New York City

Whenever you walk around on the weekends, especially in the spring, summer, and fall, expect to see many blushing brides posing happily with their partners all over Central Park, in Grand Central Terminal, and by the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO’s scenic park. Of course, photo ops aren’t all there is to a glorious wedding, the venue is important too. Unfortunately, we can’t all have our almost-wedding in the New York Pubic Library ala Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City, but there are plenty of great options for tying the knot.

For a truly classy, almost fairy tale wedding that’s not too big, you can book 220 people at the St. Regis Hotel. Here, deep inside the 1904 classic Beaux Art landmark, you can arrange a bespoke wedding, complete with flower arrangements, catering, and a glorious ballroom for the after party.

The Ritz-Carlton by Central Park is also a grand place to get married, and you have the added bonus of the beautiful park right there. They also have a team of wedding professionals to help plan and tweak the event just to you. As for food, chef Mark Arnao oversees the menu, which can include caviar, a tapas bar, fresh seafood, and of course, the cake, expertly created under the watchful eye of pastry chef Joseph Murphy.

You could also choose The Loeb Boathouse in Central Park for a truly unique spot in the city. Here, they seat 230, and it’s the perfect place to host the reception after performing the ceremony in one of the stunning spots in the park like the Conservatory Gardens. Though, if you want to get wedding photos on the Great Lawn, make sure to get a permit first.

If a wedding with a spectacular panorama is more to your liking, try the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, which, while high above the water, offers the glittering Hudson River as well as views of the Stature of Liberty. At this venue, chef Abigail Kirsch serves stylish and delicious finger foods, among other things, to help make your special day, well, just that.

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When people think New York theater, Broadway comes to mind. While this part of the city is packed with beautiful theaters, there are also other fun theater experiences, especially in the summer.

One of the best is Shakespeare in the Park, an annual series where Shakespeare productions are brought to life in the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Tickets are free to these outdoor productions and often include well-known names who jump at the chance to participate in this beloved summer tradition.

Beyond Broadway, another great area for the arts is Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side. Home to the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, this complex offers theater and more—you’ll also find opera, dance, films, and exciting cultural festivals.

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The best museum in New York City depends on your individual interests.

To dig deeper into the immigrant history of New York, check out the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side. This museum guides visitors through restored apartments from certain moments in history to tell the story of immigrants starting a life in Manhattan.

If you’re more interested in modern art than history, spend a day—preferably not a weekend, when crowds grow significantly—at the Museum of Modern Art. One current exhibition that has gained a lot of attention is called Rain Room and offers an experience of “controlling the rain”. A downpour of rain is interrupted whenever a human body is detected. Visitors can walk or dance through the rain and never get wet.

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As if dozens of Instagram pictures weren’t enough, there are tons of souvenirs you can buy in New York for you, for your friends, and for your grandma who has everything. Here are a few of my suggestions.

For the foodie: New York City has so many delicious products coming out, it’s hard to choose what to get. A good place to start is with local booze, a category that has boomed in the last few years. Grab a bottle of Dorothy Parker gin, or Widow Jane bourbon, which gets made in Red Hook, Brooklyn. If booze isn’t your thing, pick up chocolate from Genosis. The rich bars come in flavors like pomegranate-acai and 90 percent raw cacao. Another great way to say, “Hey, I was in New York,” is with a tea towel sporting a visage of the Brooklyn Bridge or Manhattan’s skyline. You can find this, and plenty of other darling kitchen gear at Fishs Eddy.

For the artist: If you go to the Museum of Modern Art you can kill two birds with one stone: going to see the awesome exhibits there, and picking up some clever souvenirs. They have all sorts of fun stuff including mugs and change purses designed to look like the classic NYC Greek deli cup, cut-and-paste iconic buildings, and plethora of non-cheesy I Love NY knickknacks. For a truly unique token of the city, buy something from the street or at one of the many markets. It might not say “New York” on it, but it will have a story. You can find such treasured objects at the Hester Street Fair, Brooklyn Flea Market, or on Spring Street near Mott, where tons of vendors set up alfresco shops.

For everyone: If you have a lot of souvenirs to get or need to obtain a dozen “I Love NY” shirts, Chinatown is the best bet. There, the many hawkers sell shirts, bags, scarves, necklaces, stuffed animals—you name it and they have branded it a NY memento. Plus, things run pretty cheap and if you haggle, chances are you can get it for even less. Finally head ot By Brooklyn for, you guessed it, fun and whimiscal Brookly-themed products all made right here in the city.

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Public transportation is one of the great benefits of life in New York City – it is dependable, safe, and fast.

There is a certain allure to taking taxis – not only because they travel in the streets where you can watch the city whiz by – but unfortunately they are often the slower (and of course, more expensive) option. If you’re trying to move a considerable distance at anywhere near rush hour, that cab will be stuck in serious traffic. If you don’t know the city well enough to direct the cab driver, you might be stuck even longer.

The answer is the subway, and downloading a subway app on your phone. Subway service is best when moving north and south (uptown and downtown) and express trains that skip local stations can help you cover great distances quickly. Moving east and west can be more of a challenge, but there’s always the city buses, good old walking, or the few subway lines like the L and the 7 that travel across town.

