1. Another jampacked week. Highlights include my first visit to Rockwood Music Hall — fabulous, and only a 5-minute walk from my house, can’t believe I’ve never been. Also checked out two new restaurants on the Bowery (#2 and 3 below), and saw Chris Rock‘s SOLD OUT show at Radio City Music Hall. An epic week!!
2. What’s especially impressive about NYC at the moment is that it retains its vibrancy despite the uptick in crime. Entrepreneurs and companies are opening new businesses at a phenomenal rate. In my opinion, these business owners (small and large) get ALL the credit for keeping the city humming (certainly NOT the politicians, living in their rarified bubbles with security details). I say, take away the pols’ taxpayer-funded SUV’s and drivers and let them get around on the subway and the streets like regular New Yorkers and we’ll see how quickly order is restored.

Please scroll down for more on what’s happening in NYC as well as travel, entertainment, and a question about your favorite brands to see how they stack up vs. those of Gen Z.

MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS LIT!

1. The Bowery is Booming. Can it, Will it, last?

1. An 8-block stretch of the Bowery from Bleecker to Grand has the potential to transform a really sketchy, drug-infested area of the city into a MAJOR destination. It’s been tried before (unsuccessfully), so I’m not 100% convinced, but some big players are involved, so the potential is there for things to be different this time.
2. The transformation is occurring across 3 separate – and distinct – sections of the Bowery – each with its own vibe, demographics, and issues (see #2, 3, and 4 below).

2. Safely Above Houston: Amanita Gallery, Ixta Cocina Mexicana + Mezcal Bar, J Crew Concept store

Amanita Gallery

• Caio Twombly—grandson of Cy Twombly— founded Amanita in Florence in 2021. His partners include Tommaso Rositani Suckert, the great-nephew of Italian writer, artist, and diplomat Curzio Malaparte, Jacob Hyman (ex-Gagosian) and Garrett Goldsmith. They opened their buzzy new Bowery space in late September. And, btw, I got to meet Caio Twombly on my first visit to the gallery (no pics, maybe next time).
• The gallery is located in the old CBGB building. Luckily for them, the owner approached them just as former tenant Patagonia relinquished its lease. They jumped at the opportunity. It was clearly meant to be!!
• Their upcoming Vito Acconci/Laurie Anderson show (May 2023) really intrigues me. The artists have never been shown together and are typically not looked at together—but the gallerists think they should be. It will be MAJOR.

Ixta

• Ixta, a “trendy, upscale,” late-night Mexican restaurant/bar opened this week at 299 Bowery (in the former DBGB space that’s been sitting vacant for 5 years).
• Executive chef, Francisco Blanco, is from Mexico City. The menu features southern Mexican and Oaxacan dishes. Mixologist, Jenny Castillo, will be creating tequila- and mezcal-based cocktails.
• I dropped by for the soft opening for a quick bite and a cocktail at the bar. Big shout out to Sosa for those amazing spicy Mezcal margaritas and to the kitchen staff – everything I ordered was delicious. I will be back to work my way through the menu.

3. “prime” Bowery: Ainslie Enoteca, and New Museum expansion

Ainslee

1. Checked out Ainslie at 199 Bowery right when they opened at 5pm (hence the lack of crowds in my photos).
2. Great vibe, delicious food, and wonderful staff.
3. This location has been a bust for every venue to date. Fingers crossed Ainslie breaks the curse.

New Museum

1. Demolition is almost complete for the New Museum‘s eight-story expansion at 231 Bowery.  Designed by Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu of OMA, the 174-foot-tall annex will nearly double the museum’s footprint and will house gallery floors, a cafe, and outdoor terraces.
2. The museum expansion will be complete by 2024.
3. Rumor has it a major restaurant will be involved.

