For the repeat Elite Traveler, how to fill your days in NYC is less obvious. Ben Vaschetti, co-founder of luxury travel and lifestyle concierge Maison Benjamin, suggests a successful and enjoyable trip to the concrete jungle comes down to immersing yourself in the essence of New York: “I recommend experiences that provide a genuine connection to the city, its people, and its cultural institutions.”
In the spirit of embracing New York like a (well-heeled) local, we tapped expert Manhattanites – the city’s top tastemakers – for the best things to do in New York.
What to see and do during the day in New York, according to the experts
Explore the city’s art scene
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New York City is home to some of the world’s finest art museums and galleries, from the Museum of Modern Art and the Met to the Whitney and the Guggenheim. And though each deserves a visit, we recommend enlisting the help of a luxury concierge.
Experts like Maria Wittorp, chief concierge at Upper East Side hotel The Mark, can arrange private, after-hours tours of the Met, and visits to otherwise inaccessible galleries and studios. “We once had a guest who wanted to see the work of a particular Brooklyn-based artist, who doesn’t typically welcome visitors to her private atelier,” she recalls. “Through our wonderful relationship, we were able to arrange a private visit.”
Thaisa Cavalcante, general manager of hotel and members’ club Fasano Fifth Avenue, similarly advises tapping a well-connected expert to book private viewings or early admission to exhibitions and museums. They can also facilitate personal introductions to galleries and artists, as a way to experience the city’s art scene beyond the conventional museum circuit.
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“Of particular anticipation among our guests is the forthcoming Armory Show,” Cavalcante adds. And if already on the East Side for the galleries, she recommends a stop at Albertine, the French bookstore and cultural venue, directly across from the Met.
Artist Ashley Longshore, meanwhile, makes a case for looking beyond the Upper East Side altogether. “I happen to think that walking around Tribeca is the best place to see some of the most incredible art galleries,” she says. “They are never packed, and you can really spend time with the art. There are so many artists too that are self-representing, as well as great design stores that, again, are never crowded.”
Mark Ellwood, Elite Traveler’s US editor, suggests heading downtown to Soho for two of Walter de Maria’s installations: Broken Kilometer, on Broadway, and The New York Earth Room, on Wooster Street. “They’re massive, site-specific, and superb,” he says. “I find the Broken Kilometer almost a religious experience.”
Vaschetti recommends a trip to Sotheby’s, where “exhibitions are constantly evolving,” offering a chance to see exceptional works before they disappear into private collections. A specialist-led preview can be tailored to a guest’s interests, from contemporary art and fine jewelry to watches, wine, and collectible design,” he adds. “The opportunity to speak directly with a specialist also brings the objects and the international world of collecting to life.”
Take in the skyline
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To really experience New York’s skyline in all its glory, going up the Empire State Building, the Rock or even One World Trade Center is the first step. But to see the city – and the surrounding countryside – from a different vantage point, Vaschetti suggests a private helicopter flight, timed for the state’s most photogenic season.
“Autumn is one of the most spectacular times to experience New York State, when the Hudson Valley is transformed by brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold,” he says. “I recommend a private helicopter flight because it allows guests to leave Manhattan and see the region’s fall foliage, Hudson River, and historic estates from an extraordinary perspective, all without losing an entire day to driving.”
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To keep your feet closer to the ground, raise a glass of Champagne aboard The Mark’s sailing boat. One of the last Herreshoff sailboats of its kind still in existence, the 70-ft vessel can be chartered by guests during the summer for two-hour voyages around New York Harbor, accompanied by food from Jean-Georges Vongerichten or Caviar Kaspia.
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Relax at a city spa
Though renowned as the city that never sleeps, New York does chill – sometimes. The city is home to some of the best spas in the world, many tucked beneath or atop its most popular five-star hotels.
Carlos Quirarte, owner of Ray’s and Jac’s on Bond, points to Russian and Turkish Baths in the East Village. Leaning into old-school New York rather than five-star polish, the bathhouse has been serving the city since 1892. Inside, you’ll find five sauna and steam rooms, a cold plunge pool, and a roof deck. Spend a morning cycling between the various rooms, or let the professionals take over and book a massage.
Or kick things up a notch at Shibui Spa at The Greenwich Hotel, an ultra-luxury antidote to the city’s fast pace.
Browse Cooper Classic Cars
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Visiting a car showroom isn’t usually top of the vacation itinerary, but Vaschetti makes a convincing case for a detour to the West Village, where Cooper Classic Cars is based. For automotive enthusiasts, he says, it’s a chance to get up close with a “remarkable selection of rare, vintage, and collectible automobiles,” bound to inspire any collector.
More private garage than conventional showroom, the downtown Manhattan space invites visitors to explore the history, design, and provenance of its cars, with an automotive specialist on hand to bring each one to life.
Go to Governor’s Island
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Once a military outpost in New York Harbor and long off-limits to the public, Governor’s Island has been transformed over the past decade into one of the city’s most appealing green spaces. Ellwood credits it with retaining a “real, locals-only flavor,” as well as being remarkably easy to reach: “It’s only a five-minute ferry ride from the tip of Manhattan, but it’s a world away.”
Though compact, there’s plenty to do once you arrive. Ellwood recommends renting a bike or grabbing a drink with a view of the Wall Street skyline, adding that “the view of the Statue of Liberty is the best you’ll score from land anywhere.”
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Grab a cocktail at a well-loved New York City bar
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New York has no shortage of excellent restaurants, but its bar scene is just as deserving of attention, with award-winning cocktail spots scattered across Manhattan. For Ellwood, nowhere compares to Dante. “It’s earned endless accolades from so many cocktail competitions, and you’ll understand why when you pull up a chair at the bar.”
Ever expanding, with its latest outpost in Nolita, Ellwood recommends ordering a Dante Martini, which “somehow manages to combine vodka and gin with a deftness that would persuade even the sniffiest snob that the best version of a martini needs both of them.”
For Quirarte, who knows a thing or two about running some of the city’s best spots, the bar at Wild Cherry is the place to sit. His order? A Coffee Fizz and a burger. Artist Ashley Longshore also recommends the “poetically West Village” spot, pointing to its adjoining theater, recently purchased by A24. “It’s a great segue for walking to all the little, one-of-a-kind boutiques in the West Village.”
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For a Paloma and a pastry, Longshore directs visitors to Champers in Soho. “They also have the best little store attached, full of unique entertaining items.”
And while a train station wouldn’t normally be our first port of call for a drink, we’ll make an exception for Grand Central. Writer Heidi Mitchell sings the praises of The Campbell, a “wonderful watering hole” tucked inside the station. The former private office of financier John W. Campbell was left largely untouched until the 1990s, when it was transformed into a bar. Today, its Gilded Age interiors, complete with a $300,000 Persian rug, make an atmospheric setting for a very good Manhattan.