New York, New York (On the Town) New York, New York (On the Town) "New York, New York" is a song from the 1944 musical "On the Town" and the 1949 MGM musical film of the same name. The music was written by Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. A well known line of this song is, "New York, New York, a helluva town. The Bronx is up but the Battery's down." For the film version, the word "helluva" was changed to "wonderful" to appease the Production Code offices. In 2004 the film version finished at #41 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs
The Empire Hotel (New York City) The Empire Hotel (New York City) The Empire Hotel is a boutique hotel located along West 63rd Street (at Broadway), in the New York City borough of Manhattan. In 1889, a seven-story building rose from the ground that would later become The Empire Hotel. Herbert DuPuy purchased this building in 1908. In 1922, DuPuy decided to tear the original structure down and build a 15-story building. On December 5, 1923, The Empire Hotel opened with its iconic red neon signage reading "Hotel Empire" erected on the rooftop. Room pricing was vastly in contrast to current numbers. Room rates in 1935: