Higher. further. wilder!
Even after the pandemic, New York is a city of superlatives:
07/25/2024 Reading time: 10 Minutes
Visitors climb skyscrapers towards the sky. Little Island and Governor's Island let Manhattan grow in length and width.
The address to hover over the city
Fasten your seatbelt and let's go! A few daredevils work their way up 161 steps at an angle of 45° to just before the top of the 30 Hudson Yards skyscraper. The air gets thinner at these heights. A somewhat pale-looking man in a blue safety suit feels his way to the edge of the platform and looks down into the dizzying depths. "Do the Superman," one of the City Climb guides calls out to him. Does he have the chutzpah to lean over the sea of Manhattan buildings at a height of 335 meters?
He briefly grabs his waist belt. Supposedly it only breaks when the weight exceeds 5,000 kilos. And then the magical moment: for a few seconds, the climber defies the free fall and transforms into a human victory sign with a loud scream. Superman, Batman and Spiderman - all residents of New York - would be delighted with the world's first skyscraper climb for mere mortals. You have to shell out 185 dollars for the thrill.
As a reward, the would-be super heroes get a glass of champagne at the highest heights, with a clear view as far as Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
In the direction of downtown Manhattan, they might also catch a glimpse of Little Island. It can be easily reached on foot from Hudson Yards via the leafy Highline. Fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg and her husband, media mogul Barry Diller, donated 260 million dollars to create the island park at the former Pier 55 on West 13th and 14th Street. For this purpose, 280 concrete pillars were driven into the Hudson riverbed, on which 132 tulip-shaped structures are growing. Little Island is so popular that you have to register on the website if you want to visit the park over the water after 12 noon. When it is in full bloom, visitors wander through an urban jungle that glows yellow, gold, lavender and purple in the sun.
But culture has also found rich breeding ground on "Little Island". In the summer of 2023, artists such as Trump parodist James Austin Johnson and Broadway star Tonya Pinkins will take to the microphone in the amphitheater. And all for free.
The green oasis in the Hudson was built on 280 concrete pillars.
Dancing through New York City
Manhattan is not only growing to the west, it is also expanding to the south: For some years now, New Yorkers and visitors from all over the world have also been drawn to traffic-free Governors Island, the largest recreational area after Central Park. Here, those in need of relaxation can wander across wide meadows, admire contemporary art installations, hire bicycles or visit a bee sanctuary. The Michelin-starred Austrian chef Edi Frauneder opened his street food stand "Taco Vista" here, where he feeds up to 12,000 hungry people on a good day. His recipe for success: homemade corn tortillas, slow-cooked meat or flash-fried fish and the right salsa to go with it. Chef Frauneder works up a particular sweat in August. That's when the big "Jazz Age Lawn Party" takes place on Governors Island. This is when ladies in silk dresses dance the Charleston with men in white linen suits and straw hats. A few daredevils in long swimming trunks even throw themselves into the water. Fortunately, there is no Prohibition in 2023. Gin and tonic are allowed to flow freely.
Homage to the "Roaring Twenties" on Governors Island
The wildest party in town, however, takes place in the Hells Kitchen district. And even in a posh restaurant! "Ha-Salon", an invention of Israeli restaurant impresario Eyal Shani, is only open from Thursday to Saturday evening. The first round of guests from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. behave in a very civilized manner and enjoy a fine fig carpaccio with gorgonzola or ribeye steak for 100 dollars while listening to classical music. As soon as they leave the eclectically furnished restaurant, things get more exuberant. The playlist changes to R&B, hip-hop and pop music from ABBA to Ariana Grande. People chat animatedly and share a record-sized bagel with crab meat and a 3.5-metre-long pici pasta with sage sauce. At 10 p.m., the shutters finally rattle down, the dishes are cleared away and the music is turned up. The guests jump on the tables and dance for all they're worth. "Don't think about tomorrow" is the motto, just like in Tel Aviv. The guests fraternize with the chefs and waiters, who also dance along animatedly. Only when a hand bell rings do the staff pause briefly and rush over with a large bottle of vodka. And then someone pays for the next, not entirely cheap round.
The hangover is best cured the next day with a classic New York specialty. In Times Square, in the heart of the city, "Brooklyn Delicatessen" serves "Jewish ham", pastrami, a beef specialty that is cured in a brine with nutmeg, garlic, clove pepper and paprika and cut into thin slices. Chef Daniel Angerer recommends a real New York cheesecake with huge, sweet strawberries on top.
From Times Square, it's just a hop, skip and a jump to the newly opened Museum of Broadway. Here, visitors can experience the history of the "Great White Way" from its beginnings in the early 20th century to the present day. And once again, hot rhythms resound through the room - from musicals such as "Dreamgirls" and "Hamilton". Dancing is allowed here too!
