What are the best NYC hotels, restaurants and things to do? While not a native New Yorker, I've lived in NYC for 8 years now, and have over 150 posts tagged NYC, so here are my own idiosyncratic recommendations for the Best of New York:
Best NYC Hotels
Best NYC Hotel with the Best View of Central Park: Mandarin Oriental New York and the Trump Central Park
One of my most requested amenities for a NYC hotel room is a room with a view…of Central Park. Only a few luxury hotels have this coveted view, of which my favorites are the Mandarin Oriental New York (particularly the Taipan Suite, which even has a gorgeous view from the bathroom, pictured below) and the Trump Central Park.
Of course, even these hotels don't have Central Park views from all rooms–you'll definitely pay for the view, although if you consider the view a nice to have rather than a must, at the Mandarin Oriental New York or the Ritz-Carlton Central Park, as a TravelSort Client, I can book you with Virtuoso amenities, and if an upgrade is available when you check in, a Central Park view room will be yours for no extra cost.
NYC Hotel with the Largest Entry Level Hotel Rooms: Four Seasons New York and the Park Hyatt New York
NYC has notoriously small entry level hotel rooms, so if you're claustrophobic in a small room, be prepared to pay up for what you might consider a normal size room in other destinations. Of NYC luxury hotels, the Four Seasons New York has the largest entry level rooms, with all Superior Rooms 500 square feet, followed by the Park Hyatt New York, where entry level Park Rooms start at 480 square feet, but can be up to about 600 square feet depending on the specific room.
Best NYC Hotel with a Pool: The Peninsula New York
Sure, there are other NYC hotels with larger pools, such as The Mandarin Oriental NYC, The Trump Central Park and the new Park Hyatt New York. But I like the tranquil spa-like pool at The Peninsula, which feels more calming and more exclusive compared to the others. There's complimentary espresso drinks and tea, and on nice days, the outdoor terrace beckons.
Best NYC Food and Dining
Best NYC Michelin Star Restaurant for a Special Occasion: Eleven Madison Park
While I'm more lukewarm about Daniel Humm's newer venture, The Nomad, I still view the cooking at Eleven Madison Park as the best high end Michelin star cooking in town. I also love the beautiful space, which gives each couple or dining party ample room for relaxed conversation, a wonderful respite from NYC restaurants where the acoustics are too loud and tables jammed too close together. My favorite time to go is actually for lunch on a nice day, when you have great natural light and views of Madison Square Park.
Best NYC Seafood Restaurant: The Clam
The Clam is fantastic for anyone who enjoys great seafood in a cozy, unpretentious spot. Just ensure you make reservations well in advance, especially for weekend dining, as the word has gotten out and this place is popular.
Best NYC Restaurants for Families with Kids
I've already written about my picks for the best NYC restaurants for families with kids, including Blue Smoke, Fish Tag, The Vinegar Factory and more.
Best Gelato: GROM
There are several places for good gelato in NYC, but my favorite is Italian import GROM, particularly for its excellent pistachio, cioccolato extra noir, crema di grom, and vibant fruit sorbets.
Best French Bakery: Maison Kayser
I was thrilled when Eric Kayser finally brought his bakeries to NYC, having enjoyed his delicious breads and pastries in Paris and Moscow. See Maison Kayser NYC Review: Eric Kayser Opens New York's Best Bakery
Best NYC Fitness and Beauty
Best Gym: Equinox
A lot of New Yorkers have a love/hate relationship with Equinox: it's a fantastic gym, with great group classes and Kiehl's skincare products in the locker rooms, but if only it weren't so expensive–and what's with the sexy/slutty advertisements? If you work in NYC, your employer may at least pick up the tab for the joining fee.
Best Dance Class: Calvinography
I'll be the first to admit that I hate boring workouts and “drill” type classes. Give me a challenging dance class any day over the usual cardio workouts, and Calvinography delivers. Each week is a completely new choreographed dance sequence to learn. Here's an example, done to “Happy,” although fortunately not of me dancing it (although I was at the second class shown in the video).
Best Barbershop: David's Barbershop
Ok, so I'll admit there are most likely better high end men's barbershops in NYC. But if you want a simple, no frills cut and don't want to pay more than $20 for it, including a generous tip, I recommend David's Barbershop, at 233 East 84th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Even my son likes it, since virtually everyone there is Russian speaking and happily chat with him in Russian.
Best Pedicure: Issa Nails Salon
Again, I'll caveat this by noting there are plenty of nail salons I haven't tried, and this is probably not the right place if you have very particular nail art in mind. But if you just want your nails a single color, Issa Nail Salon at at 800 Lexington Ave. and 63rd Street is hard to beat. The place is super clean, new, disposable implements are used for each customer, and all the nail technicians I've had are meticulous.
Best NYC Things to Do and Around Town
Most Fun and Colorful NYC Parade
There are plenty of great NYC parades, but my vote goes to the annual NYC Dance Parade, with everyone from Bolivian dancers to modern dance, hula, belly dancers, Mexican Carnival dancers and more.
Best Comedy Show: The Colbert Report
Sadly, The Colbert Report is coming to an end very soon, so you may have a very tough time getting in to see the live taping. Without getting too much into politics, there was an interesting poll not too long ago finding, not surprisingly, that the most educated and informed viewers of any major news program were…Colbert Report viewers–notwithstanding the fact that it's a comedy program with fake news 😉
Best Playgrounds in Manhattan
My son ranked his favorite playgrounds that he's been to in Manhattan in this post: NYC: Best Playgrounds in Manhattan Have your own favorite not on his list? Let me know in the comments, and we'll be sure to check it out.
Best Use of an NYC Metrocard: E Train to JFK or Aerial Tram Ride to Roosevelt Island
There aren't that many major Western cities where you can get from the airport into the heart of downtown for just $2.50 (ok, $7.50 after taking Airtrain). Particularly if you need to be in East Midtown anyway, the E train can be a good choice.
My other favorite less conventional use of an NYC metrocard is to take the aerial tram to Roosevelt Island. It's a short ride, but a unique bird's eye view perspective.
Best Car Service: GetTaxi NYC with $10 Rides Anywhere in Manhattan
Currently, thanks to the heated car service competition with Uber, GetTaxi is offering fixed price $10 rides anywhere in Manhattan. That's hard to beat, especially if you have a long ride from one end of town to the other. Keep in mind this offer is through the end of 2014, but I like the service enough, especially the fact that there's no peak pricing as Uber has, so that I'll continue to use it when I do need a car service. Get $20 in free ride credit when signing up. You can use the invite code of a friend, or of course, I'd appreciate it if you use my invite code: GTVNXFP.
What are your favorite “Best of NYC” places and things to do?
Related Posts
Best NYC Restaurants for Families with Kids
GetTaxi NYC: $10 Rides Anywhere in Manhattan!
Best NYC Midtown Lunch Restaurants
Maialino, NYC Restaurant Review
Need Award Booking Help? Our fee is as low as $75 per ticket if you book your hotel through us.
If you enjoyed this, join 200,000+ readers: please follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Become a TravelSort Client and Book 5-Star Hotels with Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred VIP Amenities!