The best new places to eat, see and stay in New York

From a new skyscraper hotel and a Michelin-starred food tour to an exhibition of rarely seen paintings by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat, New York never fails to delight with new experiences, places to stay, restaurants and drinks. Armed with a New York CityPASS, which offers free admission to many of New York’s top attractions and a seven-day subway pass for $33, you can make a remarkable sum, making new discoveries along the way.

New hotels in Manhattan

The chic Modern Haus boutique hotel in Soho is a design marvel, with 114 unique rooms and suites. Each room features a carefully thought out color palette, reclaimed wood floors, custom furnishings, and unique sculptures and paintings by artists such as George Condo, Jean Dubuffet, and Hans Hofmann. The Superior Suite is the 1,315 square foot penthouse, with views of the Freedom Tower and the East River. Key to comfort in all rooms are Le Labo toiletries and Frette’s high thread count cotton sheets. If you want to take some of these luxuries home with you, the hotel has a boutique selling hoodies, caps, bathrobes, slippers, toiletries, and candles.

Food and drink options are excellent, from the all-day restaurant, Jumpin Jacks, on the second floor, to chef George Mendes’ sophisticated Veranda restaurant, and for stunning sunset views and excellent cocktails, the rooftop pool bar, Jimmy. Modern Haus doesn’t have a spa but it does have a partnership with AIRE Ancient Baths, five minutes from the hotel. Housed in an 1883 textile factory, six thermal baths set at different temperatures, a whirlpool and a saltwater bath offer a truly relaxing experience.

New to downtown, the Ritz-Carlton New York NoMad, near Madison Square Park. The 50-storey building, designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, has 219 luxurious rooms, including 31 suites. The Ritz-Carlton Superior Suite is spectacular. Covering 2,100 square feet with stunning 360 degree views, the suite features a private wellness room, separate living and dining areas, a media room and a huge walk-in closet.

All rooms and suites feature 400-thread-count Frette linens while terrazzo marble bathrooms feature luxury toiletries from French brand Diptyque. A well-equipped spa and gym can be found below the lobby. Dining offerings include the upstairs Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge on the 36th floor, chic Zaytinya with a Mediterranean mezze menu from award-winning chef José Andrés, and Nubeluz, the newly opened rooftop bar on the 50th floor.

The bustling 446-room Hard Rock Hotel opened earlier this year on Music Row, paying homage to the recording studios and music stores that once lined 48th Street. For music lovers, this hotel is heaven with live music in all of its public areas and guests can enjoy Crosley record players and Fender guitars in their rooms. Music-inspired memorabilia are everywhere, from a classic leather motorcycle jacket owned by Joey Ramone to a pair of silver patent leather boots worn by Lady Gaga.

The hotel’s best suite is the luxurious 1,600-square-foot Rock Star Suite, a two-story penthouse with an open-plan living and dining area, wet bar, private terrace, plus direct VIP bar access and RT60 rooftop lounge. Food and drinks are on the 34th floor RT60 Rooftop Bar and Lounge with great views. Downstairs is an excellent steakhouse, NYY Steak, while seasonal farm-fresh cuisine with musical surroundings is on offer at Sessions.

New restaurants and food tours

Visit New York’s top restaurants, including hard-to-book Michelin-star establishments, on a decadent food tour of the Flatiron District with Avital. A three-course Michelin experience visits three great restaurants steeped in history and fascinating anecdotes from exuberant guide Sophie Brubaker. A food and culture tour with Avital offers an excellent gourmet dining experience in the Flatiron region, including restaurants with hard-to-get reservations like the Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse Cote, red snapper ceviche at the Italian seafood specialist Scampi ending in Cioccolato paired with Vintage Port at Fifth Avenue favorite Ai Fiori. All three are excellent, but the star of the tour was Chef David Shim and Simon Kim’s Cote hotspot, a combination inspired by a classic steakhouse and tabletop Korean barbecue. The menu features USDA Prime and Japanese and American wagyu cuts and delicious sides like egg souffle and kimchi stew.

Devour Tours’ historical themed walks and food tours are awesome. While Little Italy may have the name recognition, many of Manhattan’s Italian immigrants have actually made Greenwich Village their home over the years. The tour offers a comprehensive overview of the Italian history and culture that shaped the region, with stops for tastings at nine family-run restaurants in Greenwich Village. Meet the owner of the neighborhood pasta shop and learn about the pasta machine her family has used for over a century. Discover the birthplace of New York’s first cappuccino and. enjoy a slice of what has been deemed the best pizza in New York.

Arva at the new Hotel Aman Arva, under the direction of Executive Chef Dario Ossola, pays homage to rustic Italy, raccolto kitchen tradition (harvest cuisine) while sourcing the majority of its ingredients locally, partnering with initiatives such as Grow NYC and Our Harvest, which together represent more than 750 farmers and 100 farmers’ markets in and around New York. Fulton Fish Market provides seafood.

James Beard award-winning chef José Andrés oversees the Ritz-Carlton Nomad’s kitchen, including the bustling Zaytinya on the ground floor, which serves a delicious mezze menu inspired by Turkish, Greek and Lebanese cuisines.

Art

The main exhibition in New York this year has been extended until January 1, 2023 due to popular demand. Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure, a brilliant exhibition of previously unseen works by the late great artist opened this spring and has been extended due to popular demand. Hosted by the artist’s family, this painstakingly curated exhibition showcases over 200 previously unseen and rarely shown paintings, drawings, music, films and ephemera, telling Jean-Michel’s story from an intimate perspective, blending his efforts artistic to his personal life. his life, his influences and the times in which he lived.

Art lovers can also use a New York Citypass to skip the lines at major museums like the Guggenheim and MOMA. Current major shows are by painter Alex Katz and photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. The Fotografiska New York photography museum is also a must, with its current exhibition of works by David LaChapelle.

jazz clubs

Uptown, there’s a glamorous new jazz club in the basement of the Aman Hotel with the same sound system as at Lincoln Center. Enter this glamorous speakeasy through a discreet staff entrance at the side of the hotel. The current owner of trendy West Village club Fat Cat (now called Cellar Dog) oversees the Jazz Club at the Aman. In the same area is the small basement Japanese restaurant Tomi where you’ll probably have to wait in line, but inside they host great live jazz every night.

Head downtown to Cellar Dog in the West Village and some of the best jazz clubs in the world. Arthur’s Tavern, one of the oldest, opened in 1937 and delights jazz lovers with the best live jazz and blues music from Charlie Parker and Roy Hargrove. Small’s, a small bar in the basement, is simply brilliant. It’s a true labor of love, operating on a shoestring budget, showcasing emerging talent and international artists. Small’s, along with nearby Mezzrow’s, is run by jazz pianist Spike Wilner who keeps the price of admission affordable for jazz enthusiasts. Also a must for jazz lovers is the legendary Village Vanguard where many big names have played and recorded albums, including John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon and Wynton Marsalis.