Now that it's officially fall, venues are starting to open, and in the coming months there will be plenty of new hotels, museums, and other spaces to choose from for events and business entertaining.
This weekend, the Museum of Arts & Design's new Columbus Circle home will open to the public, and like the Brooklyn Children's Museum—which opened last week with twice the amount of space it originally had—this site offers a number of spaces for events. Corporate members or sponsors of the arts institution will have access to some of the new facilities, including the 150-seat auditorium and the 3,650-square-foot restaurant and lounge that overlooks Central Park from its perch on the ninth floor.
After a two-year absence, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum will return and celebrate its grand opening on November 11. The extensive remodeling job to the aircraft carrier included creating a more flexible and organized space, revitalizing the adjacent Pier 86, and the addition of a new lighting system and a 10- by 30-foot video wall. In addition to the 720-foot-long hangar deck, a 245-seat theater, the flight deck, and great hall, planners will also be able to rent the fo'c'sle, a 75-person section suited for cocktail receptions.
Also slated for November is the debut of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex—an outpost in SoHo of the famous Cleveland-based institution. Like the original in Ohio, this 25,000-square-foot venue will feature exhibits centered around major moments in rock 'n' roll history, a collection of rare musical relics and a special rotating display focused on a specific artist or band and their time spent in New York. Also on site: a theater that will use so-called “immersive” audiovisual technology to showcase historical performances from the likes of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Chuck Berry, and the Who.
Boutique hotels are also in the pipeline. The Cooper Square Hotel, managed by Matt Moss and Klaus Ortlieb, is a 145-room, 21-story property along the northern stretch of the Bowery, set to open in October. Among the various spaces available will be a penthouse with a 1,600-square-foot terrace, a Table 8 restaurant helmed by Govind Armstrong, and a screening room.
Scheduled for an October 1 opening is a new offering from hotelier Vikram Chatwal. Located in Times Square, Stay will have 210 guest rooms and an outpost of Greg Brier's Aspen Restaurant and Lounge, to be called Aspen Social Club. And while there will be no dedicated meeting or conference space, events will be able to take over parts of the rear lobby and the restaurant.
Some projects have been delayed, including the Ace Hotel New York (slated for January) and the W Hotel in the financial district (pushed to September 2009).
As for entertainment venues, there's Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, Dixon Place Theater on the Lower East Side, and 92Y Tribeca. The Brooklyn Bowl is a 20,000-square-foot bowling alley, restaurant, and performance space designed with events in mind. Dixon Place Theater is a smaller venue—a 150-seat spot that will serve as the permanent home of the 22-year-old nonprofit theatrical organization. And on October 18, the 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association will open the 92Y Tribeca on Hudson Street; it will include a 2,150-square-foot music hall.
