Why New York City Is The Place To Be This Summer

I had not travelled to New York City since 2010 and during my latest visit this week I had to ask myself what took me so long to return.

There is a special energy in New York City that I can hardly put into words. Beyond the nostalgia behind Broadway, the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Frank Sinatra, Hip-Hop culture and history, the Harlem Renaissance, the fashion, and the Empire State Building Landmark; what is it that places this city into a league of it’s own?

The answer is it’s people.

From the moment we arrived, we were immediately wrapped up in the warmth of everyone we came in contact with starting at LaGuardia Airport. The overall service and hospitality in New York City is impeccable. I also effortlessly made new friends and business contacts during my five day visit. This city is the networking capital of the world.

So what to do when you arrive in New York City? Here are a few suggestions:

Where to Stay:

The Arlo Nomad Hotel. This new boutique hotel is located at 31st and 5th in the heart of the Midtown Manhattan, just steps from the Empire State Building and Madison Avenue. You can hang out at the spacious rooftop terrace on the 31st floor called The Heights which has wraparound breathtaking views of the city plus a bar and lounge chairs. There are regular hosted parties to be enjoyed or you can just meet with friends and have a cocktail.

The Heights Rooftop Terrace at the Arlo Nomad Hotel in Manhattan. Photo by Lisa Richov

The hotel has a great Italian eatery, lounge and bar called Massoni which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s also a small take-away cafe just inside the entrance of the hotel which is great for those early morning coffee pick me ups on the way out or coming back after a long day.

Where to Go:

Madison Square Park is a beautiful park adjacent to 5th Avenue. There are areas of the park that offer blue umbrella’s and chairs to sit and people watch. Musicians can be seen and heard playing music, while children play in the two playgrounds. Sponsored events for the public are hosted in the park on a regular basis.

Madison Square Park. New York Photo by The Festive Anthropoogist

The Flatiron Building is a triangular 22 story metal framed landmark located on 17rth Avenue near Madison Square Park off 5th Avenue in the Flatiron District. It was designed by Chicago based architect Daniel Burnham and was built in 1902. A gorgeous building worth seeing.

The Flatiron District, New York. Photo by The Festive Anthropologist

Studio Museum Harlem is on 144th W125th Street. It is highly recognized nationally and internationally, and has over 1600 paintings, sculptures, photographs and installations of permanent collections alone plus new contemporary exhibits by black American artists. Art programs for teachers, students and seniors are available on a continual basis.

Studio Museum in Harlem, Manhattan, New York

This Painting over gold leaf is one of the many permanent artwork displayed at the museum.

Central Park is the largest park in New York City with the most visits of any park in the U.S.A. It expands 843 acres and was originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1857. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

I was impressed by the serenity of the park and of how much it is used and respected by the locals. The grounds are impeccable. There is plenty of seating areas, a cafe and restaurant, a pond and lake to go canoeing. The grounds have a few playgrounds for children; a path for cyclists and you can even rent miniature boats with remote control to navigate on the pond. It is also a perfect place for a picnic.

The Met has two exceptional exhibits on at the moment, one is the historical works of fashion photographer Irving Penn and the other is the In Between exhibit by designer Rei Kawakubo of fashion house Commes des Garcons. Both exhibits are showing through the summer.

Irving Penn’s Camera. He used it for 40 years of his career.

One of the many installations by Rei Kawakubu for Commes des Garcons

The Met on 5th Avenue and 81st Street, New York

The MoMA currently has an exhibit of works by Architect and Interior Designer Frank Lloyd Wright. I was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t more on him personally. What inspired him? Coverage on him as an educator and writer? Despite this drawback, the exhibit was very good as it showed the stages of design and colour for The Guggenheim from the beginning to completion. The exhibit also walks through the process of his work on the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo which took 10 years to complete.

Where to Shop:

From hat maker Flame Keepers Hat Club in Harlem, to street artists in Chelsea or Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue, New York has some of the best stores in the world. The following are just some of the shops I popped into, including the Sample Sale at J. Crew,. Other gems are Bergdorf Goodman, Dior, Armani, Michael Kors, Zara, Solstices, Barney’s, Dover Street Market, Story in Chelsea.