TEMPUS Magazine redefines time, giving you a glimpse into all things sophisticated, compelling, vibrant, with its pages reflecting the style, luxury and beauty of the world in which we live. A quarterly publication for private aviation enthusiasts.
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Of Note Urban Ambience 44 _ TEMPUS-MAGAZINE.COM / SPRING 2016 Photos provided by Dream Downtown PERHAPS IT'S THE SCANTILY CLAD BODIES VISIBLE THROUGH THE LOBBY ceiling, which doubles as the glass bottom of the second-foor pool. Or maybe it's the enormous pop art American fag made entirely of Mexican beer cans. Or it could be the head-bobbing DJ in the corner, spinning a repetitive yet infectious blend of house and trance. Whatever it is, as soon as you walk into the Dream Downtown you quickly realize you are in a very different type of Manhattan hotel. designed to keep in step with Chatwal's reputation as a hard- partying playboy. The hotel's presidential suite, modestly called the GuestHouse, is a two-story, 2,500-square-foot party palace with a glass-bottom Jacuzzi and garden terrace. The $5,000-a-night suite comes with all the expected bells and whistles but keeping in step with the Dream's polished attitude, a sneaker stylist, personal barista, and security guard are on call for an additional fee. On the hotel's second foor, the fve-thousand-square-foot pool complex features a ffty-foot heated pool, private cabanas, a DJ booth (naturally), and a beach with sand imported from Montauk. That it's from the Home Depot in Montauk is immaterial and actually part of the tongue-in-cheek attitude the Dream does so well. Guests may book spa and massage treatments in the cabanas, and the full-service bar keeps the party going with cocktails and small bites from a seasonally evolving menu. The funky vibe continues deep into Bodega Negra, the Dream Downtown's onsite restaurant. Vintage guitars, mariachi uniforms, a penny-covered disco ball, and a wall of tequila barrels set the stage for Michael Armstrong's "upscale Mexican" cuisine—yellowtail ceviche, roasted chile rellenos, crispy pork belly, and soft-shell crab tacos. The cocktail menu is, naturally, tequila heavy with both the "El Diablo" Milagro Silver, ginger syrup, fresh lime juice, and Creme De Cassisa and the "Blood & Fire" Patron Silver, spiced hibiscus syrup, and fresh lime juice Located in Chelsea, and just across the street from Google's East Coast headquarters, the Dream Downtown is a boutique hotel with a decidedly party-centric attitude. Founded by Vikram Chatwal, a former model turned actor turned fnancier turned hotelier, the Dream hotel family, which includes locations in Miami, Bangkok, Los Angeles, Phuket, and Midtown Manhattan, seems to have been Pop Palace Awaken your senses at Manhattan's eclectic, electric Dream Downtown hotel By Steven Tingle 1. The two-story Presidential Living Room features a glass- bottom Jacuzzi. 2. The Electric Room is a tucked-away spot for craft cocktails and music. 1 2