THE GOOD NEWS : I stopped into the Barclay IC  in Manhattan  when the lobby is usually filled with business types, toting  attache cases.  

But this week, guests  strutted about in  sneakers (trainers to our UK buddies) shorts  and polo shirts that announced US Open2009.   They were a  cheerful crowd getting ready to  board a bus that would take them to the tennis matches.  Possibly there were tennis stars, too, who would be driven to Queens in the several limos parked outside  the door    I was pleased to see that the  Barclay  is among  the host hotels for the US Open,  a hot ticket and front page news in New York City. 

THE BAD NEWS: Next  week the UN comes to town and the Barclay, described as a "tony hotel" hit the  nightly TV news, receiving bad press because it  will host  Iranian President Ahmadinejad and  the Iranian delegation during  UN proceedings.

"United against Nuclear Iran" (UANI)  is  a non-partisan group that includes Obama's special envoy to Afganistan, Richard Holbrooke and Middle EAst aide Dennis Ross.  It has contacted the Barclay GM , claiming that  by "accomodating the Iranian president , the Intercontinental, not only endorses the recent  Iranian controversial  election, but also turns a blind eye to the regime's   flagrant violations of human rights and its commitment to illegally developing nuclear weapons.. Demonstrations in Iran about the  legitimacy of his election have  resulted in deaths, a government crackdown and mass trials of those arrested".

Mark Wallace the UANI president,  urged  the Barclay  to refuse hosting  the Iranian president and  to join the international community in condemning Iran's illegal nuclear weapons program.

to be continued........

This information, along with  great photos of the entrance to the Barclay  were on the 9/8  nightly  TV  news. Follow up info and quotes were from t Myustinet News and NYPost on line.