The Beekman Hotel couldn’t be farther from my home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan but it’s definitely worth the trek downtown. The new hotel designed by Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel and Martin Brudnizki is part of the Thompson Hotels group and adds an infusion of chicness to the Financial District of Manhattan. While the hotel is new, the landmark building with its souring atrium has been around since 1880 where is served as an office building for many years becoming abandoned. It was often used as a set for films and television shows, as well as a backdrop for parties and fashion shows, until development on the 287-room hotel began in 2014. The rooms seems a bit nondescript so the lobby and restaurants are the real draw. Chef and restauranteur Tom Colicchio has opened Fowler & Wells restaurant and legendary restauranteur Keith McNally‘s French brasserie Augustine will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Uptown was the new downtown for a while but it looks like downtown is the new downtown again.