A day in New York
(Want to download the full guide to your Smartphone? Download it from GuidePal City Guides.)See & Do
Central Park
A peaceful oasis amidst a hectic city
Noteworthy for: Even with all the park's attractions, nothing beats meandering through the 58 miles of pedestrian pathways, exploring the many varying landscapes.
How big is Central Park? Really big. Nearly twice the size of Monaco, Central Park stretches from Midtown to Harlem and covers 843 acres. With rolling green fields, rocky bluffs, lush woods, lakes and reservoirs, the park is a refreshing counterbalance to life in the concrete jungle. Join the locals who are escaping the grind by participating in innumerable diversions like tai chi, jogging, rollerblading, cycling, picnicking, soccer, napping or just simply enjoying nature.At the Loeb Boathouse enjoy a lakeside meal and cocktails, rent a bike or a rowboat (available from April until October). Strawberry Field is a small park-within-a-park near West 2nd Street in honor of the late John Lennon. A bit further uptown is the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, a body of water ringed by pink rhododendrons and a popular jogging path. At the northern edge, there is a gorgeous view of Midtown’s skyscrapers – especially beautiful at dawn.
During the hot summer, take a swim at Lasker Pool, located in the middle of the Park between 108th and 109th Streets.
Price sample: Bicycle rental: USD 9-15 per hour
Row boat rental: USD 12 first hour, USD 3 each additional 15 minutes
Open Hours: Visitor Center, Daily: 10am - 5pm
Address: 59th-110th Streets (between 5th Avenue and Central Park West)
Phone: Visitor Center: +1 212 794 6564
Central Park's webpage
See & Do
Brooklyn Bridge
Walk or cycle over a New York icon
Noteworthy for: At the turn of the century, a couple of con men (with forged documents) successfully convinced unsuspecting out-of-towners to buy the bridge.
The graceful brown-hued bridge that spans the East River is a true Hollywood star. With a lead role in Sergio Leone's 1980s gangster epic 'Once Upon a Time in America', its web of suspension cables trapped city-mashing 'Godzilla' in the 1990s, and it was blown up in 'I Am Legend' in the 2000s.Completed in the spring of 1883, when horse-drawn buggies ruled the streets, the 1.13-mile neo-Gothic structure is the oldest - and longest - suspension bridge in the country. Walking or biking on the boardwalk-like pathway that hovers over the traffic and water below, is free of charge and offers a phenomenal view of the city's skyline. The best time to go is during sunrise or sunset.
Once you reach the Brooklyn side, explore the leafy Brooklyn Heights neighborhood that has a wide riverfront promenade and streets lined by lovely brownstones.
Open Hours: Daily: 24 hours
Address: Across from City Hall Park, 31 Chambers Street
(between Center and Elk Streets)
Brooklyn Bridge Park's webpage
See & Do
MoMA - Museum of Modern Art
Exciting contemporary art, architecture, design and photography
Noteworthy for: MoMA is home to legendary works such as Van Gogh's ‘The Starry Night,’ Dali’s ‘Persistence of Memory,’ and Kahlo’s 'Self Portrait with Cropped Hair', among others.
MoMA was founded in 1929 by the wife of oil scion John D Rockefeller Jr and two of her socialite friends. Starting with a humble eight prints and one drawing, the ladies’ legacy now comprises nearly 200,000 pieces of modern art, including some of the world’s most renowned.Before you leave, drop into the wonderfully curated MoMA Store. Loaded with books, posters, furniture, home decoration, gadgets and souvenirs, there are lovely objects created by a wealth of famous designers (Charles and Ray Eames, Philippe Starck, Le Corbusier et al) as well as a slew of exciting up-and-coming young designers.
Every Friday from 4pm to 8pm, admission is free for all. These nights are popular so lines can be long; though, after 6pm, they shrink significantly.
Fee: Adult: USD 25
Open Hours: Mon, Wed, Sat-Sun: 10.30am - 5.30pm
Jul 26-Sep 25, Tue: 10.30am – 5.30pm (otherwise closed)
Thu: 10.30am – 5.30pm (every first Thu in month: 8.30pm)
Jul 5-Aug 30, Thu: 10.30am – 8pm
Fri: 10.30am - 8pm
Address: 11 West 53 Street (between 5th-6th Avenues)
Phone: +1 212 708 9400
MoMA's webpage
Shopping
Chelsea Market
The home of Iron Chef is a mecca for fresh food and gourmet specialities
Word to the wise: Don't miss Shorters Club's Confectionery Tuck Shop, which magically transports you down memory lane with childhood sweets and delicacies.
Housed in a grand complex of Romanesque-style buildings, Chelsea Market is a gourmand’s paradise. With charming rustic touches like exposed brick walls and cement floors, the enormous space oozes nostalgia for its original tenant, the National Biscuit Company. From the 1890s to the 1950s, ovens here were churning out iconic American cookies like Oreos, Saltines and Mallomars. These days, the products sold in the market’s small gourmet shops, restaurants and bakeries, are anything but mass-produced.Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find here: fresh bread at New York’s Amy’s Bread; sushi and seafood at The Lobster Place; meats at Frank’s Butcher Shop; mozzarella, pastas and prosciutto at Buonitalia Italian Imports; and ice cream perfection at L’Arte Del Gelato. Also in the complex is the excellent Buddakan restaurant and the very studio where ‘Iron Chef’ is filmed.
