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Double the Tesla Car Fun at The Plaza

Where: 5th Avenue at 59th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10019

Weren't kidding about the Tesla electric car taking up brief residence at The Plaza Hotel, and today it arrived to a gaggle of delighted tourists and confused hotel guests.

Granted that it's a day late in showing up, which leads us to think that this might be a one-day only deal because of the weather. Light rain now falls on both the Tesla Model S (the white one) and the Tesla Roadster (the hot little red number), and yet the curious continue to approach for cell phone snaps and quick chats with the Tesla representatives. Luckily we snapped our pictures before the Tesla reps surrounded the cars with stanchions.

Says a Tesla rep of their decision to park in front of The Plaza, of all places: "Well, this Model S is just our push car, so the interior is filled with foam. The working model took publicity pictures yesterday in front of MoMA, and we've been all around New York. Here is great exposure." You heard it here first, folks: The Plaza Hotel is now doing double-duty as an eco-auto showroom. Get there today, just in case they split before the weekend!

Check out all of our pictures from the Tesla's visit to The Plaza at the Flickr Set.

Tags: Hotel Events / The Plaza / Hotel Cars / → All Tags

Tesla Electric Car Will Park at The Plaza This Week

Where: 5th Avenue at 59th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10019

It may be auto show time in the more car-centric cities of the United States, but New York City, as usual, has other plans. Instead of packing a convention center with the newest gas-guzzlers, the city will have one of the Tesla Model S electric cars on display for two days in the lobby of The Plaza Hotel. Although we definitely don't equate eco-friendly innovation with The Plaza, the fact that they're allowing Tesla to squat in their opulent digs raises our opinion of the place a tad.

Just a tad, though, as the car will only be on display on April 30 and May 1, reports Treehugger, who also notes that Tesla representatives will be on hand to answer questions and even take orders for the Model S. If you're not in New York, you can catch the Tesla car on the David Letterman show the night before its Plaza debut, April 29.

Expect us to totally be checking this out, and we think that the lobby will be packed with other curious urbanites, green advocates and car fans during its brief Plaza stint. If one can no longer drop $60 on a single tea service in The Palm Court, then at least the hotel has given people something else at which to gawk and snap pictures.

[Photo: PSFK]

Tags: Fashion Hotels / Cynthia Rowley / Manhattan Hotels / The Plaza / The Jane / The Bowery Hotel / → All Tags

NY Fashion Week Spills Over Into Big Name Hotels

Today is the day that stilettos and mascara wands invade the area around Bryant Park in New York City as Fashion Week winds up for weeks-worth of designer runway shows. With over 200 shows and presentations planned, not all can be held in the temporary tents at the official Bryant Park space, and this means that the city's trendy hotels end up with a healthy chunk of the action.

In case you happen to be in the Big Apple right now and are wondering why black town cars are whisking away fashionistas from your hotel stoop, we've compiled a list of the top hotel fashion destinations for events this week:

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Tags: Eloise / The Plaza / Hotel News / Hotel Openings / Fairmont Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags

Eloise is Back at the Plaza Again; Grand Opening Party However is On Hold

Where: 5th Ave. at 59th St. [map], New York, NY, United States, 10019

After a few years of living elsewhere, Eloise has returned to The Plaza again. A portrait of the six-year-old children's book heroine was returned to its original resting place on the near the famous Palm Court dining room. The child actress Jordana Beatty, who will play Eloise in an upcoming movie, was on hand for the unveiling too.

The portrait was returned to its original spot on a wall outside the sumptuous restaurant, whose stained-glass ceiling, covered with plaster in the 1940s, was uncovered and restored during the two-year renovation.

Children staying at the Plaza who love Eloise can order an Eloise bubble bath with milk and cookies (pet turtle not included) and can choose goodies and eats from a children's menu with Eloise's picture on the front.

Hmmm...we think if these parental units are shelling out $1,000 a night at the Plaza, the hotel can do better than a bubble bath and a menu with a picture of Eloise on it. But that's just us.

The Plaza officially opened to the public on Sunday but there will be no grand opening party for at least a year. Page Six reports:

The Plaza's grand opening party set for last Saturday was canceled at the last minute due to a death in the owner's family. A spy said, "They had to send out like 2,000 e-mails to people telling them not to come." A rep for the event, Harriet Weintraub, said, "Itzhak Tshuva's mother died, and in the [Jewish] Orthodox tradition, you can't have a celebration for a year. It will be rescheduled."

[Photo: NYTimes]