Like all cities post-Covid, New York in 2022 is…. different. It’s hard to put your finger on what exactly, but there was a sense, on Esquire’s recent visit, of a city coming to terms with a new reality; that it can no longer justify both its attributes and its shortcomings as being “so New York” (insert palms-up shoulder-shrug here) and still expect that to fly; that New York has had a rocky time recently, just like the rest of us, and if it wants visitors, it’s going to need to do the dance of the five boroughs to lure them in. In short, maybe for the first time in a long time, New York is having to try.
But if that’s a shock to the system for the native New Yorkers, it’s a boon for the rest of us, who, if we venture across the Atlantic, get to benefit from the riches being spread before us. The fall is a famously lovely time to visit the city, when the autumn leaves do their thing and the sky turns a life-affirming blue; but add to that a particularly enticing selection of cultural happenings taking place in Manhattan and beyond, and it becomes quite the package. Here is our tried-and-tested selection of arty things you can see or do – and where to rest in between – if you do decide to make the trip.
What to do
1. Head to The Museum of Modern Art for Wolfgang Tillmans: To Look Without Fear
It’s testament to German photographer Tillmans’ eye that he can put an image of a curved piece of paper next to another of a skin-headed model next to another of weeds growing through pavement cracks and yet it all is somehow so indescribably him. This democratic approach to subjects is enhanced by their informal presentation at MoMA’s survey show, in which images of every scale are often taped directly to the walls. Until 1 Jan, moma.org
2. See the current crop of big actors on Broadway
Right now the New York stage boasts Yahya Abdul-Matteen II and Corey Hawkins in Topdog/Underdog, and Wendell Pierce in Death of a Salesman (which transferred from London’s West End), as well as musicals like Hugh Jackman in The Music Man and Lea Michele – hanging in there despite the memes – in Funny Girl. But don’t forget about the long-runners, which have stayed the course for a reason (Esquire went to Little Shop of Horrors, which has been at the Westend Theater since 2019 and is as fresh as the day it germinated). broadwaycollection.com
3. Take a walk around Little Island
“It’s like being in a video game,” we overheard a passer-by remarking during a stroll around Little Island, Manhattan’s newest park, which opened in 2021. It’s true that the bizarre floating structure, created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, has something of the platformer about it, with its winding paths and verdant planting sitting on top of rising bulbous stanchions, but it’s also a stone’s throw from the Whitney and a good place for a coffee and a waterside view. littleisland.org
4. An audience with The Little Prince at The Morgan Library
You might be forgiven for thinking that the children’s book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French writer who disappeared in his Lockheed P-38 Lightning over the Mediterranean in 1944, is nothing more than the saccharine story that inspired a thousand bits of cutesy merch. This show at The Morgan, which has the original manuscript, reveals just what a strange, dark, work it really was – even more so in Saint-Ex’s original drawings, several of which are on display. Until 5 February, themorgan.org
5. Don’t miss Edward Hopper's New York at The Whitney
This extensive new survey show of the iconic American artist’s work pays particular attention to his paintings of New York, both unusual framings of empty streets and dead-eyed buildings and the often isolated, reflective figures who inhabit them. That Hopper’s work felt poignant during the pandemic is no surprise, but for a more specific take on our collective experience of the last couple of years, Moroccan artist Meriem Bennani’s video installation on the ground floor, Two Lizards – think Creature Comforts for millennials – is a must. Until 5 March, whitney.org
6. Go big at Queer Maximalism X Machine Dazzle at The Museum of Arts and Design
If ever there was a show that does what it says on the tin it’s this one, although Matthew Flower, aka Machine Dazzle, also isn’t afraid to take the tin and incorporate it, along with other unexpected household items, into an elaborate, comically fabulous headdress. This show of his incredible costumes, many of them made for performer Taylor Mac, includes dresses made of giant papier-maché fruit, a Mount Rushmore hat, and, true to his New York heritage, one very big apple. Until 19 Feb, madmuseum.org
7. Admire the evolving art of the subway
While once it was the subway trains that were "decorated" with graffiti, now the stations are getting gussied up, albeit with slightly more official say-so. The Bedford stop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn – now well on its way from hip neighbourhood to tony enclave –gained some beautiful mosaics from Marcel Dzama in 2021 through the ongoing MTA Art and Design initiative, while Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith are due to unveil murals at Grand Central in December. Bedford Ave and North 7th
8. Revel in David LaChapelle's imagery at Fotografiska
