Things to do near the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

While the Guggenheim’s collection of modern art works is certainly impressive, it is impossible to separate the museum’s contents from its form with architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s brilliant and controversial design. Opened in 1959 on Fifth Ave across from Central Park, just months after Wright’s death, the concrete inverted ziggernaut (a Babylonian step pyramid), stomped on the expectations and tradition of clean square galleries exemplified and cherished by the neighboring Upper East Side museums, like the nearby Metropolitan Museum. Instead Wright combined his use of geometric shapes and nature, to create a gallery space that presented art along a flowing, winding spiral, much like a nautilus shell, with little in the way of walls to separate artists, ideas or time periods. Best experienced as Wright intended by taking the elevator to the top of the museum and following the gentle slope down, the art is revealed at different angles along the descent and across the open circular rotunda in a way that even the most well known Monet landscape might seem like a revelation. Make sure to take a break from the captivating main exhibit of the season and visit the small rooms off the rotunda to see the permanent collection, which includes works by Picasso, Cezanne, Manet and the largest selection of Kandinsky paintings to be permanently shown in America.

The Pierre, a Taj Hotel, is everything you want in a classic New York City stay, from sweeping views of Central Park to top-notch service that makes you feel special. This classic, five-star hotel sits right on the southeastern edge of Central Park at Fifth Avenue and 61st Street and is by far the best hotel stay I’ve had in the city. Its understated elegance is felt as soon as you walk into the lobby, which plays host to myriad lavish events throughout the year. Opened in 1930, the 41-story hotel with 189 small dog-friendly rooms and 76 apartments was modeled after Versailles by famed architects Schultze and Weaver (who also designed the Waldorf-Astoria) and boasts neo-Georgian accents, checkered marble floors, incredible ballroom spaces with grand staircases and a rotunda with murals hand-painted by American artist Edward Melcarth in 1976—one of the most romantic rooms I’ve seen in NYC. After my stay here, I can see why it’s been featured in films like First Wives Club, Meet Joe Black and Oceans 8. It’s also hosted luminaries like Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Andy Warhol, Hubert de Givenchy, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Yves Saint Laurent, Barbra Streisand, Joan Collins (and many UN delegations) over the many decades and you can see them represented in the hotel’s incredible candid photos by Ron Galella that line its main hallway. But where The Pierre really shines is in the details, which make it feel like home. Check-in was a breeze with staff who welcomed me...

There are some NYC hotels that have, over time, become synonymous with the city itself. The Carlyle is one of those New York grand dames that still manages to feel as relevant today as when it first opened in 1930. The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, (its official name) has a prime location in the center of the elegant Upper East Side. Located a block from Central Park, its central tower can be seen throughout the neighborhood—as intrinsically a part of the upscale area as the flowers of Park Avenue.  A large part of what’s helped maintain this hospitality icon’s relevance has been its charming, idiosyncratic public venues: Bemelmans Bar, Café Carlyle and—more recently—Dowling’s at the Carlyle. During a recent stay, I was most looking forward to being able to drop in to experience these classic New York spots without having to step outside. (Especially since it happened to be downpouring that night.)  With 192 rooms and suites, there is a wide array of options for a night here. We stayed in an Upper East Side Suite which had a separate sleeping area as well as a full kitchen—perfect for those interested in a longer stay. The minimal, Art Deco design felt both modern and timeless. Meanwhile, the full (but quite tiny) kitchen was a useful touch that made our time here feel more like a home away from home than a hotel stay—one of The Carlyle’s superpowers. Another big bonus of a night here is hopping into one of the historic gold-trimmed elevators and soaring up to your throwback...

