New York is simply, a city of superlatives and immensity. And thus to take in even a fraction of what she offers, sleep really becomes a non-starter issue. On the arts realm alone, visitors and New Yorkers alike are spoilt to a level of rotten that can only be befitting of the epicentre of the art world. From world-class, venerable public institutions like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to top-of-their-game commercial galleries like David Zwirner, Gagosian and Levy Gorvy, and finally to avant garde and more experimental spaces showing the best of fledgling talents across multiple disciplines, the challenge is indeed finding sanity from the insane amount of art to gawk at.
Maybe there is something to do with the fact that her name has a 'New' in it because the capital of the world is always on a process of reinvention, rejuvenation and reexamination.
wee black book : NEW YORK CITY EDITION
TOKYO WEE BLACK BOOK
DISCOVER
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
The year Ludwig Museum was founded (in 1986) was also the year the art world sat up to etch Cologne on the list of important art destinations of the world, so we suspect there is no need for us to further elaborate how seminally important this museum is to Cologne. It houses the main positions and trends in modern and contemporary art from the break of the 20th century up to the present, and perhaps of particular note is that it also holds the largest pop-art collection outside of the U.S.
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA)
The MOMA of all MOMAs. And what hasn't been said about it: one of the most important modern and contemporary art institutions in the world and all the other hyperbolic proclamations of its prestige etc.
FRICK MADISON
The most current reincarnation of what was the brutalist home of Met Breuer and the Whitney, is now the home of the Frick collection. Don't get too comfortable though since this is only a 2-year arrangement while this small but preeminent museum finds a new home. Come oogle at Frick's eclectic taste from the Old Masters to European fine and decorative arts, right up to the early 20th century, in an ever-expanding collection.
DISH
RESTAURANT VENDÔME
Housed in the 18th-century Schloss Bensberg and still close enough to downtown Cologne for it to provide gorgeous views of the Dom and cityline as its backdrop, is this luxurious fine-dining spot helmed by Joachim Wissler as executive chef. Aim for the seasonal tasting menu to appreciate why critics hail Wissler as the vanguard of New German cuisine.
althoffcollection.com/en/althoff-grandhotel-schloss-bensberg/restaurant-vendome
OX & KLEE
Located in the middle of the three crane houses, the Ox & Klee’s ultramodern interior design is in lock-step with the modern architecture of Cologne’s new landmarks. Punchy, creative and fresh take on modern degustation, this ingenue of a restaurant gives the older names in town a good run for their money.
PETERE'S BRAUHAUS
The undisputed king of Cologne’s breweries is where you head to for your pilgrimage of quality German micro-brews and mouth-watering renditions of German culinary specialties. You will certainly stay for an extra Liter with the magnificent setting of painted glass ceilings and mahogany furniture.
S N O O Z E
PUBLIC HOTEL
It seems Ian Schrager can do no wrong. After the successful collaboration with Marriott with Edition, his new venture PUBLIC, sits oh-so-comfortably in the upscale neighbourhood of Nolita. The jaw-dropping Japanese copper, Donald Judd–inspired escalator that greets you almost certainly promises a painfully chic experience. And then you find out that each of the 367 rooms is designed by Herzog & de Meuron and each includes an Italian-made, wire-brushed- oak bed that is inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s at Monticello, among other high-end amenities. To top it off, there’s that Jean-Georges restaurant as its anchor dining outlet. That promise is now entirely fulfilled.
ROYALTON PARK AVENUE
There is no shortage of hip and trendy hotels in the ever-cool neighoubourhood that is NoMad. But a lot of things set Royalton Park Avenue apart: that Upper West Side sensibility three-story atrium lobby, the luscious layouts of the rooms by Andi Pepper with Edison bulb chandeliers and dark leather couches, and definitely, that heated indoor-outdoor pool. In the summers, imbibe on a seasonal cocktail in the shadow of the majestic Empire State and ogle at the ridiculously beautiful crowd.
AMAN NEW YORK
The name of the hotel leaves nothing to the imagination- it really is a ‘hotel in the water tower’. You won’t find a more gorgeously decked-out water tower anywhere though, as André Putman lends his magical touch and transforms this 19th-century brick cake-shaped water tower (once Europe’s biggest) into a sleek luxury boutique hotel, topped off with a roof terrace that delivers some of Cologne’s best panoramic vistas.