Open Hours: Mon-Sat: 7am - 9pm
Sun: 8am - 7pm
Address: 75 9th Avenue (between West 15th-16th Streets)
Phone: +1 212 929 5200
Chelsea Market's webpage
Shopping
Billy Reid
Meticulously curated East Village menswear and womenswear boutique
Word to the wise: As you shop, soak up the Southern hospitality by asking the shop assistant for a glass of bourbon. Here, lingering over a tipple is encouraged.
For his first boutique up North, Alabama-born designer Billy Reid made sure to import his trademark Southern-style and hospitality. His charming two-storey emporium feels like an elegant yet homey Dixie manor, with ceilings lined with salvaged doors, dark wood banisters, a couch made of vintage church pews, antique apothecary cabinets, and ornate wall coverings.Like the interior, his clothing evokes a bygone era with vintage details like antique brass buttons and buckles and silk ties and cuff links made entirely from repurposed materials. Along with full menswear and womenswear lines, he makes slip-on Roper boots, leather luggage for men, and limited-edition raw-denim jeans woven on salvaged shuttle looms from an old Kentucky mill.
Open Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am - 8pm
Sun: 11am - 7pm
Address: 54 Bond Street (between Lafayette Street and Bowery)
Phone: +1 212 598 9355
Billy Reid's webpage
Restaurants
Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Superstar Korean-American chef fuses unexpected flavors in the East Village
Word to the wise: Go around the corner to Momofuku’s Milk Bar for homey sweets like crack pie (oat crust with gooey butter filling) and soft serve (like ice cream in taste, but much softer) in eccentric flavors like cereal milk, corn or pork.
As part of David Chang’s New York empire, the 50-seat Momofuku Ssäm Bar features the superstar chef’s signature cooking. Inspired by his Korean roots, Chang has a gift for pairing surprising tastes and textures.With rock music blaring, diners pour over dishes made to share – such as succulent pork-belly buns with cucumbers and hoisin sauce, fried brussel sprouts, spicy honeycomb tripe with ginger-scallion, spanish mackerel with paté and chana dal.
Reservations are possible if you order the bo ssäm meal, which includes a sinfully succulent whole pork butt, a dozen oysters, kimchi, rice and bibb lettuce, and serves 6-10 people.
Price sample: Dishes: USD 8-39
Open Hours: Sun-Thu: 11.30am – 3.30pm, 5pm – 12midnight
Fri-Sat: 11.30am – 3.30pm, 5pm – 1am
Address: 207 Second Avenue (at East 13th Street)
Phone: +1 212 254 3500
Momofuko's webpage
Restaurants
Blue Hill
With a Michelin star, this West Village spot serves seasonal dishes from their own farm
Popular plate: The five course tasting menu inspired by the week's harvest and very reasonably priced at USD 85.
Talk of the town: President Obama took the First Lady Michelle on a romantic date here in 2009.
Expect dishes incorporating pasture-raised turkeys, Berkshire hogs and grass-fed lamb, paired with perfect local produce like buttery mullet over crunchy snap peas, poached duck with greenhouse greens, or fresh-picked cherries in a sweet crusty cobbler.
Price sample: Entrees: USD 32-36
Open Hours: Mon-Sat: 5pm - 11pm
Sun: 5pm - 10pm
Address: 75 Washington Place (between Washington Square West and Avenue of the Americas)
Phone: +1 212 539 1776
Blue Hill's webpage
Bars & Nightlife
Milk & Honey
A secretive Lower East side speakeasy with perfect cocktails and crowd control
Tipple of choice: Go for a classic martini, served with Plymouth gin and extra olives on the side.
With an almost cult following, tiny Milk & Honey is intentionally difficult to access. Not only is it small, but the owner only allows as many people as there are seats. Oh, and it's reservation only, with the super secret telephone number constantly changing.But the good news is, everyone is basically equal, meaning you don’t have to be famous to get in. In fact, the bar’s rules prohibit name-dropping. If you don’t have the telephone number, creep up to the unmarked door and buzz. A face will appear. And that's when you state your case. If they have room at some point in the night, they will tell you to come back. Once inside you will relish the most carefully created handmade cocktails served with the freshest available ingredients.
Price sample: Cocktail: Around USD 15
Age: 21
Open Hours: Daily: 9pm - 4am
Reservation only
Address: 134 Eldridge Street (between Delancey and Broome Streets)
Milk & Honey's webpage
Bars & Nightlife
Top of the Standard
The most gorgeous lounge in the city, formerly known as the Boom Boom Room
Tipple of choice: The sweet and spicy Bang Bang cocktail mixes muddled strawberries, strawberry cordial, rum and ginger.
Hovering 18 floors over the High Line in the Meatpacking District — with views spanning uptown, downtown and over the Hudson — the Top of the Standard is pure WOW. Awash in flattering peaches and reds, the room has dark Brazilian wood walls that slide up against brass knobs, gilded chairs and retro cream leather couches. The spectacular bar straddles The Standard Hotel and oozes sex appeal and an old-timey elegance.Squint your eyes and can imagine F. Scott Fitzgerald lighting Zelda’s cigarette at the circular bar where an enormous tree-top-shaped wood sculpture spills from the ceiling. Transporting and magical, Boom Boom makes you want to dress for the occasion.
Price sample: Cocktail: Around USD 20
Age: 21
Open Hours: Sun-Thu: 4pm - 9.30pm
Fri-Sat: 2pm - 9.30pm
Address: The Standard Hotel, 848 Washington Street (between West 12th-13th Streets)
Phone: +1 212 645 4646
The Standard Hotel's webpage
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