Dominic Chianese, NYC & Co.’s CEO Cristyne Nicholas and Chair Jonathan Tisch

A virtual Who’s Who of the travel and hospital industries “suited up” for the annual Leadership in Tourism Award Dinner at the re-opened Museum of Modern Art. The event benefited the NYC & Co. Foundation, which supports and promotes the arts and cultural organizations that enhance the city’s positive image, and encourage tourism.

NYC & Co. Chair Jonathan Tisch and CEO Cristyne Nicholas honored individuals and organizations for their contributions to the city and its tourism industry. Award recipients included: Hotel Assoc. of NYC Prez Joseph Spinnato, Nicole Miller (accepted by the designer and her business partner, Bud Konheim), American Express (accepted by CEO Ken Chenault), and NBC Universal (accepted by CEO Bob Wright).

Saturday Night Live comediennes Tina Fey and Amy Poehler brought down the house with their “NYC Tourism Update,” a spoof of their regular “Weekend Update” slot on SNL. The pair quipped that the Upper East Side’s most famous winged resident, a red-tailed hawk named Pale Male whose nest was recently removed from a Fifth Ave. building, had finally found a new place to nest — in Donald Trump’s hair!

Among the glitterati: Co-chairs Trump and Melania Knauss, and NBC Prez Jeff Zucker; emcee Brian Williams; Katie Couric; SNL's Lorne Michaels; Conan O'Brien; Jesse Martin; Chris Meloni; Mariska Hargitay; Joan Collins and Percy Gibson; New York Mets players Al Leiter and John Franco; Jimmy Nederlander Jr.; Francine LeFrak and Rick Friedberg; Dominic Chianese; and Howard and Amy Rubenstein. We Love New York!




Honorees Bud Konheim and Nicole Miller

Katie Couric, Jonathan Tisch

photos by Patrick McMullan

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