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Summer in New YorkThis sultry season puts a special shine on the Big Apple.text: Aaron Dalton It’s no secret that New York can be steamy in the summertime. The bright lights of Broadway and the millions of people inhabiting a small concrete-covered island generate lots of heat. Still, summer can be a perfect time to visit New York City. Many of the locals leave on the weekends for homes on the beaches or in the mountains, making it easier to get tickets to the hottest shows and the best restaurants. (An exception is Independence Day, on the 4th of July, when millions of tourists come to town to see the fireworks displays.)
Even better, summer is when New Yorkers take to the streets and the parks for parties and events. Many of these shindigs are cheap or free, which can be a blessing in an otherwise expensive city. Here is your inside look at some of the best and brightest attractions that New York has to offer in the summer of 2007: Dancing at Lincoln Center Kick up your heels almost every night of the week from June 19 to July 21 at Midsummer Night Swing, when live bands play outdoors on the gorgeous plaza of the Lincoln Center performing arts complex. The jewel box architecture of the Metropolitan Opera House, the New York State Theater and Avery Fisher Hall (home of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra) surround you. With the fountain splashing in the background, laughter cascading through the warm air and cars and people zipping by on Broadway, you will feel so vigorously alive that you’ll hope that the night and the music will never end. Opera, Theater and Music in Central Park Sometimes referred to as the city’s “green lung,” Central Park is a great place to cool off when the mercury soars too high. There is so much to do here – from enjoying an iced drink at The Boathouse Restaurant to riding the old-fashioned Central Park Carousel (built in 1908). Or just wander the winding paths that lead past woods and fields where New Yorkers sunbathe and frolic. In the summer, music and theater lovers of all sorts can attend their favorite events al fresco in Central Park. The New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera give free performances on the wide-open Great Lawn, and the Public Theater offers free productions of Shakespeare plays at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater. This year, you can see Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet. There is also an eclectic variety of both free and pay performances through the SummerStage event series, including pop music, comedy, spoken word, DJs, dance and more.
Battery Park City and Bryant Park Central Park does not have a monopoly on New York City’s summer fun. Enjoy the carnival atmosphere that prevails in Bryant Park right in the heart of the city. Every Monday night, New Yorkers and in-the-know visitors pack picnics and join friends to catch free classic or campy movies like Hitchcock’s The Birds and Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky shown outdoors on a giant screen. Meanwhile, on the southern tip of Manhattan, Battery Park City not only has a beautiful riverfront promenade with cooling water breezes, it also boasts its own array of musical events and performances through the River to River Festival. Several of these shows also take place at other venues throughout lower New York City, including the World Financial Center right across from the site where the World Trade Center once stood. For slightly more athletic action, you can try your hand at sailing through companies like the Manhattan Sailing School. Hot Food Trends New Yorkers are always on the look out for the next big thing, especially when it comes to eating. Several simultaneous trends (and mini-trends) are sweeping the city. First, there is the wave of Australian restaurants that have crashed upon Manhattan Island. Brooklyn’s Sheep Station serves up a tasty Australian burger accessorized with cheese, beet, pineapple and a fried egg. Visit the Sunburnt Cow in the Alphabet City section of Manhattan for tasty calamari or an awesome weekend brunch with endless drinks for just US$15. Another recent New York food craze centers around Korean fried chicken establishments in both the Flushing neighborhood of Queens borough and in Manhattan’s Koreatown, where the main drag is 32nd Street, west of 5th Avenue. The twice-fried bird at Restaurant Forte Baden Baden gets rave reviews from critics and diners alike. Of course, traditional and haute cuisine still haunts the dreams of a certain New York social set. In this realm, Chef Laurent Tourondel has built a small empire of restaurants that shine when it comes to the quality of their ingredients and the polish of their preparation. At BLT Prime, for example, the menu features 20 different cuts of meat, including braised veal osso buco and a gargantuan porterhouse steak for two. The year’s splashiest culinary debut probably belongs to Chef Gordon Ramsay and his eponymous restaurant, covered in the March 2007 issue of in, Gordon Ramsay at The London hotel. Would-be diners are calling two months in advance, at nine in the morning, trying to secure a reservation to try dishes like lobster ravioli and roasted striped bass in caviar chervil cream sauce.
