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Rare photo of John Quincy Adams could sell for $50,000

This rare daguerreotype of President John Quincy Adams is expected to sell for around $50,000. Heritage Auctions image

DALLAS – A rare and unusual photo of one of the first U.S. presidents is expected to sell for $50,000 or more when an image of President John Quincy Adams taken in 1846 crosses the block in Heritage Auctions’ Dec. 2 Americana & Political Auction. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Historic N.C. museum must be moved to save it from flooding

The Beachcomber Museum is housed inside Mattie Midgette’s Store in Nags Head, N.C. The establishment is on the National Register of Historic Places. Image courtesy of the Museum

NAGS HEAD, N.C. (AP) – Chaz Winkler walked along the roadside next to a rare undeveloped tract on U.S. 158. He crossed a shallow ditch and ducked under cedar limbs to enter a natural Outer Banks habitat of wax myrtles, prickly pear and yaupon — an oasis among shopping centers and restaurants.

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Western items post strong results at John Moran auction

This early 20th-century Navajo Germantown Moki-style blanket/rug, consigned from a private collection, excited collectors because of its pristine condition. Price realized: $8,400. John Moran Auctioneers image

MONROVIA, Calif. – John Moran Auctioneers hosted two curated auction sessions on Nov. 14. The first event, the Art of the American West auction consisted of 143 lots of Western-genre and other California paintings and bronzes alongside Native American baskets, pottery and weavings. The second session, titled “20th Century and Contemporary Art + Design,” featured 293 lots of early and mid-20th-century furniture and decorative objects and modern and contemporary sculpture, paintings and prints. Absentee bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Philadelphia halts sale of Love Park keepsakes

 

While LOVE Park in Philadelphia undergoes renovation, Robert Indiana’s sculpture will be displayed at a temporary location. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Philadelphia officials hoping to sell engraved blocks from the original Love Park on Friday were surprised to learn about an hour before the granite keepsakes went up for grabs that they didn’t have the right to sell them.

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Apple Lisa-1 tops Auction Team Breker sale at $50,300

Apple Lisa-1 computer, 1983. Price realized: $50,300. Auction Team Breker image

COLOGNE, Germany – Auction Team Breker’s busy Autumn extravaganza on Nov. 11 was a fascinating study of market dynamics. Of the two-dozen collectible categories on offer, computing and calculation came out on top. The highest price of the day was an Apple Lisa-1 personal computer, Apple Inc.’s ill-starred attempt to introduce a mouse-controlled user interface. It sold at auction for at €43,000 / $50,300. Absentee and Internet bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

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5 NYC hotels with something special to offer

Moxy Hotel, Times Square, New York City. Photo by Ruozhu Tang, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

NEW YORK (AP) – New York has hundreds of hotels, located in different neighborhoods, with different styles and amenities.

But a hotel is more than just a place to rest your head. Many hotels have something truly special to offer, and often those features can be experienced even if you’re not staying overnight. Stop in for a drink, for dinner or even just take a peek inside the lobby or the bar.

Here’s a quick look at five Manhattan hotels and what’s unique about each of them.

BEST HISTORIC RESTORATION

The Beekman hotel opened just last year at 123 Nassau St., but its Temple Court restaurant and bar has already become one of Lower Manhattan’s most popular after-work spots. It’s located in a landmarked 1881 building that was vacant for years before the hotel’s painstaking historic restoration brought it back to life. The building’s star attraction is a glorious nine-story atrium surrounded by decorative wrought-iron balconies. In the lobby, antique oriental carpets suggest exotic adventure, while Edgar Allan Poe’s portrait connects the site to an even earlier incarnation as the Mercantile Library Association, frequented by Poe and other 19th-century writers.

MOST PLAYFUL

Moxy hotels are part of the Marriott chain, but they were designed to appeal to millennials and they have the look and feel of fun, chic boutique hotels. The Moxy Times Square, which opened in late September at 485 Seventh Ave., has already become a playground for the city’s 20somethings. It’s hosted everything from a graffiti master class to a pop-up shop with an “embroidery bar” offering personalized designs. But it’s the Moxy’s Magic Hour rooftop bar and lounge that’s the killer attraction, with a view of the Empire State Building, live DJs, a carousel, a mini-golf course called Foreplay and topiary bears in naughty poses. You can even order up a $99 crash pad from the cocktail menu.

The Floating Bear art installation suspended over the lobby welcomes guests to the new Moxy Times Square Hotel. Photo by Timessquare42, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

COOLEST CO-WORKING SPACES

Hang out with the cool kids on the Lower East Side in the co-working spaces at the Public hotel, 215 Chrystie St. It’s got everything from stadium-style seating to long white sofas, along with spots for food, coffee and cocktails. Bring your laptop, sketchpad or notebook and come up with the next big idea. There’s also a small, tranquil park with a picnic table just out front, a sleek rooftop bar with great views and a groovy escalator lined with neon-like lights. The hotel opened earlier this year and is the brainchild of Ian Schrager, co-founder of the legendary 1970s disco Studio 54 and the businessman credited with creating the concept of boutique hotels.

BEST THEME

There are 6,000 books in the Library Hotel. You’ll find books in the lobby, in your room, at the rooftop bar and in the hotel’s reading room. Located at 299 Madison Ave., it’s a block from the grand New York Public Library building with those famous stone lions out front. You can even see the public library from some of the guest rooms. But the really clever thing about the Library Hotel is that it’s organized according to the Dewey Decimal System, which uses numbers to classify books by subject. Every floor is themed on a different Dewey Decimal category _ for example technology, social sciences or literature. And each room is themed with art and books on a topic within that category. Looking for a romantic place to spend the night? On the philosophy floor, there’s a room themed on love.

MOST LUXURIOUS LOOK

You may know the name Baccarat from the company that produces some of the world’s finest French crystal. But you may not know that there’s a Baccarat hotel, open since 2015 and discreetly located at 28 W. 53rd St. across from the Museum of Modern Art. If you can’t afford an $855-a-night room here, how about a $42 cocktail called La Belle Epoque? As you walk to the bar, take in the crystal chandeliers and candelabras, the sparkling stemware and bowls, the white sofas and bouquets of perfect, bright red roses. It’s not just bling. It’s a sumptuous look that simply defines luxury.

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By BETH J. HARPAZ, AP Travel Editor

Copyright 2017 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This information may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

McDonald’s to raze Chicago-area museum of 1st restaurant

McDonald’s museum in Des Plaines, Ill., a replica of Ray Kroc’s first restaurant built in April 1955. Photo by Bruce Marlin, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license

OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) – McDonald’s Corp. has announced it will demolish a suburban Chicago museum that’s a replica of the hamburger chain’s first restaurant.

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Gianguan Auctions leads with Chinese ceramics Dec. 9

Water-Moon Guanyin, Song Dynasty fresco panel, with pigment in good condition, 4 feet tall. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. Gianguan Auctions image

NEW YORK – The making of the Chinese aesthetic that began in the Neolithic age and continues to evolve today has made the arts of China among the most sought after in the world. Collectors of revered objects–from Song Dynasty frescos to Yuan ceramics, classic and modern art to signature seals and Zisha teapots–will find strong collections at Gianguan Auctions sale on Saturday, Dec. 9. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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