"On the Town" Fun in New York City, New York State - 24-Hour Travel Guide
Breakfast - Friend of a Farmer, on Irving Place between 18th and 19th Street, in the Gramercy/Flatiron District, serves a great breakfast. It has comfortable, country décor and laid-back, easy service. They serve fresh baked breads, pastries, and all sorts of egg dishes. The lemon bread, you’ll find, is famous for a reason. It’s a lovely way to start the day.
Morning - After breakfast, choose your mode of transportation – taxi, bus, subway, walking, or any combo of these – and go up to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, located at Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street on the Upper East Side. The Met is one of those magnificent places where you can easily spend an entire day(and even a single day is not hardly enough!) There are over 2 million works of art here by artists from all styles, genres, and time periods. You’re going to have to pick and choose. The American Wing and the Egyptian section are two standouts. There are also guided tours, lectures, and concerts practically every day and evening of the week.
Lunch - When you leave the Met, head through Central Park, toward the West Side and Columbus Circle. At some point along the way, you may want to jump into a taxi or hail a pedicab. A great place for lunch – and 180º from the culture and refinement of the Met – is the Stage Deli, on Seventh Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets. Everyone who is anyone has been honored with a dish named after them here. You will find sandwiches named after Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, and David Letterman. It’s pricy and touristy, but it’s one of those never-changing New York institutions you ought not to miss.
Afternoon - After lunch you may want to take it easy. I suggest getting a taxi to Bryant Park, which is located behind the main branch of the New York Public Library, on 42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Bryant Park and the gardens have a turn-of-the-century design and it’s a wonderful way to wile away a few hours in one place, with coffee or tea or maybe dessert. There’s always lots of activity – skateboarders, chess-players, musicians, poetry readings, fashion shows, you name it. Once you’re refreshed, you can walk up those magnificent steps that are flanked by stone lions and take a peek inside the palatial New York Public Library. Afterwards, if you’re still ready to take on more, walk east along 42nd Street to the Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central has a gorgeous Beaux Arts façade with huge arched windows and columns. Inside, gold-plated chandeliers hang from a blue ceiling covered with glowing constellations. A marble staircase like the one that’s in the Paris Opera is at one end. You can’t help but feel like you’re on a movie set – and you’re in the movie!
Dinner - Café des Artistes, on 76th Street and Central Park West is the quintessential New York dining experience from days gone by. Murals by Howard Chandler Christy are on the walls. They have a wine cellar with 3,000 bottles of wine, and you can tell by looking at the waiters here (who are all career waiters) that they’ve all opened their fair share. The menu is strong on seafood, but you can also find other favorites, like pot-au-feu and rack of lamb.
After Dark - After a day like today, you may well want go back to the hotel, relax, and take a well-deserved lingering bath. But you may be one of those people who thinks: “I’m in New York and I have to make every minute count!” (I have to admit, I’m a bit that way, too.) If you haven’t planned ahead, you may still be able to get tickets to a Broadway or Off- Broadway show. Try the TIX booth in Times Square for half-priced seats. There are also concerts in the park or at Lincoln Center. Some of the best times to explore a section of town or a neighborhood is at night. Remember, this is a city that never sleeps and there’s an energy about street life at night that is invigorating. A note on safety: Despite what you may have heard, New York is one of the safest cities in the country, if not the world. The odds of your having any problems, wherever you walk, are extremely remote.
Sleep - A good midtown choice is Iroquois New York, 49 West 44th Street, which is tucked in between The Harvard Club, the Penn Club, and the New York Yacht Club. The furnishings are lavish, and the French cuisine in the restaurant is terrific. One of my favorites is a small boutique hotel on the Upper West Side called On the Ave, which is located at Broadway and 77th. It has breathtaking views and sophisticated interiors, and you’ll be happy with the rates. Finally, there’s the Ritz-Carlton Central Park, on Central Park S. This is one of New York’s most distinguished hotels, with luxurious accommodations and first-rate services. Each guest room and suite is beautifully decorated and about any amenity you can imagine – even ones you can’t! - will be there for your pleasure.
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