Latest news with #WashingtonIrving
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Beloved Halloween-Themed Restaurant Closing on July 1 After Nearly a Decade
A beloved restaurant that celebrates Halloween year-round is closing on July 1 after nearly a decade in business, unless the public steps in at the 11th hour. Beetle House, a Los Angeles staple on iconic Hollywood Boulevard where "Everyday is Halloween," has been part of the Los Angeles restaurant, bar, and club community for 8 1/2 years, but the joint has "simply run out of money to operate at the level" they need despite surviving a global pandemic and apocalyptic-like fires that recently ravaged Southern California. The restaurant shared on its GoFundMe that its imminent closure "wasn't due to poor planning, and it wasn't due to just the economic downturn of the city; it was due to third-party theft and broken agreements." The fundraiser continued, "We had an investor that did not put in the money they agreed to, which left us with a large hole in our finances. In addition, we had a manager steal over $60,000 from us. These two things happened in a short timeframe, immediately followed by the LA fires and the current chaos going on in Los Angeles that has affected our business greatly."On Instagram, Beetle House says being shut down for over a year during the pandemic put them in the hole, as well as an investor pulling out and leaving them with a $500,000 hole, among other unfortunate events. "We're not posting this for sympathy. We've never asked for help before—not even during COVID. We're just tired. As it stands today… Beetle House LA, in its current form, will cease to exist after July," the post read. "Could that change? Possibly. Could we get the miracle we need? Possibly. Could this be the end? Also possible. We're exploring everything: fundraising, private investors, relocating… but right now, we need people in the building spending money if we're going to survive." Beetle House says its New York location is stable but the Hollywood location just can't manage to survive right now without a miracle. "We need to raise a significant amount of money to pay our bills and our rent, etc. We still think we have a lot more to offer, and we want to stay alive, but we just don't have the options right now," the GoFundMe page reads. "We have over 150,000 followers on our social platforms. If 10,000 people gave $100, all of our troubles would be over. So here we are, putting it out there: if you want this haunted hayride to continue, we will need your help. Otherwise, we will have to close our doors and sail off to the afterlife." Beetle House's "thematic atmosphere is inspired by horror culture, magic, and the artistic, literary, and cinematic works of many revered legends such as Washington Irving, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Wes Craven, Tim Burton and many others." According to the restaurant, Zach Neil launched Beetle House as a pop-up restaurant in New York City in 2016. He opened the Los Angeles location the following year. Beloved Halloween-Themed Restaurant Closing on July 1 After Nearly a Decade first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 29, 2025
Economic Times
11-05-2025
- General
- Economic Times
Mother's Day 2025: Top 100+ quotes, greetings, messages and images to share with your mom on special day
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Top 100+ quotes for Mother's Day Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads 50 greetings for Mother's Day If there's one person in the world who truly loves us without conditions and stands by us through everything, it's our mother. A mother's love is among the most powerful forces on earth—selfless, unconditional, and the moment her child is born, and even before, a mother begins a lifelong journey of love, sacrifice, and devotion. Her time, energy, sleep, personal dreams, and needs often take a backseat to the well-being of her children and becomes their first teacher, their first caregiver, their first friend, and their fiercest protector. To honour and celebrate all that mothers do, Mother's Day is observed around the world—typically on the second Sunday of May each the world is celebrating one of life's most cherished relationships—motherhood. Mother's Day is celebrated every year on May 11, 2025. On this Mother's Day 2025, we celebrate the women who have shaped us with their love, strength, and endless sacrifices. It's a day to express our deepest gratitude, reflect on maternal bonds, and share words that uplift, comfort, and appreciate."A mother's love endures through all." — Washington Irving"Life doesn't come with a manual. It comes with a mother." — Unknown"To the world you are a mother, but to your family you are the world." — Unknown"A mother's hug lasts long after she lets go." — Unknown"God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers." — Rudyard Kipling"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." — Abraham Lincoln"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." — Cardinal Meymillod"A mother's love is more beautiful than any fresh flower." — Debasish Mridha"The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation." — James E. Faust"There is nothing as powerful as a mother's love, and nothing as healing as a child's soul." — Unknown"Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had." — Linda Wooten"Motherhood: All love begins and ends there." — Robert Browning"A mother is the heartbeat in the home; and without her, there seems to be no heartthrob." — Leroy Brownlow"My mother is a walking miracle." — Leonardo DiCaprio"Motherhood is the exquisite inconvenience of being another person's everything." — Unknown"There is no role in life that is more essential than that of motherhood." — Elder M. Russell Ballard"Motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing." — Ricki Lake"It takes someone really brave to be a mother, someone strong to raise a child and someone special to love someone more than herself." — Unknown"A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary." — Dorothy Canfield Fisher"A mom is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend." — Unknown"Silence is golden. Unless you have kids. Then silence is just suspicious." — Unknown"Nothing is really lost until mom can't find it." — Unknown"If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way mom told you to in the beginning." — Unknown"Mom: I love you and your ability to make everything better with food and sarcasm." — Unknown"A mother's love is unconditional. Her methods of showing it might involve threats and bribes." — Unknown"I'm a strong woman because a strong woman raised me." — Unknown"Motherhood: Powered by love. Sustained by wine." — Unknown"Behind every great child is a mom who's pretty sure she's screwing it all up." — Unknown"Being a mom means always having to double-check if that stain is chocolate... or not." — Unknown"My mom said she taught me everything she knows. Unfortunately, that includes how to be late." — Unknown"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." — Honoré de Balzac"Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all." — Oliver Wendell Holmes"Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." — William Makepeace Thackeray"There is no velvet so soft as a mother's lap." — William Goldsmith Brown"Even when a mother's soul is tired, she finds strength for her children." — Unknown"Thank you, Mom, for teaching me everything I know — and for reminding me of it all the time." — Unknown"Dear Mom, I get it now." — Unknown"Everything I am, you helped me to be." — Unknown"Mom, your love has shaped me in lasting ways." — Unknown"Mother — that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries." — T. DeWitt Talmage"A mother's arms are more comforting than anyone else's." — Princess Diana"My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on." — Michael Jordan"There's no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one." — Jill Churchill"Mom, you're the glue that holds everything together." — Unknown"Mothers are like buttons — they hold everything together." — Unknown"A mother's love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible." — Marion C. Garretty"No language can express the power and beauty and heroism of a mother's love." — Edwin Chapin"Her smile was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen — because it meant I was home." — Unknown"Mom, your love has been the guiding light that's helped me become who I am." — Unknown"Home is where your mom is." — Unknown"Mother: the most beautiful word on the lips of mankind." — Kahil Gibran"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever." — Unknown"A mother's love is whole no matter how many times it is divided." — Unknown"Mom, you are my sunshine and my storm shelter." — Unknown"A mother understands what a child does not say." — Jewish Proverb"A mom's hug lasts long after she lets go." — Unknown"There will be so many times you feel like you've failed. But in the eyes of your child, you are supermom." — Unknown"The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children." — Elaine Heffner"Mom, you were my first friend and my truest." — Unknown"A mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved." — Erich Fromm"Moms are the people who know us best and love us the most." — Unknown"Motherhood is the one job where the better you are, the more surely you won't be needed in the long run." — Barbara Kingsolver"Motherhood is messy and challenging, and crazy, and sleepless, and giving, and unbelievably beautiful." — Unknown"You taught me what love looks like, Mom." — Unknown"I am a strong woman because I was raised by one." — Unknown"Moms are like stars — you may not always see them, but you know they're always there." — Unknown"A good mother is irreplaceable." — Adriana Trigiani"There's nothing like a mama-hug." — Terri Guillemets"She raised us with humor and she raised us to understand that not everything was going to be great — but how to laugh through it." — Liza Minnelli"The love between a mother and child is forever." — Unknown"She wore her motherhood like a badge of honor." — Unknown"My mom didn't teach me how to love — she showed me." — Unknown"A mother teaches more by what she is than by what she says." — Unknown"Motherhood changes everything — and yet makes you more yourself than ever." — Unknown"She may not wear a cape, but she's still my superhero." — Unknown"Thanks, Mom, for being my unpaid therapist, chef, and life coach." — Unknown"You gave me the gift of life, and now I give you my love forever." — Unknown"No one works harder than a mom — and looks better doing it." — Unknown"Mom: maker of memories, keeper of secrets, and holder of hearts." — Unknown"If I ever become half the woman you are, Mom, I'll consider myself lucky." — Unknown"The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." — William Ross Wallace"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." — Proverbs 31:26"Honor her for all that her hands have done." — Proverbs 31:31"Mothers are instinctive philosophers." — Harriet Beecher Stowe"In the eyes of a child, you are a goddess. A miracle worker. A superhero." — Unknown"Mom, you gave me a soft place to land and a strong foundation to rise." — Unknown"A mother's love is the thread that weaves the family together." — Unknown"Mothers are the heartbeat in the home and the lifeblood of the family." — Unknown"Every day I become a little more like my mother… and I couldn't be prouder." — Unknown"Moms are proof that angels exist." — Unknown"She believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself." — Unknown"No one will ever love you as much as your mom." — Unknown"You'll never truly understand your mother's love until you become a parent yourself." — Unknown"A mother's love is timeless — always there, always strong." — Unknown"Motherhood is love in its purest form." — Unknown"You taught me how to walk, and then let me run." — Unknown"A mother's love is a safe haven in a sometimes stormy world." — Unknown"You never outgrow your need for your mom." — Unknown"There's no replacement for a mother's love. It's the original magic." — Unknown"Mom, you are the reason I believe in good things, big dreams, and love that never fails." — UnknownHappy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world!Thank you for your endless love and support—Happy Mother's Day!Your love is my guiding light—have a beautiful Mother's day is better because of you, you a day as special as your love.I'm who I am because of you—thank you, and happy Mother's Day!You're my heart's first home. Happy Mother's Day!There's no one like you—enjoy every moment not just my mother—you're my hero.I love you more than words can say—Happy Mother's Day!You make everything better just by being you for always being there, given me so much—now it's your turn to be celebrated!Sending hugs, love, and flowers your deserve the world today and taught me how to love, laugh, and live—thank the one who nurtured me, cheered for me, and believed in me—Happy Mother's Day!You're appreciated more than you'll ever for being my teacher, chef, chauffeur, and make motherhood look so for not trading me for wine (even when I deserved it). Happy Mother's Day!You were right about everything. I finally admit celebrate YOU—and maybe some chocolate, too?I got all my good looks and brains from you, me wasn't easy, but you nailed it!You're the queen of our castle—long may you reign!I'm still your little one… just we skip the chores today and just eat cake?No one gives better hugs (or advice) than you, Mom!Happy Mother's Day—enjoy every minute!Just thinking of you and my first best friend—Happy Mother's Day!You're simply the you joy and love today!Thanks for everything, always.A big hug for you for you every single make life so may not be my mom by birth, but you're one in every other always loved me like your you for being a wonderful part of my life.I'm so lucky to have you in my inspire me every Mother's Day to someone truly been like a second mom to me—thank you!The world needs more people like you for your warmth, wisdom, and made more of a difference than you 50 messages on Mother's DayThank you for your unconditional love, strength and kindness inspire me every I am, I owe to the heart of our home.I'm so lucky to have a mom like for not selling me to the circus.I got my sass from you—thanks, Mom!You deserve a medal for putting up with my original every great kid is a mom who's pretty sure she's messing it you, Mom!Happy Mother's Day!You're my Mom. you for all the sacrifices you've made for me.I see all that you do, and I appreciate it more than make everything better, for being my biggest given me more than I could ever taught me to be wisdom is my guiding showed me what it means to love lead with your heart—thank you for the always believed in me, even when I didn' little one is lucky to have already an amazing you become a mother is to the wild, wonderful world of motherhood!Enjoy every messy, magical you for stepping in when I needed you been like a mother to me in every way that matters.I'm so grateful for your love and always hold a special place in my been a blessing in my life.A mother's love is endless and unconditional—just like love has shaped my your arms, I've always found heart is where my story hug from you still feels like knew what He was doing when He gave me you for being a prayer warrior for our a gift from to be your faith and love light my you've always been my [rock/support/best friend].I hope today gives you a fraction of the joy you give mean the world to me, and then to you—today and every day!No words can ever express how much you mean to me.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Mother's Day 2025: Top 100+ quotes, greetings, messages and images to share with your mom on special day
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Top 100+ quotes for Mother's Day Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads 50 greetings for Mother's Day If there's one person in the world who truly loves us without conditions and stands by us through everything, it's our mother. A mother's love is among the most powerful forces on earth—selfless, unconditional, and the moment her child is born, and even before, a mother begins a lifelong journey of love, sacrifice, and devotion. Her time, energy, sleep, personal dreams, and needs often take a backseat to the well-being of her children and becomes their first teacher, their first caregiver, their first friend, and their fiercest protector. To honour and celebrate all that mothers do, Mother's Day is observed around the world—typically on the second Sunday of May each the world is celebrating one of life's most cherished relationships—motherhood. Mother's Day is celebrated every year on May 11, 2025. On this Mother's Day 2025, we celebrate the women who have shaped us with their love, strength, and endless sacrifices. It's a day to express our deepest gratitude, reflect on maternal bonds, and share words that uplift, comfort, and appreciate."A mother's love endures through all." — Washington Irving"Life doesn't come with a manual. It comes with a mother." — Unknown"To the world you are a mother, but to your family you are the world." — Unknown"A mother's hug lasts long after she lets go." — Unknown"God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers." — Rudyard Kipling"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." — Abraham Lincoln"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." — Cardinal Meymillod"A mother's love is more beautiful than any fresh flower." — Debasish Mridha"The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation." — James E. Faust"There is nothing as powerful as a mother's love, and nothing as healing as a child's soul." — Unknown"Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had." — Linda Wooten"Motherhood: All love begins and ends there." — Robert Browning"A mother is the heartbeat in the home; and without her, there seems to be no heartthrob." — Leroy Brownlow"My mother is a walking miracle." — Leonardo DiCaprio"Motherhood is the exquisite inconvenience of being another person's everything." — Unknown"There is no role in life that is more essential than that of motherhood." — Elder M. Russell Ballard"Motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing." — Ricki Lake"It takes someone really brave to be a mother, someone strong to raise a child and someone special to love someone more than herself." — Unknown"A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary." — Dorothy Canfield Fisher"A mom is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend." — Unknown"Silence is golden. Unless you have kids. Then silence is just suspicious." — Unknown"Nothing is really lost until mom can't find it." — Unknown"If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way mom told you to in the beginning." — Unknown"Mom: I love you and your ability to make everything better with food and sarcasm." — Unknown"A mother's love is unconditional. Her methods of showing it might involve threats and bribes." — Unknown"I'm a strong woman because a strong woman raised me." — Unknown"Motherhood: Powered by love. Sustained by wine." — Unknown"Behind every great child is a mom who's pretty sure she's screwing it all up." — Unknown"Being a mom means always having to double-check if that stain is chocolate... or not." — Unknown"My mom said she taught me everything she knows. Unfortunately, that includes how to be late." — Unknown"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." — Honoré de Balzac"Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all." — Oliver Wendell Holmes"Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." — William Makepeace Thackeray"There is no velvet so soft as a mother's lap." — William Goldsmith Brown"Even when a mother's soul is tired, she finds strength for her children." — Unknown"Thank you, Mom, for teaching me everything I know — and for reminding me of it all the time." — Unknown"Dear Mom, I get it now." — Unknown"Everything I am, you helped me to be." — Unknown"Mom, your love has shaped me in lasting ways." — Unknown"Mother — that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries." — T. DeWitt Talmage"A mother's arms are more comforting than anyone else's." — Princess Diana"My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on." — Michael Jordan"There's no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one." — Jill Churchill"Mom, you're the glue that holds everything together." — Unknown"Mothers are like buttons — they hold everything together." — Unknown"A mother's love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible." — Marion C. Garretty"No language can express the power and beauty and heroism of a mother's love." — Edwin Chapin"Her smile was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen — because it meant I was home." — Unknown"Mom, your love has been the guiding light that's helped me become who I am." — Unknown"Home is where your mom is." — Unknown"Mother: the most beautiful word on the lips of mankind." — Kahil Gibran"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever." — Unknown"A mother's love is whole no matter how many times it is divided." — Unknown"Mom, you are my sunshine and my storm shelter." — Unknown"A mother understands what a child does not say." — Jewish Proverb"A mom's hug lasts long after she lets go." — Unknown"There will be so many times you feel like you've failed. But in the eyes of your child, you are supermom." — Unknown"The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children." — Elaine Heffner"Mom, you were my first friend and my truest." — Unknown"A mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved." — Erich Fromm"Moms are the people who know us best and love us the most." — Unknown"Motherhood is the one job where the better you are, the more surely you won't be needed in the long run." — Barbara Kingsolver"Motherhood is messy and challenging, and crazy, and sleepless, and giving, and unbelievably beautiful." — Unknown"You taught me what love looks like, Mom." — Unknown"I am a strong woman because I was raised by one." — Unknown"Moms are like stars — you may not always see them, but you know they're always there." — Unknown"A good mother is irreplaceable." — Adriana Trigiani"There's nothing like a mama-hug." — Terri Guillemets"She raised us with humor and she raised us to understand that not everything was going to be great — but how to laugh through it." — Liza Minnelli"The love between a mother and child is forever." — Unknown"She wore her motherhood like a badge of honor." — Unknown"My mom didn't teach me how to love — she showed me." — Unknown"A mother teaches more by what she is than by what she says." — Unknown"Motherhood changes everything — and yet makes you more yourself than ever." — Unknown"She may not wear a cape, but she's still my superhero." — Unknown"Thanks, Mom, for being my unpaid therapist, chef, and life coach." — Unknown"You gave me the gift of life, and now I give you my love forever." — Unknown"No one works harder than a mom — and looks better doing it." — Unknown"Mom: maker of memories, keeper of secrets, and holder of hearts." — Unknown"If I ever become half the woman you are, Mom, I'll consider myself lucky." — Unknown"The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." — William Ross Wallace"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." — Proverbs 31:26"Honor her for all that her hands have done." — Proverbs 31:31"Mothers are instinctive philosophers." — Harriet Beecher Stowe"In the eyes of a child, you are a goddess. A miracle worker. A superhero." — Unknown"Mom, you gave me a soft place to land and a strong foundation to rise." — Unknown"A mother's love is the thread that weaves the family together." — Unknown"Mothers are the heartbeat in the home and the lifeblood of the family." — Unknown"Every day I become a little more like my mother… and I couldn't be prouder." — Unknown"Moms are proof that angels exist." — Unknown"She believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself." — Unknown"No one will ever love you as much as your mom." — Unknown"You'll never truly understand your mother's love until you become a parent yourself." — Unknown"A mother's love is timeless — always there, always strong." — Unknown"Motherhood is love in its purest form." — Unknown"You taught me how to walk, and then let me run." — Unknown"A mother's love is a safe haven in a sometimes stormy world." — Unknown"You never outgrow your need for your mom." — Unknown"There's no replacement for a mother's love. It's the original magic." — Unknown"Mom, you are the reason I believe in good things, big dreams, and love that never fails." — UnknownHappy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world!Thank