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Time Out
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Let Me Tell You: This coffee shop inside the Chrysler Building is selling $28 coffee. Here's why I think it's worth it.
'Let Me Tell You' is a series of columns from our expert editors about NYC living, including the best things to do, where to eat and drink, and what to see at the theater. They publish each Tuesday, so you're hearing from us each week. Last time, Food & Drink Editor Morgan Carter talked about how bars and restaurants are going beyond rainbow drinks for Pride this year. Not too long ago, I'd tell you that I wasn't the biggest coffee drinker. But then two things happened. One: I moved to New York. Two: In the same year I arrived, I won free coffee for a year (shout out to Burly Coffee in Bed-Stuy), which, at the time, was a good five steps away from my apartment door. Let's just say it is easy to pinpoint when my love affair began. Yet, many, and I mean many, lattes later, I fully maintain that I am no coffee connoisseur. I don't wax poetic about the origin of beans and I can't fully tell you what a flat white is. Yet, one of my treasured weekend rituals is taking my dog to the park for off-leash hours in the AM and bopping around to one of the many nearby coffee shops on the walk home, truly a treat for both of us. Nowadays, my tastes still lean toward lattes over a more reasonable cup of just black coffee, making for a habit that runs me $7 to $8 a visit, tip always included. So, color me surprised when I found out that my overpriced latte was actually a steal, especially when the hot new cup in town sells for up to $52 for a pour-over. One of the most expensive cups of coffee in New York can be found at WatchHouse. The second outpost of the U.K.-based import made its debut last month (the first opened on Fifth Avenue last spring). The price certainly fits the packaging, as the shop sits at the base of one of the most iconic skyscrapers to grace the Manhattan skyline: the Chrysler Building. Certainly taking a page from its Art Deco landlord, the interior features brushed stainless steel and a nine-foot oculus that overlooks the espresso bar. There are standing tables for a quick cup on the go and booths upholstered in a soft yellow, with marble tables before them, welcoming a sit and stay. If you post up near the rear of the shop, you can peek out onto the Chrysler's grand marble lobby without the security guard yelling, 'No pictures!' Among its everyday program of espresso, flat whites and cold brew, plus teas, matchas and the like, the menu is also home to a Rarities program. Once an exclusive offering available only at the Hanover location, all U.K. and U.S. outposts feature a curated collection, offering exclusive coffees sourced from around the world. These limited-edition beans come at a cost, ranging from $14 to $52. When I visited the location, the highest cup of joe clocked in at $28, and since I'm not planning on buying a house anytime soon, I ordered it. But before you blanch at the cost and call me an elitist, I am here to tell you that the tasting goes beyond what you find in the pot. The staff really made the overall experience. On my visit, coffee lead Sachi Patel guided me through a tasting. While her everyday deals in roasts and beans, Patel is the first to admit she wasn't a coffee drinker. Five years ago, she didn't really drink it when she started working at a specialty coffee shop in Florida. But as she learned about the background and the history of the beans, she grew an interest in everything coffee, drawn to the combination of science and the art of the pour. Moving to New York to make coffee her career, Patel began working at Midtown's coffee shop and roastery, Little Collins, where she spearheaded their coffee ordering and tasted multiple varieties along the way. Last year, she joined the WatchHouse team as a barista to prepare for their first U.S. location, and now she oversees both coffeehouses as lead. Among day-to-day coffee making and training, Patel's role is to instill the same drive for coffee that she once experienced, including ensuring each barista is well-versed in the beans they brew, including Rarities. 'So for each Rarity, everyone needs to know the process—the origin, the varietal and the tasting notes—to understand the experience,' said Patel. More than the technical side of measuring beans and heating water to optimal temperatures, Patel's function is to involve the guest in the story behind the bean. 'We want to talk to guests about the coffee, we want to share the stories. It's not just tasting it, it's also learning about it.' A quick chat with Patel yielded plenty of info about the program as a whole, from how the beans are frozen to preserve aromatics and acidity to the scores attached to coffees—80 and above is specialty, anything below is commercial. But on the specific bean I selected, the La Negrita, she was just as well-versed, speaking about the Colombian farm from where it was sourced to how the flavor would blossom through the tasting as the temp would eventually drop from hot to cold. Post-educational chat, she presented the tasting on a wooden tray, which came with one cup for enjoying, a palate cleanser of a light green tea and my $28 investment poured in a glass vessel. The tray also came with a small black card featuring a QR code on the back, which told the story of the region and included tasting notes accompanied by images of the farm and the workers who cultivated the cup. The only thing left was to actually try the dang thing. Fresh and hot from the pour over, it was a light, fruit-forward roast, with jammy blackberry on the nose and palate. As it cooled, even more profiles came to a head, including kiwi and raspberry. I tried my best to taste gingerly, counting the dollar signs per sip in my