In New York City with Jasmine – A Movie Theater at The Roxy

Down in the basement right next to Django, The Roxy has its own movie theater. It’s called Roxy Cinema. Its website describes it as:

A hat tip to the 1920s motion picture palace, Roxy Cinema is an Art Deco-inspired arthouse cinema located in downtown Manhattan specializing in first-run independent films, rare archival prints and 35mm cult classics. It also runs special cultural programming including film series, director and actor Q&A’s, and artist collaborations. With its gourmet concession stand, you can also purchase craft cocktails, beer and wine, popcorn and candy to enjoy during the movie. Whether you’re a couple dropping in for a casual date, or an enthusiast coming to see a favorite director, the Roxy Cinema is an old-school moviegoing experience for modern-day audiences.”>A hat tip to the 1920s motion picture palace, Roxy Cinema is an Art Deco-inspired arthouse cinema located in downtown Manhattan specializing in first-run independent films, rare archival prints and 35mm cult classics. It also runs special cultural programming including film series, director and actor Q&A’s, and artist collaborations. With its gourmet concession stand, you can also purchase craft cocktails, beer and wine, popcorn and candy to enjoy during the movie. Whether you’re a couple dropping in for a casual date, or an enthusiast coming to see a favorite director, the Roxy Cinema is an old-school moviegoing experience for modern-day audiences.

This is what’s showing as I’m writing this.

Taken with a Sony RX100M3

In New York City with Jasmine – DJango

As mentioned in an earlier post, the reason we stayed at The Roxy was because we were going to spend the evening at, Django, a jazz club on the lower level of the hotel.

Django’s website describes the club as follows:

Descend into The Django and you’ll feel like you’ve entered another world. The subterranean jazz club, with its vaulted ceilings and exposed brick walls, was modeled after the boîtes of Paris. The venue consists of two cocktail bars, open dining space and a stage for live performances with the ne plus ultra: a state-of-the-art Meyer Sound system. The Django has become a place to call home for musicians and audiences alike. Providing opportunities for rising stars, seasoned performers, and eager audiences to enjoy a range of jazz music 7 nights a week complemented by a hand-crafted cocktail program by award-winning mixologist Natasha David and an elevated dinner menu.

We were supposed to see two performers: Loston Harris and Benny Benack III. Before going down to the club we met with some of Jasmine’s friends in the lobby, one of them Scott McDermott a well-known photographer. I don’t get a chance to talk to other photographers, especially those of Scott’s caliber and I was really enjoying the conversation. Unfortunately, this meant that we were rather late and, I believe, missed most of the first set.

However, we were able to watch all of the second set. I’m not usually a fan of Jazz, but I enjoyed Benny Benack (see pictures below, except for the first two).









Taken with a Sony RX100M3

In New York City with Jasmine – Meet me at The Roxy

The first night we stayed at The Roxy. This was largely because we were going to spend the evening in Django, the jazz club in the basement.

The hotel’s website says this about its history:

For the action-seekers, attention-getters and rabble-rousers, The Roxy Hotel New York and its surrounding neighborhood have long been a hub of creativity. Consider that steps away, in 1978, the Mudd Club was the nexus of the city’s underground music and art scene with a gallery curated by Keith Haring. The Talking Heads were performing at Tribeca’s Ocean Club. Then came the era of The Odeon, Keith McNally’s still-open dining destination, catering to the movie and financial people colonizing Soho and Tribeca’s lofts.

The Tribeca Grand was the first major hotel in an area home to boldface celebrities and a dynamic mix of restaurants, shops, financial institutions and thriving independent film companies. Envisioned by Soho Grand owners Leonard and Emanuel Stern to be a sister property, Tribeca Grand long thrived.

In 2015, it was time for a second act. The name “The Roxy Hotel New York” was born, a name with its own scintillating New York history. Evoking the spectacular 1920s movie theater and the legendary ‘90s dance club, The Roxy is an electric destination for music, film, and art. The guest rooms were fully renovated to give a wink to the past, yet are modern and uniquely “Roxy”. And with venues like Paul’s Cocktail Lounge, Roxy Bar, The Django jazz club, Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee, and Roxy Cinema New York, the hotel continues to be the pioneer it was born to be.

In 2000, the Tribeca Grand Hotel established itself as the first major hotel in the area to embrace the cultural hotbed it was at the center of. Celebrities, art & film productions, restaurants, new luxury shops and more all intersected and met to play together. In 2015, the hotel took on a new name, The Roxy Hotel New York, paying homage to its artistic origins and entertaining history.

Tribeca stands for the “Triangle Below Canal,” a coveted, affluent area in downtown New York. Walk through it and you’ll see a plethora of industrial, cast-iron buildings, some of which attracted artists in the ‘70s and ‘80s for their vast scale, now converted to luxurious lofts and boutique hotels. Tribeca also maintains a quiet, village feel with cobblestone streets, lush, pristine parks, and access to the Hudson River waterfront. One World Trade Center is just 13 blocks south.

The neighborhood has continued its tradition of being home to world-renowned restaurants, upscale boutiques, and home design stores. Tribeca animates at night with those looking for a bit more substance than the pubs and clubs. For that persuasion, The Roxy Hotel has long been a beacon. The hotel has always had film and music in its bones, including a longtime involvement with Tribeca Film Festival. It has hosted many screenings and events, as well as live performances by bands like Blood Orange, The XX, and LCD Soundsystem. Today, with its electric new name, plus new offerings like The Django Jazz Club, the Roxy Cinema, and Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee, The Roxy Hotel ushers in an exciting new era.

The lobby (next six pictures) is really impressive.








Some pictures taken inside my room.



Taken with a Sony RX100M3

In New York City with Jasmine – Overview

Towards the end of August, I spent a few days in Manhattan (Tribeca) with my daughter, Jasmine. We stayed at a couple of different hotels (The Roxy and The Frederick), visited some of the downtown sights (including the 911 Memorial, the 911 museum, and the Occulus), explored Tribeca (a part of Manhattan I didn’t know particularly well), ate well and generally had a great time.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

Fungi

Some fungi I recently came across. The first one was huge, the second much, much smaller.

I’m not much good at fungi identification, but I suspect that the large one is some kind of oyster mushroom. Don’t hold me to it though. I’m far from sure and I wouldn’t want anyone to eat a venomous mushroom on my say so.


I believe this one is an earth ball fungus. If so, it’s definitely to be avoided. The site I’ve linked to says:

Due to their small size and propensity to appear in lawns and other disturbed areas, kids and pets will run into these often. And they may be irresistible to little hands and curious pups. The good news is that earth balls aren’t poisonous in that they’ll kill you. However, they’ll probably give the ingester severe stomach pain, accompanied by nausea or other distress.

The symptoms usually pass in time, but if you know for certain your child or dog ate one of these, please seek help from the appropriate professionals (doctor or veterinarian). While it is unlikely they’ll be seriously harmed, it is essential that they be monitored, just in case.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV