Tag Archives: Video Tours

Arts & Literature: ‘The Morgan Library & Museum’

The Morgan Library & Museum, formerly the Pierpont Morgan Library, is a museum and research library in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is situated at 225 Madison Avenue, between 36th Street to the south and 37th Street to the north. 

A complex of buildings in the heart of New York City, The Morgan Library & Museum began as the private library of financier Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913), one of the preeminent collectors and cultural benefactors in the United States. As early as 1890 Morgan had begun to assemble a collection of illuminated, literary, and historical manuscripts, early printed books, and old master drawings and prints.

Mr. Morgan’s library, as it was known in his lifetime, was built between 1902 and 1906 adjacent to his New York residence at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Designed by Charles McKim of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the library was intended as something more than a repository of rare materials. Majestic in appearance yet intimate in scale, the structure was to reflect the nature and stature of its holdings. The result was an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo with three magnificent rooms epitomizing America’s Age of Elegance. Completed three years before McKim’s death, it is considered by many to be his masterpiece. In 1924, eleven years after Pierpont Morgan’s death, his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr. (1867–1943), known as Jack, realized that the library had become too important to remain in private hands. In what constituted one of the most momentous cultural gifts in U.S. history, he fulfilled his father’s dream of making the library and its treasures available to scholars and the public alike by transforming it into a public institution.

Over the years—through purchases and generous gifts—The Morgan Library & Museum has continued to acquire rare materials as well as important music manuscripts, early children’s books, Americana, and materials from the twentieth century. Without losing its decidedly domestic feeling, the Morgan also has expanded its physical space considerably.

In 1928, the Annex building was erected on the corner of Madison Avenue and 36th Street, replacing Pierpont Morgan’s residence. The Annex connected to the original McKim library by means of a gallery. In 1988, Jack Morgan’s former residence—a mid-nineteenth century brownstone on Madison Avenue and 37th Street—also was added to the complex. The 1991 garden court was constructed as a means to unite the various elements of the Morgan campus.

The largest expansion in the Morgan’s history, adding 75,000 square feet to the campus, was completed in 2006. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, the project increases exhibition space by more than fifty percent and adds important visitor amenities, including a new performance hall, a welcoming entrance on Madison Avenue, a new café and a new restaurant, a shop, a new reading room, and collections storage. Piano’s design integrates the Morgan’s three historical buildings with three new modestly scaled steel-and-glass pavilions. A soaring central court connects the buildings and serves as a gathering place for visitors in the spirit of an Italian piazza.

Video Tour: ‘B&H Photo’ in NYC – One Of The Largest Camera Stores In America

B&H Photo Video (also known as B&H Photo and B&H and B&H Foto & Electronics Corporation) is an American photo and video equipment retailer founded in 1973, based in Manhattan, New York City.[1] B&H conducts business through online e-commerce consumer sales, business to business sales, and its one retail location. Customers engage with B&H via its websites, retail store, phone sales and customer service, email, and chat channels.

B&H stands for Blimie & Herman, the founders of the store. B&H was named the leading online consumer electronics retailer by Consumers Reports for 2018. Newsweek named B&H as one of America’s Top Companies for Customer Service for 2019, with top position in the consumer electronics category based on over 130,000 customer evaluations. In 2018, Forbes named B&H as one of America’s Best Mid-Size Employers. Also in 2018, B&H’s consumer website was recognized as the Best for User Experience of any e-commerce company by the Baymard Institute.

Top Hotel Tours: ‘The St. Regis Venice’, Italy On The Grand Canal (Video)

The St. Regis Venice combines historic legacy with modern luxury in a privileged location beside the Grand Canal surrounded by views across some of Venice’s most iconic monuments. Avant-garde in outlook and revolutionary in design, the hotel is an expression of the cultural curiosity of Venice and the innovation of modern-day against a pedigreed backdrop.

Renaissance Villa Tour: Pistoia In Tuscany, Italy

Magnificent and elegant luxury villa in Tuscany built in 1893 in the late Tuscan Renaissance style that dominates the plain of Pistoia and offers a spectacular panoramic view towards Florence. The exclusive villa near Florence is a testimony of the aesthetic culture of the end of the century and of the taste of high society of that time, with the creation of unique and exclusive artifacts and locals for the most important persons of the nobility and of the rich international community that, at that time, was attending Florence.

The most famous artist-decorators then active in Tuscany, such as Peter Baldoncoli Francesco Morini, Mariano Coppedè and Giuseppe Michelucci, participated in the realization of this residence, which is typical of Sixteenth-century style and it was celebrated as a dwelling worthy of the Renaissance. The interiors feature rich finishes, beautiful antique furnishings and wonderful wall-paintings.

