Ah… New York City. The Big Apple… The City That Never Sleeps… Home of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade… and the place where you visitors should expect the unexpected.
Where am I going with this?
Follow me… two big stories about two major New York City landmarks made headlines this week and I found it interesting that both had connections to the travel industry.
The first bit of news is about one of the Big Apple’s most photographed buildings. The Plaza (it’s a hotel and so much more) is the fictional home to the mischievous Eloise, the setting for Mr. Big’s pre-wedding brunch on TV’s Sex and the City, and the reception site for Michael Douglas’ real life wedding to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. It is also where thousands of lesser-known travelers have afternoon tea and stare out at world-famous Central Park.
The venerable venue turns 100 next month and hotel execs want you to celebrate the big occasion. On Monday, October 1st, The Plaza is hosting a 100th birthday celebration complete with fireworks (the finale is supposed to light up the sky in the shape of a massive birthday cake). The event is free and open to the public. If you can’t stick around for the light show at least stop by for some free dessert. Hotel chefs are planning to whip up a 12-foot cake designed in the shape of The Plaza.
The big shindig marks the pre-re-opening of the hotel that has undergone a $400 million renovation over the last two years. When the new and improved Plaza opens at the end of the year it will feature about 200 private apartments and about 150 condo units plus about 130 hotel guestrooms—-far fewer than the 700-plus rooms it used to rent out.
Now, remember the title of this blog hints that there is another side to this booming metropolis.
And here it is…
New York City boasts one of the most spectacular green spaces in the world—Central Park. Unfortunately, while the park offers some incredible outdoor activities such as ice-skating, horse-drawn carriage rides, and canoeing, visitors should also know that other unlawful “activities” take place there—most of which make tourism officials cringe.
Take for instance this latest sad tale: What was supposed to be one of the most romantic nights of their lives turned sinister for tourists Luke Jacunski and Mami Nagase.
The couple was visiting the park last weekend and had settled into a sweet spot in one of the famed gazebos. That’s when Jacunski got on one knee and popped the question to Nagase, his girlfriend of six months. Just as she nodded yes, a gunman jumped from the bushes and yelled, “Give me your money and get on the ground!”
The quick thinking musician from Ohio says he was able to slip the engagement ring off his new fiancée’s finger and hide it in his pocket before the gunman forced them to the ground. The robber made off with Nagase’s Rolex watch and $125 from Jacunski, who had planned to use it to pay for a romantic dinner at a French restaurant.
According to officers, the couple spent the next several hours at a police station looking at mug shots and sharing potato chips for dinner.
Before you let this unfortunate incident prompt you to cancel your trip to New York take a look at the following articles… perhaps you’ll feel better about your upcoming trip when you are finished reading them.
New York’s Must-See Attractions—The Empire State Building
New York’s Must-See Attractions—The Statue of Liberty
Little People in the Big Apple: Central Park Zoo and FAO Schwartz
Little People in the Big Apple: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Patriotic Travel Destinations—Taking A Cruise of New York
Where To Get Your Chocolate Fix In New York