The hottest address for dancing & dining in Hells Kitchen
HOTELS
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Ritz Carlton NoMad
Ritz Carlton goes hip: in 2022, the luxury hotel brand has opened a hotel in the trendy Flatiron District near the Iron House. Guests can enjoy a magnificent view of southern Manhattan from the rooms in the 500 million dollar building. Couples can relax together in the huge bathtub in each room. The delicious chocolate Grand Marnier cake is only served in room service. Behind the restaurant "Zaytinya", styled by David Rockwell, is the gastronomic legend José Andrés, who delivers millions of meals to war zones with his charity organization "World Central Kitchen". At the Ritz Carlton NoMad, he serves creative Mediterranean dishes such as kibbeh made from beef marrow. He also serves up delicacies at Nubeluz, the city's hippest bar on the 50th floor with a fantastic panoramic view.
www.ritzcarlton.com
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Hotel Barrière
Fouquet's New York
As a guest at Barrière Fouquet's, you feel like you've been transported back to the apartment of an upper-class Parisian family from the 1920s. The only difference is that the view from the casement windows is not of Avenue Foch, but of the cobblestones of Tribeca. A touch of Paris also wafts through Brasserie Fouquet's, where Michelin chef Pierre Gagnaire serves soupe à l'oignon, escargots and éclairs. You can enjoy a magnificent view of the Hudson from the huge terrace of the Grand Appartements. The spa features a hydrotherapy pool, sauna and hammam. The cinema is particularly popular during the Tribeca Film Festival.
www.hotelsbarriere.com
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Aman New York
The Aman on Fifth Avenue is the perfect haven of peace in the hustle and bustle of New York. The first floor disguises itself as a nondescript lobby area. From here you can access the public rooms on the second floor, which impress with their elegant understatement. Although the hotel is located opposite the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman on 57th Street, no car noise penetrates the hall with its open fireplaces. Tasteful, minimalist design also prevails in the rooms and suites, which are decorated in shades of brown, green and gold. The "Arva" and "Nama" restaurants serve the finest delicacies from Italy and Japan. In the almost 2300 m2 spa, guests can undergo a rejuvenating treatment in infrared saunas and cold chambers.
www.aman.com
RESTAURANTS
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Mary Lane
Mary Lane in the romantic West Village is a dignified "neighborhood" restaurant. Regulars enjoy fresh ingredients from the Hudson Valley here. The hamachi crudo is served with grilled avocado, pomelo, cranberries and caviar made from finger limes. The sweet potato and truffle ricotta lasagne with maitake mushrooms and kale demonstrates the high culinary standards that vegetarian dishes can achieve.
"Mary Lane" is the name of a yellow fig with an almost seedless, jam-like fruit stone. It finds its way into a potent Negroni. Don't miss the almond and olive oil cake, which makes the tangy oil suitable for dessert.
www.themarylanenyc.com
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Semma
Fine Indian cuisine has finally arrived in New York on a par with London! The young entrepreneurs Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya have been conquering the New York restaurant scene for 5 years and won a James Beard Award, the Gastro Oscar, in 2022. Their 'Semma' is located on Greenwich Avenue, which is blessed with many hip restaurants. Here, the cuisine of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu is on the menu. Head chef Vijay Kumar serves snails in a ginger and tamarind sauce with delicate dosa pancakes. The lobster, on the other hand, swims in a mustard and turmeric coconut sauce. The rice dish biryani, enriched with garam masala and mint, is served with goat meat. It is best served with a "Semma Sour" - hibiscus gin refined with cardamom, lemon and angostura bitters.
www.semmanyc.com
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Avra Rockefeller Center
Not far from Rockefeller Center, another branch of the luxury Greek brand Avra opened last year. Super-designer David Rockwell created the bright, almost completely glazed ambience, in which large green plants bring a touch of nature. Unpainted clay vases are reminiscent of antiquity. Avra knows a thing or two about fish: pompano and barbounia are served with a few drops of the restaurant's own olive oil. The American Wagyu ribeye is best eaten with grilled mushrooms, spanakorizo, spinach and rice. Cherrystone mussels from the Raw Bar can only be eaten this well in New York. Guests can choose from 600 exquisite Greek wines.
www.theavragroup.com
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Dagon
The Levantine restaurant "Dagon" opened during the pandemic and has been successful ever since. Head chef Ari Bozovka was inspired by his Israeli grandmother. He fills shishbarak pastry pockets with mushrooms and serves them on a yogurt sauce with pine nuts. He wraps his lamb cigars in deep-fried potato batter, while the chopped chicken liver is refined with mustard seeds, date syrup, crispy shallots and the spice mix baharat. He mixes pieces of duck into the New Yorkers' favorite dish, Matzo Ball Soup.
www.dagon.com
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Shmoné
Eyal Shani, one of the most important innovators of Israeli cuisine, runs 19 restaurants in his home country and 21 more in the rest of the world. At "Shmoné", his latest fine dining restaurant in New York, he serves Spanish mackerel with beet perfume and monkfish with osetra caviar. The impressive cocktail list highlights the benefits of absinthe.
www.shmonenyc.com
