NY Venues 2013

Ten years after Marquee opened, the Chelsea mega-club has a new life following a multimillion-dollar renovation in January that created a new entrance, reconfigured the interior, expanded the stage, and upgraded the audiovisual experience to a Funktion-One sound system that can be synced with images on a massive LED screen and five moveable rigs of LED lights. The 1,200-person club already has hosted several corporate events, which can take over the entire venue or two smaller areas, the mezzanine or a main-floor alcove room dubbed “the Boombox.”

The Duchess Lounge, the new second floor on World Yacht's Duchess ship, offers a modern environment for groups to enjoy views of the New York skyline, Statue of Liberty, and New York Harbor. The space accommodates groups of as many as 150, and semiprivate and full buyout options are available. The climate-controlled space includes a bar, dance floor, and rooftop, with amenities such as full audiovisual capabilities and several food and beverage options.

The LCL: Bar and Kitchen is a new seasonal restaurant and lounge in the Westin New York Grand Central from Gerber Group. The dining area and bar can be reserved for private events, with room for 300 people for receptions or 127 people seated in the 2,600-square-foot space. The signature aspects of the interior include a curtain wall of vertical natural walnut planks and an illuminated “forest wall” that transitions from day to night. The restaurant opened in February.

Sarabeth's Park Avenue South—the mini chain's largest New York restaurant—opened in late February near Madison Square Park. The 9,360-square-foot restaurant seats 248 and offers two private dining rooms that each seat 30 guests. Signature dishes include chicken potpie, seafood Cobb salad, and stone-oven pizzas. As at her other locations, owner Sarabeth Levine is the pastry chef.

Rogue & Canon, a bar and kitchen concept from the team behind Jimmy at the James, opened in Greenwich Village in January. The menu consists of small plates of classic American dishes and artisanal cocktails. The space is available for buyouts and seats 54 people or holds 120 for receptions.

The Ellington, an Upper West Side bar and restaurant, opened in March after a nearly four-month renovation. Located at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 106th Street—also known as Duke Ellington Boulevard—the venue pays homage to its namesake with a portrait near the entrance and a quote decorating the walls. Cocktails are named after the jazz icon's songs. The Ellington has an indoor capacity of 100 people, with space for an additional 70 outdoors during nice weather. Buyouts of the 1,200-square-foot space are available, as are custom menus for groups. The gastropub menu includes vegetarian and vegan options.

Located on the sixth floor of Macy's Herald Square, Stella 34 Trattoria opened in March in a space that the department store had used for storage for at least a century. Now, with the floor-to-ceiling windows no longer blacked out, diners have views of Broadway and the Empire State Building. The Neapolitan eatery occupies 11,000 square feet and has a seating capacity of 267, with 180 in the dining room, 56 in the lounge, and 31 in the bar. It is available for buyouts.

With views of the Hudson River, the 236-room Hotel Belleclaire on the Upper West Side finished a lobby renovation that included a coffee bar in February 2013 and plans to have a small meeting room available this fall. The upgrades follow a rooms renovation in 2011. In the works is a rooftop restaurant.

A recent three-year, $40 million renovation at the American Museum of Natural History has restored the Teddy Roosevelt Memorial Rotunda and North American Mammals Hall. The rotunda can host receptions for as many as 860 guests or seated dinners for 500. Other improvements to the Upper West Side landmark include a restoration of the pink granite arch on the Central Park West façade, as well as its 350-foot-long paved terrace.

The Sanctuary Hotel opened the sports haven Sanctuary Ultra Lounge in February. With 16 55-inch HDTVs behind one-way mirrors and a 110-inch projection screen, fans can watch multiple games from their banquettes, leather chairs, or bar stools. The entire venue holds 110 seated or 150 standing. Mirrored black doors give way to a private dining room with seating for 30 guests or standing room for 70. It has seven HDTVs and is suitable for presentations, viewing parties, or dinners. The upscale bar food includes Wagyu beef sliders, truffle mac and cheese, chicken and waffles, and seared tuna rolls.