travelgirl
falls for habit-forming manhattan
Written
by Lynn Parramore : Photos
by Celeste Joye
New York
crackles with so much energy,
your feet get charged simply
walking down the street.
You’d think the city
would just implode, burn
itself out in the urban
equivalent of a supernova.
But thankfully New York
energy is a constantly
renewable resource. Every day, new
ideas flash. Deals fly.
Scenes sizzle. Every imaginable
shock is absorbed. Come
what may, the colorful human
kaleidoscope of New York
perpetually shifts itself
into new and more dazzling
patterns. The Big Apple.
Gotham. The City That Never
Sleeps. Whatever you call
it, here, you are free
to reinvent yourself. You can
be saucy, hip, brilliant,
impossibly sexy. A little
loud. This city has the
power to switch your mood
quicker than a billboard
flashing in Times Square.
Possibility is the miraculous
essence of every molecule
of concrete, the gleam
in the eye of every newcomer.
For every taxi on Fifth
Avenue there’s a
different side of you
New York will entice
to come out of hiding.
So let’s go, travelgirl.
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Which
New York Are You?
In choosing your hotel, you
decide which New York you’ll
be slipping into first—like
a fabulous outfit you’re
free to change at any moment.
Even if they’re not
your destination, NYC hotels
beckon you to soak up their
style for an evening, an hour
or a passing moment as you
stroll by.
Dare to dream of an uninhibited
you at the new Dream
hotel, brainchild of
hotelier/model/actor Vikram
Chatwal. Drop the ego’s
clinging masks and dip into
your inner world amid ethereal
blue lights and tree motifs
that conjure up an enchanted
forest. From interiors designed
by surrealist David LaChapelle
to an Ayurvedic treatment
center created by spirit guru
Deepak Chopra, the Dream hotel
provides a place where Chatwal,
the world’s sexiest
Sikh, assures us “nothing
is wrong, nothing is awkward.”
Lounge among the clouds at
Ava and gaze upon the dreamscape
of Times Square, or dive below
ground into Subconcious,
a cavernous lounge sparkling
with granite and shimmering
onyx. Pinch yourself, dreamgirl.
This is really your life.
Fancy yourself gliding across
the black-and-white marble
floor of a luxurious Art Deco
lobby? The
Carlyle Hotel is the
epicenter of Upper East Side
social life, where Baccarat
light fixtures shine on the
well-heeled and urbane. Let
a white-gloved operator whisk
you to a room appointed with
Louis XV furniture and heart-stopping
views of Central Park. Catch
an exhibit at the city’s
most famous museums and take
in a cabaret show at Café
Carlyle when you return. This
is New York at its most classic,
cosseted and glamorous —
perfect for the 1930’s
film star in you.
Maybe your New York is a
literary oasis where piquant
conversations are exchanged
over the driest of martinis.
If so, 44th Street’s
Algonquin
Hotel is a paradise
for your inner bookworm, a
place where words still matter
mightily. If you find yourself
suddenly engaged in verbal
jujitsu, you’re channeling
the spirit of Dorothy Parker,
who launched her literary
slings and arrows from “The
Gonk” in the 1920’s.
After you’ve had a drink
at the venerable Blue
Bar, pay homage to
Matilda the cat, the hotel’s
genius loci, who presides
over the lobby in splendid
indifference. Then sashay
out for a Broadway show, perhaps
stopping for a scotch at The
St. Andrews pub on the way
back. When you’re happily
ensconced in your small-but-cozy
room, go ahead — start
taking notes for that novel. |
The
Carlyle Hotel on the Upper
East Side
At
night, you'll find The Maritime's
bars and restaurant stuffed
to the gills with a lively
crowed of gallery world
darlings and Warhols-to-be.
Join them. Who knows? This
could be the start of your
fifteen minutes.
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Fabulous
Fanny's in the East Village
carries over four thousand
pairs of vintage eyewear!
New
designer shops are shooting
up like bright flowers in
a vacant lot in an area
once known for seedy S&M
clubs and industrial waste.
Window
shopping on 9th Street.
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Do gallery openings make
you drool? If so, Chelsea’s
Maritime
— part hotel, part
happening — will plop
you in the heart of a neighborhood
crammed with the creations
of New York’s artists
du jour. Gaze out from port-hole
shaped windows in this distinctive
white-tiled building originally
designed for a sailors’
union. Plumb the depths
of the neighborhood’s
provocative art scene, taking
in beautifully preserved
brownstones and fantastic
furniture and flea markets
as you go. At night, you’ll
find the Maritime’s
bars and restaurant stuffed
to the gills with a lively
crowd of gallery world darlings
and Warhols-to-be. Join
them. Who knows? This could
be the start of your fifteen
minutes.
The fashionista in you
will flip for Soho’s
60
Thompson, a one-hundred
room hotel nestled on très
chic Thompson Street. 60
Thompson’s garden
bar, with its sweeping rooftop
views and signature restaurant,
Thom,
are among the city’s
most sought-after scenes.
When you leave, peruse Soho’s
distinctive cast-iron architecture
and do some damage to your
credit card at the dizzying
array of designer boutiques.
