Whether you’re planning a special celebration or you go every year,New York can be unforgettable each time, with the right connections. And when it comes to creating a memorable New York experience, your West University Travel Advisor relies on New York partners like, Kitt Garrett, voted Top Specialist for New York City by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine. Because it’s all about access.
We craft your itinerary to included ground-level, like-a-local options unique to your group’s interest. We’ll arrange a night cooking alongside other New Yorkers at a cooking class in a New York chef’s real kitchen, sneak you backstage to meet with a performer after a Broadway show, or set up a day immersed in the local art scene in drawing, printmaking, or paper making workshops with other professional New York artists. Need help with the perfect graduation present for a student or that multi-generational celebration? We’ve got it.
From arranging a garment district tour for designer clothes at wholesale prices, to help narrowing down a long list of attractions and exhibits with insider treatment and access, we take the New York you thought you knew and give you what you couldn’t plan yourself. Need the best seats or even tickets when they are sold out? It matters who you know.
And that is what makes all the difference in delivering the WOW-factor whether you’re planning the trip of a life time, a birthday, or corporate incentive trips. Celebrations large and small can easily be tailored down to the smallest detail and delivered by your West University Travel Advisor to make it reach the unforgettable mark you’re aiming for.
Get pizza at Lombardi’s and ice cream at Melt Bakery. Sounds good. But, wait. So many factors in setting up a day’s plan. Of course simply because there are so many dining options to choose from, it’s helpful to ask, especially arrange reservations when they are already booked and it is more difficult to make the list.
And then there’s the side of New York you could never find yourself. Arrange guided walks for historical perspective of architectural styles, or handcrafted VIP private shopping trips to certain boutiques. That’s easy to set up too.
Explore five boroughs in five days, not just Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. The Bronx, for example, is not just home to Yankee Stadium. It’s home to the Edgar Allen Poe cottage, the world’s biggest metropolitan zoo, and the New York Botanical Garden not to mention Pelham Bay Park, a public park three times the size of Central Park.
Then there’s time on the water. Spend a day cruising under the Brooklyn Bridge in a sailboat, powerboat, or kayak. Or visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for a guided tour of the historical immigrant story on the Lower East Side.
If authentic cuisine from around the world is your interest, a day in the Bronx is just the place for experiencing the true New York food culture, with Italian food said to be more authentic than Manhattan’s Little Italy. In The Bronx, there’s Umberto’s Clam House, or Havana Café, or S&S Cheesecake, argued by locals as the best cheesecake in the city. For a spotlight on each borough and good tips on living like a local, check out the travel tips blog with nyhabitat.
In the Know: Where to Stay
At The Carlyle, A Rosewood property, have an evening cocktail at Bemelmans Bar, one of the best live music venues, off Madison Avenue. Through March 31, get the third night free. As always get free internet, daily breakfast, $100 spa credit, upgrade and early/late check in if available and cover charge for two at Bemelmans when you book with us.
For cosmopolitan luxury with a boutique feel, stay at Hôtel Plaza Athénée. Renowned for its service, it is sought out by sophisticated travelers. In the fashionable Upper East Side, a block from Central Park. Guests receive a $100 food and beverage credit, upgrade and early late check in if available, continental daily breakfast.
Of course the newly renovated Park Hyatt is popular. Enjoy the 25th floor lap pool. The West 57th Street hotel is across from Carnegie Hall and is Park Hyatt’s global flagship hotel. When booking a $100 hotel credit, daily full breakfast in The Back Room or One 57 or room service, and upgrade plus early/late check is available.
And the Baccarat has new renovation set to reopen March 2015. For an extra measure of allure enjoy the grand and intimate details of the hotel’s design, including exceptional artwork collected for the hotel by Frédéric Chambre. Enjoy a continental breakfast, $100 food and beverage credit, and upgrade early/late check in/out when available.