Gramercy and Flatiron guide: The best of the neighborhood

Chef Stefano Secchi came up at triple-Michelin starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, prior to opening his own sensational spot in Manhattan in 2019. Rezdôra is now the best Italian restaurant in New York City, leading a list of venerable institutions. Its terrific regional pasta tasting is still $98, and favorites like anolini di parma, tagliolini al ragu and the famed grandma walking through forest in Emilia (Cappelletti verdi with roasted, sautéed leeks and black mushroom purée) are available à la carte, as well. 

A Central Casting, New York City classic if there ever was one, Gramercy Tavern has maintained its status even after minor tweaks and changes over its nearly three decades in Manhattan. The tavern up front, bordered by a long bar on the left, serves à la carte items like duck liver mousse, grilled striped bass and a burger with duck fat potato chips. The somewhat dated but darling back dining room, with white tablecloths more effortless than anywhere else above 14th Street, offers five courses for $168 with plates like pork tortellini, pan-seared halibut and roasted duck.   

Although Cote is still practically impossible to get into six years after opening, the sleekly chic Korean steak house is worth every reservation notification you can enter. Keep your fingers crossed and clicking and, someday, you’ll be rewarded with Cote’s marvelous meat selections, fired right at the center of your table. It’s butcher’s feast is particularly nice, with ban-chan, unforgettable savory egg soufflé, a duo of stews and, of course, USDA Prime and American Wagyu beef. 

The Korean-influenced cuisine at Atoboy, which first opened its warmly industrial-cool space in 2016, spans four fantastic courses for $75, including gratuity. You’ll start with lovely sea urchin, then choose from items like beef tartare, sunchokes, scallops, bass or pork belly to complete the meal. Rice and banchan are included, and a fried chicken supplement is available for $28. 

RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions This 21-story Beaux Arts edifice once dominated midtown. Although it’s now dwarfed by other structures, when it debuted in 1902, the triangle-shaped monolith represented the threat and the thrill of modernity: Naysayers claimed it would never withstand the high winds plaguing 23rd Street, while revered photographer Alfred Stieglitz—who captured it in an iconic shot in 1903—wrote that it was “a picture of a new America still in the making.” Today, it’s possibly the least tourist-friendly New York landmark. The space above the ground-floor shops, occupied by publishing house Macmillan, is inaccessible to the public, but during office hours you can admire black-and-white photos and read a few panels on the history of the tower in its lobby. If you want to see the “point” offices (just over six feet wide at their narrowest), we suggest getting to work on the Great American Novel.

This public space was a highly desirable address when it opened in 1847, and is now a verdant oasis. It hosts a series of summer concerts, including the incredibly popular Mad. Sq. Kids series, which features some of the hottest bands in kids' music. The destination is also home to Shake Shack, a summer favorite (as evidenced by the shockingly long lines) for burgers, fries and, of course, shakes.

RECOMMENDED: Museum of Sex (MoSex) Situated in the former Tenderloin district, which bumped-and-grinded with dance halls and brothels in the 1800s, MoSex explores the subject within a cultural context—but that doesn’t mean some content won’t shock the more buttoned-up visitor. On the ground floor, “Action!,” which screens around 220 clips from more than 150 years of sex on film, includes explicit scenes from such (literally) seminal porn flicks as Deep Throat. Upstairs, highlights of the permanent collection range from the tastefully erotic to the outlandish. Cop a feel of one of the silicone Real Doll torsos. An 1890s anti-onanism device could be confused with the S&M gear, which includes a nine-foot steel-framed love pen donated by a local dominatrix. Also of note are the Depression-era Tijuana Bibles—raunchy comic strips showing well-known characters like Donald Duck as you’ve never seen them before—and sex machines created by keen DIYers, such as the “Monkey Rocker,” constructed from a dildo and excercise equipment (it inspired the device in the Coen brothers’ Burn After Reading). The spacious gift shop is stocked with books and arty sex toys, and aphrodisiac elixers are served in a new café.

RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions This park is named after neither the Union of the Civil War nor the labor rallies that once took place here, but simply for the union of Broadway and Bowery Lane (now Fourth Avenue). Even so, it does have its radical roots: From the 1920s until the early ’60s, it was a favorite spot for tub-thumping political oratory. Following 9/11, the park became a focal point for the city’s outpouring of grief. These days you'll find the lively Greenmarket in warmer months, holiday shops in the winter and a summer concert series for kids.

At this gorgeous new photography museum, head through an unmarked door in the lobby to find the adjoining cocktail bar. Once a cathedral, the lounge has the same Gilded-Age opulence as Stephen Starr's Verōnika restaurant. Unusually, you can grab drinks and bring them with you throughout the museum.

The T-shaped speakeasy beneath the Korean steakhouse Cote is dimly lit and all black but for the walls, which are adorned with vertical gardens, some set behind glass. It feels very reptile-house chic—you half expect to see a mounted placard delineating the origins of the poison dart frog. 

It’s a scene straight out of Midnight in Paris: all golden-age yearning and space-time shuffling. This dapper Gramercy lounge, from Raines Law Room operators Alberto Benenati and Yves Jadot, is a railroad space divided into period-piece quarters, including a tufted Victorian parlor and an ashtray-dotted hooch den worthy of Don Draper. Spend an hour at this luxe oasis and you’ll completely lose track of time—no DeLorean required.

There is no bar to belly up to at this louche lounge. Drinks are prepared in a beautiful but half-hidden back room surrounded by gleaming examples of every tool and gizmo a barkeep could wish for. From this gorgeous tableau comes an austere cocktail list, which includes classics like the Manhattan and Negroni, and variations thereof. The 10 Gallon Hat (mescal, ancho chile, lime and pineapple) smacks of a margarita with something fiery to celebrate. And the Pinoeer Spirit, a twist on the Old Fashioned (rye, apple brandy, orgeat), is so strong it could serve itself. Who needs a barstool anyway?

The iconic open-air Chelsea flea, brought back from the dead by the team behind  Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea, showcases 40 veteran vendors selling mostly historic collectibles. If you love eclectic costume jewelry, quirky furniture, midcentury art and ceramics, records, antiques and art, and more, you’ll spend hours combing for treasure here. Plus, you'll now be able to grab a rewarding snack on the way out from various Smorgasburg food vendors that will soon be revealed. 

There’s a rotating mix of astoundingly well-preserved designer and nonvintage clothing here, as well as one-of-a-kind housewares, shoes and accessories. We’ve found vintage Yves Saint Laurent blouses for $12, striped skinny ties for $6 and a pair of classic Salvatore Ferragamo pumps with bows on them for $10. Pretty much everything is a find, but you still get that thrill-of-the-hunt feeling.

This massive food and drink complex from Oscar Farinetti is the largest Italian market in the world. The New York flagship takes inspiration from the first Eataly location, which opened in Torino, Italy, in 2007. The Eataly NYC Flatiron location sprawls 48,000-square-feet and is a maze of awe-inspiring aisle after aisle filled with hard-to-find, high-quality Italian produce and products, fresh counters, cafés and restaurants. It's a chance for New Yorkers to educate their tastebuds on the nuances of Italy's 20 regions.

The long-running New York institution’s flagship store, Academy Records and CDs—next door to the tiny niche where it originated back in ’77—boasts the city’s best selection of used classical CDs and LPs, plus an impressive array of rock and jazz discs. (The store is connected in name to NYC's other two Academy Record locations, though those spots focus mainly on vinyl). Approachable help and knowledgeable buyers add to the overall experience. Plan to spend time—and money—at both locations.