Recently in New York City Category

In New York City, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, an Art Deco masterpiece rises above the rooftops. From its glossy elevators to its stepped pinnacle, the Empire State Building crowns the city skyline with glorious Art Deco panache. New York and Art Deco are inseparable, so if you're heading to the Big Apple this month, get a closer look at the classic style with a trio of exhibitions.

Through December 20, the New York School of Interior Design hosts Art Deco New York, in Gallery A, on East 70th Street, and Fashioning the Modern French Interior: Pochoir Portfolios in the 1920s at its NYSID Gallery a block south on East 69th Street. The former features images of architecture, fashion, textiles, and graphics created in the period between World War I and World War II, while the latter includes a collection of over seventy prints created by French interior designers that utilize an extraordinary technique of stencil cutting and coloring known as Pochoir. The third Art Deco exhibition, Art Deco Design: Rhythm and Verve, takes place at the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, and runs through May 22, 2009. It focuses on the bold graphics of plate books and portfolios from the library's "Art & Architecture Collection," and includes a series of free talks including one on "Art Deco Revivalist Architecture in Manhattan" and another on "Deco in Dress."

Of course for design lovers there's no better place to stay than W New York - The Court. The stylish hotel sits in the midst of Murray Hill, within walking distance of Deco landmarks like the Chrysler Building, and easily accessible from all three exhibitions.

New York City has long been the place to rock out, so it's only fair that it should have a museum dedicated to its contributions to rock 'n' roll. The original Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is in Cleveland, but Rock Annex NYC opened on November 25, 2008 on Mercer Street in SoHo, giving a jolt of adrenaline to a downtown neighborhood once known for punk clubs but more recently home to modeling agencies and high-end boutiques. It's fitting that New York should share in the telling of the rock-'n'-roll story, since some of the greatest music legends of all time got their start here, from the Ramones to Dylan to the New York Dolls. The new annex will feature everything rock-related, from a Hall of Fame Gallery that pays tribute to every member, to videos of the most important moments in rock (think Dylan unplugged, the Beatles at Shea, Hendrix at Woodstock), to a section called Roots & Influences, which connects contemporary artists to the music of a generation ago to make sense of how they arrived at their unique sound. There's even a New York Rocks gallery, with an interactive map of Manhattan highlighting rock landmarks like the Chelsea Hotel and the recently-shuttered CBGB's. Rock-loving guests at the W New York - Union Square or any of Starwood's New York hotels might enjoy a journey through music history at this cutting-edge museum.

It's amazing how quickly a neighborhood can become transformed. The once-gritty stretch of New York known as the Bowery was for years synonymous with poverty, crime and destitution, but now it's home to trendy shops, restaurants, and one of the most exciting new museums to come along in years. The aptly-named New Museum opened the doors to its Bowery location just last year, and it has already taken the art world by storm with its iconic building and impressive collection of contemporary art. Dedicated to showcasing the work of up-and-coming artists from around the world, its "New Art, New Ideas" ethos can be seen in sculptures, paintings, video installations, and art that simply defies description in galleries on multiple levels. The building itself is a work of art, having been designed by Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA with Gensler New York and seemingly constructed of six white boxes stacked atop one another without regard to unbroken vertical lines. And in a humble nod to the work of art that is New York itself, the museum features a seventh-floor Sky Room with unbeatable views of SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, and the Lower East Side. Sometimes it's hard to tell where the art ends and the city begins. Guests at the nearby W Union Square or any of Starwood's New York properties will enjoy a tour through this extremely forward-looking art space.