Beat the Heat Shopping If the sidewalk gets too hot, it’s easy to cool off in the chic air-conditioned boutiques of Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue among baubles by Cartier, shoes by Prada and bags by Hermès. For something a little edgier, head for the Western edge of Manhattan and the Meatpacking District: 20 square blocks of art galleries, clubs, restaurants and hotels. The block of 14th street between 9th and 10th Avenues is particularly dense with art attractions like the Heller Gallery and the Go Fish Gallery. Another nice place to stop is the combination café and boutique by Nicole Farhi. Summer is also the perfect time to stroll The Shops at Columbus Circle, inside the Time Warner Center at the corner of Broadway and 59th Street. Browse through cutting-edge technology at The Samsung Experience, pick up some new footwear at Stuart Weitzman, then indulge in some of the city’s finest (and most expensive) dining at Chef Thomas Keller’s Per Se restaurant or duck into the basement Whole Foods market to pick up a quick snack and a fruit smoothie. If it’s getting late, you can always catch a jazz concert in one of the skyscraper’s Lincoln Center-affiliated performance venues or sleep over at the Mandarin Oriental hotel located on the building’s upper floors. For intrepid shoppers willing to head further afield, there is a growing shopping scene in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. Long known for its affordable housing and Greek restaurants, Astoria is suddenly on the cusp of becoming a hotspot for vintage furniture and home décor. Shops to visit include Candy Plum and Site Design. Take advantage of the long summer days to squeeze out all the fun you can from the Big Apple l What to DoMidsummer Night Swing, Lincoln Center Columbus Avenue & 63th Street Tickets: US$15 for group dance lesson and admission to the dance floor or dance for free nearby. Central Park From 59th to 110th Street Even locals sometimes get lost. Count on crowds for most of the events, so show up early. For the Shakespeare performances, plan to line up far in advance of the times tickets go on sale. Virtual map of Central Park: www.centralparknyc.org/virtualpark For information on the Shakespeare performances: SummerStage: Bryant Park 6th Avenue, between 41st & 42nd Street Tickets: free Battery Park City Stretches along the Hudson River from Battery Place to Chambers Street. River to River Festival: http://www.rivertorivernyc.com Manhattan Sailing School: Where to EatSheep Station 149 4th Street, Brooklyn Tel. 1-718-857-4337 The Sunburnt Cow 137 C Avenue Tel. 1-212-529-0005 Restaurant Forte Baden Baden 28 West 32nd Street, Second floor Tel. 1-212-714-2266 BLT Prime 111 East 22nd Street Tel. 1-212-995-8500 Where to ShopMeatpacking District Heller Gallery Go Fish Gallery 675 Hudson Street, between 13th & 14th Street Nicole Farhi 75 Ninth Avenue, between 15th & 16th Street Map: Time Warner Center Columbus Circle, Broadway & 59th Street http://www.shopsatcolumbuscircle.com Jazz: http://www.jalc.org Mandarin Oriental www.mandarinoriental.com/newyork Astoria, Queens Candy Plum 30-98 36th Street Tel. 1-718-721-2299 Site Design 35-11 34th Avenue Tel. 1-718-626-6030 Where to StayThe Dream Hotel, by high-profile Indian entrepreneur Vikram Chatwal, has generated a lot of buzz. 210 West 55th Street Tel. 1-212-247-2000 If you’re looking for classic grandeur, there’s always the Waldorf-Astoria. 301 Park Avenue Tel. 1-800-WALDORF Another less well-known but stylish option is the Japanese-owned Kitano Hotel, near the beautiful and historic Grand Central Terminal. The mezzanine-level bar lounge hosts some of the best intimate jazz concerts in the city. 66 Park Avenue Tel. 1-212-885-7000 LAN flights: To New York every day from Guayaquil, six times a week from Lima and three times a week from Santiago.
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