4. super scary Roosevelt Park area: new Moxy Hotel, hospitality by Tao Group

1. The Hotel and 5 Tao venues are almost ready. Scheduled to open later this month. Window washers on the job this week.
2. Hotel venues include Sake No Hana (a modern Japanese restaurant), The Highlight Room (rooftop lounge), Silver Lining (piano lounge), The Fix (lobby cafe and bar), and a nightclub, Loosie’s, which will have a “vibe” that is “reminiscent of the clubs in the ’90s and early 2000s.”
3. Tao Group Hospitality, part of Madison Square Garden Entertainment Group Corp., is known for their popular celebrity hot spots. Besides Tao, their top locations include Marquee, Lavo, Beauty & Essex, Cathédrale, Ling Ling, Wet Republic, Little Sister Lounge, Jewel, and more. (Source: Page Six)

TRAVEL MARKETING

5. Luxury VIP Travel invites!

• Interesting to get these two invites, from competing travel firms, in the same week.
• Lindblad Nat Geo, I have traveled with extensively. I am booked on their 2023 Faroe Islands expedition. TCS World Travel, I am familiar with but I have never been on one of their trips.
• The Lindblad sail around NY Harbor (on the very ship I sailed to Alaska on) also lets me invite a guest which is a good move (I’ve invited someone who has asked me about these trips and has the means to book them).
• The TCS event is being held at the Yale Club.

6. Spotlight on BERGAMO AND BRESCIA: ITALY’S new CAPITALS OF CULTURE FOR 2023

• I’m heading to Venice Italy next week and then planning Rome in 2023 BUT now I’m also intrigued by Bergamo!
• The Italian Capital of Culture 2023 has planned 100 major projects and 500 initiatives for 2023 to put Bergamo and Brescia on the map for travelers.
• The Festival of Lights will get the ball rolling in Brescia (10-19 February) and Bergamo (17-26 February) with art, centuries-old traditions, innovation, majestic natural landscapes, historical monuments, food, and wine.

“Bergamo and Brescia Italian Capital of Culture 2023 is a joint approach to the challenge our two cities wanted to tackle at a historic time of great change. Culture, as well as being an essential lever for attracting tourism, is vital for the improvement of the life of our communities.”

Giorgio Gori, Bergamo Mayor (Source: Italian Capital of Culture2023)

THIS AND THAT….

7. fantastic Wolfgang Tillmans retrospective at MoMA. And I spotted him nearby!!!

8. Gen Z favorite brands. How do they compare to yours?

• YouTube and Google/GoogleMaps are also two of my most heavily used brands. I’m also big on Walmart and Target. Those 4 brands are clearly non-age specific. The same cannot be said about the Gen Z food favorites.
• Without overthinking it, rounding out my Top 20 would be Whole Foods, Vans, Blundstone, COS, Apple, Sensodyne, Curb, Soho House, Instagram (but not Facebook/META), Uber (only when traveling), Chanel Lipstick, SodaStream, Lavazza Coffee, Warby Parker, Chase Bank, and Tabasco Sauce!!
• Let me know what yours would be?
• Download the full report for a deeper look at Gen Z’s Favorite Brands.

9. AMERICANS would RATHER MASK UP THAN GET A FLU SHOT?

1. 58% of Americans plan to mask this flu season rather than get vaccinated (Source: National Foundation for Infectious Diseases)

2. The top reasons adults give for not getting vaccinated this season:

• 41% think flu shots don’t work very well 
• 39% are concerned about the vaccine’s side effects 
• 28% say they never get the flu 
• 24% are concerned about getting the flu from the shot 
• 20% do not think influenza is a serious illness

10. Shane Gillis’ Epic Night Out with Nate Diaz

• I’ve heard about Nate Diaz for years. All my podcast guys LOVE him. I don’t really understand the whole MMA scene but I am intrigued (so intrigued, in fact, that I almost got tickets for UFC 281 in November at MSG).
• Nate Diaz fought his way onto the scene 15 years ago by winning the reality show “Ultimate Fighter.” He’s now completed his UFC contract and is apparently planning a move to boxing?
• He and his brother Nick are renowned for their signature strike — the “Stockton Slap” — designed to deliver disrespect, not devastation. Per sports columnist, Dan Wetzel, the brothers’ ability to bleed without concern, willingly accept massive punishment and force fighters to finish them while always punching back is beyond compare.
• A lot of surprises with this man, including his strict veganism (although that’s been disputed by none other than Joe Rogan).

And that’s a wrap for this week!

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO BLOG POST NEXT WEEK. Regular schedule will resume in two weeks (October 21) after I return from Venice, Italy where I am traveling to check out the Biennale.