Top Architectural Tours: ‘Shelter Island, New York’

91 Ram Island Drive is the culmination of twenty years of work by internationally renowned architect William Pedersen. A triumph of contemporary design and expertly crafted by Wright and Company Construction, the house sits on almost 3 acres of rolling native meadow that gently slopes onto over 220 feet of pristine beach, with Gardiners Bay beyond.

Based on a multi-axis linear framework and emphasizing the contrasting textures of the primary building materials of concrete, wood, copper and bluestone, the structure is at once both awe-inspiring and effortlessly comfortable. Set at the convergence of three distinct landmarks – the lighthouse in Gardiners Bay, Gardiners Island and the entrance to Coecles Harbor – an unparalleled 360-degree panoramic view unfolds in front of the property.

The house itself seems to rise like an island from the water, as was the conceptual inspiration for the design. Clad in stone and sheets of standing seam copper, the 3-bedroom residence offers an open flow between the public spaces at the heart of the home, the expansive outdoor entertaining areas that define the summer lifestyle and the long passageway of the private bedroom wing. Singular in design and function, 91 Ram Island Drive is, in every sense, a habitable work of art.

Video Tour: ‘Castello Torinese’, Piedmont, Italy

Located on top of a hill overlooking a historic center of Piedmont, we find this imposing medieval castle for sale in Italy, masterfully restored and converted into a luxury 28-bedroom hotel. In a very panoramic position, the castle is also the ideal location for weddings, ceremonies and congresses thanks to a set of beautiful conference halls (up to 250 seats) and a welcoming restaurant (400 seats) offering typical Piedmontese and international dishes.

Top Hotel Video Tours: ‘Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo’ In Taormina, Sicily’

A tour of Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo in Sicily, Italy. Located beside an ancient Greek theater, the 71 room hotel is decorated in exquisite Italian baroque style and boasts breathtaking views of the Mount Etna.

A Sicilian hideaway that fuels the imagination. Set in the heart of Taormina, Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo serves up views that have enchanted for more than a century

The first hotel to be built in the city gazes out across the coast towards Mount Etna and beyond. Here you can breathe in the full spectacle of Sicily. Bask in manicured gardens, savour sensational cuisine and fuel your imagination with cocktails on the Literary Terrace—just like generations of celebrated guests before you. Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo is now open. Please click the link below to find out why we are trusted for travel.

Website

Italian Estate Video Tour: ‘Villa Fatti’ In Tuscany

Villa Fatti, one of the symbols of Sansepolcro’s recent history. On the hills overlooking the beautiful historic center of the town, in a very panoramic position with a spectacular view over the underlying Tiber Valley, we find a magnificent 2,610-sqm manorial villa with park and Italian garden. Laid over five floors, this impressive building currently houses 10 beautiful bedrooms (with the possibility of creating many more), offices and a huge professional kitchen ideal to start a prestigious restaurant, maybe coupled with a luxury boutique hotel.

Top Walking Tour Videos: New Orleans French Quarter ‘Haunted Tour’

Often regarded as the most haunted city in the U.S., New Orleans has a deep history of ghosts, pirates, murder, and mayhem. Join our local expert for a guided walking tour of the infamous French Quarter and its most notorious landmarks to see why it’s been a hotspot for ghost enthusiasts from all over the world.

Video Timestamps: 0:00 Murder and Mayhem in the French Quarter 0:29 Andrew Jackson Hotel 2:27 Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar 5:00 The Palace, aka The Sultan’s House 7:35 Lalaurie Mansion

TOP HOTEL VIDEO TOUR: ‘DAIOS COVE RESORT & VILLAS’ IN CRETE, GREECE

Daios Cove Luxury Resort & Villas, Crete is a brand new luxury 5* resort, which opened in April 2010 and is nestled on a hillside overlooking the exclusive Daios Cove. Located right on the waterfront with a private sandy beach, masterfully blending the surrounding landscape together with a unique private bay and direct access to the crystalline waters, the Daios Cove Luxury Resort & Villas has become the unsurpassed destination. Designed by esteemed architecture firm 3SK Stylianidis, Daios Cove Luxury Resort & Villas evokes the intimate charm of the traditional villages found throughout the Greek isles, expressed in an elegant, contemporary aesthetic.

All 300 spacious rooms, suites and villas, most with private heatable pools range from 42m2 to 560m2 , boasting spectacular views of the Mediterranean. The unparalleled choice of accommodation that includes Deluxe Sea View Rooms, Deluxe Sea View Rooms with Individual Pool, Junior Suites with Private Pool, One Bedroom Suites, One- or Two-Bedroom Villas with Private Pool, Wellness Villas with Private Pool, and Two- or Three-Bedroom Family Villas are conceived to meet any expectation.

Website