Everyone knows New York City, nicknamed the “Big Apple”, if not from a visit, at least through songs, plays and films.

Everyone knows New York City, nicknamed the “Big Apple”, if not from a visit, at least through songs, plays and films beginning with George M. Cohan’s song, Give My Regards To Broadway (1904 Broadway musical Little Johnny Jones), Sting’s Englishman in New York, and let’s face it, who hasn’t sung the words to New York, New York at least once or twice or kicked up their legs to this catchy tune?

How could we forget the famous movie scenes of the Empire State Building in the films, An Affair to Remember or Sleepless in Seattle, or Broadway, Times Square or Central Park? However, New York has so much more to tell, this “city that never sleeps” has many secrets and hidden gems. Throughout the year we include articles on New York, but this edition is dedicated entirely to New York. I hope that you enjoy discovering a few of my favorite New York secrets!

New York City is made up of 5 boroughs – Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island. New York has a population of 8,000,000 people and Manhattan has a population of 1.5 million people. This edition focuses on the island of Manhattan, which will keep you busy as you discover Manhattan from the hip East Village to the sophisticated Upper East Side, and everywhere in between, where each of the neighborhoods has its’ own distinct personality.

New York has some of the best hotels in the world, and you might enjoy our previous hotel article in our Hotels and Resorts section on the Mandarin Oriental.

Culturally speaking New York has some of the most famous museums in the world, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to the Solomon R. Guggenheim, but there are also some less well-known, but true treasures all the same.

The Forbes Galleries, 62 Fifth Avenue at the corner of 12^th Street, is one such veritable treasure that really deserves notice. I first “discovered” The Forbes Galleries, located in the Forbes publishing building, when I attended a reception there in the early spring of 2005, and was attracted by its collections and charm. I went there again in June, where I met with Mr. Christopher Forbes, who told me about how the Forbes Galleries evolved. His father, the late Malcolm Forbes and his uncle purchased the building in the 1960’s, and a short time later his uncle died. His father and his uncle were both great collectors; Malcolm Forbes collected Faberge eggs. As the collection grew, he decided to have a few display cases put in the lobby to hold his collection. Slowly his collection expanded to include toy boats, toy soldiers, and board games, and by the mid-1980’s, he decided to turn the entire lobby into a gallery to showcase his collections. Imagine turning prime Fifth Avenue real estate into a gallery to showcase your collections! Mr. Forbes told me that he and his siblings are also collectors, and that it is an “inherited vice.” Today The Forbes Galleries feature permanent and rotating collections, a trophy room, which bears a plaque that is inscribed “The Mortality of Immortality”, letters and artifacts from former first ladies, toy soldiers that “parade” through the toy crowds to accompanying marching music, original Monopoly board games, and in September 2005, they will present “Treasures of the Titans: 1900 - 1950” an exhibit of precious items from business moguls and will include General Patton’s pistol. The Forbes Galleries are free to the public and open from Tuesday through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 pm. Thursdays are reserved for groups by prior reservation, 212-206-5548.

The Dahesh Museum, 580 Madison Avenue, between 56^th and 57^th Streets celebrated its 10^th anniversary this year, and is another small charmer. To celebrate its anniversary, they have a special exhibit, The Dahesh Collection – Celebrating a Decade of Discovery, (May 24 – September 22, 2005), which features its largest presentation from its permanent collection, with some of the pieces being exhibited for the first time. Their collection includes such artists as: Adolphe-William Bougereau, Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay, and Alexandre Cabanel to name a few. I first started going to the Dahesh Museum several years ago when it was located on Fifth Avenue. It has grown somewhat since then, adding an auditorium, larger museum shop and café, but has retained its charm. The museum is closed on Mondays, has special programs on the First Thursday of each month, when it is free from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Admission is charged at other times.

