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The High Line
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Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street
The High Line is one of the City’s most popular and distinctive parks. Built on a once-abandoned elevated rail line, the green space offers unparalleled views of Manhattan’s far west side. With places to sit and people-watch, patches of grass, seasonal blooms and fascinating architectural features throughout, it’s a great place to relax, and makes for an envy-inducing photo backdrop.
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Whitney Museum of American Art
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99 Gansevoort St.
The Whitney Museum of American Art is the world's leading museum of 20th-century and contemporary art of the United States. Focusing particularly on works by living artists, the Whitney is celebrated for presenting important exhibitions and for its renowned collection, which comprises over 21,000 works by more than 3,000 artists. With a history of exhibiting the most promising and influential artists and provoking intense debate, the Whitney Biennial, the museum's signature exhibition, has become the most important survey of the state of contemporary art in the United States.
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Washington Square Park
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W 4th St to Waverly Pl
The symbolic heart of Greenwich Village, Washington Square Park is one of NYC’s most recognizable public spaces. Pass beneath the Washington Arch—the giant structure marking the park’s Fifth Avenue entrance on the north side—and you’ll see the energy that makes the place so special. NYU students congregate around a central fountain; sunbathers lie on the lawn; musicians sit on benches strumming guitars; and canines run gleefully amok in two dog runs. The park’s black-brick paths and vintage-style streetlights lend it a 19th-century feel, as does a majestic bronze statue of Garibaldi.
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The High Line Hotel
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180 Tenth Ave.
Nestled within a cluster of landmarked buildings in Chelsea, The High Line Hotel is an urban sanctuary offering guests a respite from the City in a historic setting. Originally built in 1895 as student housing for the General Theological Seminary, the intimate 60-room Roman and Williams–designed property is located within a rare, cloistered community overlooking the High Line Park and an enclosed private garden. Blending eclectic Americana with European style, the property pays tribute to its English collegiate Gothic roots. A destination of its own, the hotel's lobby is the home to Chicago-based Intelligentsia Coffee.
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Jeffrey's Grocery
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172 Waverly Place
Locals pop into this picturesque corner spot in the West Village for seafood, cocktails and much more. Lunch is all about delicious sandwiches (smokey turkey, shrimp rolls). In the afternoons and evenings, you'll see more people settling in for oysters and sparkling wine, New England clam chowder and plates of crispy squid or fried chicken. Owner Gabe Stulman has a record of success (Little Owl, Joseph Leonard) and an intuitive feel for how people like to eat right now.
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Fairfax
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234 West 4th Street
Fairfax is decorated like a mid-century modern living room. At breakfast, swing by for coffee and fresh pastries. From 11:30am to 7pm, there’s a $20 flat rate for a glass of wine and a small plate, like serrano ham with melon, mint and hazelnuts. It’s also a chic nighttime hangout—always the case when Gabe Stulman (Fedora) is the restaurateur.
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Fonda - Chelsea
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189 Ninth Ave.
Not too many Mexican restaurants change their menus seasonally, but Roberto Santibañez isn't just any Mexican chef. From Mexico City, he went on to train at Paris' Le Cordon Bleu and become a teacher and author. Most recently, he was the culinary director of NYC's Rosa Mexicano restaurants. At Fonda he brings more than two decades of experience to cooking up chicken enchiladas with tangy tomatillo sauce and duck-filled fresh corn tortillas with roasted tomato–habanero cream sauce.
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Dante
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78 Macdougal Street
There’s such a pleasant hubbub in this century-old West Village café that it’s hard not to feel happy, especially when tucking into smoky shishito peppers, saucy organic chicken parm bubbling in a skillet and lusty vegetarian lasagna. Those who like Negronis, take note: there are numerous iterations here—including a classic version on tap—which are discounted daily from 3pm to 6pm.