Even in the worst of times, a world-class city needs restaurants offering the escape of over-the-top coddling and luxurious food, with a star chef who's not just on the awning but in the kitchen and dining room, too-—in short, a place like Daniel. The most classically opulent of the city's rarefied restaurants, Daniel Boulud's 15-year-old flagship emerged from a face-lift last fall, looking about as youthful as a restaurant in a landmark Park Avenue building realistically can. The sprawling dining room no longer resembles the doge's palace in Venice. Instead it's been brought into the 21st century with white walls, contemporary wrought iron sconces and a centerpiece bookshelf lined with vibrant crystal vases among other curios. The redesign, by longtime Boulud collaborator Adam Tihany, couldn't have come at a better time. With even neighborhood regulars keeping an eye on their budgets, now more than ever the place needs to cultivate a new clientele. Despite Boulud's ever-expanding reach—he'll soon launch his tenth restaurant, on the Bowery—the chef still prowls the dining room here most nights, charming fans and sending extras to his special guests. While the setting has been revamped, the food—overseen since 2004 by executive chef Jean Franois Bruel—hasn't taken a radical turn. Still, presentations overall seemed much more up-to-date. The tiered silver tower cradling an overkill of miniature bites that used to kick off a meal has given way to a less-is-more amuse-bouche...

The 92nd Street Y's Harkness Dance Center presents a double bill of distinguished African-American dance. Ronald K. Brown and his troupe, Evidence, perform Brown's 1998 piece Upside Down, which is set to music by the Nigerian singer Wunmi and was originally devised with Côte d'Ivoire's Rokiya Kone and her Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire. Joan Myers Brown's venerable Philadanco! visits from the City of Brotherly Love to make its 92NY debut with one of its most popular works, Pretty Is Skin Deep, Ugly is to the Bone, which was created for the company in 1976 by the pioneering Black modern dancer maker Talley Beatty.

This elegant addition to the city’s museum scene is devoted entirely to late-19th- and early-20th-century German and Austrian fine and decorative arts. Located in a renovated brick-and-limestone mansion that was built by the architects of the New York Public Library, this brainchild of the late art dealer Serge Sabarsky and cosmetics mogul Ronald S. Lauder has the largest concentration of works by Gustav Klimt (including his iconic Adele Bloch-Bauer I) and Egon Schiele outside Vienna. You’ll also find a bookstore, a chic (and expensive) design shop and the Old World–inspired Café Sabarsky, serving updated Austrian cuisine and ravishing Viennese pastries.

From the iconic Madeline murals by Ludwig Bemelmans to the live music, Bemelmans is like no other experience. Somehow, the white-jacketed service doesn't feel stuffy but transportive to another era that isn't just another Prohibition-style bar knockoff. Maybe it's the fact that the classics are done just right (head bartender Luis Serrano has worked here for 31 years).

Founded in 1897 by the Hewitt sisters, granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper, the only museum in the U.S. solely dedicated to design (both historic and modern) has been part of the Smithsonian since the 1960s. The museum hosts periodic interactive family programs that allow children to experiment with design.

The 92nd Street Y is proud to offer an incredible range of programs and services to New Yorkers of all ages. They offer early childhood support, parenting classes, summer camps, and after-school activities. There are also multiple classes available for older adults, including exercise classes, sign language classes, and writing workshops. Additionally, 92NY provides a robust variety of continuing education programs on topics ranging from world politics to how to publish your own memoir. Many of their courses are geared toward beginner students, like the Acrylic Painting for Absolute Beginners and the Drawing for Beginners workshops. Both of these courses last only a few hours but provide a robust introduction to these creative skills. Expert teachers will share their tips and tricks to achieve high-quality results. Supplies are not included, but a list of required materials will be sent to students prior to the start of class.  92NY is one of New York City’s premiere nonprofit agencies and cultural centers. Originally founded to serve the Jewish community, it has since expanded its programming to provide quality services to people of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. In nearly 150 years, 92NY has never wavered from its primary mission of improving the physical and mental health of the individuals they serve. 92NY is a registered four-star charity through Charity Navigator. They provide arts education for students K-12, including dance, music, and writing programs. The...

The Asia Society sponsors study missions and conferences while promoting public programs in the U.S. and abroad. The headquarters’ striking galleries host major exhibitions of art culled from dozens of countries and time periods—from ancient India and medieval Persia to contemporary Japan—and assembled from public and private collections, including the permanent Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III collection of Asian art. A spacious, atrium-like café, with a pan-Asian menu, and a beautifully stocked gift shop make the society a one-stop destination for anyone who has an interest in Asian art and culture.