Whatever you think of LaChapelle’s more extravagant quasi-religious tableaux, it’s hard to argue that he’s made some iconic images in his day – Pamela Anderson wearing nothing but nipple stars; Tupac Shakur having a bubble bath – and given the fact that his show at Fotografiska, the New York outpost of the Stockholm photography museum that opened in 2019, is over multiple floors, there’s something for all. Until 8 Jan, fotografiska.com/nyc
9. Ferry yourself to Governors Island
Any excuse for a New York ferry ride is worth taking, but the beauty of Governors Island, a 172-acre piece of land adjacent to the Statue of Liberty, is that there are serious artistic rewards if you do. Rachel Whiteread’s ghostly “Cabin”, Shantelle Martin’s ornately doodled “Church”, Mark Dion’s evocative “The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist” and Charles Gaines' majestic “Moving Chains”, part of his ongoing The American Manifest project, are among them. govisland.com
10. Marvel at Duke Riley’s trash at The Brooklyn Museum
The history of scrimshaw – the ornate carvings made by bored sailors onto whale teeth and walrus tusks – is fascinating enough, but in the hands of American artist Duke Riley it has just taken an intriguing turn. Instead of teeth, Riley unleashes his etchings onto salvaged plastic containers such as detergent bottles and toothbrushes to draw attention to the devastation caused by their presence in our oceans and waterways. Until 23 April, brooklynmuseum.org
11. Go to see some live music
The music scene of New York at the turn of the millennium is due to get a celebratory re-examination next year, when the documentary version of Lizzy Goodman’s cult book Meet Me In The Bathroom comes out, but in the meantime the city’s music scene evolves at pace. We caught Steve Lacy [above] at Brooklyn Steel, the former steel manufacturing plant, just as he was celebrating “Bad Habit” reaching top spot in the Billboard charts, but for cosier venues check the line-ups at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Bowery Ballroom and The Mercury Lounge.
12. Observe “modern natural history” at Mmuseumm
If you’re short on time and the prospect of the city’s iconic but extensive Museum of Natural History is overwhelming, then you could stop off at the eccentric Mmuseumm, a bijou (and we mean bijou) shack-cum-gallery down a little alley in lower Manhattan. Conceived by curator Alex Kalman and film-makers the Safdie brothers, it describes itself as a “modern natural history museum”, with a focus on “object journalism”: these telling objects might include anything from plastic “rocks” washed up on the shore in South Korea to a blanket left behind by a Mexican migrant crossing the border. mmuseumm.com
Where to stay
For a hotel with arty credentials of its own, you couldn’t do much better than The Freehand New York, based in the building in the Flatiron District that was once the George Washington Hotel, at various times the residence of artists and writers including WH Auden and Keith Haring. The renovation by architect firm Roman and Williams, the hippest hotel designers of the moment, has maintained the quirky, eccentric feel, and opt for a corner room if you want a couple of windows from which to spy on the bustle below. There is also a popular restaurant, cocktail bar and nightspot for the evenings, and a cheery coffee bar next door for a recovery breakfast. 23 Lexington Ave, freehandhotels.com/new-york
For a more luxe option that also has serious cultural credentials – the art on display includes works by Isaac Julien and Laurie Simmons – try The Ned NoMad, a couple of blocks further uptown. Since The Ned took over the existing NoMad hotel in 2021, it has become something of a destination, with crowds drawn to the buzzy restaurants: The Dining Room and the glamorous Ned’s Club for members; Cecconi’s and Little Ned for the (still glamorous) plebeians. Upstairs though, the rooms are an oasis of calm, boasting outrageously high ceilings, opulent furnishings, and the kind of indulgent-yet-homely touches for which the Soho House Group to which it belongs is known (another Ned outpost, The Ned Doha, opens next month). You may not have thought it was possible to sleep in a New York hotel without ear plugs, but consider it a miracle on 28th Street (and Broadway). 1170 Broadway, thened.com/nomad
How to get there
Since its launch in 2021, Norse Atlantic Airways has been filling the gap of affordable transatlantic flights left by Norwegian Air, who stopped doing London-New York flights in the same year. Norse’s flights from London Gatwick to JFK launched just this August, and have all the advantages of a new airline looking to make its mark: the in-flight service is cheerful and the fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners are modern, spacious and well equipped. It all makes for a very strong start. flynorse.com
For more information on visiting New York go to nycgo.com
Miranda Collinge is the Deputy Editor of Esquire, overseeing editorial commissioning for the brand. With a background in arts and entertainment journalism, she also writes widely herself, on topics ranging from Instagram fish to psychedelic supper clubs, and has written numerous cover profiles for the magazine including Cillian Murphy, Rami Malek and Tom Hardy.