Get a glittery makeover
at FACE
Stockholm and count
yourself among the insanely
beautiful people walking
the swanky streets. Beloved
restaurants like Raoul’s,
Blue
Ribbon Sushi and
Aquagrill
are neighborhood faves sure
to please you with out-of-this-world
eats sans snooty service.
If you’re a true
bohemian, you’ll want
to hang your beret at the
best budget lodging in the
city — East
Village Bed and Coffee.
A little daring rewards
you with the city’s
best digs for under a hundred
bucks. The “C”
in Alphabet City’s
Avenue C used to stand for
“Careful!”—but
now it signifies “Cutting-edge,”
as the neighborhood has
mellowed from Dodge City
to Destination Hipster.
In this European-style guest
house, you’ll share
common areas and baths that
lead to funky Mexican or
African-themed rooms. Set
out and explore the eclectic
neighborhood, including
a spate of ethnic restaurants
and intriguing shops that
have emerged to service
all those indie film producers
and up-and-coming actors.
Lace up your old Doc Martens
and let your freak flag
fly.
Dressing
the Part
Of course Fifth Avenue has
your Bergdorf
Goodman, your Saks
and your
precious Tiffany
& Co. And you’ll
undoubtedly hit Soho, where
you’ll swoon over
Anna
Sui and prostrate
yourself at Prada.
But just a step off the
beaten path brings you to
shopping Shangri-las less
well-known to visitors.
Elizabeth and Mott Streets
in NoLita (stands for North
of Little Italy) are chock
full of petite boutiques
that frequently out-clothe
the
pricier and more generic
stores. Calypso,
with its flower-child-goes-upscale
vibe, is a perennial favorite,
while Janet
Russo has flattering,
feminine, frenchy designs
that will smarten up your
next cocktail party.
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A must-see
is the Meat
Packing District,
the red-hot hunting ground
for the hip above Greenwich
Village. New designer shops
are shooting up like bright
flowers in a vacant lot
in an area once known for
seedy S&M clubs and
industrial waste. Point
your Jimmy Choos to Jeffrey,
the insanely trendy micro-department
store that electrifies shopping
mavens with its rapturous
shoe collection and eye-popping
designs for men and women.
You’ll also need to
check out the show-stopping
stores of Yigal
Azrouel, Alexander McQueen
and Stella
McCartney, whose
deliciously naughty creations
frequently make red carpet
appearances on the backs
of the young and hip.
Every
weekend, the Lower East
Side’s Orchard
Street is lined with
street hawkers selling hats,
gloves and scarves at unrivaled
bargain prices. Tucked among
the discount leather and
handbag stores, you’ll
find designer boutiques
like Skella,
where expressive eveningwear
collections in touch-me
fabrics demand your attention.
Don’t miss vintage
jeweler Doyle
& Doyle, where
you’re sure to find
that 1950’s strand-o-pearls
you’ve been hankering
for. Bonus: at 97 Orchard
you can time travel in the
Lower
East Side Tenement Museum,
which celebrates the lives
of neighborhood immigrants
who struggled towards the
American Dream in crowded
buildings like this in the
late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Then grab a pastrami
on rye at Katz’s
Deli on Houston Street,
the scene of Meg Ryan’s
orgasmic lunch in When Harry
Met Sally.
For super-eclectic
boutiques, vintage wear,
and one-of-a-kind wedding
gowns, make a stop at 9th
Street in the East Village.
Just a block from hippified
St. Mark’s Place,
you’ll find some of
the best vintage stores
in town, including Fabulous
Fanny’s, where
you can spend an afternoon
rifling through drawers
filled with four thousand
(yes!) pairs of vintage
eyewear.
Two
travelgirls on a Fashion
Mission
On a recent pilgrimmage
to 9th Street, my friend
Caroline Tigner and I spent
an hour doing mental closet
space calculations as we
tried on coats at Meg, the
smart boutique of designer
Megan Kinney. By the time
we’ve tried on every
chapeau at Cobblestones
Vintage Clothing & Accessories,
we realize we’ve got
just thirty mintues to make
cocktail hour in the Meat
Packing District. Dilemma:
Caroline has no time to
get home to Midtown to change.
If shopping
is a sport, Caroline is
sprinter. In just one block,
she manages to pick up a
vintage tennis skirt at
Atomic
Passion, a Merlot-red
off-the-shoulder blouse
at Peacock
NYC, heart-shaped
earrings and a new pair
of prettily trimmed panties
to go under that short skirt
at Girly
NYC (would you wear
a thong with a tennis skirt?).
Less than twenty minutes
and under two-hundred dollars
later, I am staring at the
miracle of her perfectly
pulled-together look —
sort of vintage Valley Girl.
At this moment New York
truly does seem like a city
where anything can happen.
We’re armed and ready
for Erica’s Badass
Cheeseburgers at ONE,
our favorite new hotspot
on Little West 12th.
