NYC Life: Hidden Gems, Iconic Music, and What’s New This Week
The Merchant House: Photo, Nicole Freezer Rubens
Valerie Smaldone shares a hidden Hudson Valley gem offering premium sake tastings and an omakase experience that rivals Tokyo. This week, our Long Island reporter spotlights women business owners. Catch Quinn Lemley heating up The Triad as she channels Rita Hayworth, and enjoy discounted tickets to a vibrant new Burt Bacharach tribute. NYC is on sale through Feb. 12 with major winter deals. A stunning Gilded Age mansion hits the market, our photographer visits the historic Merchant House, and—most importantly—save the date for our 10th Renewal Summit.
Save the Date for Our 2026 Renewal Summit
We’re excited to celebrate our 10th Renewal Summit. This year’s Renewal theme highlights resilience as both an everyday practice and a powerful pathway to longevity. Our experts will explore how emotional flexibility, stress recovery, purpose, and community not only help us move through challenges but also contribute to healthier aging. Special guests will share inspiring stories of resilience, and attendees will leave with practical tools to strengthen their own resilience now while building a foundation for long‑term vitality and wellbeing.
An Exquisite Food Experience
Tucked away in the Hudson Valley is an experience so exquisite that Valerie Smaldone had to share it. At the Dassai Blue Sake Brewery in Hyde Park, she discovered sleek tours, premium Junmai Daiginjo tastings, and a pop‑up omakase that rivals Tokyo. What began as a simple visit became one of Valerie’s most memorable culinary adventures—and she’s thrilled that this extraordinary omakase experience has returned for a limited time. READ MORE.
Jan. 10. Quinn Lemley is Rita Hayworth: The Heat Is On!
Broadway World “Best Female Vocalist” and Bistro Award winner Quinn Lemley returns to the New York stage with Rita Hayworth: The Heat Is On! — her critically acclaimed tribute to Hollywood’s original Love Goddess. Launching a record‑release residency at The Triad, the show features two thrilling big‑band performances and two intimate quartet evenings under the musical direction of Andrew Wheeler, all celebrating Lemley’s new album Rita Hayworth Revealed, currently under Grammy® consideration.
With wit, fire, and irresistible stage presence, Lemley channels Rita Hayworth through 20 timeless songs that illuminate the woman behind the icon — her glamour, resilience, sensuality, and vulnerability. Critics have praised Lemley as “dazzling,” “sensual and spellbinding,” and so vivid that “you don’t even have to squint to see that Rita’s in the room.”
The Triad, 158 West 72nd Street, New York City.
Performance Dates:
- Saturday, January 10 at 7:00 PM – with Big Band
- Thursday, February 19 at 7:00 PM – Quartet
- Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 PM – Quartet
Tickets: $25–$50 | $25 food & beverage minimum
Tickets available at https://tix.to/QuinnLemley
GOING BACHARACH: The Songs Of An Icon
Who in this world doesn’t have a favorite Burt Bacharach song?
Presented by Amas Musical Theatre in association with Jack Lewin / Lewin Productions
Rediscover the soundtrack of a lifetime with GOING BACHARACH, a vibrant new revue celebrating the legacy of one of America’s most iconic composers. Three powerhouse vocalists backed by a five-piece band take audiences on a melodic journey through the timeless songs spanning Bacharach’s extraordinary career.
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT thru FEB 15
SAVE 25% – TICKETS FROM $45*
BUY HERE or Visit GoingBacharach.com & enter code: ALFIE
Joyful and illuminating, GOING BACHARACH offers fresh, sophisticated, and original interpretations of his greatest hits and lesser-known gems alike. Join us for a memorable experience that captures all the magic, romance, and musical majesty of the Maestro himself.
GoingBacharach.com Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater 10 West 64th St, NYC (just West of Central Park West!)
*Subject to Availability. Discount only applies to select Tickets. Other restrictions may apply. Not applicable to previously-purchased tickets. Offer may be discontinued at any time.
