New Novel’s Scenes Set at NYC’s Library Hotel

One of my favorite hotels in the world, The Library Hotel at 41^st Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan, is featured as a setting for several scenes in a recently published novel.  Jennifer Jeppison, the novel’s main character, sometimes with members of her extraordinary extended family, sojourns at The Library Hotel for several NYC trips in Make Me Beautiful by Kelsey A. Campbell.

Jen, an artist, particularly loves the Painting Room, of course!  And the hotel’s wealth of books everywhere from the lobby to the 14^th floor Writers’ Den Jen finds particularly useful while recuperating after surgery in a New York hospital.

The real hotel is a gem located just one block from Grand Central Terminal and one block from the famed New York Public Library.  It’s part of the HK Hotels chain, which also includes the Casablanca Hotel near Times Square.  Great place, lovely facilities for anyone who loves a good book, and fine service are hallmarks of this elegant little boutique hotel.  I can hole up there in vast comfort for days, just as the fictional Jennifer Jeppison does!

The book is available as an Amazon Kindle Edition, published by AngeLines Publishing.  Look for Make Me Beautiful by Kelsey A. Campbell, and load up your Kindle.  Great bedtime reading for a Road Warrior, and you can dream of traveling to places like New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Cambodia along with Jen.  It’s the “Ultimate Makeover” story, tremendously uplifting and inspiring, and a joy to read.

May your road rise up to meet you!

Ann

Real New Yorker Burgers & Brews

Times Square has everything: Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Cafe, Olive Garden, and practically any chain you can imagine have Times Square outlets.  But where can you find something uniquely New York?  It's searching out the distinctive, the can't-find-it-anywhere-else that makes travel most fun and most enlightening.

Just had lunch at HB Burger, a burger and brew pub that's distinctly New York.  Heartland Brewery pioneered craft beer in NYC back in 1995, and now has 7 locations in the city.  It has just been nominated for "Best New Burger" in the Time Out New York 2010 Eat Out Awards, but which burger is "new" remains a mystery.  HB's mum on that despite the prominent placard announcing the nomination on each table.

Seasonal beers featured at present include:
-  Full Moon Barley Wine, rich toffee sweetness from English malt and American hops;
-  Sumatra Porter, mocha aroma and hint chicory in a beer brwed with English malts and Sumatra coffee;
-  Belgian Cornhusker Lager, a spicy golden ale using Belgian ale yeast.

They make their own sodas, too.  Potency is the salient Diet Root Beer characteristic, not fizz.  Bison burgers, sashimi-grade tuna burgers, Cajun crabcake burgers and, naturally, angus beef highlight the burger side of the lunch menu.

The HB Burger comes with lettuce and tomato, traditional New Yorker style.  Add cheese, bacon, avocado or what-have-you at additional charges.  Another New Yorker tradition - add-ons. 

Of course, they hate solo diners during the lunch rush when tables get very scarce, so it's best to arrive before 12:30pm when they really get busy.  But several solo women were eating there, and obviously women find it comfortable to dine alone there. The atmosphere is casual, albeit bustling, and it's "the" sit-down burger place near bustling Times Square.  Pricewise, plan on $10-20 for lunch with beverage and tip.

The HB Burger and its Chophouse next door are close to Times Square at 127 West 43rd Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway, a couple doors east of the Casablanca Hotel (147 West 43rd).  Locations, directions, menus, history and how to brew beer: heartlandbrewery.com.

Only in New York.  Hope it stays that way.

May your road rise to meet you,
Ann