Get yourself a MetroCard (a prepaid card that you swipe to pass through the turnstile) and if you have any questions, ask the attendant in the booth or a person nearby. Despite some rumors, New Yorkers can be helpful and warm, especially when people are trying to use the subway system—we all remember our first forays into mastering the color, number, and letter-coded system.

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History in New York City can be relative. There are some hotels that have been open for decades and have achieved iconic status, while other hotels are set in buildings with historic significance.

For uptown glamour, few properties compare to the St. Regis. This elegant property on 5th Avenue is only a few blocks from Central Park and features historic details such as the original mail shoot. Complete with Butler Service and the King Cole Bar, this is a classic property with modern themed suites, such as the Bentley suite.

The Jane is a boutique hotel in the West Village that once housed the survivors of the Titanic. It is known for its small bunk-style rooms, but skip those in favor of the luxurious “Captain’s Cabins”, some complete with terraces, that would have been the quarters of high-ranking officers. The café and bar here provide further opportunities to see the historic nature of this fascinating building.

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Central Park is just the beginning of the sprawling, striking green spaces in New York City.

Few parks have the electricity of Washington Square Park, in the heart of Greenwich Village and NYU territory. Beneath its famous arch, you might witness a swing dance performance or impromptu piano concert. In the warm months, it is an ideal spot for a picnic, and if you have kids, they might want to jump into the fountain for a quick splash.

For a quieter experience, check out Hudson River Park, on the banks of the river along the west side. This is one of Manhattan’s newer parks and has been in development for years. The result is an expanse of manicured lawns and paths that are perfect for biking, walking, and picnics. Different areas are also home to summer concerts and outdoor yoga classes.

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The biggest and best farmers market is absolutely the Union Square Farmers Market, open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday with 140 regional vendors and farmers selling everything from farmstead cheeses to artisan breads.

However, throughout the city, there are smaller greenmarkets featuring just a few stands that offer a great opportunity to talk to the farmers and learn about their products. If they’re less busy, they have more time to answer questions.

Some greenmarkets in beautiful neighborhoods include the Tribeca Greenmarket on Wednesday and Saturday and the City Hall Greenmarket on Tuesday and Friday. These are by no means the biggest—but are both near parks for picnics and allow visitors to both rub elbows with locals and talk to the farmers who are so devoted to bringing New Yorkers fresh and healthy food.

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Nobu Matsuhisa has been churning out some of the best sushi in city since 1994 at his iconic joint Nobu, and it’s still one of the best places to go to get it. Of course, you can go to Nobu Next Door too good food, which is, you guessed it, right beside the original eatery. There, they offer yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno, lobster ceviche, Bigeye tuna tataki, and more raw, tasty delights from the sea. Another famous sushi master with a shop in the city is Masayoshi Takayama, whose Masa restaurant is located in the Time Warner Center, right by Per Se. Here, the room is intimate and there are only a handful of tables, so make sure to reserve a spot well in advance.

At Sushi of Gari they serve an array of fresh nibbles, all expertly handled by chef Masatoshi “Gari” Sugio, who has been making sushi since he was 19. There are five locations in the city and though the menus differ at each one, you can find little twists to certain offerings like truffle oil-laced fluke and Spanish mackerel with mushroom. For more of Sugio, head to Sushi Seki where the chef trained under the master for five years before opening up his own joint on the Upper West Side. Known not only for having great fish, Sushi Seki is also a late night hangout spot for cooks, and plenty of celebrity chefs have been known to pop by.

For a laid back atmosphere with amazing sushi to boot, Jack and Grace Lamb’s Jewel Bako in the East Village is a good bet. Here, sushi master Yoshi Kousaka whips out creamy slices of fresh Scottish salmon, live scallop, crispy sea bass, and a roll stuffed with Japanese Snow Crab and avocado. Blue Ribbon Sushi also has an excellent selection, as well as locations in both Manhattan and Brooklyn.

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New York is all about wine. Not only do we have three great growing regions—Finger Lakes, Long Island, and Hudson Valley—but some of the best sommeliers in the world. This means you can stop into a slew of illustrious restaurants and choose from hundreds of great vinos. One of my favorite palaces to go is Gramercy Tavern, where their fabulous beverage director Juliette Pope has added hundreds of wine from all over the world, including Hungry, Austria, Argentina, and New York.

The New York Momofuku restaurants also have a leading lady for their wine program, Jordan Salcito, who has curated a simple, but elegant list. Before she was at Momofuku, Salcito worked at Eleven Madison Park, one of Forbes’ Star-Rated restaurants and another superb place to get wine, and food for that matter. Though they don’t have an epic list of vinos, the choices are tried and true, with a few surprises in the mix. Plus, they offer half bottles, which is an excellent way to sample wines.

If you are searching for Italian varietals, Babbo has over 2,000 excellent options to choose from. Luckily, they do wine by the quartino, a bottle that holds a quarter of a liter, and allows guests to try multiple selections. Chef Gabe Thompson and barman Joe Campanale also have added a lush Italian wine list at their newest restaurant L’artusi, and you can find wine by the bottle from just about every region in Italy.

On the French side, Veritas’ world-renown wine cellar overseen by Alexandria Cubbage has 75,000 bottles in their inventory, and offer 3,000 on their daily list. Not surprising, chef Daniel Boulud’s Daniel restaurant features an array of French wines too, though they include 14 other countries to showcase on their 2,000-plus menu.

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