She’ll
Take Manhattan
The
Meat Packing District
is the most sizzling after
dark scene in town —
you can’t help laughing
at the name once you’ve
been crammed in cheek-to-elbow
in an elevator at Hotel
Gansevoort, trying
to make it to the bar. Biker
chicks in leather minis,
uptown girls tripping over
cobblestones in Ferragamos,
sleepy-eyed models and media
pirates jostle each other
to gain access to the latest
de riguer spot for New York
impress-arios.
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The
Meat Packing District is
the most sizzling after
dark scene in town - you
can't help laughing at the
name...
Biker
chicks in leather minis,
uptown girls tripping over
cobblestones in Ferragamos,
sleepy-eyed models and media
pirates jostle each other
to gain access to the latest
de riguer spot for New York
impress-arios.
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Sinuous
wrought iron and flickering
candles give ONE
a kind of naughty, Spanish
Inquisition flair. Conceived
as a place where 30ish persons-
of-style could avoid club-kid
overkill but find something
more festive than just dinner,
this multi-levelled mecca
of mood food serves Dicktinis
and Diver of of style could
avoid club-kid overkill and
find something more festive
than just dinner, this multi-leveled
mecca of mood food serves
Dicktinis and Diver Scallops
to appreciative crowds who
don’t require a babysitter.
When a tennis-skirted Caroline
and I meet friends for cocktails,
we end up parking it for hours
on our cozy banquettes, grazing
on succulent shrimp satay
and the most divine lobster
sandwiches we’ve ever
tasted. Erica’s Badass
Cheeseburgers (named for co-founder
Erica Cohen) are mini burgers
topped with gorgonzola and
goat cheese — brought
to us by a waitress in Versace.
Now that’s what I call
style.
For
wine connoisseurs there’s
Rhone,
a converted garage space where
pounding hip hop can sometimes
seem at odds with wine-bar
sophistication. At French
brasserie Pastis,
may I suggest sidling up to
the zinc bar and ordering
a steak frites and a glass
of Burgundy? Or find your
inner francophile (you know
you have one!) at diner Florent,
where the 24-hour cuisine
feeds after-hours disco mamas
and drag queens.
A
Chilly New York Minute
On the cold, dusky days of
winter, tourists love ice
skating at Rockefeller
Center
and carriage rides through
Central Park — and when
New Yorkers feel like tourists,
we do the same, and love it.
But most of the wintertime
we’re just trying to
get out of the cold. Two favorite
spots to contemplate the New
York-ness of it all without
risking frostbite are two
Art Nouveau palaces open to
anyone and everyone: Grand
Central Station
and The
New York Public Library.
Sheltered inside the airy
space of Grand Central, New
Yorkers rush past each other
a little more civilly, as
if the celestial ceiling murals
bring some majesty to the
mundane proceedings of coming
and going. Complete a tour
of the shops with a steaming
bowl of Oyster Stew at the
Grand
Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant,
where you’re wise to
keep an eye out for Andy Rooney
and his CBS cronies.
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Or
spend an afternoon at The
New York Public Library,
where two famous lions greet
you, challenging you to be
as smart as this lavish haven
for the literate demands.
Order up a suitably serious
volume from the bowels of
the city and take a seat among
scholars under the gorgeous
cloud ceiling murals. You
are now inside a fairy tale
where the princess reads Dostoyevsky.
Some
of the best places to take
the chill off a wintry day
are the city’s used
book stores. Curl up in a
leather wing chair with a
novel at Housing
Works Used Bookstore Café
on Crosby Street (between
Houston and Lafayette) after
a Soho shopping binge. Then
browse the vinyl jazz collection
as soothing bossa nova floats
over you. Cookbooks, children’s
books and rare first editions
are just some of the treasures
you’ll find at one of
the most inviting public spaces
in town.
When
you’re ready to really
unwind, the warm, womb-like
space of Carapan
Urban Spa, one of the
city’s first destination
day spas, cannot be surpassed
for comfort. Gentle spirits
of the southwest preside over
this Chelsea townhouse where
a setting of Indian pipes,
flickering candles and Navajo
blankets will exorcise your
urban demons. You may find
yourself reading the I Ching
as vintage photos of Indian
warriors gaze solemnly overhead.
Then melt in the hands of
a magic-fingered massage therapist
as aromatic oils ooze across
your body.
Perhaps
you’d like a workout
to go with your work-over?
Fuggetabout blaring TV screens,
cheesy music and ugly metal
lockers. Gym meets Asian retreat
at Threshold,
a hidden West Chelsea studio
outfitted with carved Moroccan
doors, Persian carpets and
Asian-inspired paintings.
Let Lowell Boyers gently guide
you through his signature
Superslow workout routine.
Then bliss-out with Eileen
Kelly’s transcendent
Thai Massage that’s
one part massage, one part
meditation and one part dance
with an invisible partner.
Get stretched and kneaded
in a darkened room as you
sit on cushioned floor mats
and imagine that you’ve
reached Urban Nirvana.
Once
you’ve let New York
capture your imagination,
it becomes hard-wired into
your brain. The best thing
about leaving is that you
get to take away all those
cinematic moments when you
were the star. And every time
you return, the camera starts
rolling all over again.
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(caption)
Southwester
spirits soothe
city stress at the Carapan
Urban Spa
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