head, while also trying to appreciate the cup in front of me. Yet, like I said, I am no connoisseur. Near the end, the fruit and growing acidity notes all blended together. Regardless, I spent a good 20 minutes simultaneously enjoying and deciphering the contents of my cup before draining it. Bottom line: Is the $28 coffee worth it? If your idea of coffee is a lukewarm cup of bean water that caps at $3, probably not. And that's okay, too. However, if you are even slightly curious about what goes into your coffee, then absolutely. For me, it was nice to sit a spell and actually take in the cup in front of me instead of sucking it down in between train rides and meetings. Not only that, but the educational aspect guided by a well-versed staff gives a needed perspective, surely to entice coffee newbies and connoisseurs. Therein lies the point for Patel, as she hopes guests leave the experience wanting to learn more about their daily ritual. 'It's very similar to wine, in the way that there's so much detail and there's so much hard work that goes into the product,' said Patel. 'Coming away with a little bit more respect and a little bit more curiosity to it is one of our goals.' Check out the video of the tasting below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out New York (@timeoutnewyork)
France 24
4 days ago
- Business
- France 24
Fallen Austrian tycoon Benko charged with fraud
Benko, once one of Austria's richest men, founded the Signa real estate empire in 2000, but the debt-laden group crumbled in 2023 in the largest insolvency proceedings in the country's history. Signa has creditors in Europe but also the United Arab Emirates and Thailand. Signa shot to prominence with its vast portfolio including New York's Chrysler Building and several prestigious department store chains in Europe. Prosecutors have been investigating Benko on suspicion of fraud and other offences. Benko, 48, is charged with concealing assets amounting to some 660,000 euros ($770,000) at the expense of creditor claims, prosecutors said in a statement. He faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. He has been detained in Vienna since his arrest in January at his villa in Austria's western city of Innsbruck. More than a dozen suspects are being investigated over the insolvency, with damages currently estimated at around 300 million euros, according to prosecutors. In December, Austrian authorities questioned Benko in Innsbruck after Italy issued an arrest warrant against him for allegedly participating in a criminal organisation.
Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Annie fans gobsmacked after seeing what Molly actress looks like 43 years later
It has been 43 years since film fans first saw a confident little red head child and her friends at the orphanage in the 1982 Annie when they had to make the floors 'shine like the top of the Chrysler Building' When it's a gloomy day it's hard to resist singing 'The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow', or referencing 'A Hard Knock Day' from the iconic Annie film. It's been over 40 years since Annie, played by Aileen Quinn, left her difficult life at the orphanage to live in a grand mansion with a swimming pool, as rich man Mr Warbucks helped her look for her estranged parents, before adopting her and offering her a new life chance. The story started on Broadway in the '70s before being turned into a film in 1982 - and another film adaptation of the story was created in 2014, starring Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx. The original film still remains popular today and is considered a classic 43 years on. The youngest orphan Molly stole audiences hearts - especially when the girls were cleaning the orphanage and she insisted the floor "shines like the top of the Chrysler Building". It is almost hard to imagine that the little girl, played by Toni Ann Gisondi, is all grown up and is now a mother-of-two. From her fond memories of the film, she even named her first daughter Molly! Toni's daughter Molly has been sharing behind-the-scenes secrets behind the movie online, and sharing what her mum is up to today. On TikTok, Molly said: "I'm seeing some people posting #Annie and I thought this would be cool for the fans to see. It's so neat to know how much this movie has helped people or inspired them to perform - and the fact it's doing that nearly 50 years later is amazing." Molly, who is Miss South Jersey 2025, shared snaps of her mother in the film, snaps of then and now, as well as pictures of the 'orphans' reuniting in recent years. She said it is "still so cool" to see her mum "pop up" on her screen. She also showed snaps of herself and her mum, as well as her sister Melody and dad, Theodore Pugliese, exploring Monmouth College where they filmed scenes in Mr Warbucks' mansion. The family evidentially love reminiscing on Toni's work in the film. Commenting on the post, one individual said: "Oh, she was my favourite! She was so cute! I had a gorgeous brown eyed, brown haired little girl of my own!" "Molly was my favourite," said another. Another shared: "I wanted to be her so bad! I watched this movie on repeat!". The child actress is now 50. After playing Molly at just six years old, Toni went back to being a 'normal kid' again. She continued to do acting, dancing and singing, enjoying drama and local theatre performances. As she grew older, Toni put her talent to good use, performing at weddings and funerals. She has not done much professional since, and keeps her modern life pretty private. She did star in Called to Duty in 2023 - a war film, as well as Wings of a Wasp in 2019. She married her husband Theodore in 1999. Toni's daughter Molly confirmed that she still speaks to the actresses who played Annie and Pepper - Aileen Quinn and Rosanne Sorrentino. She revealed that Aileen's hair in the film was a wig.
