Chikalicous
203 E. 10th St., New York, NY
The specialty at this popular restaurant is dessert and dessert only. Most of the action takes place behind the bar, where the pastry chef and co-owner, Chika Tillman, and her assistants whip up their creations. Enjoy a magical three courses served along side a chosen dessert wine. On weekend nights, the line can snake out the door and down the block.
The Standard
848 Washington Street New York
It’s a glorious glassy high-rise lording it over the Meatpacking District, with witty minimalist interiors. The Standard’s 18th floor bar, Top of The Standard, has full-circle views of Manhattan with floor-to-ceiling windows. You can also enjoy a cocktail in the Living Room attached to the lobby – a futuristic space filled with Eames-like furniture and suffused with soft red light.
Last week in NYC Mother NYC teamed up with Target to create an installation at the Standard Hotel in NYC. Over 170 rooms were used, synced with LED lights and performers.
Freeman’s
End of Freeman Alley, New York
Down a dark, shadowy alley just off Bowery is where the trendy Lower East Side gather to drink wine, crowding around antique wood tables. Worn plank floors and painted cement walls, fit with moose, elk and other assorted taxidermy. The homespun American menu includes delectable dishes tinged with the occasional Anglo accent and specialty cocktails.
The High line
The High Line is a 1.45-mile New York City park built on a section of the former elevated freight railroad spur called the West Side Line, which runs along the lower west side of Manhattan; it has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway. The High Line Park currently runs from Gansevoort Street, one block below West 12th Street, in the Meatpacking District, up to 20th Street, and will eventually run through the neighborhood of Chelsea to the West Side Yard, near the Javits Convention Center.
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
91st Street and Fifth Avenue, New York
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s collection is international in scope, includes both historic and contemporary design, and extends from one-of-a-kind to mass-produced items. The collection encompasses the rich holdings of the Museum’s Library, Archives, and four curatorial departments: Product Design and Decorative Arts; Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design; Textiles; and Wallcoverings. The shop is beautiful and defiantly worth a visit; it is a juxtaposition of old wooden paneling walls with contemporary items.
Spotted pig
314 West 11th Street, New York
Owner Ken Friedman with a particular aesthetic and concept in mind devised every aspect of this West Village eatery and hangout. The array of pig paraphernalia displayed in every available nook, for example, is the result of his longstanding collection. The specialty is defiantly the juicy burger served with shoestring fries or the notorious gnudi, a kind of ricotta dumpling served in brown butter with crispy sage. If you were feeling adventurous I would thoroughly recommend the pigs ear.
MoMA PS1
22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, New York
Warm Up is MoMAPS1's critically acclaimed music series and has become one of NYC's most anticipated summer events. The series is housed within the architectural installation created by the winner of the annual MoMAPS1 and MoMA organized Young Architects Program. Together, the music, architecture and exhibition program provide a unique multi-sensory experience for music fans, artists, and families alike.
Partners & Spade
40 Great Jones Street, New York
Partners & Spade, established in 2008 by Andy Spade and Anthony Sperduti, is a storefront and studio on Great Jones Street in the NoHo neighborhood of lower Manhattan. The studio produces films, books, apparel, and conceptual products as well as marketing and branding projects for select corporate clients. The storefront, open on weekends to the public, presents a constantly re-imagined group show of artwork, objects, collections, and ideas generated by a changing cast of collaborators. Partners & Spade draws on Spade and Sperduti’s collective experience in advertising, filmmaking, and fashion to create brand strategies, products, and one-of-a-kind artifacts, as well as a space for art happenings and special gatherings.
Balthazar
80 Spring St., New York
Balthazar is an evocation of a Paris brasserie, offering a French menu prepared by chefs de cuisine Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson. Diners can also choose from an extensive wine list, a raw seafood bar, and breads and pastries from Balthazar bakery. I would strongly suggest enjoying brunch here – best coffee in New York. It is also renowned for its exceptional design. The building was converted from a leather wholesaler's warehouse.
Orchard Street
Orchard Street is a street in Manhattan which covers the eight city blocks between Division Street in Chinatown and East Houston Street on the Lower East Side. Boutiques and designer shops line the street. If you are wondering around the area, have dinner at An Choi, cheap and chilled but very tasty Vietnamese.
