New York City is an Urban Escape What a way to celebrate a 400th birthday! Founded in 1609, New York is celebrating its quadricentennial by defying the odds and predictions of economic doom: just walk around Times Square any day of the week, at any hour of the day, and you’re going to see hordes of happy tourists. For every local who works in a nearby office building, dozens of out-of-towners are enjoying our streets, and event the experimental pedestrian promenade around the square. It’s a sharp contrast to what many predicted when the economy tanked last fall. Most figured that the challenges facing the local economy would be compounded by the loss of significant tourist dollars. Many observers believed that planned hotel and restaurant projects would fall by the wayside. Fortunately for all of us, that didn’t happen. Most hotel projects already on the books continued as planned, and literally dozens of new restaurants have opened in the year since the Wall Street shocks. New York remains a prime tourist destination, particularly as U.S. residents who might otherwise have traveled overseas have opted to stay closer to home. More than 47 million people visited the city in 2008, says NYC & Company, the city’s marketing, tourism, and partnership organization. Even if a predicted 5% drop in tourism proves true in 2009, our streets are still paved in gold. The Chatwal These visitors will have new places to stay. Opening this month — on schedule — will be the “baby grand” of hotels, Chatwal New York. Located in the landmark Stanford White limestone manse at 130 West 44th Street, formerly the Lambs Club, it has been given a stunning modern Deco makeover by master architect Thierry Despont

Read the original here Faith Hope Consolo: The Faithful Shopper: Never Underestimate Our Diverse Destination