In these turbulent times of high security alerts, a roller-coaster economy, and serious international concerns, New York, showing its incredible resilience, continues to thrive and grow. Here are some of the changes you might find if you visit in the upcoming year.
Recent News
New York can be a very friendly city, but not so for smokers anymore. In 2003, New York enacted a controversial and very tough no-smoking law that prohibits smoking in all public places. That means you can't light up anywhere: not in restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, arenas, auditoriums, nightclubs, or bars.
In May 2003, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) raised the cost of riding city subways and buses to $2 per ride (as well as raising the fares for the multi-ride and unlimited MetroCards). Then a group of commuters sued the MTA over the hike, and a (subway-riding) judge ordered the agency to roll back the fares to $1.50. The MTA got an injunction to stop the rollback. In the end, the fare hike went through. All references to bus and subway fares in our just published Frommer's New York City 2004 will be given at the higher rate, and should you end up paying less per ride when you arrive, you won't be any happier about it than the native straphangers!
For the first time, the Republican National Committee has chosen New York as the site for the 2004 Republican National Convention. The convention will begin on August 30 and last for a week, normally a slow time in the Big Apple. If you are visiting the city during that period, be aware that hotels, restaurants, and attractions will be booked well in advance so plan accordingly.
Sightseeing
A design concept for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site (tel. 212/962-2300; www.renewnyc.com), was awarded to architect Daniel Libeskind for his "Memory Foundation" proposal. The proposal features five towers -- the largest at 1,776 feet would be the tallest in the world -- a Memorial Garden, a museum, cultural facilities, and hotel and office space. But construction of the project is years away; in the meantime, a "Wall of Heroes" was erected around the site where you can pay your respects.
The newest museum to open in the past year was the first cultural institution devoted to the history and evolution of human sexuality; the Museum of Sex, 233 Fifth Ave. (tel. 212/689-6337; www.museumofsex.com).
The Skyscraper Museum, 2 West St. (tel. 212/968-1961; www.skyscraper.org), moved into its permanent home on the ground floor of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Battery Park while the New York Transit Museum, at Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn (tel. 718/694-5100; www.mta.nyc.ny.us/museum), completed a major renovation featuring a new art gallery, a classroom for children's workshops, a computer lab, and a reference library.
The Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., will remain closed until early 2005; in the meantime, the museum's temporary home, MoMA QNS, 45-20 33rd St. in Queens (tel. 212/708-9400, www.moma.org) will continue to feature a full exhibition schedule.
The Morgan Library, 29 East 36th St. (www.morganlibrary.org), is also undergoing a major expansion, and will be closed until early 2006.
The new four-story, 70,000 square-foot east wing of the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 18 First Place (tel. 212/509-6130; www.mjhnyc.org) is scheduled to open in late 2003. The wing will feature a state-of-the-art theater, memorial garden, extended gallery space, classrooms, and a resource center and library.
Perhaps the most ambitious project in New York the past several years has been the construction of the AOL Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, scheduled to be completed in late 2003. The Center will feature a mix of luxury retailers, restaurants, office space, condominiums, and the new home of Jazz at Lincoln Center (tel. 212/258-9800; www.jazzatlincolncenter.org). The $115 million, 100,000 square-foot facility will be the world's first performing arts center designed specifically for jazz.
Accommodations
The hotel building boom of the past five years has slowed and there were only a few notable openings in 2002. In 2003, the biggest project, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, One Columbus Circle, at Central Park West (tel. 212/399-3938; www.mandarinoriental.com), was scheduled to open in late 2003. Located in the AOL Time Warner Center, the hotel will feature 251 rooms, a spacious spa and fitness center including a 25-yard-long lap pool, butler service, and a first class restaurant.
Since September 11, 2001, the Millennium Hilton, 55 Church St. (tel. 212/693-2001; www.hilton.com) had been closed due to damage from the attacks on the World Trade Center. In May of 2003, after extensive renovation, the Millennium Hilton proudly reopened its doors.
Restaurants
Though hotel development has slowed, restaurant openings continue at a rapid pace. And the quality of the new restaurants seems to get better and better. With so many options to choose from at so many different price ranges, you'll never go hungry in this town.
Some of the new standouts include two French-themed restaurants, Atelier, 50 Central Park South (tel. 212/521-6125) in the Ritz Carlton Central Park, where chef Gabriel Kreuther, formerly of Jean Georges, now presides, and Aix, 2398 Broadway (tel. 212/674-7400), an excellent choice for innovative French cuisine on the Upper West Side.
New York is a city of thousands of Italian restaurants; the best of the new batch is Fiamma Osteria, 206 Spring St. (tel. 212/653-0100), where the food is exquisitely prepared by acclaimed chef Michael White. For the more budget-conscious, there is Celeste, 502 Amsterdam Ave. (tel. 212/874-4559), a small, but pleasant, Upper West Side addition that features its own wood-burning oven that cranks out some of the best pizza in the city.
Finally, taking travel as its theme, there is Voyage, 117 Perry St. (tel. 212/255-9191), where you can sip an island rum punch, sample Indian samosas, Brazilian snapper, and scallops on Southern grits all in one sitting.