you for your endless love and support—Happy Mother's Day!Your love is my guiding light—have a beautiful Mother's day is better because of you, you a day as special as your love.I'm who I am because of you—thank you, and happy Mother's Day!You're my heart's first home. Happy Mother's Day!There's no one like you—enjoy every moment not just my mother—you're my hero.I love you more than words can say—Happy Mother's Day!You make everything better just by being you for always being there, given me so much—now it's your turn to be celebrated!Sending hugs, love, and flowers your deserve the world today and taught me how to love, laugh, and live—thank the one who nurtured me, cheered for me, and believed in me—Happy Mother's Day!You're appreciated more than you'll ever for being my teacher, chef, chauffeur, and make motherhood look so for not trading me for wine (even when I deserved it). Happy Mother's Day!You were right about everything. I finally admit celebrate YOU—and maybe some chocolate, too?I got all my good looks and brains from you, me wasn't easy, but you nailed it!You're the queen of our castle—long may you reign!I'm still your little one… just we skip the chores today and just eat cake?No one gives better hugs (or advice) than you, Mom!Happy Mother's Day—enjoy every minute!Just thinking of you and my first best friend—Happy Mother's Day!You're simply the you joy and love today!Thanks for everything, always.A big hug for you for you every single make life so may not be my mom by birth, but you're one in every other always loved me like your you for being a wonderful part of my life.I'm so lucky to have you in my inspire me every Mother's Day to someone truly been like a second mom to me—thank you!The world needs more people like you for your warmth, wisdom, and made more of a difference than you 50 messages on Mother's DayThank you for your unconditional love, strength and kindness inspire me every I am, I owe to the heart of our home.I'm so lucky to have a mom like for not selling me to the circus.I got my sass from you—thanks, Mom!You deserve a medal for putting up with my original every great kid is a mom who's pretty sure she's messing it you, Mom!Happy Mother's Day!You're my Mom. you for all the sacrifices you've made for me.I see all that you do, and I appreciate it more than make everything better, for being my biggest given me more than I could ever taught me to be wisdom is my guiding showed me what it means to love lead with your heart—thank you for the always believed in me, even when I didn' little one is lucky to have already an amazing you become a mother is to the wild, wonderful world of motherhood!Enjoy every messy, magical you for stepping in when I needed you been like a mother to me in every way that matters.I'm so grateful for your love and always hold a special place in my been a blessing in my life.A mother's love is endless and unconditional—just like love has shaped my your arms, I've always found heart is where my story hug from you still feels like knew what He was doing when He gave me you for being a prayer warrior for our a gift from to be your faith and love light my you've always been my [rock/support/best friend].I hope today gives you a fraction of the joy you give mean the world to me, and then to you—today and every day!No words can ever express how much you mean to me.
Telegraph
02-03-2025
- Telegraph
Why the Empire State is America's most underappreciated ski destination
Outside, the winter sky dazzles, not with stars, but with high-rises lit up like fireworks. On the broad streets, where hip-hop blasts, thousands of icy-eyed, caffeinated commuters surge from taxi cabs and the subway. In a streetside dive bar posing as an Eighties underground porn shop, neon lips and slogans – 'talk dirty' and 'sexy time' – cling on, while beneath them a huddled group is dressed not for clubbing, but for après-ski. The look isn't sequin outfits, miniskirts or party shirts, but puffer jackets, patchwork knits and bobble hats. It's one thing to spend the night before a bluebird powder day getting groggy on glühwein in a chalet. It's another entirely to revel in the seedy splendour of a Manhattan speakeasy somewhere between Times Square and Broadway. But this is the temptation of a transatlantic ski trip to New York, as, believe it or not, this is a state with more ski resorts than any other in North America – and investment is ramping up like almost nowhere else. Even if the Eighties vibes of a basement bar is not your bag for après-ski, it's hard to deny the absurd appeal of the Empire State in winter. Consider 50-plus pick-and-mix resorts, the timeless Catskill and Adirondack mountains within easy reach, a sense that something unknown but wonderful is about to happen. The post-New Year winter low season, unlike in Europe, is also splendidly charitable and an affordable time to visit the Big Apple, with hotel and restaurant prices slashed after the Christmas rush. At the