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In the News: Demi Monde Defections
••• “Cocktail gurus David Kaplan and Alex Day have officially ended their involvement with ambitious FiDi bar and restaurant Demi Monde.” Tick, tick, tick… —Eater
••• Richard Branson is looking all over New York for his first stateside Virgin Hotel, including FiDi because it has ‘reasonably priced and ample office space and more families and locals moving in. [At this point the Post’s quotation marks get confusing, so it’s not clear if Branson, an unnamed source, or no one said that last sentence.] ‘If only there were more neighborhood restaurants to keep the locals there on the weekends. Sounds like a new project for us,’ Branson said.” —New York Post
••• “Few artists inhabit their artistic life more fully than Nate Lowman. His studio in Tribeca, which doubles as an apartment, is filled with art and ephemera. A towel carries the impression, Turin Shroud-like, of a pair of damp jeans; paint-splattered canvases are taped to the floor; a closet is stacked with old gas-pump panels that will be on show at publisher Peter Brant’s Connecticut barn turned art gallery this month. […] Lowman’s specialty is reconciling the detritus of pop culture—an effort that’s about participation in a flawed system, not a rejection of it. […] Lowman’s work takes the shape of smiley faces, magnetized bullet holes, and Arbre Magique air fresheners.” —Vanity Fair
••• “While walking by Earl’s Court on John St. (at Gold) late last week I noticed that the lights were out and the above sign was on the door. It’s probably not a good sign when a place like this that takes up a huge chunk of real estate closes for renovations after less than a year, or that their Web site is similarly under renovation.” —Downtown Lunch
••• Forgotten New York take a stroll down Lispenard.
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Virgin and the Thompson group have been looking in FiDi. I wouldn’t be surprised if something on Beekman becomes a Thompson Hotel.
@insider: It has already been announced that Thompson is opening a hotel (with condos) in 5 Beekman, aka Temple Court….
demi monde was on gilt city this morning as well… this doesn’t bode well for them, having flashbacks of SHO
The restaurants will come. No doubt. The demographics will be impossible to ignore. Tens of thousands of very high income residents with lots of children no less make FiDi come and many more are coming when 70 Pine, 113 Nassau, 116 John among others are fully occupied. Millions of new tourists once the Museum and Observation Deck open as well as the revamped Pier 17. Over 10,000 new workers once 1 & 4 WTC are fully up and running. Thousands more staying at the myriad new hotels under construction and planned. And these are just some of what’s going on. The critical mass will occur within 2-3 years and then you will see the restaurant scene truly bloom
:-)
Re: 5 Beekman: In the meantime, the ground floor is now being used as an event venue, in addition to upstairs. On Tuesday 10/23, the Nassau Street side was open to the street, and crowds were going in there and on Beekman. VERY VERY LOUD pulsing music, strobe lights, etc. etc. Turns out it was a launch for H&M and Maison Martin Margiela. (You can look it up, just as I had to). To the production team’s credit, there was tons of security around, including an ambulance waiting for the inevitable partygoer crash. They also left a load of gift-bagged bottles of Domaine Chandon and Piper Sonoma in nearby buildings apologizing for “any excess noise created by our October 23rd event” and “any inconvenience that our event may have caused your evening.” Gee thanks. Didn’t happen to offer any apology for the previous night’s sound checks that also went on until maybe 1:00 AM (when we finally were able to fall asleep).