The city that needs no introduction but continues to exceed expectation: the best museums, the best pizza arguments, the best walk across any bridge in any city in the world at dawn.
Getting There
Fly into JFK, EWR (Newark), or LGA. From JFK, the AirTrain connects to the subway (A train to Manhattan: 55 minutes, $9). From Newark, the NJ Transit train reaches Penn Station in 30 minutes. Yellow taxis and Uber operate from all airports.
The Neighbourhoods
New York's neighbourhoods are the city's primary unit of meaning. Lower East Side — still the immigrant neighbourhood that defined American urban experience, now overlaid with bars and galleries. Williamsburg (Brooklyn) — the gentrification ground zero that produced a restaurant and bar scene that rivals Manhattan. Harlem — Apollo Theater, best soul food in the city, the Great Migration's legacy. West Village — the most handsome streets in Manhattan, good restaurants. Astoria (Queens) — the most diverse neighbourhood, best Greek food outside Athens.
The standard tourist circuit (Times Square, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty) can be done efficiently in a day and then set aside.
The Museums
The Metropolitan Museum of Art requires two days and rewards annual membership. The MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) has the defining collection of 20th-century art. The Frick Collection in its Fifth Avenue mansion is one of the finest small museums in the world. The Brooklyn Museum is larger than any museum in London and perennially undervisited.
Food
New York's food culture is predicated on the idea that every cuisine in the world can be found here at its best — and this is largely true. The pizza question (New York vs Chicago) is unresolvable; both are correct in their own terms. The New York deli (pastrami on rye at Katz's, unchanged since 1888) is mandatory. For the full range, eat through the food stalls at Smorgasburg (Brooklyn, Saturdays) or the stalls of the Queens Night Market.
The Walk Across Brooklyn Bridge
At dawn, from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Best morning walk in any city.
Posts from New York City
New York City by Neighbourhood: The Insider's Guide
New York City's neighbourhoods are more distinct and more rapidly changing than any other major city. This guide covers where to stay, eat and explore in each one.
Reviews from New York City
The Mark Hotel, New York: Upper East Side Excellence
The Mark sits on 77th Street, half a block from the Metropolitan Museum. It has been expertly repositioned as New York's most stylish residential-feeling hotel — which is quite a specific achievement in a city of extraordinary hotels.
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