New York City is a fusion of top-tier sophistication and street-level indie cred. It’s home to over eight million residents, and another 40 million visitors stream in each year. But savvy travellers bypass the tourist traps to explore back alleys that were home to the city’s earliest trailblazers. The cobblestone sidewalks of SoHo, for instance, lure artists and sophisticates alike. Seen from the High Line — an abandoned rail line that’s now an elevated city park — views of the city’s man-made topography extend in every direction. And an excursion up the Hudson River provides the perfect rural getaway.
The Solita SoHo Hotel.PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN MONTEITH
Where to Stay
Tucked away into a quiet corner of Grand Street, Lower Manhattan, is the Solita SoHo Hotel. Part of the Clarion Collection — a group of boutique and historic hotels — the property is sandwiched between a sweetly basil-scented stretch of Little Italy and the chic sidewalks of SoHo.
Modern and minimalist in design, the hotel has 42 rooms on 11 floors — the highest with views of the midtown skyline and Lower Manhattan. Just steps away, Chinatown explodes in primary colours, exotic foods and deal-peddling street vendors. The Brooklyn Bridge and historic Greenwich Village are also within walking distance. Earn miles here (or at other Aeroplan Hotel Partners) by showing your Aeroplan Card when you check in.
The City Winery restaurant on Varick Street.PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CITY WINERY
Where to Dine
Stroll 10 minutes northwest to local favourite City Winery. This Varick Street restaurant combines Mediterranean cuisine with stellar live music. An in-house wine cellar supplies the 325-bottle wine list, which includes some surprising combinations of California and Oregon-grown grapes. Executive chef Andrés Barrera’s sensational menu — which features New York’s only pizza infused with wine yeast — is designed for wine pairing. The wild-mushroom flatbread with goat-cheese béchamel and sage, for example, balances perfectly with an Yves Martin Sauvignon Blanc. Founder Michael Dorf, known for creating the popular Knitting Factory clubs, calls the new restaurant a “collaboration of wine and music.” In the rustic dining room, the focal point is the stage, where musicians like Joan Osborne, Philip Glass, Aimee Mann and Rufus Wainwright have performed.
Inside the MoMA Design Store.PHOTOGRAPHY PETER AARON PHOTOGRAPHY
Where to Shop
Prince and Spring Streets, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, represent the best of New York shopping. Canvas art is sold on sidewalks in front of boutique store windows. Private labels and high-end designs mingle here, with Max Azria and Betsey Johnson stores beside unknown local jewellery and clothing designers. Prince Street’s Variazioni is a boutique for ladies with panache, and don’t miss Theory on Spring.
Wandering into the MoMA Design Store on Spring Street, an offshoot of the Museum of Modern Art, feels like stepping into an art installation. From reinterpreted forks and vases to postmodern furniture, products on display can be touched and even taken home. It’s a fantasyland of lamps topped by umbrellas and hanging spiral bookshelves. But watch out: Finds like a chaise longue designed by renowned urban planner Le Corbusier in 1928 may prove irresistible.
Atop the High Line, at Gansevoort and 20th. PHOTOGRAPHY IWAN BAAN © 2009
What to Do
The most fascinating artwork in NYC is the city itself. Opened in June of 2009, the High Line is an abandoned elevated train track turned public park. It’s a design and urban-planning phenomenon. Trains stopped running there in 1980, and under recent threat of demolition, advocates fought for its resurrection as a public space. Landscaping and sculptures are displayed amid rusted tracks nearly a century old. Visitors can lounge on ample benches overlooking the sparkling Hudson River and drink in the panoramic cityscape: a mix of modern and classic architecture, including Frank Gehry’s surrealistic IAC building — reminiscent of a melting ice cube — so near that no detail or angle is lost. The first section of the High Line spans from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street on Manhattan’s west side; the second half will extend to 34th Street.
The Vanderbilt Mansion.
Where to Detour
It’s just a two-hour drive north of the city, but Hyde Park is worlds away from bustling Manhattan. It has all the beauty of upstate New York, with a good dose of American history. Best seen in autumn when leaves burst into vibrant gold and burgundy tones, the sweeping countryside is breathtaking in its unending expanse and limited development. A tour of the Vanderbilt Mansion and surrounding property will take you back to a period of decadence and glory in the great outdoors. Here, hiking trails along the Hudson River Valley promise both spectacular views and satisfyingly achy calves. Just up the road lies the former home and presidential library of Franklin D. Roosevelt, where one of America’s most influential men is profiled among the playthings of his past.
