We present Polly Dedman's beautiful watercolour animation celebrating downtown New York
It's always at this time of year when we start longing for New York. Perhaps it's Thanksgiving, a tradition we don't practice this side of the Atlantic, or perhaps it's knowing that the whole city is currently buzzing with a holidays-are-comin' feeling. There's nowhere else that quite gets one in the mood for Christmas than New York.
With this in mind, we present Polly Dedman's beautiful animation of woven watercolour illustrations celebrating downtown New York and one of the area's original hotel pioneers, GrandLife Hotels. The first hoteliers to introduce the luxury lifestyle hotel experience to downtown Manhattan, the group includes the Tribeca Grand and the Soho Grand. One of our favourite things about staying at the hotels is using the GrandLife Hotels’ app Neighborhood Guide, which offers tips, travel tools (including that all-important currency converter) and an interactive geo-location based map.
Tribeca was one of the first residential neighbourhoods developed in New York beyond the boundaries of the city during colonial times, with residential development beginning in the late 18th century. By the mid-19th century, the area transformed into a commercial centre, with large numbers of store and loft buildings constructed along Broadway in the 1850s and 1860s. Tribeca is dominated by former industrial buildings that have been converted into residential buildings and lofts, similar to those of the neighbouring SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District.
The name "SoHo" refers to the area being "SOuth of HOuston (Street)", and was coined by Chester Rapkin, an urban planner who was the author of the "South Houston Industrial Area" study. The area consists of 26 blocks and approximately 500 buildings and boasts the greatest collection of cast-iron architecture in the world.
Text by Laura Bradley
