How to Have a Perfect New York City Moment
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To celebrate our Snob's Guide to New York, we reached out to our favorite New Yorkers to get their opinions on the best spots in the city. In alphabetical order:
“Of every hotel suite in the city, there's no more ethereal or transportive environment than the Tribeca Penthouse Suite at the Greenwich Hotel, masterminded by the Belgian interiors maestro and antiques dealer Axel Vervoordt and the Japanese architect Tatsuro Miki. Featuring ceramics and vases by Shiro Tsujimura, a custom stone fireplace, and wabi details throughout, the 6,800-square-feet space is itself an artwork in its own right.” — Spencer Bailey, T&C contributing editor author of Design: The Leading Hotels of the World
“Head to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, have a drink at Judy’s, the friendliest top-quality wine and beer joint in the world. And climb the hill into a park overspilling with Spanish- and Fujianese-speaking families on blankets enjoying the view. When the sun goes down over Manhattan and New York Harbor, you realize why the neighborhood has its name.” — Patrick Bringley, author
“A night at ABT during the spring season. Take a box, book dinner at the Grand Tier underneath the monumental Chagalls and invite nine friends to an evening they will never, ever forget.” — Susan Fales-Hill, T&C contributing editor, producer, and author
"I basically buy all my spices at Kalustyan’s on Lexington Avenue in the neighborhood of Murray Hill, which is sometimes called Curry Hill for the transparent number of Indian restaurants, shops, and grocery stores. Kalustyan’s has been an anchor in the neighborhood since the 1940s, though the building where it’s housed was built in the 19th century; William Randolph Hearst owned it at one point. I love Indian and Persian food, and Kalustyan’s seems to have every spice imaginable from all over the globe. I am particularly excited by the endless choices of chili peppers.” — Lisa Fine, T&C contributing editor and textile designer
“One of the most beautiful rooms in the city is the bar at the National Arts Club. Its stained-glass dome ceiling, designed by glass master Donald Macdonald, is magical. It transports you to the Gilded Age. It’s elegant, friendly, and absolutely spectacular.” — Cristina Grajales, gallerist
“I love going to Bergdorf for multiple reasons, but the tea sandwiches are at the top of my list. (I am married to a Brit after all.) My mother has been taking me since I was a little girl. The Gotham salad and scones are pretty great, too. BG Restaurant also probably has one of the most underrated yet fabulous views of Central Park and the New York City skyline.” — Nicky Hilton, designer behind the new Nicky Hilton x Rebecca Vallance capsule
“The new thing according to the prettiest among us is to get a partial facelift at 35 and a full one at 65. The doctor to handle your face is Andrew Timberlake. He’ll do your surgery in his uptown office, install you at The Mark, come visit you on day one, send his nurses and someone from Bergdorf with racks of clothes for you to try on in your room while you’re ordering room service and rom-coms, and by day five you’ll be dining at the Grill with everyone thinking you’ve never looked better but not knowing quite how or why. Did I mention he’s gorgeous, Yale-educated and with a PhD in genetics?” — Sarah Hoover, author of The Motherload
“Having breakfast at Barney Greengrass is a religious experience. There’s ritual (get the latkes). There’s tradition (service is gruff; kindness and warmth are for Pilates classes). There’s nosh, of course. And most of the time, there’s gossip to overhear. Media titans are schmoozing in one corner. Two octogenarians are fighting over the last piece of nova in another. Grab a rugelach to go and savor one of the few establishments in New York as resistant to change as a Jewish grandmother.” — Mattie Kahn, T&C contributor and author
“Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks is a magical East Village institution where dog-eared recipe books share shelf space with vintage kitchenware, and Bonnie (a total New York character) herself, holds court, sharing stories about each rare volume—a throwback to a time when neighborhood shopkeepers were passionate experts who knew every item in their store by heart.” — William Li, T&C contributing editor and founder, Armature Projects
“An 8pm dinner at Mr. Chow, followed by a taping of Saturday Night Live, the after party, a limo ride to the after after party, and watching the sun rise over a sleepy Columbus Circle.” — Emilio Madrid, photographer
“You can take your Temple of Dendur, your Van Gogh sunflowers, and your medieval armor. When I go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you'll generally find me in the Wrightsman Galleries for French Decorative Arts, a series of 18th-century French rooms that help me escape all current woes and retreat into a lost world of glamour and refinement. My favorite of the rooms is actually a replica of a Viennese boiserie from the Palais Paar. The florid carpet with golden flourishes, the beautifully appointed fireplace, dining tray, sofa and harp, and most of all, the stunning pale blue walls with gold trim immediately transport one to a more elegant time—and I haven’t even mentioned the mirror, candelabras and sparkling chandelier! The Palace was built in 1630 for a post officer, Baron Christoph von Paar, who must have gone postal from all the visual joy. Finding this room takes a little more effort than tracking down the Met’s more obvious assets, but it’s certainly worth the exquisite journey." — Michael Musto, writer
