Where to stay, dine, drink and spend your time in the city that never goes out of style
I lived in New York for ten years, and no matter how many new restaurants, hotels and hotspots have come and gone, I still find myself craving the classics whenever I go back.
There’s something about walking into a dark-paneled bar, ordering a martini and feeling, for a moment, like you’ve stepped onto the set of Mad Men. It’s that particular version of New York we all seem to crave- glamorous, sophisticated, a little nostalgic and completely timeless.
These institutions have survived countless trends and continue to capture the elegance, energy and unmistakable magic that made me fall in love with New York in the first place.
STAY
The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, Upper East Side
Few hotels capture old New York glamour quite like The Carlyle. A Madison Avenue institution since 1930, it has hosted presidents, royalty, artists and generations of fashionable New Yorkers. The residential feeling, Art Deco details and legendary Bemelmans Bar make it feel less like a hotel and more like being admitted into a particularly elegant version of New York life.
The Mark, Upper East Side
Just steps from Central Park and The Met, The Mark offers a slightly more contemporary interpretation of Upper East Side luxury. Jacques Grange designed the interiors, Jean-Georges oversees the dining, and the people-watching is some of the best in Manhattan. During Met Gala week, it practically becomes fashion headquarters.
The Greenwich Hotel, Tribeca
Downtown luxury at its most discreet. Robert De Niro’s Tribeca hotel feels intimate and residential rather than flashy, with individually designed rooms, a beautiful private courtyard and the subterranean Shibui Spa. It’s an ideal choice if you want impeccable service and atmosphere without the formality of uptown.
The Plaza, Fifth Avenue
Yes, it’s famous, but The Plaza earns its place on a classic New York list. Overlooking Central Park since 1907, it remains one of the city’s great landmarks. Even if you stay elsewhere, stopping in for a drink or afternoon tea is a wonderful excuse to experience a little of the grandeur of another era.
DRINK & DINE
Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle
One of my favorite rooms in New York. Named for Madeline creator Ludwig Bemelmans, whose whimsical murals cover the walls, Bemelmans is everything a Manhattan cocktail bar should be: intimate, sophisticated and wonderfully timeless. Order a martini, listen to the piano and settle in.
King Cole Bar at The St. Regis
Dark wood, red leather and Maxfield Parrish’s famous King Cole mural set the scene at one of Manhattan’s most storied hotel bars. It’s elegant, old-school and wonderfully New York.
The Campbell at Grand Central Terminal
Hidden inside Grand Central, The Campbell occupies the former private office and salon of 1920s financier John W. Campbell. The soaring ceilings, enormous fireplace and historic architecture make it feel like a secret from another era. Go for a cocktail before dinner or a Broadway show.
JG Melon
A quintessential neighborhood institution where the green-checkered tablecloths, burgers and famously no-frills atmosphere have remained refreshingly consistent for decades. It’s casual old-school New York at its best and still one of the city’s great burgers.
Pastis
The quintessential downtown brasserie. Pastis helped define the Meatpacking District long before it became what it is today, and its reincarnation retains the wonderful bustling, slightly glamorous energy of the original. Perfect for steak frites, oysters and a long lunch.
Gramercy Tavern
Warm, polished and unmistakably New York. Danny Meyer’s beloved restaurant has been a fixture since 1994 and remains a master class in gracious hospitality. The Tavern room is wonderful for something more spontaneous; the dining room makes an occasion of dinner without ever feeling stuffy.
Le Bernardin
For a truly distinguished New York dining experience, Le Bernardin is essential. Eric Ripert’s temple to seafood is elegant, precise and remarkably restrained, the kind of restaurant that reminds you why classic fine dining still matters.
Peter Luger
Cross the bridge for one of New York’s great dining rituals. Peter Luger has been serving its legendary porterhouse since the 19th century, and very little about the experience feels designed for trends. Go hungry, order the steak for two and embrace the wonderfully old-school experience.
The Grill
If you want to feel like you’ve stepped into the New York of power lunches, three-martini dinners and expense accounts, this is it. Set inside the landmark Seagram Building in the former Four Seasons space, The Grill is glamorous, theatrical and unapologetically grown-up.
Raoul’s
A downtown institution since the 1970s with dark interiors, French food, artists, regulars and the feeling that everyone in the room might have an interesting story. It’s one of those increasingly rare restaurants that still feels distinctly New York.
DO
The Frick Collection
One of the most beautiful cultural experiences in the city. The former Fifth Avenue mansion of industrialist Henry Clay Frick houses masterpieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Goya and more in surroundings that feel wonderfully intimate. It’s art experienced inside a magnificent home rather than a conventional museum.
Bergdorf Goodman
Department store doesn’t quite describe Bergdorf’s. The Fifth Avenue landmark remains a temple to fashion, beauty and quintessential New York style. Wander the designer floors, visit the home department and make time for lunch overlooking Central Park. The windows alone are an art form.
New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center
There are few evenings more classically New York than getting dressed for the ballet at Lincoln Center. George Balanchine helped establish the company, and that legacy of elegance, athleticism and extraordinary artistry remains.
The Metropolitan Opera
The chandeliers rise, the orchestra begins, and for a few hours New York feels impossibly glamorous. Even for someone who doesn’t consider themselves an opera aficionado, an evening at the Met is worth experiencing for the music, architecture, costumes and wonderful sense of occasion.
Broadway
No trip to New York feels complete without a night on Broadway. There’s still something magical about seeing the lights of the marquees and settling into one of those historic houses as the curtain goes up. Broadway remains one of the most quintessential New York experiences that simply can’t be replicated.
Central Park
The rare New York classic that truly deserves its fame. Skip the overly touristy activities and experience it like a New Yorker: walk the Reservoir, wander through the Ramble, visit the Conservatory Garden or simply stroll from the Upper East Side to the Upper West Side on a beautiful fall afternoon.
The Morgan Library & Museum
One of Manhattan’s most beautiful treasures. J. Pierpont Morgan’s extraordinary private library filled with rare books, manuscripts and works of art feels intimate, sumptuous and deeply Old World. The original library alone is worth the visit.
The Met Cloisters
When you have a little extra time, head uptown to Fort Tryon Park. Medieval architecture, gardens and European art overlooking the Hudson make The Cloisters feel almost impossibly removed from Manhattan. It is especially beautiful in the fall.
A Walk Through the West Village
One of the best New York activities requires no reservation. Start around Washington Square Park and wander the brownstone-lined streets of Greenwich Village and the West Village. Stop for coffee, browse independent shops and bookstores, admire the architecture and allow yourself to get a little lost.
New York will always hold a special place in my heart. After ten years of calling the city home, I love returning to see what’s new, however, it’s usually the more timeless places I find myself coming back to again and again. It’s the places that capture the essence of new York that I really crave- the places that are elegant but energetic, glamorous but never trying too hard, steeped in history and always capable of making an ordinary day or night feel like an occasion.
I hope you’ll save a few of these for your next trip. If you have a favorite classic New York institution I’ve missed, send it my way. I’m always planning my next New York City itinerary.