New Yorkers and visitors alike will be pleased that The Museum of Modern Art, known as MOMA, 11 West 53^rd Street, between 5^th and 6^th Avenues, is now safely ensconced back in Manhattan, after a temporary relocation to Brooklyn during its renovation. It is now bigger than ever, and of course, New Yorkers have mixed reviews of the new museum. I visited the MOMA in June 2005 for the Camille Pissarro (1830 – 1903) and Paul Cézanne (1839 – 1906) exhibit, (June 26 – September 12, 2005), which focused on the friendship between the two artists as well as their individual interpretations and distinct styles. I also made time to tour the rest of the MOMA, and as I am a Jackson Pollack fan, and I was delighted to see his paintings Easter and the Totem (1953) and Gothic (1944). I also found the outdoor sculpture garden to be a perfect spot to stop and relax by the reflecting pool, where I was surrounded by sculptures from Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and Alexander Calder. The MOMA is open everyday except Tuesday, from 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. with extended hours on Friday until 8:00 pm, when it is free from 4:00 – 8:00 pm. Admission is charged at other times.

I also stopped at the American Folk Art Museum, 45 West 53^rd Street, between 5^th and 6^th Avenues, located next to the MOMA. This museum has an interesting collection of folk art, including Ammi Philips’ famous painting, Girl in the Red Dress with Cat and Dog. The museum is closed on Mondays, and is open from 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. with extended hours until 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, when it is free from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Admission is charged at other times.

 The New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, is a stunning example of Beaux-Arts design, and was completed in 1911 by the design firm, Carrère & Hastings. Two lion sculptures grace the outside, and inside the library you can research genealogy, admire the impressive architecture, explore their gift shop, as well as tour their exhibits. When I was there in June 2005, I had the opportunity to see their grand scale exhibit Before Victoria, Extraordinary Women of the British Romantic Era (April 8 – July 30, 2005). The library is closed Mondays. Please check The New York Public Library for daily hours and exhibit information or call them at 212-869-8089.

I love learning more about New York, and found the Grand Tour, sponsored by Grand Central Partnership to be especially interesting as I learned some of the secrets of Grand Central Terminal and its neighborhood. This free 90-minute walking tour with Justin Ferate, combines history and storytelling, meets each Friday at 12:30 pm in the Sculpture Court of the Whitney Museum of Art at Altria, at the southwest corner of 42^nd Street and Park, across from Grand Central Terminal.

Music is ever present in New York and jazz fans will want to make time in their schedules to attend a gig or two at the clubs. Edward F. Nesta and I went to Jazz Standard, on June 2, 2005 to hear Brazilian singer, Luciana Souza perform Brazilian Duos with Romero Lubambo. We are huge fans of Ms. Souza, and have been following her career for a number of years, but this was the first time that we had seen her perform live. Jazz Standard, a small intimate club, proved to be the perfect venue for her and Romero Lubambo, who accompanied her on guitar. Although we did not eat at the club, there is food available in the club, as well as at their barbecue restaurant, Blue Smoke, located upstairs from Jazz Standard. Read Music Scene for the review on Luciana Souza at Jazz Standard.

Jazz Standard
116 East 27^th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues
New York, New York 10016
212-576-2232
www.jazzstandard.com

On June 3, 2005, Edward, our friend, Tim Garrabrandt and I went to Satalla, to hear Dave’s True Story perform. Dave’s True Story is comprised of singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Cantor, vocalist Kelly Flint and bassist/producer Jeff Eyrich, and the night that we saw them perform drummer Rich Zukor joined them. Satalla, a 200-seat club opened in 2003, and features an eclectic line-up of “music from around the globe.” They have a nice appetizers menu, which we enjoyed as we watched this band heat up the audience. Dave’s True Story is another band that we have followed since their 2^nd CD, Unauthorized, was released. Now, they have 4 CDs, beginning with their first in 1994 and their latest release Nature, which was released on April 19, 2005. Read Music Scene for the review of Dave’s True Story CDs and for my interview with the band.

Satalla
37 West 26^th Street between 6^th Avenue and Broadway
New York, New York 10010
212-343-0612
www.satalla.com

New York is called a melting pot, and nowhere is that more apparent than in its restaurants, where you can “travel” via the food, to Italy or Indian, to Spain or Mexico, enjoy seafood or steaks, and everything else that you can imagine. I hope that you enjoy exploring these New York restaurants, which are listed by neighborhood. Please read the Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, and Gastronomy sections for in-depth articles on the restaurants.