Sometimes you need a staycation. In New York City, it can feel like a rare treat to replace your never-enough-time routine with 48 hours indulging solely in your favorite activities. To celebrate my second year since I launched my fine jewelry collection, I booked a room at The Carlyle and mixed some celebratory events with a photo shoot (many photos here are also my own). In the spirit of that weekend, I wanted to share my guide to the Upper East Side. It’s not extensive, but it’s my go-to list. Enjoy!
Hotel:
The Carlyle A timeless, elegant, classic to end all classics. Plus, you get the same discretionary, attentive treatment as the most glamorous guests who’ve stayed there.
Drinks:
Bemelman’s Bar At The Carlyle. The most picturesque bar in NYC because of the murals painted by artist Ludwig Bemelman, author of the Madeline books. It’s a New York institution I have gone to for decades that younger people have rediscovered. Now, you might have to wait in line, but the atmosphere and generous, delicious drinks are worth it. My fave? Madeline’s Vesper. (If you are a guest at the hotel, you get to jump the line.)
The Grill Room Located in the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe/Philip Johnson designed Seagram Building built in 1959, this is another old school elegant interior any mid-century modern aficionado shouldn’t miss.
Lunch:
Via Quadronno Where the locals grab lunch. Go for a quick panini or salad, splurge for the tiramisu if you have room.
Sant Ambroeus When you have time for a leisurely lunch, want to splurge, and people watch. Or you can grab a cappuccino at the bar.
I hear that ABCV by Jean Georges is opening at The Mark. It’s vegan, I’ve been to his OG local at the old ABC building, and it’s spectacular.
Dinner:
J. G. Melon’s The best burger in town (ask for your cottage fries extra crispy), since 1972.
Then, frankly, high tail it downtown for dinner (Balthazar, Minetta Tavern, I Sodi, Buvette), or the recently opened Le Rock at Rockefeller Center, from the founders of Frenchette. The Art Deco interior and food makes for a special evening.
Treat:
Lady M My birthday (and other occasions) are celebrated with one of their mille crepe cakes. Matcha is my fave. The chocolate checker cake is another standout.
Ralph’s Tourists, locals—everyone heads to Ralph Lauren’s convenient 72nd Street in-store hangout for their coffee (their brownies do not disappoint).
Shopping:
Every major luxury brand has a spot here, I don’t think I need to go through the list. And Bergdorf’s natch.
The Row. Even if it’s only for browsing, go for the friendly staff (I have known Ola for decades) and the rotating museum-level art and furniture.
Khaite and Toteme are opening on 69th Street which is trouble.
Zitomer Where you go on the UES for the perfect headband (check out the extensive hair accessories on the 2nd floor), a comb you can pull out of your handbag, underwear, every fancy hair product you can think of and so much more. With UES prices to match.
Peress This store is filled with the kind of old school, high-end cotton underwear and nightwear you usually only see in Europe. It has been in different locations on the UES when it started in 1927 and is still family owned; that’s Mr. Peress inside. If you want to pretend you are (or perhaps you actually are) the woman who puts on a bed jacket to attend to her correspondence on her tray table every morning, you can fulfill those dreams here, plus some Hanro underwear, Jacques Levine slippers and more.
Albertine A French bookstore on the stunning first floor of the Cultural Services for the French Embassy. There are books in English too, but just go spend 5 minutes (don’t miss the second floor of the bookshop, the ceiling is a treat. Trust me.)
Knockout Beauty It’s uptown uptown, but it’s the place for knowledgeable skincare (where I get most of my products and recs), the kind of makeup you really want and expert facials.
Art:
I suppose MoMA is technically midtown, but the major museums are up here including the Guggenheim, The Met, and eventually The Frick will reopen in its original mansion once they finish the renovations. The Jewish Museum frequently has excellent exhibits.
While there is so much amazing art at The Met, some of my favorite spots are rooms transported from other centuries and continents including The Black Room from the late 1st Century in Greek and Roman Wing (room 167), The Frank Lloyd Wright living room from 1912 in the American Wing (gallery 745), the Chinese Courtyard (Gallery 218), the Art Noveau Wisteria Room created for Rateau circa 1914 (Gallgery 813) surrounded by more Degas than you can imagine.
Neue Galerie The most amazing mansion/space with Austrian art from Klimt, Egon Schiele and Weiner Werkstatte. The classic Viennese Café Sabarsky is old-world gorgeous and the food (their desserts!) is worth the wait. Really, everyone should go here at least once.
Gagosian, White Cube, Hauser & Wirth, Salon 94, Lévy Gorvy Dayan, Mnuchin Gallery (I think I went to a The Row fashion show here once). You could spend two days going to all the blue-chip galleries uptown. Check what’s on exhibit and choose accordingly.
Places worth leaving the neighborhood for:
Besides dinner, these are six of my happy places that are worth the trip. The Noguchi Museum (personal note, my mother-in-law was close friends with someone who worked with Noguchi and my husband had his 5th birthday party in this space. Can you imagine?!); La Mercerie—my favorite lunch spot in the Roman & Williams designed boutique, best niçoise salad and chocolate chip cookies (that sell out early on the weekend); Lysée for the most divine, unlike-anything-else Korean pastries; Dashwood Books—if you want to find something art-oriented and out-of-print; Bar Pisellino—a Negroni Bianco is my drink of choice; Dim Sum Go Go, the OG on East Bowery—not fancy in the least, but still the best dim sum in the city IMO, plus they have a whole page of vegetarian options which we order in multiples.
I love New York.
x J
Can you share outfit details please???!!!! Love everything!
More notes about what you're wearing, please!