Discover More for Less This Winter in NYC
NYC Winter Outing™ is back and it runs from January 20 to February 12, 2026, bringing together the city’s major seasonal promotions across hotels, dining, Broadway, museums, tours, and attractions. The program combines NYC Hotel Week, NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week, and NYC Must‑See Week, offering significant discounts and two‑for‑one experiences throughout all five boroughs.
What the Program Includes
- NYC Hotel Week — Special winter hotel rates for stays from January 2 to February 12, ideal for reunions, romantic weekends, group trips, or solo getaways.
- NYC Restaurant Week — Two‑course lunches and three‑course dinners priced at $30, $45, or $60 from January 20 to February 12 at restaurants across the city.
- NYC Broadway Week — Two‑for‑one tickets to a wide range of Broadway shows during the same January 20 to February 12 window.
- NYC Must‑See Week — Two‑for‑one admission to top attractions, museums, tours, and performing arts venues citywide.
The initiative is designed to make New York City more accessible during the quieter winter season, encouraging both locals and visitors to explore more of the city’s cultural, culinary, and entertainment offerings at reduced prices.
Save The Merchant House Museum
Nicole Freezer Rubens writes:
Tread gently inside the city’s very first historically landmarked building, The Merchant’s House Museum, and get a good glimpse of upper-class life in old New York. In 1835, Seabury Tredwell purchased the 3-year-old Federal and Greek Revival house for his wife, Eliza, their 8 children, and 4 Irish servants to live in. At the time, the cobblestone-paved neighborhood at 29 East 4th Street was considered a suburb, and the Tredwells resided there for almost a century.
In 1934, the last daughter passed away, and the house stood essentially as it had through time. A surviving niece planned to sell the family home when a distant cousin, George Chapman, recognized what they had and purchased it to fund the building as a museum. After his death in 1959 the old home was in complete disrepair when the Decorators Club of New York City, a national organization of female interior designers, saved the day. They restored and reproduced any damaged contents for the public to continue to enjoy.
In 1965, the brand new Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Tredwell House as its very first National Historic Landmark! After a flood in 1968 lead to structural repairs and an interior restoration, in 1981 the building became one of only a few interior landmarks as well.
Today the house is owned by the city and funded by the Historic House Trust of New York City. It is truly a hidden gem of a museum. Currently this precious house’s survival is threatened again due to the vibrations from construction next door! Please sign a petition to save the Merchant’s House, www.merchantshouse.org so in the future we will be able to continue see how a slice of New Yorkers once lived their daily lives.
Meet Allegra Dioguardi
A new year brings renewed purpose to Spotlight on Long Island as we celebrate women 55+ who are building beautiful, enduring businesses—women whose experience, resilience, and creativity continue to shape the communities they serve. Today, our Long Island reporter, Andreea Peponakis, shines a light on Allegra Dioguardi, a Long Island native whose four decades in interior design reflect both mastery and heart. A powerful story of experience, reinvention, and design excellence. READ ON.
A Gilded Age Mansion Could be Yours
This article from 6SqFt got my attention. This 11,670‑square‑foot residence at 323 West 80th Street can be yours for $6.999,000. It is a striking showcase of Elizabethan Renaissance Revival architecture — a true urban mansion complete with an underground private garage, a gym, and a roof terrace.
Credit: 6SqFt
Built in 1897, the 43-foot-wide, landmarked brick‑and‑limestone townhouse, has been meticulously reimagined by a family with a rich theatrical heritage and an unmistakably creative eye. Read on and see more stunning photos.
The tomato behind The Three Tomatoes.
Cheryl Benton, aka the “head tomato” is founder and publisher of The Three Tomatoes, a digital lifestyle magazine for “women who aren’t kids”. Having lived and worked for many years in New York City, the land of size zero twenty-somethings, she was truly starting to feel like an invisible woman. She created The Three Tomatoes just for the fun of it as the antidote for invisibility and sent it to 60 friends. Today she has thousands of friends and is chief cheerleader for smart, savvy women who want to live their lives fully at every age and every stage. She is the author of the novel, "Can You See Us Now?" and co-author of a humorous books of quips, "Martini Wisdom." Because she's lived a long time, her full bio won't fit here. If you want the "blah, blah, blah", read more. www.thethreetomatoes.com/about-the-head-tomato
