Pet Friendly Stays at the Radisson Martinique

Did you know that the Radisson Martinique is a pet friendly hotel offering special packages for pet owners and their furry friends?

"The Privileged Pet Package” :

For You: - Overnight Accommodations with Breakfast
For your Pooch: - Doggie Welcome Bag - Dog Walking Map with list of nearby parks and play areas, resource guide for groomers, pet boutiques, taxi and emergency services. - Privileged Pooch Room Service Menu - Pet Deposit and Fee included in Rate.

To book this package online click here

King Kong Takes Manhattan

This month in New York City History, King Kong made his famous appearance at the top of the Empire State Building. King Kong opened at the 6,200-seat Radio City Music Hall in New York City and the 3,700-seat RKO Roxy across the street on Thursday, March 2, 1933. The film was preceded by a stage show called Jungle Rhythms. Crowds lined up around the block on opening day, tickets were priced at $.35 to $.75, and, in its first four days, every one of its ten-shows-a-day were sold out - setting an all-time attendance record for an indoor event. Over the four day period, the film grossed $89,931.

The film had its official world premiere on March 23, 1933 at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The 'big head bust' was placed in the theater's forecourt and a seventeen-act show preceded the film with The Dance of the Sacred Ape performed by a troupe of African American dancers the highpoint. Kong cast and crew attended and Wray thought her on-screen screams distracting and excessive. The film opened nationwide on April 10, 1933, and worldwide on Easter Day in London, England.

Kong did not receive any Academy Awards nominations. Selznick wanted to nominate O'Brien and his crew for a special award in visual effects but the Academy declined. Such a category did not exist at the time and would not exist until 1938. Sidney Saunders and Fred Jackman received a special achievement award for the development of the translucent acetate/cellulose rear screen — the only Kong-related award.

The film has since received some significant honors. In 1975, Kong was named one of the 50 best American films by the American Film Institute, and, in 1991, the film was deemed "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. In 1998, the AFI ranked the film #43 on its list of the 100 greatest movies of all time.

King Kong remains a staple in american pop culture and one of the many films to highlight New York City and the Empire State Building.

ON this Date in NYC History

On this date in NYC history a panel is appointed to plan the layout of streets for a growing New York City. Its members will ultimately recommend a grid pattern running east-west and north-south.

Manhattan's population was growing so rapidly around 1800 that the state government realized it needed a plan for organizing the land on the island. The government wanted to simplify how land was bought and sold and to promote public health by encouraging "free and abundant circulation of air" between buildings.

Back then, much of Manhattan was still filled with forests, hills, ponds, and swamps. Rather than let nature determine the city's layout, a commission -- lead by Mayor De Witt Clinton -- proposed reshaping the land and planning for its future development. This meant leveling hills, filling in swamps, and laying out a plan for future streets, as the city expanded to the north.div>


n 1811, the commission presented its plan on an eight-foot map. It recommended that New York be divided up into twelve avenues running north to south, and 155 streets running east to west. This plan sliced Manhattan into about 2,000 blocks. In the spirit of democracy, the avenues and streets were assigned numbers rather than names.The commission was clearly looking toward the city's future, since fewer than 100,000 people lived in Manhattan at the time. The 1811 grid was planned for a day when the population would be more than a million!

Maya Angelou...A Phenomenal Woman Phenomenally

Dr. Maya Angelou is one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. Hailed as a global renaissance woman, Dr. Angelou is a celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Angelou was raised in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. In Stamps, Dr. Angelou experienced the brutality of racial discrimination, but she also absorbed the unshakable faith and values of traditional African-American family, community, and culture. Angelou is one of the most honored writers of her generation. She has been honored by universities, literary organizations, government agencies, and special interest groups. Her honors include a National Book Award nomination for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her book of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie,a Tony Award nomination for her role in the 1973 play Look Away, and three Grammys for her spoken word albums.In 1995, Angelou's publishing company, Bantam Books, recognized her for having the longest-running record (two years) on The New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller List. In 1998, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.She has served on two presidential committees,and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2000 and the Lincoln Medal in 2008.Musician Ben Harper has honored Angelou with his song "I'll Rise", which includes words from her poem, "And Still I Rise." She has been awarded over thirty honorary degrees. Happy Birthday Dr. Angelou, your work continues to inspire us...