While we were chatting with society photog Patrick McMullan, he made the bold statement that the Boom Boom Room in the Standard Hotel was the biggest opening since Studio 54. After considering it, he might be right (the man's definitely an authority, having been to both).  Just sitting in Andre Balazs's new spot, you can feel the scene. There's a certain energy in the air. That got us thinking, what really would make a new Studio 54? Since we love spending time during one of the busiest weeks of our year  thoughtlessly pondering, here's what we came up with... More»

[The Standard Grill. Photo via HC] If the Jane Ballroom is saving NYC Nightlife (in the West Village at least), what is The Standard doing for Meatpacking? André Balazs' Standard Hotel was the city's most anticipated opening of the year. Declared the Municipal Art Society's Best New Building of 2009, and sitting on valuable real estate at the edge of the Highline, everyone was excited to start throwing their parties, and their pants off, at the newest hot spot.  The opening of the hotel's restaurant, The Standard Grill, caused even more excitement, as things like this tend to do. Beyonce and Jay-Z, Anna Wintour, Rick Owens; these were just some of the faces spotted in the first weeks of the restaurant. Bruce Willis was doing a porny photoshot for W Magazine in the hotel before the beds were even installed. More»