Luxury things to do in New York
4 Charles, Le Bernardin, Eleven Madison Park, and the grandest rooms in the city
No compromises, no waiting: tasting menus, flagship dining rooms, and bars that have been famous longer than most travellers have been alive. This is for the person who wants to eat at every table that matters in a single long weekend and has no interest in counting the cost.
Day 1: West Village power and polish
Milanese espresso at Sant Ambroeus, a long Via Carota lunch, a SoHo bookshop, and Jungsik's Korean tasting menu to close.
- 9:30 AM
Sant Ambroeus West Village
Milanese café on West 4th Street: espresso at the bar and a cornetto before the walk.
Map - 10:30 AM
- 12:30 PM
Via Carota
Get the svizzerina, a juicy chopped-steak patty, and the big green salad, a West Village rite.
Map - 2:30 PM
Housing Works Bookstore
Donated books in a tall SoHo loft with a café; the proceeds fund HIV/AIDS and homelessness services.
Map - 7:30 PM
Jungsik
Jungsik Yim's modern Korean tasting menu in Tribeca, the restaurant that started New York's Korean fine dining.
Map - 9:30 PM
Pearl Box Townhouse
Pearl Box is a gorgeous SoHo cocktail bar, intimate, beautifully designed, the perfect nightcap after a fine-dining blowout.
Map
Day 2: Midtown East, full throttle
The New York Public Library's reading room, lunch at The Modern overlooking MoMA's garden, the Intrepid, then Le Bernardin and drinks at The Polo Bar.
- 9:30 AM
Sant Ambroeus Madison
Milanese-style café beloved by the Upper East Side set, espresso and a cornetto in marble-and-mahogany surroundings.
Map - 10:30 AM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Beaux-Arts landmark and one of the world's great public buildings, the Rose Main Reading Room alone is worth the trip for.
Map - 12:30 PM
The Modern
Lunch in The Modern's dining room looking onto MoMA's sculpture garden; the bar room takes walk-ins.
Map - 2:30 PM
USS Intrepid
Walk the flight deck of a real aircraft carrier, an afternoon-sized landmark that won't clash with dinner prep.
Map - 7:30 PM
Le Bernardin
Eric Ripert's seafood tasting menu in Midtown: fish barely cooked, sauces poured at the table.
Map - 9:30 PM
The Polo Bar
Ralph Lauren's legendary Polo Bar, plush, glamorous and steps from Midtown; the after-dinner negroni crowd is exactly your crowd.
Map
Day 3: Flatiron and the grand finale
Breakfast at Daily Provisions, Madison Square Park, lunch at Eleven Madison Park, McNally Jackson, then Joo Ok's Korean tasting menu and Clemente Bar.
- 9:30 AM
Daily Provisions - Union Square
Daily Provisions near Union Square: a crullers-and-coffee start before a long lunch.
Map - 10:30 AM
Madison Square Park
Madison Square Park's rotating outdoor art commission and the Flatiron's prow, across from lunch.
Map - 12:30 PM
Eleven Madison Park
Daniel Humm's tasting menu in the tall Art Deco room facing Madison Square Park.
Map - 3:30 PM
McNally Jackson
Acclaimed independent bookshop, browse luxury art and design titles in a beautifully curated space.
Map - 7:30 PM
Joo Ok
A freight elevator to the 16th floor in Koreatown for a Korean tasting menu with skyline views.
Map - 9:30 PM
Clemente Bar
Upstairs at Eleven Madison Park, cocktails under murals painted by Francesco Clemente.
Map
Where to stay
The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad
The Ritz-Carlton NoMad puts you a short walk from Eleven Madison Park, Joo Ok and Clemente Bar, and the rooms match the register of the rest of your trip.
The Ned NoMad
The Ned NoMad is one of the most talked-about hotel openings in the city, with serious bars and dining in-house for when you want a night that never leaves the building.
Make New York your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art: a few days ahead
- Tenement Museum: weeks ahead
- Broadway: weeks ahead
- Lincoln Center: weeks ahead
- Top of The Rock: a few days ahead
- SUMMIT One Vanderbilt: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Times Square restaurants charge rent, not food quality, so eat two blocks west on 9th Avenue instead.
- Pedicabs use per minute fine print and short rides can cost hundreds, so agree a total price in writing or walk.
- Costumed characters, CD sellers and unofficial Statue of Liberty sellers turn a photo or free item into a payment demand.
- Do not do five observation decks, since one gives the skyline and the rest repeat it at different angles.
The full New York travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around