Time Out
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
It's official: the greatest art deco building in the world is in London
Did you know that 2025 marks a special anniversary for art deco? While the style dates back to the 1910s, art deco got its name as an abbreviation for the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts), which took place in Paris in 1925. An entire century later, art deco's glamourous craftmanship, bold geometric shapes and opulent colours are as admired as ever. To mark the style's big one-oh-oh, last week Time Out published a list of the world's greatest art deco buildings, enlisting the expertise of art deco aficionado Dominic Lutyens. The list totalled nine buildings around the world, with Lutyens highlighting structures like New York's Chrysler Building, Miami's Art Deco Historic District and Mumbai's Eros Cinema. Also making the cut, however, were buildings from London. A total of three London art deco structures featured in Lutyens' top nine – including top spot. Proclaimed the greatest art deco building in the world was, drum roll please… The Daily Express Building on Fleet Street. The Grade II*-listed site, which was designed by Ellis & Clarke in 1932, features a tiered façade made mostly of vitrolite (a kind of opaque plastic glass). Lutyens writes that the outside is 'adorned only by gleaming, slimline chrome bands forming a subtle grid', but the inside is far more glam. 'Its lobby is sumptuously decorated', he says, picking out highlights such as steel furniture designed by Betty Joel and gold and silver murals by sculptor Eric Aumonier. 🏛️ The most beautiful buildings in the world. London was the only city in the ranking to boast more than one entry. The next highest placing structure was Eltham Palace, with the southeast London house placing sixth. Eltham Palace features both the remains of a Tudor palace and art deco additions from the 1930s, and you can find Time Out's guide to visiting the place here. Last from London to make the list was the Hoover Building in ninth. The Grade II* listed west London building was designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners and opened in 1933 as the UK headquarters of The Hoover Company. It's since been converted into apartments.
Time Out
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
100 years of art deco: The world's greatest art deco buildings
This year marks the centenary of a landmark Paris exhibition: Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts), in 1925. The term 'art deco' is a snappy derivation of its title. Deco – characterised by clean lines, bold geometric shapes and jazzy colours – was seen as thrustingly modern. And it had a global appeal: the Paris fair hosted exhibitors from 20 countries. I would argue that the movement had its roots in the 1910s (it was influenced by cubist art from the decade) and hit its peak in the 1920s and 30s. It manifested in all areas of culture, from homeware and jewellery to fashion and cars, but most famously in architecture. The style was rampantly eclectic, plucking inspiration from Aztec, Mayan, Egyptian, ancient Greek and Roman cultures. Deco got a second wind in the 1930s, with its equally popular, more sleek and pared-down iteration – streamline moderne. Arguably, art deco wasn't as ground-breaking as modernism – its decorative quality and figurative elements are unmistakably of their time. But the style's more avant-garde elements – its clean lines and simplicity – still feel contemporary and, tellingly, young designers are inspired by deco architecture today. Selecting the best examples of deco architecture is a tough call, but here's an expert's pick of nine of the finest examples from around the world. Dominic Lutyens is journalist and author specialising in architecture and design. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts. 1. The Daily Express Building, London This Grade II*-listed building with a 1932 design by Ellis & Clarke, revised later by Owen Williams, is in the streamline moderne style. Its tiered façade with rounded corners is mainly made of Vitrolite (robust, opaque black glass), adorned only by gleaming, slimline chrome bands forming a subtle grid. Yet its lobby is sumptuously decorated: it was created by Robert Atkinson, who commissioned deco designer Betty Joel to dream up its steel furniture, while the walls are embellished with glistening gold and silver murals by sculptor Eric Aumonier. 