New York reveals its relentless pace punctuated by new flagships, experiential museums, performing centers, skyscrapers that defy the laws of gravity and extraordinary makeovers such as the former Domino Sugar Factory transformed into a dedicated co-working hub. The traveler returning to the city has only to venture between the neighborhoods and delve with a curious gaze, step by step, to discover what’s new in Tribeca, Soho, Chelsea, and Brooklyn in a journey between memory and awe.
Starting with hospitality and its unexpected locations such as Fifth Avenue Hotel opened in a sophisticated mansion in the NoMad neighborhood in which stands out the restaurant Café Carmellini, a new destination for gourmet enthusiasts. You can’t miss a cocktail at the famous Hotel Chelsea, once home to artists, writers and musicians who turned it into a timeless legend, or at one of the finest rooftop bars such as Jimmy and its private pool, from which to admire the skyline, or Water Tower bar, in Williamsburg, opened in one of the traditional water tanks.
Among the new restaurants, Botte in Tribeca (35 Ave of the Americas) showcases traditional Italian cuisine in an impressive space that evokes the Gilded Age, and in Greenpoint, Ilis (150 Green St, Brooklyn) conceived and led by executive chef Mads Refslund-among the founders of the multi-starred noma Copenhagen-is among the most sought-after destinations of the moment.
One cannot visit New York without stopping at MoMA, which devotes a large exhibition area to South American design; at the MET, which recently opened the exhibition Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion (through Sept. 2) and artist Petrit Halilaj‘s Garden Rooftop (through Oct. 28); and at the Brooklyn Museum, where the exhibition Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys (through July 7) is an impressive jubilation and paean to African-American art. At the Whitney Museum, meanwhile, is the Biennial (through Aug. 11) evocatively titled Even Better Than the Real Thing with artists exploring the fluidity of identity and the increasing precariousness of the worlds around us.
Crossing the street, one finds oneself at Manhattan’s first beach on Gansevoort Peninsula, built on one of the piers (the old harbor piers) converted into public parks and overlooking Little Island, the park suspended over the Hudson River that has quickly become a favorite destination for unparalleled views.
Walking the nearby High Line to Hudson Yards leads to the new BIG/Bjarke Ingels-designed skyscraper The Spiral by BIG/Bjarke Ingels and the Moynihan Connector, a new segment of the “architecture promenade” connecting Midtown to the Meatpacking District. And it is in this vibrant district, a stone’s throw from Chelsea’s art galleries, that Leica has chosen to open its New York gallery-boutique (406 W. 13th St.), an immersive cultural space dedicated to visual storytelling. Next door, Audemars Piguet‘s new clubhouse and the elegant RH Guesthouse (55 Gansevoort St.) by design brand Restoration Hardware.
For fans of design culture, many internationally renowned brands have moved their flagship stores to Madison Avenue, such as Kartell and Poltrona Frau, while an increasing number of fashion brands have chosen SoHo-among the new entries are Gucci, Cartier, Valentino-transforming the legendary design district into the beating heart of fashion.
Dedicated to art design enthusiasts, in the heart of the West Village, Casa Perfect presents an exhibition of brick sculptural works and furnishings by Floris Wubben: mirrors, benches, stools, chairs, coffee tables, and a mural inspired by old New York buildings. Moving toward Tribeca, Jamie Gray’s showroom-gallery – Matter (405 Broome St) – has a refined aesthetic expressed by their Matter Made label that collaborates with designers such as Alfredo Häberli, Barber & Osgerby, Estudio Persona.
At R&Company (64 White Street), Ronan Gregory’s solo exhibition Elysian Dream offers a glimpse into his anthropomorphic and evocative design, working with a variety of natural materials, and a little further down the street, at Colony – 196 W Broadway, a gallery founded by Jean Lin in 2014 – our curiosity is piqued amid a mix of carefully selected furniture, textiles, and art objects. Not to be missed is Verso’s new Arflex flagship store (51 Hudson St.), which opened on May 16 with an installation by Gregory Beson.
Moving to the Upper East Side, Invisible Collection displays its collectibles in an elegant townhouse (24 East 64th St.) and presents Thierry Lemaire’s U.S. debut, while Niki de Saint Phalle is on stage at the magnificent location of Salon 94 (3 East 89th St.) with five works from his Tableaux Éclatés.
Among Downtown’s new destinations, across the street from Santiago Calatrava’s Oculus, the immersive museum Mercer Labs (21 Day Street) invites interactive experiences between art and technology in fifteen exhibition spaces, while the performance hub dedicated to theater, dance and performance Perelman Performing Arts Center – PAC NYC (251 Fulton St.) – designed by REX Studio, interior design by Rockwell Group – has opened its doors next to the Freedom Tower.
For those fascinated by experiential spaces, Hall des Lumières (49 Chambers St), Artechouse (Chelsea Market) and the impressive installation Fields of Light at Freedom Plaza (686 1st Ave) with more than 18 thousand lights unveil the allure of digital art. And for an end-of-day relaxation, Bath House at the Flatiron and QC Terme on Governors Island invite guests to regain their remise en forme…ready for a new journey to discover a “secret New York”.
