The Plaza
For the iconic New York experience
New York City
JFK
With its raft of restaurants and bars, both big and bijou, and more entertainment than you could fit into any itinerary, New York’s insomniac rep holds true. But there’s no lack of quiet escapes either, from intimate museums to lush retreats minutes from the clamour. The real beauty of New York: There’s a dream trip for any kind of traveller.
Where to Stay
Public Hotel
For the Instagrammable vibe
Freehand New York
For the budget-friendly rates
The William Vale
For the Brooklyn-style luxury
The Roxy Hotel Tribeca
For the in-house entertainment
Eat & Drink
Bakeri
At this tiny Williamsburg café, watching the bakers make the day’s treats is only part of the fun. Choose from a display case full of Scandinavian pastries, from coconutty skolebrød to apple pies. You will also find a few global additions, like French-toast bread pudding and lamingtons, the beloved Aussie cake. The vibe is cozy, both in size and style, so if you’re travelling with little ones, leave the stroller at your hotel.
Scarr’s Pizza
Outside this tiny, otherwise ordinary-looking pizzeria, expect to find a long lineup – seating is scarce in the wood-panelled, retro-inspired joint. The wait-worthy draw: seemingly simple slices, starting from US$3.75, made special with organic tomato sauce and grains stone-milled daily on-site. (Also: a mean vegan Caesar salad.) If you can’t snag a table, grab a slice to go from the counter.
ABC Kitchen
Brunch is a serious sport in New York City, and this Jean-Georges restaurant inside ABC Carpet & Home brings its A game. The seasonal doughnuts are a great place to start, but consider the crab toast, roasted beets, pretzel-dusted calamari or mushroom pizza with farm egg. The one thing beyond debate: Leave room for the salted-caramel ice-cream sundae.
Tokyo Record Bar
This Greenwich Village spot is as boisterous as a 22-seat restaurant can be. Owner Ariel Arce took his love for Tokyo’s record-listening rooms and combined it with a seven-course izakaya tasting menu. Each guest chooses one song to be played by the vinyl DJ during the meal, which gets people talking. Reservations are a must.
Jajaja Plantas Mexicana
This Lower East Side restaurant may look inconspicuous from the outside – aside from the line commonly snaking out the door – but inside you will find a true rarity: an entirely vegan menu even omnivores can enjoy. Try the buffalo-flower tacos, black-lava rice bowl or jackfruit tamale.
The Long Island Bar
A local fixture for its fried cheese curds and classic burgers, this bar also specializes in drinks that would make anyone nostalgic: boulevardiers, gimlets, martinis. With dim lighting and tall booths, the space itself dates back to the 1950s and hasn’t changed much since.
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What to Do
MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art has always been popular, but its $450-million expansion in 2019 gives even more reason to go, over and above increased space for the stellar exhibitions. Additions include the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio, dedicated to live and experiential programming, as well as the Paula and James Crown Creativity Lab, a space for conversation and art-making.
Coming Soon
At this gem of a shop from vintage collectors Helena Barquet and Fabiana Faria, reupholstered Mies van der Rohe chairs, abstract wool rugs by NYC-based Cold Picnic and sculptural wineglasses from Sophie Lou Jacobsen are just a few of the bold home accessories in the ever-rotating inventory.
Governors Island
This 172-acre island is the perfect way to while away an afternoon, especially for families, requiring less than a 10-minute ferry ride (catch it from Manhattan’s Battery Maritime Building daily, or from Brooklyn Bridge Park on weekends, from May 1 through October 31). Rent from Citi Bike or Blazing Saddles and wheel along the car-free paths, relax in the hammock meadow or try your hand at minigolfing. Head to the Hills, opened in 2016, for scenic overlooks and a 17-metre slide, the city’s longest.
Books Are Magic
Novelist Emma Straub opened a bookstore in Cobble Hill aimed at giving people a place to discover new titles, escape into one of the reading nooks and attend readings and panels (there’s almost always something to see each night). The result is a bright hub for book lovers that feels every bit as enchanting as the name suggests.
Prospect Park
The architects behind Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert B. Vaux, also designed Brooklyn’s defining green space – and ranked the latter their real masterpiece. The 585-acre urban playground is now home to a zoo, a skating rink, a boathouse and a bandshell for live performances. In the summer, locals flock to the meadows to socialize, play sports and grill out – you won’t find a friendlier spot in the city.
Rachel Comey
New York designer Rachel Comey is known for her wearable, trend-proof womenswear, from day-to-night jumpsuits to wide-leg, raw-hem denim. It’s effortless chic that will nevertheless have admirers asking, “Where’d you find that?”
Music Box Theatre
Everywhere you look, there is a jewel-like detail to notice at this neo-Georgian theatre, built in 1920. It’s a more intimate venue than Times Square’s massive performance halls, but no less worthy of attention.
Dover Street Market New York
At this outpost of the London-based department store/concept shop, you will find a deep-pocketed fashionphile’s dream closet, including multiple sub-brands in the Comme des Garçons universe, Raf Simons, Supreme, Jil Sander and Gucci. Even if you’re not splurging, the eight floors feature plenty of fashion-as-art to admire.
Tenement Museum
New York abounds with monumental museums, but this one takes a singularly intimate approach to its area of focus: the history of immigrants from the 1860s to the modern day. Guided tours are the only way to enter these restored tenement buildings, where you will see personal artifacts and hear stories of migration.
Kith
The SoHo shop’s stark interiors underscore that it’s all about the merch – in this case, sneakers. All the big names – Nike, Converse, Adidas and others – are represented, but what makes Kith truly stand out is the stock of hard-to-get styles, including highly sought-after Air Force 1s.
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