“There is nothing I love more than a delicious cocktail and some yummy food on small plates in a charming bar. I can listen to the great playlist and create stories in my head about the interesting-looking people around me. My son Jon has just opened my new favorite, Elvis, at 54 Great Jones Street.” — Brooke Garber Neidich, creative director of Sidney Garber Fine Jewelry
“Sammy's Roumanian restaurant has finally reopened in a new location on the Lower East Side. This is one of the great places in New York to celebrate—and if you don’t think it's extravagant, wait until you get the bill. Go for a night of dancing and the bottle of vodka encased in a block of ice. In the if you know, you know department: Russell Steinberg's new restaurant Cecilia on St. Marks Place between First Avenue and Avenue A—formerly Yaffa Cafe. It's a cosmopolitan place to take anyone in the city for dinner, especially if they live uptown. When you go, ask for Jamie as your waitress.” — David Netto, T&C contributing editor, interior designer, and author
“Fellow snobs can relate — it often feels like there's almost nothing to do in New York City these days! After dark, and especially when the cold weather sets in, there are so few places to commune with friends that don’t revolve around eating or drinking. Mahjong Palace is the true IYKYK pop-up that brings together tastemakers across industries to learn or play Mahjong in a curated selection of venues around the city. The Chinese tile game originated in the 19th century and has long served as a bridge of connectivity—originally between players of various dialects in Chinese diaspora communities. But, more recently, non-Chinese communities are increasingly interested in learning to play the game, which continues to bring together people across social, philosophical and cultural divides. Beginners are welcome and will quickly learn that Mahjong is a game of strategy and luck, just like living in New York!” — Skylar Pittman, co-owner & agent, SN37
“The sister restaurant to the famed French bistro Raoul’s, Revelie Luncheonette is a throwback to the classic diner with vinyl and chrome stools at its counter and an old-fashioned soda fountain. I love the iceberg wedge, the classic burger, and they make the yummiest ice cream sundaes in Soho. The best thing of all is that Revelie isn't tethered to the ubiquitous Resy app. It’s first come, first serve; you rarely wait for a booth or stool and most times you find yourself among local neighborhood people.” — Carole Radziwill, author and television personality
“A shortlist of the many things that make NYC perfect to me: Drinks in the lobby bar at the Chelsea Hotel, buying obscenely priced spices at the Tin Building, ice skating in Wollman Rink, bike riding in Central Park, the Union Square Greenmarket, a slice of Upside Pizza followed by vanilla soft serve with honey, olive oil and salt next door at Softside, a walk on the Highline, a Lunar Gong Sound Bath by Valerie Oula at the Well, the za'atar and labneh morning bun from Librae Bakery, deliveries from the Davocado Guy, Madison Square Park, buying flowering branches on 28th Street, and that moment when you share a moment with a stranger over something wild and barely believable that is happening right before both of your eyes.” — Jamie Rosen, T&C contributing editor and Office of the Surface founder
“Rockefeller Center is nothing short of sacred ground. Jose Maria Sert’s murals at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Barry Faulkner’s mosaic, ‘Intelligence Awakening Mankind,’ NBC’s entrance, Ezra Winter’s 'Fountain of Youth' in Radio City Music Hall, and Dean Cornwell’s 'History of Transportation' at 10 Rock. All are open to the public (well, except Radio City), free of charge, and worth a pilgrimage. If I had to pick one, though, it’s Sert’s masterpiece at 30 Rock—I’m an ardent proponent for public art.” — Basha Singh, fashion and interiors designer
“Everyone needs to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and grab pizza at Lucali at least once!” — Lizzie Tisch, chief curator LTDxLizzieTisch
“Lincoln Center during the New York Film Festival. It might be the best time of the New York year: prime fall, when the city comes back to life, the weather is perfect, and you can spend two weeks watching the year’s best films before they hit theaters.” Gabe Ulla, T&C contributor and author
“Viand is a 1970s time warp the size of a Tic Tac—but if you can squeeze into a table, it’s an only-in-New-York-kids experience. I grew up nearby and the diner became a home kitchen of sorts and remains my go-to with friends. Bring cash and order the turkey sandwich.” — Andrew Zucker, T&C contributing editor
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