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IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE: |
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Travel By-The-Book : Senior Women's Travel : Favorite Cities : Theatre Tours |
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New York City Lifestyle ToursWhy should you take one of our tours? Time is money and we insure the best use of your time ... our tours are carefully edited so you see only what’s worthwhile. New York changes so quickly that whatever is in your guidebook or restaurant guide is probably out-of-date. We give you up-to-the-minute guidance ... at your own pace ... complete control of how fast or slow you want to go ... lingering is encouraged ... expert advice. We’ll send you on your way with what tours are best, where to eat, where to shop, etc. Click on the following items to see the details of some of our Lifestyle Tours:
New York has expanded so that now every part of the city has its distinct character and attractions. Soho: We were down on Soho for a while ... too many of the multi-national, outrageously expensive stores catering to sizes 2-6. They are still there but now there’s more variety to see, love and buy. We love Spring Street with its wonderful home furnishing store with stunning lacquerware from Vietnam and West Broadway with my favorite store where the eccentric owner (probably in her 80’s) paints her face like a clown, and has the most interesting mix of unique clothes, wonderful prints, flowing silhouettes…all under $200, a real find. Broadway has a cache of stores we love. One, where you can buy Oriental shawls, fabric eyeglass cases and bowls and fun cotton clothes at terrific prices. Another is a huge cosmetic store and then there’s the stationery store with many temptations like beautiful wrapping paper and whimsical note pads.
Soho is home to many surviving examples of cast iron architecture, a very popular style of buildings in the 19th century. Elements of the design, columns, for example, were prefabricated at the factory and installed on site. Large windows and exterior decorative elements is what makes many Soho boutiques architecturally beautiful. Chelsea and The Meatpacking District: Chelsea is the place in New York to see the best art galleries. Dozens of huge art galleries, stark and handsome, a perfect backdrop for art. Wholesale meat markets are still in the Meatpacking District, and share the streets around 14th Street west of 10th Avenue with high-priced boutiques. Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney are just two of the high-priced stores. It’s wonderful. Terrific restaurants such as Spice Market are opening at a furious pace, and there’s a high-style hotel here too, in an area I consider the middle of nowhere. But not for long. There’s also Chelsea Market, a conglomeration of food stores, that is well worth a look.
The Lower Eastside: Wonderful to visit for a look back on how New York was settled. Evolution of a neighborhood: the Jews, the Irish, the Italians, the Chinese all settled here at various times. Visit the unique Tenement Museum and Eldridge Street Synagogue, and see how Chinatown is encroaching on this area. Clinton Street, Lowell Street, and Rivington Street are all being invaded by well-known restaurateurs and entrepreneurs opening places like Grilled Cheese that only serves grilled cheese sandwiches. And they are delicious! Art Galleries: See the best current "best of show" at the city’s art galleries. The major areas to explore are 57th Street, Soho, Chelsea, and Madison Avenue. Small Intimate Museums: Bigger isn’t necessarily better and we love New York’s small museums: The Neue Galerie, The New York Historical Society, Japan Society, the Morgan Library are just a few of your choices. Art Auctions: Christie Brothers and Sohtheby’s are the big players and may be conducting major auctions.
If you love food, you will want to take a look at some of New York’s "noshing scene." See our Food Lover's New York tours to sample the city's best food and gourmet shops. It’s fun, it’s easy, you deserve it. Time for a new you ... and it doesn’t require surgery! Wardrobe Consultation: Tell us what you’d like to change and we’ll help you find it.
Make-up Lesson: Our favorite department store make-up expert will give you a new face. After dozens of years, one person recently found the right color eyebrow pencil color ... actually 2 colors, one layered over the other. Hair Restyling: Perhaps the single most important change you could make. Can’t afford to or don’t want to spend a fortune? Want a fur coat? A gold bracelet? We can help you find just what you’re looking for. Discount Shopping Tour: New York has the best discount shopping in the world, major stores and whole neighborhoods devoted to the art of the deal (thank you, Donald Trump). From head to toe "buys". Sample sales, factory shopping, and more. New York's Best Boutiques: If you don’t like the experience of discount shopping, we’ll take you to our favorite "secret" boutiques. You tell us what you’re interested in and we’ll come up with a list. From a tiny apartment "store" in a townhouse to costume jewelry shopping in a schoolyard to our one-size-fits-all Soho one-of-a-kind clothes, you’re sure to enjoy the experience.
Discover the park’s secret charms and highlights. Maybe lunch at the Boathouse overlooking one of Central Park’s small lakes. Dress rehearsal of the Philharmonic at Lincoln Center (Thursday mornings only in season at Lincoln Center), Jazz at Noon, Fridays at St. Bart’s Café, Thursday free jazz at the Donnell Library, and many more concerts all over town. Visit the New York Public Library and take its fascinating tour. But don’t stop there! New York also has amazing small libraries that are very much worth seeing. The New York Performing Arts Library, devoted to the performing arts, is one of my personal favorites. Depending on the library’s schedule, you can also hear a famous author talk about his book at the New York Public Library. Join me at a lecture on Proust with members of the Proust Society of America, or attend a meeting of my Shakespeare group, or monitor a lecture on French literature. I think New York is going to collapse into the Hudson or East River. There are that many new restaurants opening every week. Zagat and the other restaurant guides can’t possibly keep up with the tide. What they published in January is now out-of-date. We will plot a restaurant strategy for your visit to New York. Tell us where you think you will be (neighborhood), type of food you want to eat, price range and we’ll come up with a blueprint for dining. Breakfast, lunch, dinner recommendations. Remember, at New York’s "in" restaurants, reservations have to be made a month in advance. |
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