Autumn in New York is sung about and lionized in the jazz standard song (best rendered, in our view, by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong) and in classic films like When Harry Met Sally, the 1995 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, Hannah and Her Sisters and the namesake film itself (the one with Richard Gere and Wynona Ryder – you remember that one, right?) Romantics, dreamers, adventurers and wanderers imagine the city at this time of year as the most brilliant place of all. And we can’t say that they’re wrong. If you decide to visit New York City this fall in pursuit of your own magical experience, what should you be sure to do? We asked some of our pals who are lifelong New Yorkers – and some who are transplants – about their absolute favorite fall activities in Gotham. It goes without saying that if you’ve never been to the city, there are some iconic things that you just need to do (including a stroll through the leaves in Central Park; window-shopping or actually shopping on upper Madison Avenue; SoHo; Rockefeller Plaza; Times Square; a Broadway show; the MOMA; the Whitney; and the Met).
But assuming that you’ve checked all of the obvious destinations off your list, here’s our Dandelion Chandelier list of the top 10 luxury insider experiences that we’d recommend for a full measure of joy in the city in the fall:
1. The White Light Festival at Lincoln Center. This marvelous multi-disciplinary arts festival deserves to be better known than it is. It’s an annual exploration, held every October and November, of the power of art to illuminate our interior and communal lives. This year, the theme is faith—the faith of artists through the ages, and faith in humanity to inspire and design a better future. The cannot-miss event this year is The Psalms Experience, in which four international choirs will perform all 150 psalms in musical settings crossing centuries—including commissions by living composers—during the course of 12 concerts in venues across the city. Whether you see one of them, or some other element of the festival, you can have a great meal beforehand at one of the Upper West Side’s best restaurants. Personally, we love the Atlantic Grill and Bar Boulud. www.lincolncenter.org
2. Brooklyn. You probably had this on your list already, but we asked our Brooklyn Bureau Chief to clue us in on the very best places to go right now. Her recommendation? Head for Williamsburg. Stay at the William Vale Hotel if you really want full immersion. Either way, be sure to eat at one or more of the following places: Westlight (a rooftop bar with spectacular views); Du’s Donuts (Chef Wylie Dufresne’s ground-floor donut shop); or Mr. Dipps (a rooftop airstream serving burgers, fries, and ice cream) – all three are inside or adjacent to the William Vale. Restaurant Lilia, owned by Chef Missy Robbins, gets rave reviews. Ditto the wine bar Four Horsemen; Aska, which serves a Nordic tasting menu with over 20 courses; and the Llama Inn, which serves Peruvian fare.
3. The Conservatory Garden in Central Park. This secret formal garden is a botanical idyll right in the middle of the city. There are many wonderful spots in Central Park, like the Bethesda Fountain, that are very well-known. This one isn’t, which is part of the fun. Head for Fifth Avenue and 105th Street, and you’ll find a lovely curated garden behind a majestic black wrought-iron gate. Be sure to walk under the spectacular pergola. Afterward, you can visit the Museum of the City of New York, which is right across the street. Or walk down Fifth Avenue and visit three jewel-box museums all in a row: the Cooper Hewitt Design museum; the Frick, and the Neue Galerie. If you want more, visit the Guggenheim – the current display is Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World, with work by 71 key artists and groups active across China on display.
4. Yankee Stadium or Citi Field. Depending on how the Yanks and the Mets are doing in the post-season, you might be able to catch a home game at one of these baseball stadiums. You don’t have to love sports to have a fun time at either one. It’s not really about the game (maybe not about the game at all, actually); it’s about being surrounded by real New Yorkers, eating real New York hot dogs and having an ice cold beer. An Aaron Judge homerun or two would just be icing on the cake.
5. Harlem. Again, you might have had this on your list already. If not, definitely add it. A great day in Harlem could look something like this: take a stroll through the bucolic campus of Columbia University, and stop in at the Wallach Art Gallery at the Lenfest Center of the Arts — the current exhibition is Living in America: Frank Lloyd Wright, Harlem and Modern Housing. Then have a bite at Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster (the new fall menu is just out). Catch a jazz concert at Minton’s Playhouse, or a classical music concert at Riverside Church or St. John the Divine. If you visit on a Sunday, definitely attend a service at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, the city’s first African-American Baptist church, founded in 1808. And do not leave without paying a visit to the Studio Museum in Harlem. The current exhibits include Fictions, a survey of recent work by 19 emerging artists of African descent who live and work in the US; Their Own Harlems, an examination of the ways in which the urban landscape influenced the painter Jacob Lawrence (this year is the centennial of his birth); and Harlem Postcards, a project that invites contemporary artists to reflect on Harlem as a site of cultural, artistic and political activity.
6. The North Fork. We discovered the North Fork of Long Island this year in early summer, and it’s a wonderful spot to visit anytime of year. But the fall is particularly special there. The harvest season means apple picking, bountiful farm stands, fresh-baked pies and winery tours. Unlike in the Hamptons, its more glamorous sister across the sound, you don’t have to dress up or drive a vintage luxury car to fit in here — relaxed artisanal luxury is the hallmark of the North Fork.
7. Chelsea. This neighborhood is alive with creative energy of all kinds, and it’s totally infectious. You can visit the Whitney (be sure to catch Calder: Hypermobility before it closes near the end of the month, and definitely see Toyin Ojih Odutola: To Wander Determined starting on October 20); the gorgeous elevated urban park the High Line (the plantings are seasonal and will reflect the fall, and the public art on display is also always changing). We love the cool and ever-changing retail store Story; and highly recommend having a cocktail or an overnight stay at the 4-star boutique High Line Hotel on Tenth Avenue.
8. SoHo. How about an afternoon art gallery crawl in SoHo? It’s a New York luxury that’s absolutely free. Art galleries are open to the public much of the week, and they have spectacular works on view. Stop by Artists Space, the Team gallery, the Swiss Institute, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, and the Clifton Benevento gallery. Finish your adventure with an “artisanal slushie” at the stylish bar Mother’s Ruin.
9. Park Avenue Autumn on Park Avenue South is the Manhattan restaurant to visit if you truly love the fall season. The restaurant changes its menu and decor four times a year, and the effect is transporting. You cannot get closer to a gourmet dining experience that feels more like the fall than this.
10. Downtown. The center of gravity in Manhattan continues to move south. The Financial District, Battery Park and the surrounding area are alive with new shopping and fine dining experiences galore. Head there to see the Oculus, the spectacular transit and shopping hub; historic Trinity Church; the intensely moving 9/11 Memorial; the new Brookfield Place; Mario Batali’s latest Eataly (which focuses on bread); the swanky new Four Seasons Hotel; and the 5-star Beekman Hotel, with restaurants from Keith McNally and Tom Colicchio. If the weather is fine, go to Battery Park and watch the ships coming in. You’ll be immersed in the oldest part of Manhattan, and you’ll feel as if you’re in another world.
As you move around the city, be sure to stop and see the 10 fences and almost 90 other smaller installations created by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. The public art project is spread throughout Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, and is entitled Good Fences Make Good Neighbors. The most-photographed one to date is the fence installed under Washington Square Arch – it’s particularly stunning at night.
Whether you do all, some, or none of the activities on our list, you should definitely come to New York before the snow flies. ‘Cause why not? Like the song says:
Autumn in New York
The gleaming rooftops at sundown
Oh, autumn in New York
It lifts you up when you run down . . .
It’s autumn in New York.
It’s good to live it again.
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