Easy Urbanity in New York City, New York State - 24-Hour Travel Guide
Breakfast - New York is a mix of culture, style, sophistication, and adventure, and some of the best ways to experience the city to the fullest can be to travel alone. Start your day with breakfast at 88 Orchard, located between Broome and Grand Streets. This Lower East Side café has two walls of windows that are open on warm days, pressed-tin ceilings, and though it gets a lot of tourist traffic it never feels crowded. There’s a great menu of buttermilk waffles, lattes, and muffins from a nearby bakery.
Morning - After breakfast, take a leisurely walk west, through the streets of Soho, until you get to Avenue of the Americas. You can take a bus or subway north to 53rd Street where you can visit the Museum of Modern Art. The museum, located between Fifth and Avenue of the Americas, has six floors of contemporary and modern art. If you think you don’t like – or understand - modern art, your visit here will be both surprising and enlightening. The collection is vast and varied, and you soon begin to recognize what you do like and to trust your instincts. Just as varied is the crowd of other museum-goers. Chances are you will be looking at art, standing next to someone who is as interesting as the painting! Make sure you visit the museum shop, which has a terrific collection of design and art objects and books for sale.
Lunch - Entering Carnegie Deli, located on Seventh Avenue, near West 55th Street, is like finding yourself in a time capsule of the Borscht belt- era, with vintage deli classic sandwiches of pastrami, salami, or corned-beef on rye. Celebrity head shots cover all the walls. This is an easy place to dine alone and there’s a continuous floorshow of surly waiters and patrons who may be theatrical, chic, or who think they’re chic.
Afternoon - The best way to see New York is by foot. Head downtown again. West Broadway is the heart of Soho, with some of the most interesting shops and galleries in New York. Once you cross over Houston Street, you will be in the West Village. You can either explore the crooked little streets with the open-air cafes and coffeehouses, or you can hop on the subway and get off a couple of stops later in Chelsea. These blocks between 23rd Street and 30th Street, Sixth Avenue to the Hudson River, are packed with art galleries and shops and interesting bars.
Dinner - Joe Allen, on West 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, is a Theater District institution and a Classic New York spot. You’ll probably recognize some of the other patrons; it’s primarily a showbiz hangout with reasonable prices, pretty good food, and a comfortable bar. This is one of those places where it’s easy to dine alone. If you don’t make a reservation, you may find that you can’t get in, particularly if you arrive during the pre-theater rush. West 46th Street is also called Restaurant Row and you’ll find a number of other excellent choices here, one right after the other.
After Dark - Thinking about what to do with your evening can be difficult because you have more choices than time. For music, there are numerous clubs – House, techno, and electro downtown in the meatpacking district; hip-hop, funk, and R&B in the Village; reggae, world, and Latin in Brooklyn or Gramercy/Flatiron; and rock clubs in the East Village and the Lower East Side. Try Caroline’s on Broadway for comedy. There are bars all over town for every taste. If you want to meet others who are solo, your best bet is to ask at your hotel. The guy at the desk can probably give you multiple choices of excellent places nearby. The Empire Diner on 10th Avenue at 22nd Street in Chelsea is a good place to end up, either alone or with others, either old or new friends. This is a classic stainless-steel diner with good, middle of-the-night food.
Sleep - The Mercer, at 147 Mercer Street in Soho, is a hip and trendy place where you’re likely to share the elevator with somebody rich or famous. It’s high-end, but low-key. The Tribeca Grand is another excellent choice for this part of town. The Muse, on West 46th Street, has a mahogany-paneled lobby and feels nicely tucked away, miles away from the glitz of Times Square, which is right outside your door. My number one choice would be The Washington Square Hotel, on Waverly between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in the Village. It has great rates, good value, and attracts a mix of young, urban, and international travelers.
Tags: Single Men