Words by Mark C. O'Flaherty
Where to stay in New York
The fabulous, glamorous Paige Powell, one time Warhol confidante and ex of Jean Michael Basquiat, has curated the art at the revamped, 1920s deco-era, jazz-age Lexington (511 Lexington Avenue; NY 10017; +1 212 755 4400), once home to Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. Powell’s masterstroke was to get Ruben Toledo to contribute an immersive mural that wraps around two interior floors of the hotel.
Just around the corner from the rock and roll madness of Ace Hotel, the plush, slightly Costes-flavoured NoMad Hotel (1170 Broadway and 28
The old 80s and 90s downtown crowd has all but decamped to Brooklyn, and the Wythe Hotel (80 Wythe Avenue, NY 11249; +1 718 460 8000) has become the shiniest (albeit in an on-trend industrial kind of a way) tractor beam in Billyburg for the international fashion and design community. Reynard Restaurant is the bee’s knees, while Caron Callahan’s new store in the lobby sells locally made small-run objects and fashion.
Where to Eat in New York
Forget the cronut and all that passé cupcake baloney. Go for some major Chinese. Mission Chinese Food (154 Orchard Street, NY 10002; +1 212 529 8800) is chef Danny Bowien’s fun, sceney, low-fi, dragon-ceilinged Lower East Side Chinese dining room. Favourite dishes include shaved pork belly; tiki spare ribs (with coconut and pineapple, natch) and “very freakin’ spicy” thrice cooked bacon.
Daniel Boulud still reigns supreme as Manhattan’s most significant star chef, and on balance we think his best restaurant is Boulud Sud (20 W64th St, NY 10023; +1 212 595 1313), next to Lincoln Center. The seafood is full of Mediterranean sunshine flavours, and the puddings (particularly the grapefruit compote with sesame mousse and Turkish delight and halva) are spectacular.
Where to Go Out in New York
Paul Sevigny (yes, brother of) has put his name to Paul’s Baby Grand club, opening at the Tribeca Grand Hotel (2 Avenue of the Americas, NY 10013; +1 212 519 6600) during September 2013’s Fashion Week. The visual buzz is “Dorothy Draper, Frances Elkins and Madeleine Castaing”. Chloe (that’s the sibling, not the Paris-based house) designed the staff uniforms. 10 minutes cab ride uptown from Tribeca, haute club queen and Chelsea Hotel resident Susanne Bartsch continues to bring the fashion crowd to Marquee (289 10
Where to Shop in New York
Fivestory (18 East 69
What to Wear in New York
Mix pristine vintage Halston-era 1970s finds with modern J. Crew basics and luxury investment buys – swathes of cashmere, coats, wraps and incredible shoes from SoHo. Add a quirky Patricia Field touch of humour, with Keith Haring graphic jewellery.
Don’t leave New York Without…
…one of Victoria Simes’ leather-wrapped silver bracelets with a shock of horse’s hair, from Zero+Maria Cornejo (33 Bleecker Street, NY 10012; +1 212 925 3849). They have been a fixture of Cornejo’s accessories line for years, and this season they come in of-the-moment neon colours.
Beauty SOS – Where to go for Pampering in New York…
When you need the best blow dry to get you set for an evening out, go to one of the five Manhattan branches of Drybar where they just do one thing, but do one thing very well indeed: no cuts, no colouring, just the perfect “blowout”.
For a full day of relaxation, book a session at the Roman-style Aire Ancient Baths (88 Franklin Street, NY 10013; +1 212 274 3777). Have a massage, unwind in the sauna and relax in the seawater pool. The interior design is dark and stylish, with lots of bare brick, candles and Moorish lanterns.
Mark C.O’Flaherty is the Editor-in-Chief of the irreverent luxury travel magazine
Picture credits: Getty, Instagram, Matt Lever.