Biting into the Big Apple

Highlights from the Island of Manhattan

By Alison Malone

Although it covers an area of only about 23 square miles, Manhattan is the most densely populated area in the United States. Nestled within the tiny island are countless neighborhoods, each with its own collection of hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, shops, theaters, museums, and landmarks. Here’s a peek at a handful of my favorite places that you may just fall in love with, too.

BED Located in Midtown Manhattan on 57th Avenue just south of Central Park, Le Parker Meridien is a hip hotel known for its modern interiors, popularity among celebs, and proximity to Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center. There’s a commanding marble lobby, a state-of-the art gym, three notable eateries, and an indoor pool with stunning views of Central Park.

RISE AND SHINE For breakfast, Norma’s is downstairs in Le Parker Meridien. Voted “Best Breakfast in New York” by the Zagat Survey, the restaurant’s menu features dishes like banana-macadamia nut flapjacks and the Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata. What’s in the name? It’s topped with ten ounces of Sevruga caviar, and will set you back a cool $1,000. On the upside, the portions are so large you won’t be hungry again until dinner.

LEARN Stroll along Central Park and the Upper East Side to the Metropolitan Museum of Art—the Met—and peruse paintings and sculptures by European masters and preserved pieces from ancient Egypt. Across the park at the American Museum of Natural History, explore the Rose Center for Earth and Space, the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, the Hall of Human Origins, and the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, with a towering fossil of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

TREAT While strolling through Greenwich Village, pop into Magnolia Bakery, where the cupcakes are so popular that there is a limit of twelve per customer. In Little Italy, visit Ferrara Bakery & Café, which claims to be “America’s First Espresso Bar” and sells authentic cannoli, biscotti, and tiramisu. The Upper East Side’s charming Serendipity 3 is famous for decadent desserts, including the signature Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, a milkshake and pudding hybrid that made it onto Oprah’s list of favorite things.

SHOP Deck yourself out at Anthropologie, a whimsical, shabby-chic-style oasis that sells feminine frocks, jewelry, and housewares. Beauty emporium Sephora is like a candy store for makeup mavens and stocks brands such as Stila, Benefit, Philosophy, and Frederic Fekkai. (Lucky for you, there are twelve locations in Manhattan.) If your pockets are deeper than Donald Trump’s, stop in at Bergdorf Goodman, a historic luxury Fifth Avenue department store.

DINE At the European brasserie-style Bar Americain, Chef Bobby Flay showcases his flair for regional American cuisine in dishes like crawfish and crab cake, country-style ribs with bourbon BBQ sauce, and a shellfish cocktail trio of shrimp-tomatillo, crab-coconut, and lobster-avocado combinations. Savor the flavors of the Far East at Tao, a palatial temple-style room housing a sixteen-foot-tall Buddha statue. The pan-Asian menu runs the gamut from Peking duck to yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño and ponzu sauce.

MINGLE Soak up the scene at Whisky Blue in the W New York Hotel, a cocktail bar owned by nightclub mastermind (and Mr. Cindy Crawford) Rande Gerber. For the big-city vibe, visit Marquee, an ultraluxe lounge and club that is a favorite among the celebrities who order bottle service and check out the dance floor from the upstairs VIP section. Back in the East Village, Le Souk is a labyrinthine Moroccan-style restaurant and nightclub famous for its authentic fare and Sunday-night house parties.

LATE NIGHT Curb late-night cravings back at Le Parker Meridien in the Burger Joint, a popular no-frills haunt known for the best burgers in town. Walk behind the nondescript curtain in the lobby, bring your cash and be ready—customers who aren’t set to order are sent to the back of the line.