A weekend in New York
Designed as a huge loft, the new Audemars Piguet boutique opened last September just a stone’s throw from Central Park. It’s as good a reason as any to spend a long weekend in the Big Apple.
A Broadway show, a shopping spree at Barney’s, a “dirty martini” at the Hudson Bar or dinner chez Jean-Georges: some classic New York spots will never go out of style. Each time one visits it’s a pleasure to walk these well-known streets and get caught up in the excitement of New York City.
There’s always something new for culture buffs, shopping addicts, gourmets and nightowls. Audemars Piguet fans can visit the boutique that opened last fall, a veritable club dedicated to luxury watches and design, on their way to see the amazing exhibition consecrated to the work of Tim Burton at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Several hundred of his creations are assembled – drawings, mock-ups, photographs, marionettes and storyboards – a walk through the artist’s off-kilter world.
The Guggenheim’s fiftieth anniversary celebration will also be spectacular. Starting February 12, 2010, more than 250 contemporary artists, designers and architects will give their imaginations free rein in homage to the avant-garde museum. If weather permits, a walk on the High Line, an old freight train track that’s recently been renovated in the trendy Meatpacking district, offers a perfect mix of city and country with a view of the Hudson River in natural surroundings.
The stimulation of the city’s sights and sounds can be exhausting; but one can escape the hectic pace of Manhattan in the Oriental Mandarin, which has an incredible pool with a panoramic view of New York’s rooftops and the city’s best-rated spa. A quiet moment to gather one’s resources before adventuring into the wild and crazy New York night…
A few suggestions...
Shopping
- Audemars Piguet, new boutique: 65 East 57th Street, 10022 New York
- Barneys, luxury department store: 660 Madison Avenue (61st st), 10021 New York
- The High Line, accessible from Gansevoort street until W20th street
- Mandarin Oriental, one of Manhattan most luxurious hotels with spa and piscine: 80 Colombus Circle (corner of 60th St.). www.mandarinoriental.com
- The Standard Hotel, new retro-futurist design hotel in the Meatpacking district: 848 Washington Street, www.standardhotels.com
Restaurants
- Jean-Georges, contemporary French cuisine, often considered the best in the city: Trump Hotel, Central Park West ( between Columbus circle and 60th), www.jean-georges.com
- Nobu, not-to-be-missed Japanese: 105 Hudson St. (Franklin Street), www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com
- STK House, a modern and trendy steakhouse with a hip clientele: 26 Little West 12th St, www.stkhouse.com