drop of a dollar, you can drink martinis, stay in a swanky Midtown hotel, then motor north after breakfast for a day trip or longer adventure in the heart of the East Coast mountains. For a skier like me it is the stuff of dreams, so that's exactly what I did last winter. A taste of Switzerland: Hunter Mountain I left Manhattan at 8am, and two and a half hours later was at Hunter Mountain in Upstate New York, in the land of Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, skiing on a pine-wrapped piste so quiet it felt like the sport had just been invented. This is the old world of east coast skiing though; Hunter opened in 1959 and has maintained the small-time feel of Europe's dinkiest resorts. The sleight of hand, however, is that the mountain is now under the operation of multi-resort owner Vail Resorts. It was the perfect Catskills ski day: the car park was eerily quiet, chairlifts whirred past empty, and snow cannons let pixie dust arches fly beneath them. When the sun fully rose, there was no ragged mountain profile like in Colorado or California, only rounded, rippling summits and legions of yellow birch, red spruce, chestnut oak and striped maple. The only real nod to being so close to New York City was a plastic, shoulder-height Statue of Liberty propped in the day lodge. In her right hand, a flaming gold torch, in her left, a copper-green pair of skis. That night — by far and away best of all — was a stay in nearby Tannersville at Hotel Lilien, a gorgeously creaky boutique guesthouse first opened in the 1890s. I joined former model-turned-hotelier Chris at the bar to find out more about why he signed up for living there, not in a fashion capital as he might have done. 'I had it all…Paris, Milan, Tokyo, catwalks, ad shoots, TV spots,' he told me over a beer. 'But there is some sort of magic here. It's not as fancy as other towns in the Hudson Valley. There's something going on and the mountain scene is simply wow.' Afterwards, I shuffled through drifting snow to the restaurant next door for a nacho cheese fondue with barbecue chorizo – you wouldn't get that in Switzerland. A taste of Austria: Windham Mountain Club I had the mountain to myself again the following day, this time at neighbouring Windham Mountain Club. The name makes it sound like a private member's resort (something Americans aren't shy about), and while the twin-peaked mountain is moving towards becoming a semi-private, all-seasons resort, the good news is it remains accessible for the time being and day tickets are heavily capped. As a result, the slopes are intentionally uncrowded, prime for racing down the double-diamond blacks and lapping the high-speed chairs and slope side lobster and mango sushi for $15 a pop – you wouldn't get that in Austria. A taste of France: Gore Mountain If Norman Rockwell had ever painted a New York resort, he'd have likely chosen Gore Mountain, the state's oldest and largest ski area. The expressionist lived just over the state border in Arlington, Vermont, and the resort presents an idealised view of American life in winter. Over two days I saw this in the thick smears of white on rock, the short runs through the stark pines, the red-cheeked, clumsy families laughing and falling about on skis and sledges as if on a Christmas card. One of the best places to seek off-piste in the state, Gore is the gateway to a much larger wilderness for ski tourers too: surrounding its crinkle of snow-daubed hills, Adirondack Park can fit all five of America's biggest national parks, including Yellowstone and Yosemite. Another lure is that Gore is one of the few resorts in North America that's owned by the state. 'It was built soon after the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and still today every cent is pumped back into the facilities,' the resort's Julia Johnson told me. 'That's around $133 million for Warren County from Gore alone every winter. We're more than a mountain, we're a community dynamo.' This season, all that goodwill has funded the new North Creek Ski Bowl Lodge, the Hudson quad-chairlift and a bevy of state-of-the-art snowmaking systems. The town of Bolton Landing gave me a chance to admire the Adirondacks rising softly above the silvery basin. In the pinkish après ski light, I then got pleasantly drunk at The Gem, a barbecue joint where they love smoked wings, ribs and bourbon – you wouldn't get that in France. A day later I was back in Manhattan. Not in a sleazy speakeasy this time, but carting ski gear through the lobby of the Intercontinental New York Barclay near Grand Central. The looks from the reception desk implied it wasn't their usual check-in, but then something surprised me even more. As I dumped my boot bag, I saw the bar had been made over into a Swiss winter chalet, with antler chandeliers, vintage ski photos, table bowls of scented pine cones and mulled cider on the menu. Who knows? Maybe Manhattan is coming round to the idea of après ski after all. Essentials