2. The Chrysler Building, New York City Of Manhattan's early twentieth-century skyscrapers, the Chrysler Building is the most iconic and recognisably deco, thanks to its tower crowned by typically Deco sunburst motifs bubbling skywards. In my view, the sunburst pattern recalls radio waves, signalling modernity and technological progress. The building was designed by William Van Alen for Walter P Chrysler, head of the Chrysler Corporation, and was completed in 1930. While it may look simple, the tower is elaborately decorated, studded with eagle-shaped gargoyles and details inspired by Chrysler radiator caps. 3. Alex Theatre, Los Angeles Deco cinemas in the interwar years hugely popularised this aesthetic, given the new movie palaces mass appeal. The Alexander Theatre (later abbreviated to Alex Theatre) opened in 1925 as a venue for vaudeville performances and silent movies. Today it's a performing arts centre. It's very showy – aptly, given its proximity to Tinseltown. An obelisk, neon-lit by night, looms above the entrance. The ticket office leads to the lobby via a large, open-air forecourt inspired by Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, a route that adds drama to the space. 4. Art Deco Historic District, Miami Thanks to Barbara Baer Capitman and her son, John – co-founders in 1975 of the Miami Design Preservation League – long-neglected deco architecture on South Beach was extensively renovated. This area contains the world's highest concentration of deco buildings (hotels, homes and shops), mostly built in the streamline moderne style, many in ice-cream pastels. Local architect Lawrence Murray Dixon dreamt up many of its hotels, such as the curvilinear Marlin of 1939 that boasts a façade in powder blue and buttermilk yellow. 5. Eros Cinema, Mumbai Deco architecture flourished in India, particularly in Mumbai. The country's burgeoning middle classes lapped up Western influences, commissioning residences, hotels and movie theatres in a deco style that nevertheless incorporated indigenous motifs, such as stylised peacocks. Businessman Shiavax Cawasji Cambata commissioned architect Shorabji Bhedwar to design the monumental Eros Cinema on Marine Drive in 1935. Its stepped façade pairs smooth ivory walls with the rich earthy brown of red Agra sandstone. Its opulent foyer has a boldly patterned black and white marble floor and Classical and Indian friezes. 6. Eltham Palace, London Originally built in the fourteenth century, Eltham Palace in southeast London was badly damaged during the Civil War. In 1933, Stephen Courtauld (a scion of the textile family) and his wife, Virginia, restored its medieval hall and added a new extension with a show-stoppingly glamorous deco interior, overseen by architects Seely & Paget. Designer Rolf Engström created its domed circular entrance hall. A black and gold door in the dining room is adorned with images of exotic beasts, including the couple's pet ring-tailed lemur, called Mah-Jongg. Virginia's breathtakingly ritzy bathroom had an onyx bath backed by a shimmering gold mosaic. 7. Palais de Tokyo, Paris This vast, complex building in Paris's 16th arrondissement comprises two wings connected by a colonnade, interlinked with a plaza, a rectangular pool and a fountain. It was designed for the 1937 International Art and Technical Exhibition by architects Jean-Claude Dondel, André Aubert, Paul Viard and Marcel Dastugue, and now houses twentieth-century and contemporary art. The imposing building with soaring columns is redolent of bombastic, nationalistic 1930s architecture but its predominantly stark aesthetic is softened by large ornate friezes of languid human figures by Alfred Auguste Janniot. 8. Central Fire Station, Auckland Auckland has a high quota of arresting deco buildings, including its Central Fire Station, designed by Daniel Boys Patterson and completed in 1944. As befits the building's functional character, the fire station is in the streamline moderne style – as were the residential units housing its live-in staff. This being a deco building, functionalism coexists with high style: its geometric façade is decorated with elegant fluted columns and zigzags, all painted a quintessentially deco eau-de-nil shade. 9. The Hoover Building, London This flamboyant Grade II*-listed building in West London borders the A40, and was designed by architects Wallis, Gilbert and Partners for The Hoover Company. It housed the vacuum cleaner maker's HQ and factory, and opened in 1933. Poet John Betjeman identified the flamboyant decoration on its exterior as Mayan and Aztec-influenced – such ornamentation was intended to be uplifting for employees. Said architect Thomas Wallis paternalistically: 'A little money spent in… decoration, especially colour, is not money wasted. It has a psychological effect on the worker.'
