Whether you’re going for a business meeting, a family vacation, a weekend away, or simply coming home, the New York metropolitan area will always keep the light on. Theaters, restaurants, snazzy hotels, shops, architecture, art, music, sports – they’re all here, and we’ve got a few good ideas to help you find the venue you’re after. Nearly one of every 14 Americans lives in this area. Let us show you what the other 13 are missing. Fun FactsA two-story windmill dominated Manhattan’s skyline in the 1660s.
The Federal Reserve Bank on Wall Street in Manhattan houses 24 percent of the world’s gold bullion.
Basketball player turned rapper turned basketball player Shaquille O’Neal is a native of Newark. | Your Itinerary If You Have Two Hours
After you’ve walked your feet off all over New York, take those tired tootsies to Angel Feet, the first store front reflexology salon in the City. In a sixty-minute session, your pedals will stop aching and your cares will melt away. Yelo also offers reflexology, and power napping in a unique patented treatment cabin called the YeloCab. Angel Feet, 77 Perry St. 212.924.3576, angelfeet.com. Yelo, 315 W. 57th St. 212.245.8235. yelonyc.com.
If You Have 2 Days
It’s easy to forget that Manhattan is an island, and there’s a lot more people self-propelling around than you might think. The Downtown Boathouse, the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park, and the Manhattan Kayak Company offer unique ways to enjoy New York Harbor and the Hudson River. Downtown Boathouse, Hudson River Park. 646.613.0375. downtownboathouse.org. Loeb Boathouse, Central Park between 74th & 75th Sts. centralpark.com. Manhattan Kayaking Company, The Boathouse, Pier 66. 212.924.1788. manhattankayak.com.
If You Have a Long Weekend
Why wait until September to visit Woodstock NY? Because it’s one month after the August madness that marks every anniversary of the closing of the New York Freeway; this is a much better time to visit this vestige of the counter culture. Only two hours north of Manhattan, Woodstock has a year-round air of peace and tranquility. It’s been an artist’s colony for over a hundred years, and the physical beauty of the area will take your breath away. Woodstockchamber.com (845.679.6234) will fill you in on events –there is always something creative happening – and lodging and restaurants. And if you must revel in the past, there’s the Museum at Bethel Woods (pictured above) (bethelwoodscenter.org, 866.781.2922), a tribute to the tie-dyed era.
Local Flavor
| Convention & Visitor's BureauNYC & Company
810 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019
212.484.1200
nycvisit.com |
Local FlavorWhen you think classic barbecue, you don’t think mid-Atlantic. But in recent years the smell of wood smoke and hot sauce has begun to float over the NY/NJ area. Smokin’ Q is a recent addition to the pit-smoked joint, and BBQ fans are already raving about the St. Louis style ribs. 206 E. 63rd St, 212.355.7000.
Even newer is Wildwood Barbecue with its multi-regional styles of ribs, pulled pork and wide variety of beers to cool the tongue. 225 Park Ave. South, 212.533.2500; brguestrestaurants.com.
Smokey Joe’s in Teaneck offers up a unique fare: slow-cooked, pit-smoked Kosher BBQ. The specialty is Texas BBQ Brisket, just like your abuela or bubbe used to make. 494 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ.201.836.RIBS. smokeyjoesbbq.com.
— David McDonough
Photographs: Courtesy of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (bus); istockphoto (Statue of Liberty) |
