"The city that never sleeps — and the one that rewards the traveller who arrives with an appetite for everything."
New York City is the most concentrated expression of human ambition on earth. In a city of eight million people and five boroughs, you will find the finest restaurants in the Western Hemisphere, the greatest collection of art museums in the world, the most dynamic theatre scene anywhere, and a street culture — in the neighbourhoods of Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, Harlem, and Astoria — that is the most diverse and vital in any city. The luxury hotels are extraordinary; the dining is unmatched; and the energy, which is unlike anything else on earth, is the thing that keeps every visitor coming back.
At a Glance
Where to Stay
The Best Hotels in New York
The Mark Hotel
The finest hotel on the Upper East Side — and the one that the city's most discerning residents choose for their out-of-town guests. The Jacques Grange interiors are the most beautiful in New York; the Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges is exceptional; and the location, one block from Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum, is unbeatable. The penthouse is the largest hotel suite in the United States.
The Carlyle
The most storied hotel in New York — the preferred address of every American president since Truman, and the one that has hosted Cary Grant, Princess Diana, and the Rolling Stones. Café Carlyle, with its nightly cabaret performances, is the finest hotel entertainment in the city; Bemelmans Bar, with its Ludwig Bemelmans murals, is the most beautiful bar in New York.
Aman New York
Aman's first urban North American property — and the most extraordinary new hotel to open in New York in a generation. Occupying the Crown Building on Fifth Avenue, Aman New York combines the brand's signature sense of space and calm with the energy of Midtown Manhattan. The spa, with its 20-metre pool and hammam, is the finest in the city; the Jazz Club is the best new music venue in New York.
Where to Eat
New York's Essential Tables
Le Bernardin
The finest seafood restaurant in the world — and the one that has held four stars from the New York Times for longer than any other restaurant in the city. Chef Eric Ripert's French-influenced tasting menu is the most technically accomplished cooking in New York; the room is the most elegant; and the service is the most polished. The essential New York dining experience.
Eleven Madison Park
The most ambitious restaurant in New York — and the one that has been named the best restaurant in the world. Chef Daniel Humm's plant-based tasting menu is the most intellectually rigorous cooking in the city; the Art Deco dining room in the former Metropolitan Life Insurance building is the most beautiful; and the service is the most theatrical.
Don Angie
The most exciting Italian-American restaurant in New York — a West Village gem where chefs Scott Tacinelli and Angie Rito have reimagined the red-sauce classics of their New Jersey childhoods with extraordinary technique and creativity. The pinwheel lasagne is the most talked-about dish in the city; the tiramisu is the finest in New York.
Katz's Delicatessen
The most famous deli in the world — open since 1888, and the one where Meg Ryan had her famous moment in When Harry Met Sally. The pastrami on rye is the finest in New York; the matzo ball soup is extraordinary; and the experience of eating at a communal table in this Lower East Side institution is irreplaceable.
What to Do
Essential New York Experiences
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The greatest encyclopaedic museum in the Western Hemisphere — and the one that requires multiple visits to begin to understand. The Egyptian Wing, with its Temple of Dendur, is extraordinary; the American Wing is the finest collection of American art in the world; and the Roof Garden, open May–October, offers the finest views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.
Central Park — A Morning Walk
The most famous urban park in the world — and the one that is most rewarding on foot, early in the morning, before the crowds arrive. Walk from the Bethesda Fountain to the Reservoir to the Great Lawn; visit the Conservatory Garden in the northeast corner; and end at the Loeb Boathouse for breakfast on the lake.
The High Line
The most influential urban regeneration project of the 21st century — a 1.45-mile elevated park built on a disused freight railway line on the west side of Manhattan. The planting, by Piet Oudolf, is extraordinary; the views of the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades are the finest in the city; and the neighbourhood below — the Meatpacking District and Chelsea — is the most dynamic in New York.
Brooklyn — A Full Day
The most exciting borough in New York — and the one that has been the engine of the city's cultural and culinary renaissance for the past two decades. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge, explore DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights, visit the Brooklyn Museum, and end the day at Smorgasburg (weekends, April–November) — the finest outdoor food market in the United States.
"New York is the only city in the world where you can eat the finest French cuisine on Monday, the best ramen on Tuesday, and the most extraordinary pastrami on Wednesday — all within a ten-minute walk."
Alyssa Ross · TastesOf