You’ve a little more time in New York than a long weekend. Or this isn’t your first rodeo in the Big Apple. Or maybe you just don’t love major tourist attractions. No matter your reasoning, I’ve got the perfect spots to add a little something something to your NYC itinerary…
This is a top spot to watch an NYC sunset. The elegant cocktail bar of The Standard is the perfect stop after an afternoon stroll along the Highline and a foodie stop into Chelsea Market. We enjoyed American G&Ts (Dorothy Parker and Brooklyn) with our sunset, looking out over New York’s beautiful skyline. There’s often a huge queue outside the hotel for the rooftop bar’s separate entrance (even on a cool October evening like when we visited) but this Concierge’s top tip is to pop inside and take the elevator to its inside sister bar, which radiates Madmen-glamour.
After filling your boots with all the yummies that Chinatown has to offer, why not stop in at the incredible MoCA. There so much that commends this museum – the artistic and effective way the exhibits impart information, the fascinating and evocative content and the telling of stories largely untold. I’d make this a New York essential, Nomads.
Ellis Island
Many daytrippers forego Ellis Island and its amazing immigration museum in their visits to the Statue of Liberty. But they are missing out, Nomads! The renovation of the Ellis Island facility to what it would have looked like, the collection of so many first-hand accounts and the fantastic audio walking tour make this a unique insight into what it was like to arrive in the USA for many thousands of migrants who make up modern-day America. It seems particularly important to visit now with the current rhetoric on immigration in US politics and makes for an emotional but meaningful day.
Visiting MoMA on a day of the week that they’re open late increases your chance of seeing a serendipitous pop-up event (like a saxophonist serenading one of Louise Bourgeois’ gigantic spiders) and finding yourself completely alone with a Monet or Van Gough. The night time makes any museum magical in this Concierge’s book, but add art and it’s something very special indeed.
A Last Supper at The NoMad Restaurant
How cliché that I’d recommend a restaurant with half of my name in it. But honestly, Nomads, I’ve dined across the world and this is the best food I’ve ever eaten. We devoured three courses that had such complexity of flavours and yet were so delightfully simple to eat and enjoy. The dining room was cosy and intimate and I wanted the wardrobe of all of my fellow diners. This was five-star dining and SUCH a treat for our last night of celebrating my 30th in the Big Apple. Once again, props to Concierge Husband for finding this stand-out.
