Fuel up because you’ll be on your feet. There are a lot of hidden gems down alleys in Tribeca (like graffiti) and on small streets in the Financial District (such as Amsterdam-inspired architecture,) so wander and uncover many marvels!
For the best breakfast in town, head to Frenchette bakery. Situated in the unlikely venue of an office building lobby, it offers up the most amazing sourdough loaves and delicious assorted pastries. If you’d prefer the classic bagel with a ‘smear (of cream cheese,) go to Zucker’s. Or if you’re eager to get your day started quickly (only on Saturdays), opt for farm fresh produce or baked goods at Greenwich Street Farmer’s market.
Frenchette Bakery
220 Church Street
Zucker’s
143 Chamber’s Street
To plan out your art explorations, I love the app Seesaw; you can preview all of the exhibitions in NYC online and add the ones you’d like to visit to an easily navigable map. Some of the larger galleries, many of which boast international locations, are in storefront locations on Broadway and on several streets including Walker, White and Franklin (and many are well worth a visit). View the youngest, coolest artists who you haven’t heard of (yet) by venturing into the underground space at Theta or both of Lomex’s venues on higher floors. On view now at the latter: Joseph Geagan’s paintings where uptown bougies meet downtown deviants (and celebs) in Breugelist settings. The non-profit Artist’s Space – hidden away in a graffiti-embellished alley – also offers up some of the most thought-provoking art in town. They’ve just wrapped up an exhibition featuring the multidisciplinary queer Black artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase that centered around the barbershop as an intimate space. Be sure to pass by the Anish Kapoor at the apartment building affectionately dubbed the Jenga; a mini version of the famous Chicago Cloud Gate aka Bean will reflect you and the ‘hood.
Theta – 184 Franklin Street
Lomex – 86 Walker Street #3 and 89 Walker Street #2R
Artist’s Space – 11 Cortlandt Alley
For architecture old and new and some great public art, head down to City Hall Park. The neo-Gothic Woolworth building – the tallest in the world from 1913 to 1930 – looms above one side and a Frank Gehry apartment building towers over the other. The Park includes a lovely 1812 government building and biannually – except for during the dead of winter – the Public Art Fund curates fantastic sculpture exhibitions there. A recent standout was Phyllida Barlow’s show featuring pillow-like rabbits perched on bronze pianos and floating staircases. They never ceased to make me smile.
Architecturally, the juxtapositions of Lower Manhattan fascinate. A few blocks from the park on Church Street, the Santiago Calatrava-designed Oculus rises like a white bird of peace beside the 9/11 Memorial pools that commemorate those lost in the Twin Towers. And the new PAC (Perlman Art Center) designed by the architectural firm REX is not only an architectural marvel – its book-matched marble surface truly glows! – but it also hosts impressive and eclectic performances, many of which are free of charge.
Oculus
185 Greenwich Street
PAC (Perlman Art Center)
251 Fulton Street
Interested in NYC history? Walk the Canyon of Heroes, the section of Broadway from Bowling Green Park to City Hall Park. The text on granite sidewalk plaques highlights the many ticker tape parades that have commemorated world (and sports) events since 1889. At 89 Broadway, you’ll see Trinity Church – the oldest in Manhattan that (some say miraculously) – survived the 9/11 attacks. Check out Wall Street on your left (aptly named to indicate the wall between New Amsterdam and the indigenous people the colonists pushed northward) and then veer right on New Street for a view of the New York Stock Exchange.
Before heading to the end of Broadway for an Instagram-ready snapshot of the Statue of Liberty, go to the Museum of the American Indian (formerly the Alexander Hamilton Customs House). The exhibitions impressively highlight Indian art artifacts and the building by Cass Gilbert (also architect of the aforementioned Woolworth building as well as the Supreme Court in DC) is gorgeous, inside and out. Don’t miss the 1936-37 WPA-commissioned Reginald Marsh murals in the upstairs Rotunda that depict eight delightfully detailed New York Harbor scenes. Also be sure to see the gift shop which originally housed the cashier’s office, as many original features have been restored.
Museum of the American Indian
One Bowling Green
If it’s lunchtime and you’re craving Italian food, grab a delicious arancino at Best Sicily Bodega. Or for Asian food, head up to Dim Sum a Go Go in Chinatown or Takahachi sushi back in Tribeca. All are great (relatively) affordable options. For end of the day drinks, a Hokkaido meal and late-night karaoke, try Dr. Clark, or if you’d like some quiet (and are ready to splurge) try Farra wine bar for refined bites paired with an excellent wine list. And if you’re still seeking more history, the Bar Room at Temple Court is situated at the bottom of a nine story interior atrium built in 1883 (the same year as the nearby Brooklyn Bridge) . Sink into a cozy armchair, or order a pint or a martini at the gorgeous bar and soak in the old meets cool kid vibe.
Best Sicily Bodega
87 Beaver Street
Dim Sum a Gogo
5 East Broadway
Takahachi
145 Duane Street
Dr. Clark
104 Bayard Street
Farra
71 Worth Street
Bar Room at Temple Court
123 Nassau Street
Tanya Traykovski holds an A.B. in Art History from Duke University, an M.A. in Modern and Contemporary Art History from Christie’s Education. The founder of TT Fine Art, she has over ten years of experience in identifying emerging artists who have gone on to achieve widespread market, critical and curatorial recognition on behalf of collectors and collecting institutions. After an earlier career in high-end retail including positions in the Paris-based buying office of Barneys New York and with Joyce Boutique in Hong Kong, she greatly enjoys discovering and reporting on new talent in one of the art world’s global centers, her home city of New York.
