stylists with our guests?  All Hotel Belleclaire guests will be pampered with FREE on-site makeup and blow dry sessions throughout Mercedes Benz Fashion Week September 2012!  All week.  All free.  All for you.  Feeling fabulous yet? 

Stay at the Hotel Belleclaire September 6-13, and you’ll receive a VIP Pass to our Social Scene Room, where Dramatics Dream Team Stylists will get you ready for a night out on the town!  No extra charge, really. It’s our fashionable gift to you.  Oh and what’s a fashion event without freebies– upon arrival, guests will receive Lumene Swag Bags, exclusive retail offers, comedy tickets and more!   Spoiled yet? =)  Tell us when to stop…

Brooks Brothers (West 86 Street & Broadway) will be in on the action; demonstrating the famous Windsor Knot and bowtie– they’re making a SERIOUS fashion comeback!

So, I’ll be hobnobbing with designers and sharing insider party pics with you on Hotel Belleclaire’s facebook page and tweeting LIVE from the runway.  It’s a hard job, but somebody’s ‘gotta do it’. =D

Makeup: check.  Hair: check (Cher is my fave stylist @ Dramatics xoxo).  Now one age old question remains: what am I going to wear?!!  Anyone have Vera Wang’s number? =D

xo
Adisa

This Fall fashion trend ends soon; BOOK our fashion package NOW.

Current Trends I’m Loving (easing into fall with cream, camel, & tons of texture):  

Fall Wardrobe MUST-HAVE:  I’ll be looking for this during the FNO party at Elie Tahari’s ($100 off $400 event on September 6, 2012)

LOVING Crown Jewel Colors for a Fashion Forward Attitude:

A special thanks to the Dramatics NYC for sponsoring a fabulous guest event.  We love you!

New York had been a baseball town from the get-go, with dozens of teams circulating through the city in the mid-to-late portion of the 19^th century. After a series of league shake-ups, takeovers, mergers, and break-ups, New York was left with the New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants) and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Though both teams left NYC for the West Coast, their rivalry remains, having lasted for more than a century.

The New York Yankees got their start as the Baltimore Orioles (then a separate entity from today’s Orioles), finally moving to the Big Apple in 1903 (the year Hotel Belleclaire opened!) as the Highlanders. Since creating roots in New York, the Yankees franchise has given way to superstar names such as Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly, Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Robinson Cano. The Yankees have won a leading 27 World Series with 40 playoff appearances – the most in all of baseball. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t deny the Yankees’ prowess.

Among the biggest players in Yankee history is Babe Ruth, a frequent guest of Hotel Belleclaire. One of the most famous stories in Yankee lore is the “Curse of the Bambino.” This so-called curse is said to have started after the Boston Red Sox sold Ruth in the 1919-1920 offseason to the New York Yankees. Red Sox then-owner Harry Frazee used the profits from the sale of The Bambino, as Ruth is called, to finance a brand new musical. Prior to this sale, the Red Sox had won five of the first fifteen World Series, while the Yankees remained titleless. In the 84 years following Ruth’s move to New York, the Yankees played in 39 World Series, winning 26 of them—a number twice as much as any other team in Major League Baseball to date. During those same 84 years, the Red Sox played in only four World Series, losing all. A key touchstone in Boston/New York baseball rivalry, talk of the curse dissipated when the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals.

New York City is a metropolis of sports history, and Hotel Belleclaire is the best place to see it all. Visit our Upper West Side hotel this fall to watch the pennant races heat up, cool down, and get sent right out of the park.

Staying at Hotel Belleclaire puts you near it all:

• Shakespeare in the Park is currently staging its second production of the summer, “Into the Woods.” The classic musical from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine runs through August 25, with shows on most days at 8 p.m. There will be no shows on July 22 and 26 or August 12 and 16.

• Film buffs will appreciate the Central Park Conservancy Film Festival, running the week of August 21-25. Each night features a different film. In order: “Do the Right Thing” (with special guest, Oscar nominee Danny Aiello kicking off the festival), “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Animal House,” and on the final night, a viewer’s choice between “Clerks” and “Coming to America” (voting takes places at the end of July).  Gates open at 6:30 each evening, with an 8 p.m. start time; enter at 72^nd Street and bring your own picnic food!

• Every Friday this summer, the Good Morning American Concert Series features a chart-topping artist. Gates open at 6 a.m. when the park itself opens, with shows starting at 7 a.m. and lasting through the GMA taping til 9 a.m. Enter at 72^nd Street off of Fifth Avenue and head to Rumsey Playfield.Upcoming acts include No Doubt (July 27), Ne-Yo (August 3), OneRepublic (August 10), Neon Trees (August 17), The Wanted (August 24), and Backstreet Boys (August 31). 

There is so much history that once contributed to the Hotel Belleclaire’s reputation as the “flashiest hotel in New York City”.  What originally began as a lobby redesign has emerged into a restoration and enhancement project.  After extensive research on Emery Roth’s original design elements; we have decided that the traditional details will be refashioned using historical references and modern techniques.

In 1903, the entrance to our hotel was first positioned on Broadway and the lobby consisted of several formal dining rooms, a Flemish café, and a Palm Garden.  Today, guests enter through our 77^th Street entrance, which was originally the Palm Garden area—set beneath the skylight.  Although the entrance will remain on 77^th Street; the 40 foot skylight is prominent in the design and will allow for natural lighting, just as it did in 1903. The ornately carved wooden doors inside the lobby (remaining true to its 1903 location) will help recreate the historic and elegant ambience of the Hotel Belleclaire.  The mosaic-tiled floor will be completely restored, and carefully selected furnishings will decorate the expansive space. 

It was among the first hotels to offer in-room telephone service—a luxury in 1903, to present-day complimentary high speed wireless—Hotel Belleclaire continues to set higher standards for comfort, convenience, and style.  The legend and the legacy remain, as the treasured New York City keepsake is redesigned for the twenty first century.   

New Lobby Design August 2012

Expansive Space Set Beneath a Skylight

Fully Restored Mosaic Tile

Lavish Seating Throughout the Lobby

Custom Lighting to Enhance the 40 foot Skylight

Bar and Lounge Seating

Rich Espresso Fabric

We are hosting a Sweet Stop:  complimentary gourmet dessert pastires & more for our guests!

When:  February 14, 2012 – Valentine’s Day    /   Time:  3:30 – 5:30 p.m. 

Location:  Hotel Belleclaire (250 West 77 Street, New York, NY 10024)

Fall in love with gourmet goodies:  red velvet whoopie pies, snicker doodles, cupcakes, and tasty

nutella macarellas!  Coffee, cappuccinos, tea, & expertly crafted espressos will be served. 

Sweetery Baked Goods

• Refreshments:  coffee, tea, bottled water
• Snacks:  granola bars, cookies, crackers
• Daily Newspapers (Monday-Friday):  New York Post, USA Today
• Flyte Pass:  verify your flight status and print boarding pass
• Computer Access:  internet, print, copy, fax

In sharing this experience as our guest during our lobby redesign, you are as much a part of our history, as you are part of our future.

We thank you for staying at the Hotel Belleclaire

…Memories that will last a lifetime.

Comfortable seating, two flat screen HDTV's, Ipod docking stations, and more!

Comfortable seating, two flat screen HDTV's, Ipod docking stations, and more!

Guests are welcomed through the main entrance- redesign is behind the scenes.