Openings: Franklin Hotel

There’s a brilliant Seinfeld joke about uptown/downtown couples suffering in long distance relationships. But only a terrible bore would demarcate their lives on one side or the other of 23rd Street. And with romantic hotel options not exactly legion in this dosh-worshipping town, the rebirth this April of the Upper East Side’s fetchingly elegant Franklin Hotel should get even ruthless corporate raiders and detached fashionistas to make for the 10128.

Newly done up with flatscreen TVs, i-Pod docks, photos by fashion icon Deborah Turbeville, and keen contemporary aesthetic touches, the Franklin still feels more fin-de-siecle Paris than 21st Century NYC—all dark woods and glittering chandeliers. Bulgari bath products, in-room martini shakers, and a nightly wine and artisanal cheese reception remind you that this is a place for indulging more than posing. Charmed, we’re sure.